Wanted: First and Last drill press I'll ever own

[goeduck]

This is what I have done and I am by no means suggesting it is the best way. Just saying that it works for me.

I TRY to purchase older quality bench top DP's and refurbish them if necessary (most often the case.). I'm pretty certain I have UNDER $200 invested in the drills in the first picture.

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For REAL heavy drilling a mill drill or mill (as others have mentioned) works well though.
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VERY NICE equipment. I like the floor Delta. Of course the mill drill would be the cats meow of my dreams.

 

[marchanna]

Drill presses are pretty simply. My primary criteria would be
1. Morse taper in the spindle so that I switch out with commercial grade chucks
2. Variable speed
3. Easily adjustable table

If you have the space, I would look for a used vertical mill. Sometimes I see these pop up on eBay for just a few hundred dollars.

 

[plowhog]

Doh! You can still turn it, in reverse, by hand.

It was not possible to back it out by hand. That's why I bought a drill press. As you said: "Doh!"

I find it surprising a $39 electric drill has forward and reverse, but my drill press has only forward.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I have a few drill press', two older American made Sears (that I could sell one) and also a Delta that you can see in this pict. along with my, "when you really need power" drill press, a "made in Sweden" Solberga Mekaniska.

It's all gear drive and has a transmission to change speeds,

It also has manual and power down, forward/reverse foot and hand shift, plus many other features.

I only use this drill press when I really need the power for big holes.

I milled some logs for a machinery tool dealer, and he traded it to me for milling the logs.

SR

 

[MossRoad]

This conversation reminds me of crocodile Dundee....

That's not a drill press..... THIS is a drill press. :laughing:

Most of the stuff I find around here has been sitting behind someone's garage for decades and rusted shut. Gotta keep looking.

 

[/pine]

I inherited my first drill press...it's an old cast iron portable that accepts the old 250-350 RPM Black & Decker type drill motors that get clamped into the press...don't use it much anymore but it is very versatile and can be positioned and clamped to a piece to be bored in places a bench or floor model press will not work...

 

[Dadnatron]

If you have the space, I would look for a used vertical mill. Sometimes I see these pop up on eBay for just a few hundred dollars.

What is the learning curve for a vertical mill? I've never used one. I believe I have an 'internet understanding' of manual milling basics, but I have never even seen one in use, in person.

 

[BukitCase]

"What is the learning curve for a vertical mill?"

Kinda depends on how "into" it you get - if you just want a "drill press on steroids", then not much. You'd need a normal drill chuck that's compatible with your mill (R8 taper is common on a lot of mills) - after that, a vise and some T nuts to mount the vise on the table. Most small to medium sized mills have the same basic functions as a drill press, just beefier. To drill a hole, you put a bit in the chuck, tighten it (using ALL THREE holes; this is METAL working) then position the work under the bit, turn the mill on (set speed FIRST), grab the quill handle and drill.

IF you actually think you'll want to use it as a MILL (flattening, cutting grooves, chamfers, etc), the cost AND the learning curve gets steeper - first would be the cost of the mill itself. That type operations cause quite a bit of side-loading, so a "square column" mill becomes desirable - the "round column" versions are lower cost, but it's harder to locate the cutter EXACTLY back where you had it before, and harder to keep the mill head from wanting to twist under load.

Then there's the cost of "add-ons" so you can actually DO something - it's pretty easy to end up with several HUNDRED in "accessories", such as $50 clamp kits, $150-$600 vises, $60-$200 tilt tables, $150-$500 rotary tables, collet sets, boring bars, on and on...

I have this mill
Heavy-Duty Mill/Drill with Stand and Power Feed | Grizzly Industrial
And probably over HALF that much in add-ons, maybe more

But when the hydraulic pump went out on my old Case backhoe and the "new" one's mounting holes didn't quite line up, and the vendor claimed nobody else had that problem, a center-cutting end mill fixed it in maybe 15 minutes including setup -

When I needed 2-1/2" CHAMFERED holes in the QA project -
Multiple operations, multiple vises -
Needed "dog point" set screws in 5/8", couldn't find - add a small (3") lathe chuck with R8 shank and a tool holder (don't have a lathe yet) -

There's more, but by now I've either scared you away or made you WANT one real bad But hopefully this "micro-course" gives you more of an idea... Steve

 

[marchanna]

^^ What he said. ^^

 

[4570Man]

"Several hundred in accessories". You got off cheap. A vice will set you back that much. A rotary table will set you back that much. A collet set and a few end mills will cost that. You can spend thousands pretty quickly.