Drill press recommendation

[Eric2576]

Top of the morning,

Advice needed on a good quality, used, bench top drill press. I like old machinery and am currently restoring two table saws, one of which is a 1957 Delta Unisaw, so restoration is not an issue. The drill will be used lightly in my garage - woodworking, motorcycle modifications, tinkering, etc. Right now I have a - yes, big mistake - Central Machinery drill press with a aftermarket chuck, but it's still a piece of donkey dung. So, been scouring CL and offerup for something classy and utilitarian. Found a Delta 11-100, but read about the short travel and relatively high speed due to the pulleys.

What should I be looking for? I'd like to keep it below $200, preferably find something with good bones and make it great again.

Thanks and keep the suggestions coming.

Cheers

Eric

 

[jclem40c]

Walker Turner

 

[lilredex]

What HF DP is that? I have an early #34182 that is the best yet, paid $40 for it.

 

[Jeffh40]

I have a bench top Delta drill press that I bought 15-20 years ago. It has been great for what I use it for and it can also be used with all of the delta accessories like the mortising jig.

 

[TNToy]

You’re looking for an era moreso than a brand name.

Mine benchtop is a Craftsman. $25 at an estate sale, it weighs over 150lbs and the entire thing is steel and cast iron. Date tag says 1961.

Anything from that era will work well, and the worst case is you have to install an intermediate pulley to slow the chuck down. (There are online tutorials on how to go about doing that.)

 

[454ragtop]

If you can find one like this https://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/tls/d/west-millbury-delta-14-drill-press-on/6921322611.html near you, probably treat you well, Seller says it's a 14", but it's actually a 15". This is the 6X6, 6 speed, 6" quill travel. Don't see a lot of them in bench top, but a Delta 17" would be a good choice as well. The WT's use some proprietary bearings, which can be hard/expensive to come by, just something to think about. A Craftsman 15" probably isn't too bad either.

 

[Eric2576]

Great responses, thank you. Dex, that HF looks a lot better than the one I have. They probably made a mistake when they made that one, lol. 454, that is a beast!

Are older Craftsman any good? Here's one https://offerup.com/item/detail/708815796/

 

[unknownroad]

Great responses, thank you. Dex, that HF looks a lot better than the one I have. They probably made a mistake when they made that one, lol. 454, that is a beast!

Are older Craftsman any good? Here's one https://offerup.com/item/detail/708815796/

Geez, if that were near me I'd jump on it so hard I'd leave a **** print.

 

[joseywales]

Geez, if that were near me I'd jump on it so hard I'd leave a **** print.

I don't know. $73 seems like more the sweet spot on that press

 

[NUTTSGT]

Geez, if that were near me I'd jump on it so hard I'd leave a **** print.

Other than the missing belt guard, yeah, I'd be making a call to that one.

 

[lilredex]

I'd pass on that one. If you do any metal drilling, you'll kick yourself for not having that intermediate pulley that I show. Also has no table elevator, two things that I always look for in a DP for shop use.

 

[dthor68]

I have been looking for a drill press myself. I have yet to see anything close to a good deal on CL.

 

[Eric2576]

Actually, I'll probably use it mainly for metal. How about installing an intermediary pulley on that one?

 

[ClappedOutBport]

I don't consider most straight belt machines suitable for metal due to the speeds required. That 6 pulley Delta looks just about usable. Then again, my preferred metal press doesn't fit on a bench. I like machines with a backgear, but you're unlikely to find that for under $200. I guess it depends on how large of a drill you plan to use and how much chatter is ok. If you drill thin metal and can use step bits you can get away with a much lesser machines.

 

[Eric2576]

Ok, stumbled across something very interesting. Give me your input on this guy...

A Craftsman King Seeley Vari-Slo speed press. Looks to be missing the belt cover and one of the handles.

Are the covers hard to find? Looks to be quite beefy and look at the belt setup. I contacted the seller and am down to what I believe is a good price for this beast unless someone here tells me this is a lemon. Early Craftsman King Seeley stuff was supposed to be pretty decent stuff, or so I've heard?

I may just pick this one up right now.

 

[tool_scrounge]

Ok, stumbled across something very interesting. Give me your input on this guy...

The Craftsman vari-speed drive is found quite desirable by some. They are also worth some money. The last drill press I bought with it, I was sufficiently unimpressed with the pot metal construction that I sold the vari-speed and gave the "now free" drill press to a friend. If I was looking to drill mostly metal, my preferred options are:

1) Drill press with variable industrial speed motor added (usually DC).
2) Drill press with a third pulley option
3) Delta 6+6 with the very nice slow speed capability and 6" of spindle travel
4) Find an 1140 RPM motor to slow things down
5) Make the equivalent of the Cardinal Slo Drive using pillow blocks, ground shaft and pulleys (see photo)

 

[tool_scrounge]

I should note that the Craftsman 100 drill press shown is a pretty good drill press for home use. it is just the vari-speed I am not so impressed with.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

At least you only got a Central machinery, I paid for a Jet. I need an accurate spindle. What are my odds of getting one from Jet ? Delta and Buffalo Forge come to mind. To get what you want, you'll have to look at the +15" sizes. A 3 phase would be a plus, then you could VFD it.

 

[Eric2576]

I may have missed the boat, sale pending. If it doesn't go through, he'll contact me.

 

[American Locomotive]

I honestly wouldn't get too hung up on "needing" more than 4-6 different speeds. Modern drills can be easily pushed quite hard. Drills cut best at a certain surface speed, and many people drill at speeds that are really far too low.

Most of the common 4-6 speed drill presses are capable of going down to ~600 RPM or so. With a standard HSS drill, 600 RPM is suitable for a 3/4" hole through steel. On the other hand, a 1/8" drill should be cranking near 3,000 RPM.

