Looking to up grade - Drill Press

[Mitch22]

Hi.

I am looking to up grade to a decent drill press for my shop. Looking for input that won't break the bank.

We don't use it everyday, but when we need one, the cheap table top isn't cutting it. Working on heavy equipment, trucks, DYI projects, etc.

 

[johnre]

Get a model with a two belt pulley reduction system, so you have a lot more ratio and speed selection.

And 16.5” on up. The smaller models don’t have enough clearance between chuck and support column to be useful, and it’s ridiculous to have to hand-drill when it otherwise could be done on a drill press.

Most everything I’ve described above will be 3/4 HP or more; that is adequate.

Lots of them are available used, if you don’t like the price of new ones.

 

[mike93lx]

This is the opposite of not breaking the bank, but I think it's worth a look. Digital variable speed, 1hp and it has some neat features like stopping at a preset depth, auto reverse, self starting and E stop. It's not cheap, but you at least are getting something for the money.

And the warranty is pretty good

Nova Viking 16" Floor Model Drill Press with Fence at Grizzly.com

<h1>T33237 Nova Viking 16" Floor Model Drill Press</h1> <h2>A groundbreaking redesign on a floor model drill press.</h2> <p>The T33237 Nova Viking 16" Floor Model Drill Press features a 1 HP DVR Smart Digital Motor delivers correct speed and power to maintain optimal torque direct to the drill...

www.grizzly.com

 

[Davefr]

Hi.

I am looking to up grade to a decent drill press for my shop. Looking for input that won't break the bank.

We don't use it everyday, but when we need one, the cheap table top isn't cutting it. Working on heavy equipment, trucks, DYI projects, etc.

I assume you want used to keep the cost down? What's your total budget?

IMHO, the best value in used are the 17"+ Taiwan DP's and they are easy to find. They usually have robust 3/4 HP TEFC motors, wide 16 speed range, table lift, table tilt and are generally better built then new Chinese DP's. I'm pretty sure they all came from the same Taiwan factory but under a gazillion different brand names. They usually run around $150-$250 and can be easily found in very good used condition.

The next step up would be an older 17"+ Delta, Powermatic, Walker Turner, Buffalo, or Clausing. Expect to pay significantly more and the odds of finding a creampuff will be very low unless you have years to search. They will likely require restoration/rebuild and parts can be very expensive. These DP's usually become "the project" as opposed to being able to immediately use them "for projects".

Since you mentioned heavy equipment I would not recommend the more common 15" machines.

 

[2oolhound]

Welcome to GJ! Some things to consider along with previous recommendations.

-Floor standing (if you have the room) allows larger objects to be drilled.

-3 pulleys like mentioned gives a better range of speeds. You need this for 3/4" bits and larger that need slow speeds in the 200 rpm range. Fast speeds are for small bits and for polishing using sanding drums. (very useful) eg. cleaning rusty pipe, polishing a large hole to make it slightly larger etc.

-1 HP or more motor

-3/4" chuck minimal (to fit MT3 spindle)

-MT3 spindle allows you to use mt3 bits without a chuck for the big stuff.

-The table, there are many varieties of tables. I like a T-slot table you can strongly fix things to. Many DP have an arm that comes off the column with just a 1 1/2" hole on the end with a pinch bolt that allows you to change tables in an instant. (tables have a 1 1/2" stem on the bottom to fit the hole in the arm.

-Distance from the center of the spindle to the column will seriously hinder you for many projects. 17" - 20" are the minimum for a heavy equipment shop.

-hand crank to raise and lower the table is SO handy.

Once you've bought something there are many other accessories you can add later to make it even more useful. Also don't sweat changing the belts on the top 3 pulleys to change speeds. I was skittish about doing this slight task for a long time and used the wrong speeds in order to avoid the task. I eventually learned it only takes less than a minute and is just part of the job at hand. I use a quick change vise that just slides on the table that I hand hold for most (light duty) jobs. When I need to drill heavy or precision stuff I bolt the vise down with T slots in the table. This takes some time to have the hole location centered precisely and locked down but it's why machine shops charge upwards of $100 per hr.

