Brand new USA made drill press
- Thread starter 1320it
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Are you sure Buffalo is even USA made? I had some ultra cheap Buffalo hand tools back in the mid 1980's and they were poorest quality foreign made garbage known to man.
I searched for "new buffalo drill press" on google and couldn't find anything. Can you post a link to the drill press in question?
I searched for "new buffalo drill press" on google and couldn't find anything. Can you post a link to the drill press in question?
The Ellis 9400 is assembled in the USA.
They're very expensive.
Drill Press 9400 - Ellis Mfg, Inc.
Ellis Drill Presses operate with infinitely variable speed control while maintaining high torque at all speeds.
ellissaw.com
They're very expensive.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Yep
https://www.acmetools.com/ellis-2hp...j1pN46W_w&slasRedirect=true&slasRedirect=true
Looks nice, though
txvwnut
Well-known member
I didn't see anything about their stuff being made in the USA but I only breezed through the website.
5k for a drill press may no sense. May as well buy a millThe Ellis 9400 is assembled in the USA.
Drill Press 9400 - Ellis Mfg, Inc.
Ellis Drill Presses operate with infinitely variable speed control while maintaining high torque at all speeds.ellissaw.com
They're very expensive.
Agreed.
I picked this one up for $200 yesterday.
Needs a base plate, otherwise works fine.
Edit... nevermind, can't load screenshots still.
Please fix this! This is the only forum with this issue.
MichaelP
Well-known member
With what issue?
American Locomotive
Well-known member
...is it? Or does "assembled" mean they attached the VFD in the U.S? It looks like every other Taiwanese drill press I've seen. Same color even, too.The Ellis 9400 is assembled in the USA.
Drill Press 9400 - Ellis Mfg, Inc.
Ellis Drill Presses operate with infinitely variable speed control while maintaining high torque at all speeds.ellissaw.com
They're very expensive.
paulsomlo
Well-known member
Their website does indicate "made in USA". I have a Buffalo 18; the last time I spoke to BMT, the 18" drill press was selling for $5200.
I didn't see anything about their stuff being made in the USA but I only breezed through the website.
whateg01
Well-known member
Find a vintage made in USA drill press.
MichaelP
Well-known member
I'll tell you a secret. A Taiwanese drill press would drill holes as efficiently as a US made one. And you can always find a used 20" variable speed Clausing which is an excellent machine, but won't cost you an arm and a leg.
rancherbill
Well-known member
How quaint a drill press.
No one would pay for a US made drill press. Any US manufacture would be spending their R&D money on equipment for automation. That is current manufacturing technology.
No one would pay for a US made drill press. Any US manufacture would be spending their R&D money on equipment for automation. That is current manufacturing technology.
vssjim
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Right on the Front page but this part of Buffalo Forge co. not the cheapy imported Buffalo tools company we all know.
I didn't see anything about their stuff being made in the USA but I only breezed through the website.
vssjim
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Completely different company than you are thinking of the cheapy garbage wrenches and power tools etc this Drill Press is made by a division of Buffalo Forge company a friends grandfather worked there back in the day even made a roll bar at the Forge for my friends Spitfire.
Regarding the mill - yes for home use in general it can substitute a drill press. Even more so if it has a quill.
But sometimes a drill press is just easier to work with. Less bulk... If you need to drill a lot of holes that are not necessarily accurate, I'd rather have a good drill press.
That said, at 5k I'd expect it to have a real gearbox and a VFD, and not a belt drive.
But sometimes a drill press is just easier to work with. Less bulk... If you need to drill a lot of holes that are not necessarily accurate, I'd rather have a good drill press.
That said, at 5k I'd expect it to have a real gearbox and a VFD, and not a belt drive.
wolfinator
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2021
- Messages
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Does a Shopsmith count? I think they are still MiUSA. Though I checked their website for pricing and they're up to around $5k now too! 
I guess $5k is just what it costs to make a shop tool domestically
I guess $5k is just what it costs to make a shop tool domestically
txvwnut
Well-known member
Yeah, I figured it had to be a different company....
It won't load screenshots.
I have a Powermatic 1200 that list price in 1995 was $3500. That price would be over $7000 today.
As for buying a mill. I don't need or want a mill, but I do like a nice heavy, rigid drill press. A mill takes up 3-4 times as much space and isn't very portable. Any mill work I have needed to be done I have paid someone to do and over all it is less money than owning a mill.
Just for reference, I bought my 1967 100% US made Bridgeport Milling machine for $500. It needed a few parts that were made in the US that I bought from a really nice US business H&W machine tool.
Not sure why people think mills aren’t good drill presses. They might be thinking of hobby mills. My mill does anything a drill press can do but better.
There are a couple smaller US mills like the Rockwell, but they are often just as expensive as bridgeports because their small size is attractive to people.
Not sure why people think mills aren’t good drill presses. They might be thinking of hobby mills. My mill does anything a drill press can do but better.
