Need Drill Press recommendation

Matt,

I have the Delta 12in bench top. i picked this up from Lowes, for under $200. I think its best feature is the laser guides. It takes a little while to get it dialed in, but once you do, It is right no matter what height the table is set to.

One down side of the laser it that it is powered with a 9v battery, not off of the AC, so if you forget to turn it off, you'll be buying some batteries.

It came with a tool table that swings out to the side. I didn't install it, as it just didn't fit in my shop the way things are set up.
 
No room for a floor model? Sears has (had?) the 17" unit for 180.00. Nice quill travel, 3/4 hp motor. If you can sneek in the floor space, would be good to look at it. Jim.
Unfortunately, the $170 ($180, actually) was a misprint on their website. (They meant to say $479, not $179.) There were some folks who were able to talk their local stores into honoring the mistaken price, but a lot of people (me included) got cancellation notices after we ordered online. (Interestingly, I got an order confirmation e-mail after I got the cancellation notice, but based on what I read last night on other forums, I don't expect the drill press to actually show up.)

I've been needing a drill press with more quill travel than my little 10" Delta, so I bit the bullet today and picked up the 12" Sears model (while it was still on sale). If for some reason Sears decides to honor the misprint and the big one does arrive, I'll figure out what to do with whichever one I decide not to keep. Right now, the benchtop model makes more sense for my needs.
 
Vaughn,

It may have been a misprint on the website but many of the stores, according to members of other forums, saw price tags on the actual machine indicating the $179.99 price. I didn't get one since I already have a nice 16 1/2" Delta that I've had for quite a few years but a lot of others did. Wouldn't it be curious if Sears was just using it as a advertising ploy just to drum up interest. :rolleyes:
 
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Dumb limey question...

...what the heck is the BORG?

(Sears I've heard of!)

Its a derogatory reference typically to The HomeDepot also Lowes. These stores are seen as a somewhat necessary evil for true woodworkers. The term borg stems from StarTrek.

www.wikipedia.org said:
The Borg are a race of cyborgs in the fictional Star Trek universe, first introduced in the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series. They are characterized by relentless pursuit of targets for assimilation, their collective consciousness that enables rapid adaptability to almost any defense, and the ability to continue functioning properly despite seemingly devastating blows. They have become a powerful symbol in popular culture for any juggernaut against whom "resistance is futile."
 
Not so Dumb, "Big Orange Retail Giant" is one I've heard often...........

hd_logo.jpg

But I've also heard it in reference to any of the large chain retail home centers.

I guess I cannot suggest you wait to find a good older used one and fix it up?

Maybe Greg has one for sale :D
 
Not so Dumb, "Big Orange Retail Giant" is one I've heard often...........

Ah, I see...

Funnily enough our dominant DIY chain also enjoys orange livery

bqlogo.gif


The BORG... I like it! :)
 
matt, all of the under 1k drill presses are comming from tai/chi, my suggestion is to avoid all the bells-n-whistles and shop on price and warranty. find a store that`ll fix it or give you another while you wait if it goes south......most problems with these units are electrical and not mechanical.
 
Vaughn,

I may have been a misprint on the website but many of the stores, according to members of other forums, saw price tags on the actual machine indicating the $179.99 price. I didn't get one since I already have a nice 16 1/2" Delta that I've had for quite a few years but a lot of others did. Wouldn't it be curious if Sears was just using it as a advertising ploy just to drum up interest. :rolleyes:
I'd read similar comments about folks seeing the price tags in the stores, but the two Sears stores I've been in since then have had the price tags removed from the plastic sleeves on the floor models of that drill press. I was probably just a bit too slow to go looking.

I do suspect there were some sold in the LA area at that price. I noticed today (Saturday) two separate sellers on Craigslist had the Sears 17" for sale...new in the box. Both were selling them for $350. Still a pretty decent price.
 
Matt, since I don't look at new tools much I can't comment on those but I can tell you one thing to look for. I had a Delta bench top and the table would flex. It wasn't that noticeable till I started to do some mortises. I would take a forstner big and drill a series of holes and then clean up with the chisel.

The tenon didn't have a shoulder so the hole had to be square. I found out the table and probably the spindle were flexing and the holes were not a line. Thats when I pulled one of the old Craftsman out that waiting to be restored and it worked perfectly. I sold the Delta just after I restored the first of the two Craftsman. Just somthing you might want to check for.
 
Matt,
The two items I've found to be important are the stroke of the quill and the speed - slowest is usually the issue. I think most of the bench models have a similar stroke, but the speed range on some is a bit too fast IMHO.

FWIW,
Wes
 
Matt, whatever brand you decide on, please think twice about getting a bench top model. My Grizzly is a fine machine but I made a misteak getting the bencher. At the time, for only $20.00 more, I could have had a floor model and a whole whoop more versatility in it's use. Think about it, a floor model doesn't require any more footprint that a bench top. BTW. mine is a G7943 and, yes, I would do it again in a floor version. I'm very pleased with this drill press.
 
The first thing I look for when buying a press is a quill lock. If it doesn't have it they keep it. The second place I look is under the table - of all places - why would i look there. A large percent of tabels are constructed in such a manner it is nearly impossible to clamp anything down to the table.
 
bench top drill press

I own a Jet JDP-15M It is an excellent machine. It appears to be well made for an import. I think Fine Woodworking did a review of bench top DP's. Peter
 
I was going to suggest the General Int'l floor model (14" iirc) that sells at just over $200 now, but then I looked and they do not have any distributors in NM. Its the one I have and it has more than 3 1/2" quill travel. It also has a spot for a regular household lightbulb as a work light that I thought was a nice touch.

In my limited shop space, bench space is at a much higher premium than the floor space a drill press takes up. Until recently putting a couple bench tools on mobile bases, at least one rarely got used because it was a major irritation to take it off the shelf, clamp to bench, do quick job, unclamp and then return to shelf. Its irritating just typing out that whole sequence!

Good luck with whatever your decision is!
 
Yup, get the floor model . . .

for the bit extra it costs. Love my bench rig but shoulda got the big one. Ah well, next up-grade. My other issue with new is all the darn plastic. Got my bench used so its still got metal everything. It also had a 3/4 chuck when I got it. If it had'nt I'd have been buying one soon after.
 
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