 

[milkovich]

I have an older Taiwan craftsman 12 speed (similar to 16 speed) that goes down to 200 rpm or so which is great for me. I think I paid $200 or less. If you go on facebook marketplace and google 16 speed or 12 speed drill press, those are the ones you want. The chinese harbor freight DP is passable but pretty rough compared to the Taiwan machines which are branded Jet/Powermatic/Delta now and quite expensive. As mentioned, the HP doesn't have to be extravagant, mine is 1 Craftsman HP which is probably 3/4 everyone else HP, it doesn't even have a capacitor on it. It has a Morse or Jacobs taper and all the spare drill chucks I inherited interchange which is kind of handy.
Older american drill presses like powermatic or rockwell go for pretty hefty sums ($700 and up) around here. They're great machines but at that point, you're half way to clapped out bridgeport mill.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Don't want to break the bank ? Try checking out Govdeals for something decent.

 

[bpwoodworking]

I'd hold out for a used Clausing or European drill press. The suggestion above for MT3 is excellent. You can always adapt down to MT2 but pretty difficult to go the other way,

 

[Mitch22]

Lots of great input here. Things I've never considered. I appreciate it

 

[35Ford]

I have multiple drill presses. I use my floor model Delta DP220 99% of the time. They can be found for little money.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Look for a powermatic 1150 with variable speed, prices vary but sometimes you see them around 300$, I have two and they're very easy to work on and we'll built. Another option if you want to go new take a look at Grizzly, they just came out with a few new ones. This 17" vs looks interesting.

Grizzly T33961 - 17" Floor Variable-Speed Drill Press - Grizzly Industrial, Inc.

<h1>T33961 17" Variable-Speed Floor Drill Press</h1> <h2>Perform precision drilling with this efficient variable-speed floor drill press.</h2> <p>The T33961 Floor Drill Press is the perfect choice if you need a well-equipped machine to enhance your drilling processes.</p> <p>The Reeves drive...

www.grizzly.com

 

[tarmy]

I have used this a lot over the years, love it. The thing with drill presses is run out and getting a good to excellent chuck. The two chucks I have cost about the same as the press.

 

[johnre]

Also consider two accessories that are almost essential:
1. Worklight, to aid in seeing what you are doing and lining things up.
2. Quick clamps to hold things down.

I don’t have or use a laser alignmnet system; others may comment here. Seems to be the popular thing for new drill presses.

 

[Pen & Wrench]

I just upgraded my drill press in December. I needed a machine that would drill at least 2 and a half inches deep and my tiny bench top drill press needed some help. I ended up buying a new Jet JDP 20MF, 1.5 hp motor, belt drive, 20 inch swing, 12 speed belt drive. This will probably be the last drill press I will need. I do mostly woodworking but also some metal work. I've drilled a lot of wood with it already, and some metal. So far I haven't bogged down the motor and the belts don't slip. I am very happy with it for my purposes. It doesn't have a laser pointer, but does have a light, and with an LED bulb, it gives great vision. The table has T slots and I have set up self adjusting Kreg clamps, and I've ordered self adjusting toggle clamps for use on the drill press table. You can spend a lot more but this was around $1,500 and it seems like a lot of basic functionality for the money.

 

[Steve_P]

I think you'll want at least 3/4 HP, and a new 3/4 HP 17" Jet floor standing press is ~$1300; I have a similar Delta that I bought new years ago. You can spend a third as much for one with a tiny table, less quill travel, etc.

So, it comes down to new or used and budget.

 

[bb29510]

hgrinc.com

 

[dscheidt]

More spindle travel is very useful. :

 

[NUTTSGT]

hgrinc.com

Watch for the fluctuating pricing.

 

[tarbellb]

...... look at Grizzly, they just came out with a few new ones. This 17" vs looks interesting.

Grizzly T33961 - 17" Floor Variable-Speed Drill Press - Grizzly Industrial, Inc.