There are a couple smaller US mills like the Rockwell, but they are often just as expensive as bridgeports because their small size is attractive to people.
Have you priced a better, heavy Chinese built drill press? You can blow $2,000 on one and still have have a crappy drill press. I haven't looked into the Buffalo but once you run a good quality, heavy frame drill press it really ruins you for anything else.Does a Shopsmith count? I think they are still MiUSA. Though I checked their website for pricing and they're up to around $5k now too!
I guess $5k is just what it costs to make a shop tool domestically
I worked in a machine shop for a few years so I have experienced running a mill.
My biggest complaint is the space they take up. An average sized Bridgeport will take up an area about 8x8 feet, including the room for the operator. My drill press takes up and area about 2x4 feet and if I need more room it is easily rolled out of its normal spot to anywhere in the shop. Even if you never move the table on a Bridgeport they take up about 5x8 feet.
Sure, you can mount the Brigdeport on a skid and move it with a forklift or pallet jack, but then I have more stuff to store I don't need.
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When I can't get a file to upload, I crop the image down a little and save the image again. Then when I attach, it usually loads after that. I don't know why it works. Not sure if that is your issue or not.
Packard V8
Well-known member
Heckuva deal! Up here, you'd be prosecuted for theft, stealing a Bridgeport for $500. Most beat-to-shite Series 1 will bring $1000 - $1500; later models bring $2500 - $3500 and I've seen a rescraped DRO completely tooled go for $15,000. Even going way back, I've never, ever, seen a working $500 BP.
jack vines
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Zebu Fellenz
Well-known member
I have a Bridgeport and two drill presses in my shop.
I hardly ever use the Bridgeport for "drill press stuff" because the drill presses are better suited for that kind of work.
The big drill (Buffalo 22) will handily out muscle the Bridgeport with big twist drills, has a much more robust power feed setup, and is faster/easier to setup for one off type work.
The little drill is a benchtop Electro Mechano variable speed with back gears, speed range is equal or better than the Bridgeport, the head is counterbalanced so it's super quick to raise/lower and the whole thing takes up about three square feet of bench space.
If I could only keep one it'd be the Bridgeport but that's because it's a milling machine that makes a pretty decent drill press, not because it's the best drill press.
scooby074
Well-known member
A shop I worked in had a Swedish Solberga gearhead drill press. That thing was a machine. You couldnt stop it. Its long been on my list to find one. Id put it up against any belt driven conventional drill press, US made or imported. Loved that thing. But you better treat it with respect or it will wrap you up, no belt to slip to save your *** either.
Not sure how to do that.
paulsomlo
Well-known member
Very unlikely
No. Powermatic went to China 20-30 years ago.
I was considering one of thier drill presses maybe 15 years ago, but then found a great deal on the Powermatic 1200. Just for reference, the 1200 is a 600 pound drillpress.
Yeah you are right. And I have a 42” table. But visually, its not like 8x8 because you can put tool boxes adjacent to it and sort squeeze it in.
Here it is without its table. The base is about 2’ wide. I move this with a pallet Jack. If I was smart I’d position it far enough away from the wall that i s could store the pallet jack under it, handle in the back.
If you wanted a nice old US drill press, you might pay as much for one as a mill in these parts.
$500 was a steal for sure. But guys list these for sale for fair prices but can’t or won’t help with loading so they get a lot of tire kickers and no offers. If I wanted to sell this, I think I’d offer free delivery within 500 miles and I could get several thousand for it.
Point is, if you can move heavy machinery, you can find deals. And: stuff that’s easier to move commands higher prices. I have also found this to be true of surface plates.
MichaelP
Well-known member
Locating Bridgeport or drill press in the corner at about 45-degree (vs. parallel to one of the walls) is, IMO, more beneficial.
Unless you have a spot well away from the side walls (which is ideal).
P.S. Nice looking oilers! What brand are they? Are those current models or NOS?
Unless you have a spot well away from the side walls (which is ideal).
P.S. Nice looking oilers! What brand are they? Are those current models or NOS?
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I made a base that makes it relatively easy to move my Mill, and acts as a leveling stand when the feet are down.
I have a very tiny shop, so my mill lives in a corner, which really is the most space efficient face place for a mill with a long ram.
I have a drill press, but I have contemplated getting rid of it because I could use the space, but then I realize just how little space it takes up, and I second guess the decision.
I have a very tiny shop, so my mill lives in a corner, which really is the most space efficient face place for a mill with a long ram.
I have a drill press, but I have contemplated getting rid of it because I could use the space, but then I realize just how little space it takes up, and I second guess the decision.
Attachments
The first thing I would check is the file format of your screenshot to make sure it’s compatible with the Web site. I’m not sure about GJ_._com, but for most sites, I have to convert my screenshots and camera pics to jpg (or other compatible file format) before I can upload them.