Drill Press for BIY projects

[Aquaman]

My wife won a continuously variable speed bench model Delta drill press as a door prize

She got a sister?

 

[mjncad]

I have a Jet 16-speed floor model that I've owned since the mid 1990's. I'm pleased with it and I've cut 3-1/2" diameter holes in 1/2" plate with it using a hole saw. Granted, that is out of the normal range of the machine and even at 200RPM, the hole saw was going about 3x that it should have. But the Jet got it done with time, patience, cutting oil and ear protection. The Jet has a far superior depth control setting than the Sears and Delta units.

If you get a floor model regardless of brand...BOLT IT TO THE FLOOR! Drill presses are inherently top heavy.

 

[California]

I hope HF has improved their cheapest drill press since I got one 20 years ago.

It claims 1/3 hp, but it couldn't be half that. No power at all.

Not Recommended, unless someone reports that the current model is much improved.

 

[RedDirt]

I have that old '50's vintage Craftsman floor model that everybody's father and grandfather had. They must have built millions of them; I still see them all over the place. It has primarily wood working speeds with 750RPM being the slowest. I've used it over 30 years (yikes! I'M that grandfather!). I have always wanted to rig a way to slow it down.

A friend took one and built an auxiliary jackshaft with another 4 step pulley on it but he had to cut away part of the casting to get the belts to fit. Too radical for me. Anybody have other ideas?

I'm doing more metalworking these days and lately I've thought of a 2:1 or 3:1 gear reduction and re-mount the motor lower. Ive also thought of trying to mount my big vari-speed Milwaukee drill motor on the drill press. Now that my house construction is done that hand drill does not see much work.

One of the features I'd look for in a new press (besides slow speeds for metalworking) is a good, easy-to-use depth adjuster. The old Craftsman has a superior one and I'm now spoiled.

 

[SkunkWerX]

Schism has the idea, for metal work look for the slower speeds available.

RedDirt, what is the Motor speed on your old craftsman?
You might luck out and be able to change for a slower motor.
If it is a 3200 rpm motor, you can swap it for 1725 rpm motor.
That's darn near a 2:1 reduction.

I have a Bridgewood floor model, it's about 25 years old. I can get down to about 230rpm on the lowest pulley setting, but it still could use a little lower speed for the larger bits.

 

[shvl73]

If a floor model is desired and economical cost is important, the drill press at TSC is $139. I bought it and it works well for average projects. Slowest speed is 260rpm's and worked well for me drilling 1" holes in 3/4" plate. I was using some liquid wrench spray for cutting oil.

 

[weldingisfun]

It has been said by a couple already, low speed for heavy metal.
I have looked at lots of manufacturers and have found that only two have tha low speed and low price I want. They are Grizzly G7944 12 Speed Heavy-Duty 14" Floor Drill Press and HF Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices. Keep your eye on HF for their sales.

 

[patrick_g]

She got a sister?

Yes, she does and the sister is on hubby #2 AND you DO NOT want to be #3, trust me.

...and now for the rest of the story...

So much for name brand vs HF! The continuously variable speed Delta bench top drill press uses variable diameter pulleys which you adjust while it is running with a convenient control. A great system when done correctly. They didn't get it right. It came apart during the first few operations. I put it together and it came apart again. I re-engineered it and it worked OK. I called Delta and they were savvy to the problem and sent me a new variable pulley assy, a new belt, and various little parts (for free.) I took out my mods and installed their new improved and lemon scented assy. It works like it is supposed to now.

It does not go as slow as the HF at the low end of the adjustment. It is not good for big holes in heavy metal. The routine oiling (called out for daily maint) requires R&R of 6 sheet metal screws. I drilled a hole in the top cover and drip oil in and put a plug in the hole to keep out debris.

The HF could use more power. The chuck comes off way less than with the Delta. I could use a lower speed once in a while but it isn't too bad. I would not recommend the fancy Delta bench top over the HF Chinese unit.

After I expand my shop by enclosing a 48x21 foot shed on the side of it and separate the metal working from wood working I will get a lot more use out of the Delta as I will assign it to the wood shop to save walking out into the metal shop which may not be heated if I'm not doing much out there. I know there will still be times when I will have to take something to the HF drill press because of size and when I need low speed.

I think the HF has been a terrific bargain. It has performed pretty good, no maint problems, and it is still doing fine after about 15 years. I would not hesitate to buy another if the need arose. If you are going to be doing super high precision work and normally use measuring devices with calibrations traceable back to the national Bureau of Standards (Now NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology) then you need to avoid HF and buy a high quality precision machine. If you are super impatient and need big holes in thick steel RIGHT NOW then maybe you need something larger, more robust, and with a larger motor. (Or a powerful industrial laser.)

Pat

 

[andymil]

I have a 3/4 hp, 16 speed floor model made in Taiwan. Lowest speed is 170 rpm. I've had it for about 20 years. (Holy crap, I'm gettin' old.)
One problem I've had that nobody else seems to have is the stroke is too short, just a little over 3 inches. The depth stop isn't the best setup either.
Just something else to consider.
Andy

 

[RedDirt]

RedDirt, what is the Motor speed on your old craftsman?
You might luck out and be able to change for a slower motor.
If it is a 3200 rpm motor, you can swap it for 1725 rpm motor.
That's darn near a 2:1 reduction.

Skunk,
That would be too easy! Unfortunately it is already 1725, 1/2HP.

I've looked at reduction gear boxes at Surplus Center but they don't seem to have a well suited box for my needs. I may do a web search for different selection. Anybody have suggestions where to look? I'd like a straight line box at 4:1 reduction with 1/2" or 5/8" keyed shafts rated at 1/2 to 1HP.

I checked my existing slow speed with a digital tach and found it is now 670rpm so a 4:1 would give me 160rpm.