<h1>T33961 17" Variable-Speed Floor Drill Press</h1> <h2>Perform precision drilling with this efficient variable-speed floor drill press.</h2> <p>The T33961 Floor Drill Press is the perfect choice if you need a well-equipped machine to enhance your drilling processes.</p> <p>The Reeves drive...

www.grizzly.com

Wow this is great news.

DP have been in this weird phase where nothing low to mid market price was geared towards metal work. It's all mostly woodworking DP specs, w marked up pricing by names like Delta, Powermatic, and Jet. Grizzly didn't offer much either.

my top 3 suggestions:
Nova
that Grizzly 17"
or start combing the Internet and local sales for vintage

 

[thool]

I had a similar question a little while back: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum...eed-to-know-for-light-homeowner-usage.508054/

So far I love it. No detectable runout, smooth action, and the price was right. Even though I can drill into wood pretty straight by hand, I am finding that having a tool that makes perfectly perpendicular holes with no wandering is worth the setup time.

 

[zmotorsports]

I have had a Jet 20" floor mounted drill press for about 15 years now and love it. Prior to that I had a smaller 15" used one that was a bit beat on before I took ownership. I splurged and upgraded to a new 20" and have not looked back.

The only two mods I have done to it were added a Jacobs 16N ball bearing chuck immediately after purchasing and within a few weeks I fabricated a 6" riser and installed it. My son and I are both over 6' and the head was a bit too low for our liking. That extra 6 inches was a game changer.



The spacer that I fabricated and added can be seen at the base.

 

[tarbellb]

Ju

I have had a Jet 20" floor mounted drill press for about 15 years now and love it. Prior to that I had a smaller 15" used one that was a bit beat on before I took ownership. I splurged and upgraded to a new 20" and have not looked back.

The only two mods I have done to it were added a Jacobs 16N ball bearing chuck immediately after purchasing and within a few weeks I fabricated a 6" riser and installed it. My son and I are both over 6' and the head was a bit too low for our liking. That extra 6 inches was a game changer.



The spacer that I fabricated and added can be seen at the base.

Jumping up to a 20" almost always pays off in more rigidity and lower speeds.

Surprised you didnt add a mobile base to add some height?

 

[PoorUB]

Hi.

I am looking to up grade to a decent drill press for my shop. Looking for input that won't break the bank.

We don't use it everyday, but when we need one, the cheap table top isn't cutting it. Working on heavy equipment, trucks, DYI projects, etc.

I would recommend looking for some old iron, Powermatic or Clausing are my two favorites.

 

[zmotorsports]

Ju


Jumping up to a 20" almost always pays off in more rigidity and lower speeds.

Surprised you didnt add a mobile base to add some height?

I'm personally not a fan of having my machining equipment mobile. I want them sitting firmly on the ground.

 

[Jgaz]

I have had a Jet 20" floor mounted drill press for about 15 years now and love it. Prior to that I had a smaller 15" used one that was a bit beat on before I took ownership. I splurged and upgraded to a new 20" and have not looked back.

The only two mods I have done to it were added a Jacobs 16N ball bearing chuck immediately after purchasing and within a few weeks I fabricated a 6" riser and installed it. My son and I are both over 6' and the head was a bit too low for our liking. That extra 6 inches was a game changer.



The spacer that I fabricated and added can be seen at the base.

The riser was a detail I missed when I study the background in your pictures.
Thanks

 

[zmotorsports]

The riser was a detail I missed when I study the background in your pictures.
Thanks

I looked for some more close-up pictures but couldn't find any quickly. I do show the riser in more detail in my shop tour video on YouTube however.

 

[Jgaz]

I looked for some more close-up pictures but couldn't find any quickly. I do show the riser in more detail in my shop tour video on YouTube however.

No need to look for more detail on my account. I could see the concept immediately.
Home or work I’ve almost always need a stool to be comfortable at a drill press due to their height.
I’m 6’3” or at least I used to be. Lol

 

[AEAdam]

How much is too much money to spend? Not sure what you are thinking but beware! Drill presses can get expensive!

