The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Drill Presses????

The wife needs a list of items "Santa" could bring. Being that I have just about everything else I need, I would like some input on drill presses. What to look for, what to stay away from. Looking on the cheap side if possible (less than 200 if possible). Any input would be helpfull to "Santa"

Seems to me that a drill press is a fairly simple piece of equipment.I cant see spending a small fortune on one.Although I am no fan of Sears Craftsman power tools,their drill presses seem to be pretty good and priced reasonable,especially if you can find one one sale. I bought mine from Sears about 8 years ago for around $200.I use it in my woodshop and also for metal work.The ones I would stay away from are the ones sold thru the big tool sales that are set up about 3 or 4 times a year,usually at a motel or maybe an armory.Delta,Jet, and some other companies also sell drill presses which are AOK,and probably a little more pricey than Sears.Look around at different presses and check out how they are built,etc.

Things I would look in a drill press are:
the size of the table,a larger table is easier to clamp to than a small table.
the number of speeds and the ability to change the speeds easily.
Finally a depth stop.

Hope this helps

I know I'll get some crap for it, but I got a China made press 27 years or so ago at a farm store. I have no complaints with it. I would suggest one that sits on the floor instead of a shorter on that sits on the bench. I also used a short length of light chain to tie the chuck key to the back of the press. I haven't lost it once in all those years.

i agree with cen tex the speed is what i would look for and the chuck capacity. i am no expert on anything but if you will be using over a 1/2" drill in your press you really need to slow that puppy down. the larger the dia of drill the faster it is moving at the edge and the slower you need to turn it. sometimes i just want to drill a quick hole and don't want to mess with the mill so i do have a old craftsman floor model. you could buy a set of S and D drills up to a inch and still get by with the 1/2 chuck i guess. trust me you don't want to take every piece in to a shop that needs a over 1/2 hole. i used to have a 5/8 chuck dril press and that helped a lot before i got my milling machine. you will never be able to beat it for presision, power and work holding ability. a S and D set in 64ths is going to be very high so i would just get a larger chuck press. you can prob find a used press for 200 but i wouldn't buy a new one you could get for that price. i would stick with my hand held drill till the right one comes along. tell santa to point here sled toward to used machinery shops. hr

Hey Builder,strange things do happen. I went to one of those tool sales about 40 years ago and bought a set of box end wrenches for $5. They are forged in India. Anyway I have used them all of these years,and they are still in ecellent shape.$5.well spent.I looked at a drill press at another one about 8n yrs. ago,and I would not have brought it home if they were giving them away. Glad to hear you made out good on yours.

Distance from C/L is important, chuck size, and spindle speed as memetioned. Also decide if you need a table or floor model. Craftsman ain't what it used to be by a long shop since K-Rap bought them. Warranty is good from store to the parking lot.

Look at Husky Tools.

I was fortunate several years ago to buy an old Marshal Huschart standing drill press that was converted from belt to a three speed chevy transmission with reverse. It is morse taper 3 and I have adapters for both taper 2 and a morse taper 3 chuck to 3/4 inch. Have been able to buy morse taper bits cheap at machine shops sales since hardly anyone else can use them. It turns slow enough I can count the revolutions willdrill anything. Have large movable table with clamping bed. Check at any machine shops going out of business as I think I bought thismachine for $175. Machine is 220 volt so need a special plug in for that.

now that is a buy. with the #3 MT you could use all kinds of drills and attachments. the 220 will give it the omphff. and being able to turn slow is such a plus. MT drills are so nice i have a complete set, some over 2". they hold better than a chuck. this is the kind of deal i would be lookin for if i was santa.

iowafarmboy has the right idea shop for the good used deal. I recently bought a Sibly camel back press for $125. It was made in the 40's and will drill circles around any asian drill. If you are planning to use it on steel you should get a press that will get down to at 200 rpms with a good sturdy column and base. The heavier the press is the less trouble you'll have with chatter and wondering holes. The new China presses are light and junkie and generally have really bad chucks. There a lot of older good used presses for the same money or less than the new China junk.
hoggyrubber have you ever tried Holloways Industrial sales for used machinist tooling and such. Hes on Prince Lane off of Trafficway.

i sure have! that's one of my favorite places to go. wally is a great guy. i always tell my wife that's where i want to go for my birthday. she always groans.

In the old day SEARS CRAFTSMAN offered two models of presses. I always bought the industrial version of their power tools. I would look for a good use and older press with a table that is moved by a gear and speeds that are changeable as this is very important especially when using the expensive bits. A word to the wise is always use oil to lube and cool the bits as it can become quite expensive replacing bits broken and or dulled bits from the use of the wrong speed and without oil. Buy yourself a good quiltiy grinder to resharpen dull bits and always use proctive eye wear when operating the equipment. It is priceless insurance at an affordable price. I eventually ended up with a used BRIDGEPORT machine...money well spent.

Good advice on lubing the drill bits.I have a drill doctor that I recieved for Xmas a few years back,and it is an easy way to sharpen bits.Of course just using a grinding wheel works OK too. As far as Sears power tools are concerned,I will not buy any more of them,however just looking at their drill presses they seem to be pretty good.I dont do a lot of heavy drilling with mine,and it works out just fine. Course it is about 10 years old. Sears started going down hill long before the KMart deal. I bought a new top of the line table saw from Sears about 8 yrs. ago.It has never been an accurate piece of equipment,as there is no way to keep the blade lined up,(running true to the miter slots).I finally invested the money in a Delta Unisaw,which I got a good buy on. The old Sears saw sits in a corner of the shop and one day I will have a garage sale and try to get a few bucks out of it.It would be an excellent saw for a builder,or contractor,but for making furniture it is not up to par.