10" drill press; What's 10 inches about it??

[beppington]

I bought a Ryobi 10" drill press 7 or 8 years ago, not really focusing on the 10" part, just wanted a decent drill press, & it did the trick for what I needed at the time.

A friend of mine needed to drill some 4x4s, so also bought himself a 10" drill press, & was disappointed to find out a 10" drill press apparently doesn't drill a 10" deep hole. I think it drills a 2.5" to 3" deep hole.

So ... What's "10 inches" about a 10" drill press?

 

[k3nn3y]

Hi beppington. Measure your drill press from column to the center of the drill chuck. It should measure 5" meanimg it has a 10" swing. :thumbsup:

 

[slowzuki]

The quill travel is how far it will drill in one sweep.

 

[kennyd]

Hi beppington. Measure your drill press from column to the center of the drill chuck. It should measure 5" meanimg it has a 10" swing. :thumbsup:

100% correct.

 

[CurlyDave]

...A friend of mine needed to drill some 4x4s, so also bought himself a 10" drill press, & was disappointed to find out a 10" drill press apparently doesn't drill a 10" deep hole. I think it drills a 2.5" to 3" deep hole.

So ... What's "10 inches" about a 10" drill press?

You would need a 10" long drill bit to drill 10" deep holes, actually more like 12" since some of the drill must be in the chuck.

While I have seen some long bits, 10-12" is not going to common.

If he isn't skilled with using a hand drill, he can get the hole going in the right direction with his press and finish up with a hand drill and a long bit...

 

[beppington]

Measure your drill press from column to the center of the drill chuck. It should measure 5" meanimg it has a 10" swing. :thumbsup:

OK I did that tonight ... & it is 5" from the front of the column (not its center) to the center of the chuck. However, since the 5" isn't from the center of the column, & the column itself has a diameter of 2-1/4", wouldn't the swing actually be more like 12-1/4"? :confused2:

But ... I measured a few other dimensions while I was at it, & happened to find that if I lower the work platform all the way down, the distance from the work surface to the bottom of the chuck is exactly 10".

 

[beppington]

You would need a 10" long drill bit to drill 10" deep holes, actually more like 12" since some of the drill must be in the chuck.

That's true! Not sure what the heck either of us was thinkin'! :ashamed:

If he isn't skilled with using a hand drill, he can get the hole going in the right direction with his press and finish up with a hand drill and a long bit...

That's what he ended up doing, which is what I've had to do before, too.

 

[Bob Rooks]

But ... I measured a few other dimensions while I was at it, & happened to find that if I lower the work platform all the way down, the distance from the work surface to the bottom of the chuck is exactly 10".

Coincidence. If it were a floor mounted 10" drill press it would be more like 3-1/2 feet.

 

[Steve_Miller]

OK I did that tonight ... & it is 5" from the front of the column (not its center) to the center of the chuck. However, since the 5" isn't from the center of the column, & the column itself has a diameter of 2-1/4", wouldn't the swing actually be more like 12-1/4"? :confused2:

But ... I measured a few other dimensions while I was at it, & happened to find that if I lower the work platform all the way down, the distance from the work surface to the bottom of the chuck is exactly 10".

Take a piece of plywood at least 6 - 8" long and drive against the column and drill a hole in it, now measure from the center of the hole to the edge that was against the column. What do you measure?

Steve

 

[beppington]

Take a piece of plywood at least 6 - 8" long and drive against the column and drill a hole in it, now measure from the center of the hole to the edge that was against the column. What do you measure?

5 inches