I know this sounds kooky but, have you considered a mill? An easy to move old drill press could fetch a lot of money. Sometimes, a hard to move mill can be a cheaper option and oh so much more useful. I bought my 1967 bridgeport for $500. The short table models are often less expensive. Even though mine has a 42” table, it really doesn’t take up much more space than a floor standing drill press.

 

[DekNgo]

How much is too much money to spend? Not sure what you are thinking but beware! Drill presses can get expensive!

I know this sounds kooky but, have you considered a mill? An easy to move old drill press could fetch a lot of money. Sometimes, a hard to move mill can be a cheaper option and oh so much more useful. I bought my 1967 bridgeport for $500. The short table models are often less expensive. Even though mine has a 42” table, it really doesn’t take up much more space than a floor standing drill press.

I was thinking about this too as I followed this thread. Since no one had suggested a mill I began thinking that maybe there are some things that a drill press does better than a mill. I know drill presses can't handle the same side loads as a mill, but do they handle vertical (?) loads better?

 

[tool_scrounge]

I was thinking about this too as I followed this thread. Since no one had suggested a mill I began thinking that maybe there are some things that a drill press does better than a mill. I know drill presses can't handle the same side loads as a mill, but do they handle vertical (?) loads better?

Just make sure the mill you want to buy is rated for drilling as big of holes you need. a big old drill press will usually drill bigger holes than a mill. But a mill with a DRO totally rocks for hole patterns. I would get a mill personally.

 

[exmaxima1]

I would recommend looking for some old iron, Powermatic or Clausing are my two favorites.

Wilton made some nice DP's in the USA awhile back. I got mine for $40 because the seller didn't know how to install the motor correctly and the spindle was slipping. There are many older machines available at good prices.

 

[PoorUB]

How much is too much money to spend? Not sure what you are thinking but beware! Drill presses can get expensive!

I know this sounds kooky but, have you considered a mill? An easy to move old drill press could fetch a lot of money. Sometimes, a hard to move mill can be a cheaper option and oh so much more useful. I bought my 1967 bridgeport for $500. The short table models are often less expensive. Even though mine has a 42” table, it really doesn’t take up much more space than a floor standing drill press.

My drill press is about half the width of you mill, and probably half the depth. Plus, I have it on a mobile base to move it out away from the wall when I need more room. With a mill you need room on either side for the full travel of the table, plus working room. 42" table will require at least six feet left and right and four or more feet from the wall out. They take up a lot of space if all you want is to drill holes.

I thought about buying a mill a few years back and didn't want to give up the real estate it took. I have a biddy with a Bridgeport in his shop I can use if I want to do more than drill holes.

 

[AEAdam]

My drill press is about half the width of you mill, and probably half the depth. Plus, I have it on a mobile base to move it out away from the wall when I need more room. With a mill you need room on either side for the full travel of the table, plus working room. 42" table will require at least six feet left and right and four or more feet from the wall out. They take up a lot of space if all you want is to drill holes.

I thought about buying a mill a few years back and didn't want to give up the real estate it took. I have a biddy with a Bridgeport in his shop I can use if I want to do more than drill holes.

can I argue a little? If what you really need is a drill press, you can jamb your mill in a corner and forget the table, or only move it enough to find your center (i.e. a few inches). Just because you have a 36” table movement doesn‘t mean you have to use it. Maybe its the z axis you really want anyway.

I put my mill on a couple steel rectangular tubes so I can pick it up from the front or side with a pallet Jack. They don’t need to become shop monuments. Even tho it’s 2000lbs, at the point where any machine becomes too big to move easily, what’s really the difference between a 400lb machine and a 4000lb machine? You need equipment to move either.

Does this make ANY sense to you guys? I think bottom line for me is, before I paid $800-$1000 for a drill press, I’d see what mill I could get for that.


This is not my mill. It’s a short table model that just doesn’t look intimidating. I’m talking about something like this. The step pulley head is a little bit of an advantage. You run these with a VFD, possibly from a 110v outlet and you get variable speed control.

 

[PoorUB]

can I argue a little? If what you really need is a drill press, you can jamb your mill in a corner and forget the table, or only move it enough to find your center (i.e. a few inches). Just because you have a 36” table movement doesn‘t mean you have to use it. Maybe its the z axis you really want anyway.

