Advice on a used Drill Press

[SpringHollow]

Hi Jim,

In the past two years, I have seen what appeared to be some really nice looking mills on Ebay for less than $1000 especially in California. Hard to say for sure without seeing them but you could still see the scrapings on the ways in the closeups. I look occasionally for a friend. There were some CNC mills in that price range too, the old Bridgeport ones. I might play with converting mine some day, keeping my eyes open for cheap parts.

Mine is a belt drive J-head Bridgeport, C8 Collets which i did not get with the mill. The manual i have says 1962 but it is not necessarily the one for my mill. I will have to check serial numbers. I can probably get the high speed head for it for free (they have not used it in at least the last 15 years) but i can not think of where i would use it and space is precious. I will try to look and see what HP. I have to believe it is at least 1 HP. Has the 42" bed with power feed.

Ken

Edit: Just looked, there are several under a $1000 but a fair number in the $1200 - 1500 range with a couple cnc's too

Edit: 1 HP

 

[2manyrocks]

Thanks for the link to the guide on Ebay. I didn't know you could get something like that.

 

[mojoinco]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but the things I want in a metal drilling press (not one for primarily drilling in wood):
Spindle that uses a tapered chuck mount (typically Morris Taper #2 or #3).
Chuck that is 5/8".
Floor mount.
As slow as it can go (the 180 rpm unit is not rated anywhere near 1 1/4" dia; nor are the smaller mill/drills). You will end up with at couple of the annular drill bits.
A table with slots, or T slots (usually not the same size as the Bridgeport machines used -- very common accessory size and prices).
The table should tilt.
A light on (or built in) the machine head.
Look at the quill travel and compare with others.
Make sure it has a method to limit quill travel (usually a rotating ring around the quill handle).
Even with a mill/drill you will still want a drill press. Got both, use both, but the drill press is faster for casual drilling, and is easier to use for most things.

 

[mjncad]

Since you want to drill 1.25" holes, go with a floor model with as slow a speed as possible. My Jet 17" goes down to 200-RPM, and I've used a 3" hole saw to drill 1/4" thick steel. It took lots of patience, hearing protection, lots of oil, and a light touch to do it; but it can be done.

A hole saw or annular cutter is probably your best bet as twist drills get pricey over 1". A buddy of mine has 2-1/16" twist drill with a Morse taper shank made by Cleveland Twist Drill that was never used. He got it from the Community College he teaches at, and they were going to pitch it when they closed down their machine shop program. He uses it as a paper weight and conversation piece. I guessed that the bit would cost $500 new, and when I checked MSC Direct, I was low by about $25 as I recall.

Back to what to look for. Check for free motion of the quill, and slop in the bearings.

If you go the mill/drill route, get a square column with a gear mechanism to raise and lower the column. A buddy of mine and KennyD have round column Grizzly's (numerous other makes too) that if you screw up the head height setup, you get to start from scratch on your setup since the head isn't constrained.

If those holes need to be super precise, a mill or mill/drill will probably be your best bet. Stick with single phase power as it's simpler and cheaper.