I spent a few hours the other day drilling through 1/8" steel with a cordless drill. Sounds like it's time for a bench top drill press. From what I've read it looks like Grizzly or JET are the ones to get, but I dont think I need anything that beefy or fancy. I just need something middle of the road that can handle thin steel and wood. Craftsman makes a 12" bench top and the Ryobi 10" seem to get decent reviews. Are there any others that I should look at in the under $200 range?
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Decent bench top drill press recommendations?
- Thread starter gh0st
- Start date
PBCampbell
Well-known member
For drilling steel, lower speeds are desirable. I doubt the big box store offerings go desirably slow. I think Grizzly is probably your best bet for cheap as they offer bench tops that are just cut down floor standing models. There is always vintage machinery but depending on your locality as to wether this is a good option.
d.mcfarland
Well-known member
Vintage. Can't beat it for value and nowadays quality.
I've been shopping for the same thing lately. I don't have floor space so I'm looking for a bench top one and that seems to limit the amount of vintage ones out there. Not ruling that out yet, but after looking on craigslist and some local auctions for the past few months I haven't found anything I liked. I've got an 8" Taiwan Duracraft 5spd one now that gets the job done, no complaints for a $5 garage sale score.
I looked at the 12" craftsman one the other day and it's ok, for $200 seems nicer than the Harbor Freight ones and some of the other imports. Reviews say it's short on power being more like 1/3 hp than the 1/2 it's advertised as.
I don't have any experience with the Ryobi but it gets ok reviews. Like most Ryobi stuff it's usually fine for light work around the house.
Grizzly does have a nice 12spd press for $350ish but with shipping that's double your budget (I picked the same budget).
I looked at the 12" craftsman one the other day and it's ok, for $200 seems nicer than the Harbor Freight ones and some of the other imports. Reviews say it's short on power being more like 1/3 hp than the 1/2 it's advertised as.
I don't have any experience with the Ryobi but it gets ok reviews. Like most Ryobi stuff it's usually fine for light work around the house.
Grizzly does have a nice 12spd press for $350ish but with shipping that's double your budget (I picked the same budget).
Packard V8
Well-known member
I spent a few hours the other day drilling through 1/8" steel with a cordless drill.
Around here, I can't walk for tripping over 14" Craftsman and Delta bench DPs. I've picked up four for around $75-100 each in the past two years. One at an estate sale, one at a garage sale, one at a salvage yard and one off craigslist. That's what I'd buy.
Up to 1/4" holes in steel, those two are perfect. If you're doing a lot of 3/8" to 1/2" holes in steel, then you'd need an intermediate pulley to slow them down or find a slow-speed model.
FWIW, the intermediate pulley setup isn't that difficult to fabricate.
jack vines