Well, that mill in still taking up about 3x the floor space of my Powermatic 1200. Dollar for dollar, if I just wanted to drill holes I would buy a drill press, unless you have unlimited shop space, which I don't. Personally, I would pay more for a good drill press just for the savings in real estate and weight.

 

[dutchgray]

I have a Bridgeport mill, a gear head drill of 1 1/4" capacity with a mt3 spindle, a 5 speed belt drive drill with a 1/2" chuck for the smaller stuff and an Arboga 2' radial arm drill with a mt4 spindle.

I wouldn't be without a drill of some type, Bridgeports are great for precision drilling but they can be slow and awkward compared to an actual drilling machine in operation, the Bridgeport power feed is seriously wimpy, only rated to 3/8" diameter, the standard quill handle is weak and annoying to use.

 

[Davefr]

A drill press is way more efficient than a mill for normal drilling. It takes < 1 minute to chuck a drill bit, position the table and complete a "normal" size hole. The OP really needs to be more clear on the scope of his projects. He hasn't provided enough detail on specific requirements, budget and shop space.

 

[zmotorsports]

A drill press is way more efficient than a mill for normal drilling. It takes < 1 minute to chuck a drill bit, position the table and complete a "normal" size hole. The OP really needs to be more clear on the scope of his projects. He hasn't provided enough detail on specific requirements, budget and shop space.

Agreed. I have both and both serve their purposes but wouldn't want to be without either. Having said that, I had a drill press prior to a milling machine and still use it for quick tasks or onesie, twosie holes vs. the mill. It's easier to clean compared to the mill also.

 

[johnre]

A drill press is way more efficient than a mill for normal drilling. It takes < 1 minute to chuck a drill bit, position the table and complete a "normal" size hole. The OP really needs to be more clear on the scope of his projects. He hasn't provided enough detail on specific requirements, budget and shop space.

Another factor - most drill presses are less than 1.5 HP, and can run on 120 V AC - you don’t need to run a dedicated 240 V line for them (although my Delta 17-965 can be wired for either). I’m guessing a bit here, but I think most vertical mills need 240 V.

While I can and have put in dedicated 240 V circuits, I’d rather not if it can be avoided.

 

[sandyeyes]

Welcome to GJ! Some things to consider along with previous recommendations.

-Floor standing (if you have the room) allows larger objects to be drilled.

-3 pulleys like mentioned gives a better range of speeds. You need this for 3/4" bits and larger that need slow speeds in the 200 rpm range. Fast speeds are for small bits and for polishing using sanding drums. (very useful) eg. cleaning rusty pipe, polishing a large hole to make it slightly larger etc.

-1 HP or more motor

-3/4" chuck minimal (to fit MT3 spindle)

-MT3 spindle allows you to use mt3 bits without a chuck for the big stuff.

-The table, there are many varieties of tables. I like a T-slot table you can strongly fix things to. Many DP have an arm that comes off the column with just a 1 1/2" hole on the end with a pinch bolt that allows you to change tables in an instant. (tables have a 1 1/2" stem on the bottom to fit the hole in the arm.

-Distance from the center of the spindle to the column will seriously hinder you for many projects. 17" - 20" are the minimum for a heavy equipment shop.

-hand crank to raise and lower the table is SO handy.

Once you've bought something there are many other accessories you can add later to make it even more useful. Also don't sweat changing the belts on the top 3 pulleys to change speeds. I was skittish about doing this slight task for a long time and used the wrong speeds in order to avoid the task. I eventually learned it only takes less than a minute and is just part of the job at hand. I use a quick change vise that just slides on the table that I hand hold for most (light duty) jobs. When I need to drill heavy or precision stuff I bolt the vise down with T slots in the table. This takes some time to have the hole location centered precisely and locked down but it's why machine shops charge upwards of $100 per hr.

Should I get a aftermarket t slot or go for one already with it? ( trying to keep cost down) and do you have any recommendations?