Which drill press?

Paul Gallian

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$600 is my very upper limit!

Which will give me the most for my money..

I know this is a low limit.. But that is all I have after selling scrap gold!
 
I think you'll find a lot of similarities between the brands. (I suspect the main iron castings are coming from only a handful of Chinese factories.) I'd suggest shopping based on features more than brands. And if it's a option in your area, buying a used drill press is often a way to get a lot of bang for the buck. New or used, I suspect you can find several good choices well within your price range.

I have a 17" Craftsman with a 1 HP motor. Although I generally shy away from Craftsman power tools since there's usually something better for the same price elsewhere, I got this one at a price I couldn't refuse.

Anyway, the things that I've appreciated having, and would look for in any brand:
  • Wide range of speeds, particularly the lower ranges for Forstner bits
  • Long quill travel with a good depth stop system
  • A large table (mine has one, but I added an even larger laminate table to it)
  • A strong motor
Things I have, but don't really care about:
  • Laser aiming - was kind nifty at first, but it's too easy to bump it out of position. I prefer just checking the position the old-fashioned way...with the bit itself (drill not spinning)
  • Tilting table - Others use theirs a lot, but I've never had the need to tilt the table. I've tilted the piece I'm drilling instead.
 
The good news is that there are a number of DP's under $600 that are all about the same quality. The bad news is that there are a number of DP's under $600 that are all about the same quality. I'll assume that finding a good-condition older machine and restoring it is not your druthers. I haven't looked for a while since shopping for drill presses depresses me but, the Delta 17-959 is right around $600 and is superior to machines I have looked at in the $1000 - $1200 range. There are probably others in that range that owners can suggest. I know two 17-959 owners, one of which took his $1000 mustard machine back because it was so poor. Both would buy again in that price range and when it comes to DP's, that's saying something.
 
Do I even need to say it? :rolleyes: Grizzly has served me very well. Price is right, machine is excellent. I got the bench top version of the one below and regret that decision. Whatever you get, make sure it is a floor model. They are much more versitile than the bench tops and both take the same amount of floor space.
And, you will have money left over.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-Speed-Heavy-Duty-14-Floor-Drill-Press/G7944
 
I'd give the Steel City one a good look. $649. I have one of their table saws and am real happy with it. The only thing to be aware of is you won't be able to walk into a wood working store and buy Steel City accessories for it. Case in point, I recently decided I wanted a new zero clearance insert for TS. I thought a Delta one would fit it because the guys that started S.C. were x-delta people. I e-mailed S.C. and asked. No the delta one would not work because of the type of guard mount used on the S.C. verses Delta. I had to order one from S.C. I received great service and I happy with it, but they do have a captive audience on accessories. It wouldn't keep me from buying other of their products though. BUT, if they were to go out of business.......
 
I have the Steel City DP and really like it. It has a 5" quil travel and plenty of power I would buy it again in a heart beat.
Take Cash and go see Ballew Saw talk to Bill or Kenny and you will be happy.
Give me a holler if ya want to come by and look at mine Paul. Would love to see ya anyway and its on yer way :wave:
 
I did a survey a couple of years ago when I was looking at a new DP. Here is a copy of the spreadsheet, its accurate to the best of my knowledge (no guarantees) but is certainly incomplete (for example I only have the larger grizzly dp because both the 20" and 17" were in my budget so to consolidate the comparison I only added the one I was interested in) - note that there are a few "what if" machines on there that I had no intention of buying, my budget was good.. not that good :D

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ar8f4uS4mwyRdEIwOU1ETV9idWJjWm1zV1p6YTZwMnc

Feel free to make a copy and edit to your hearts content.

I ended up with the Delta 18-900L which is a bit over your price range but a very nice machine as far as these things go.

I would second Vaughns list of requirements. I ruled out machines with the lowest speed over about 300rpm, just to fast for large bits.
 
i have grizzly's g7943 bench top model, and aside from the odd thing of having a faulty capacitor that fried the motor (grizzly replaced the motor gratis), i have not had a problem with it in over 2 years now. right now it's going for $339, and that includes the freight.
 
Thanks to all who have replied to this post.. Good info and suggestions.... Now I have plenty to go on..

Paul
 
Hi,

I have a Delta 17-959 L drill press. It is a tremendous improvement over the old, smaller, floor model Delta that I had. The old one is a good machine. The 17-959 L is a great machine.

Glenn looked it up. He has the top of the line 17 inch home version Delta drill press. He says it is a good machine. However, he is really sorry he did not get the 17-959 L. He said that the 17-959 is the low end of the professional line. The difference between the two is much greater than the price difference between the two.

Specs:
Speed Range 215 – 2,720
Large steel table designed for woodworking.
120volt or 240volt hook-up
Very smooth tilting table; locks in place very easily. However, I am with Vaughn; I prefer tilting the wood. Reasons: It is quicker. I have much better use of the fence---This is true of any drill press I have used.
The quill lock works with just a feather touch of the lever. I use it frequently, especially during set-ups.
The depth of drilling lock adjusts quickly---like a vise with quick adjust. Then there is a ring knob to turn for really fine adjustments.
The quality and weight of the castings is better than my father’s Delta DP from the late 1940s or early 1950s.

I have had the machine several years now. I still have not stopped to really adjust the laser guides. The width of the guide marks is greater than I am willing to accept for fine quality work. They are fine for construction, not for furniture, clocks, games, etc. I do like Vaughn says and set it up manually. I have a steel rod with a long fine taper that I use for precision hole location on things that count.

One of my sons paid over $1,000 for a DP. He ended up taking it back. He purchased the same machine I have (Less than $600 by a few pennies) and is very happy with it.

I hope this was helpful.

JimB
 
Well I drove to Grizzly in Springfield (less than 30 miles) and brought home --G7948 12 Speed 20" Floor Drill Press- it is still in parts in my shop -- heavy.

$574. on sale.. with tax it was over my upper limit of $600..
 
That was one of the ones on my short list. I'm pretty sure you'll be plumb happy with it.

Do get a hoist or a friend to help put the head on, those suckers are heavy. I did my 18-900l by hand solo and I can say with great certainty that that was NOT a smart move (once I was at the top of the ladder going down didn't look to smart either ..so...).
 
Update on drill press.
Good: heavy, large base, large table, wide range of speeds, near 5 inches of spindle travel, Price was okay.
Bad:hard to change speeds, horrible chuck and key, the depth stop is two jam nuts but the nuts do not fit the shaft - like a nut that is too large for a bolt. the fit and polish is poor.
photo follow.chuck.jpgfull.jpgstand.jpgstop .jpgtable.jpg
 
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