Drill Press Alternative

[Zewnten]

I’m working out of a very small shop for the foreseeable future. A floor drill press takes up too much floor space and a bench model takes up the same with a stand. Any drill presses that have low enough RPMs to be useful are quite large as expected being heavier duty than a hobby machine.

A mag drill would be more in line with my storage but they have no clearance from the base to the bit. Makes it less useful unless you’re drilling on structural steel and thick at that for the magnetic to grab.

Anything out there that is the equivalent to a drill press as a track saw is to a table saw?

 

[humpty]

They make drill guides in various price ranges. I have the Rockler one, it is decent. It will not compete with a drill press or a mag drill but will help you drill consistent holes.

 

[WhoWhatNow]

Build a stand fro a mag drill. I did something similar to this:

Magnetic Drill Stand V5 - Laser Cut - Red

7050 Designed Magnetic Drill Stand V5 Magnetic Drill Stand Universal Design CNC Laser Cut Broach Annular Cutting This New 7050 V5 Mag Drill Stand is

www.7050ps.com

 

[Beemer]

Gramma left me an antique PortAlign but I wouldn't use it in a shop.

 

[Packard V8]

Any drill presses that have low enough RPMs to be useful are quite large as expected being heavier duty than a hobby machine.

Just how large in diameter are the holes you'll be drilling in steel which will require a low RPM/slow speed DP?

jack vines

 

[Nutria]

Gramma left me an antique PortAlign but I wouldn't use it in a shop.

I have one of those, and I use it frequently when I have to "take the 'drill press' to the work" rather than the other way around. That's been almost entirely for wood though.

 

[GeoBruin]

A mag drill is a really nice thing to have, and some of the stands I've seen put together for them would make them workable for some "drill press" tasks, but a drill press is a pretty fundamental tool for a lot of things. I think I would sacrifice just about anything else in my shop to keep a drill press handy.

Do you have any storage cabinets a drill press could live on? My drill press (a 15 inch rockwell) came to me mounted to a bench with a chopped column. It has a big ole' baldor dc motor on it with a variable speed drive and works a trick drilling steel. Your z axis work envelope might suffer with a Benchtop press but you don't need an Arboga to drill steel.

 

[RTM]

I have one of those, and I use it frequently when I have to "take the 'drill press' to the work" rather than the other way around. That's been almost entirely for wood though.

Regarding Portalign

I was given one recently, last used one almost 50 years ago. Definitely only when REALLY needed in the field. Trying to recall which drill I can easily leave with it

 

[Zewnten]

Just how large in diameter are the holes you'll be drilling in steel which will require a low RPM/slow speed DP?

jack vines

1/2 inch holes in up to 1/2 inch plate maybe some thinner AR occasionally. I don’t need great precision as much as good down pressure and slow speed. I found something called a Cole drill but it’s hand powered and slow. All the drill presses I find would need a third pulley added to get below 500RPMs, most I’ve found only go down to 600-700.

I was thinking of trying to find a heavy duty/well built contraption that adapts a heavy duty corded drill to a drill press.

 

[Zewnten]

Also found this. I wonder if it’s worth anything.

https://strongarm5.com/

 

[Toold_up]

I've seen people mount the old shopsmith 10er to a wall

Dedicated Drill Press - Shopsmith Forums

 

[larry_g]

Big 1945 3/4" B&D Drill with Black and Decker Bench Press Stand - tools - by owner - sale - craigslist

Large B&D drill and press for $200 cash only. It's in perfect working condition. Previously owned by PP&L: Pacific Power and Light Company of Portland, Oregon. Video of it:...

medford.craigslist.org

Have you considered one of the styles linked above? I have one and it will do the job when necessary. They seem to show up often.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Bessy]

A 12" variable speed bench model drill press was about one of the first non-handheld power tools that I purchased for my shop. I don't use it a ton, but when I need it, I need it. I'd certainly make the room for one if I had to do it over. Those portable units like the rockler one linked above are good too, I have one made by milescraft (sp?).

 

[Jswain]

Do yourself a favor and get a mag drill. If you really want to make it pleasant get annular cutters for the bigger size holes(1/2" might be the small end for them)

Screw machine length drill bits & you can always put it on top of a piece thick steel/thick tube to gain height, or make a stand.

Unless it's a 1/2" hole through 1/2" plate once a year...

VEVOR Mag Drill, 0-300 RPM Stepless Speed Electromagnetic Drill Press, 2" Depth 2" Dia Magnetic Core Drill, 2922lbf Boring Tool Drill Press, 1680 Watts Drill Press, Yellow and Black Drill Machine | VEVOR US

Discover VEVOR Mag Drill, 0-300 RPM Stepless Speed Electromagnetic Drill Press, 2" Depth 2" Dia Magnetic Core Drill, 2922lbf Boring Tool Drill Press, 1680 Watts Drill Press, Yellow and Black Drill Machine, 1680W High Performance and Stepless Speed Regulation at lowest price, 2days delivery...

m.vevor.com

 

[nadogail]

At my last employer we had a need for a Lightweight Light Duty Vertical Boring Machine, I saved the job and the budget with a small Harbor Freight drill press and an 11" hardware store pulley for the spindle. We now had a Ultra Light and Ultra Cheap solution to the problem.

The bigger pulley gave us the slow speed we needed.

 

[Zewnten]

Big 1945 3/4" B&D Drill with Black and Decker Bench Press Stand - tools - by owner - sale - craigslist

Large B&D drill and press for $200 cash only. It's in perfect working condition. Previously owned by PP&L: Pacific Power and Light Company of Portland, Oregon. Video of it:...

medford.craigslist.org

Have you considered one of the styles linked above? I have one and it will do the job when necessary. They seem to show up often.

lg
no neat sig lineBummer wishes I lived closer that looks like a nice setup

Bummer. Wished I lived closer that looks like a nice one. Only found one around me and it’s all chewed up on the base plate

 

[exmaxima1]

Gramma left me an antique PortAlign but I wouldn't use it in a shop.

I've used one like that a number of times to drill/tap large holes in thick aluminum plate. The plate was too big for my drill press with tapping head, but the Portalign worked fine with a heavy duty hand drill.

 

[cvairwerks]

You can also use a benchtop drill press without the baseplate. Locate the column socket near the back of the bench, and bolt it down there. Install the head and table, but loosen the hardware and swing both out of the way when not needed.

 

[Packard V8]

1/2 inch holes in up to 1/2 inch plate maybe some thinner AR occasionally.

Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the plenty good enough.

Also, you're not marrying a benchtop DP. Buy the best one available today and if a better option comes along later, the first will usually sell in a weekend.

For fifty years in the garage shop I've been using a 1940s Delta 14" and in the basement shop a Delta 10" to drill 1/2" holes in mild steel plate, among other things.

Clamp the workpiece securely, begin with a 1/4" pilot hole and finish with a 1/2".

BTW, if a slow speed is absolutely required, such as a large hole saw, adding a center pulley is not rocket science. Several here have done it and shared their projects.

jack vines

 

[whateg01]

I have an old bench top craftsman/atlas. I put a 6 pole motor on it and it will easily drill 1/2 Holes in steel. If you can make the top of the bench a flip top, it can be put out of the way when not in use.

Disclaimer: I still put big drills in the 20" W-T given the choice.