At least you only got a Central machinery, I paid for a Jet. I need an accurate spindle. What are my odds of getting one from Jet ? Delta and Buffalo Forge come to mind. To get what you want, you'll have to look at the +15" sizes. A 3 phase would be a plus, then you could VFD it.

If you want an accurate and rigid spindle, you really need a mill - not a drill press.

 

[Eric2576]

Delta 15-081, 1725 rpm for a Benji. Gonna look that one up too in case the other falls through.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

I honestly wouldn't get too hung up on "needing" more than 4-6 different speeds. Modern drills can be easily pushed quite hard. Drills cut best at a certain surface speed, and many people drill at speeds that are really far too low.

Most of the common 4-6 speed drill presses are capable of going down to ~600 RPM or so. With a standard HSS drill, 600 RPM is suitable for a 3/4" hole through steel. On the other hand, a 1/8" drill should be cranking near 3,000 RPM.

If you want an accurate and rigid spindle, you really need a mill - not a drill press.

10 thou is not good. Oddly enough that's with a cheap Chinese keyless Albrect (sp) clone, with a couple of the "good" chucks I have, the numbers get worse. Half that would be acceptable. Column flex is problem as well.

 

[Eric2576]

Pretty bummed. The guy texted me this morning to come pick up the vintage Craftsman. I texted right back for his address. No reply for an hour and next thing I get is a notice from the web site that the drill had been sold. Nice!

 

[Straightgrain]

I don't know what part of California you're from but a guy in Bell Gardens (next to where I grew up) sells all kinds of vintage equipment including drill presses that you may find interesting, the link is:

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/search/tla?query=drill+press

 

[tool_scrounge]

I don't know what part of California you're from but a guy in Bell Gardens (next to where I grew up) sells all kinds of vintage equipment including drill presses that you may find interesting, the link is:

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/search/tla?query=drill+press

I cannot recommend that guy.
- His prices are high
- He spams Craigslist will all sorts of duplicate postings
- He claims not to be a business but but has a zillion postings for used machinery

 

[Eric2576]

I don't know what part of California you're from but a guy in Bell Gardens (next to where I grew up) sells all kinds of vintage equipment including drill presses that you may find interesting, the link is:

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/search/tla?query=drill+press

Yeah, I've seen his ads on Craigslist, he's got ton's of stuff, but at high retail mostly. I seriously wonder where he get's it all from? Always has new "old" stuff.

 

[Eric2576]

I cannot recommend that guy.
- His prices are high
- He spams Craigslist will all sorts of duplicate postings
- He claims not to be a business but but has a zillion postings for used machinery

Agreed, he definitely does this as a business. Way too much stuff every week.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

When you look for a drill press , look at the front of it. The imports don't have a quill lock, they are simply broached to size, most are grossly oversized. Get one with quill lock.

 

[ClappedOutBport]

I honestly wouldn't get too hung up on "needing" more than 4-6 different speeds. Modern drills can be easily pushed quite hard. Drills cut best at a certain surface speed, and many people drill at speeds that are really far too low.

Most of the common 4-6 speed drill presses are capable of going down to ~600 RPM or so. With a standard HSS drill, 600 RPM is suitable for a 3/4" hole through steel. On the other hand, a 1/8" drill should be cranking near 3,000 RPM.

If you want an accurate and rigid spindle, you really need a mill - not a drill press.

I disagree. Drills perform much better under heavy pressure and slow speeds, instead of high speed and low pressure. I would push probably a 5 thou per rev chip with a 3/4" drill bit and there is no way your average 1hp or less press can push that at 600RPM. I know the 100SFM rule, but I cut it probably down to 50 and add more pressure, my drills live long lives are are never discolored from heat. I usually have no trouble running out of horspower anyway, so it's not like the work is being done any slower.

 

[xman_charl]

century drill press, 3/4 ac motor

about 15 years old

replaced ac motor with a 1 1/2 hp dc motor

sure works better

Charl

 

[Eric2576]

Nice! 1.5 hp? That sounds pretty beefy

Did some research on motor conversion and really like what I see so far.

 

[Eric2576]

Missed another full size Walker drill press by a hair - listed at $100 and gone in a matter of minutes. I really thought I had that one.

 

[Eric2576]

In case someone has a crusty drill press from the 50's or so that's gathering dust in Southern California, I'm your guy, lol.

 

[Bretny]

I got this old delta floor model from a guy that was moving. It was 3ph but came with a same period 1100rpm 120v motor. It said it came out of the local high school years before.

 

[exmaxima1]

Missed another full size Walker drill press by a hair - listed at $100 and gone in a matter of minutes. I really thought I had that one.

Are you saying that Walker-Turner made the drill presses for Buffalo? I thought they made some early Rockwells, but never heard Buffalo as well.

 

[Eric2576]

Are you saying that Walker-Turner made the drill presses for Buffalo? I thought they made some early Rockwells, but never heard Buffalo as well.

No, no, my bad, not Walker, Buffalo. That was a Buffalo press. I've just been looking at so many drill presses and restorations that I had the name Walker on my mind, lol.

Bretny, unless you got it in that shape, you did a nice restoration on it. Looks like the day it hit the showroom.

 

[zekezank]

I've found that different applications are best served with different machines, at least in my shop. A medium sized bench top press is the one I use the most for 1/2" or smaller holes. A large floor press that can go real slow is used for those big forstner bits. When I need complete accuracy I use my cnc machine. One tip I've learned is to pay more attention to a drill presses amperage rating rather than its peak hp number.

 

[Eric2576]

Got another lead on a potential. Only one pic and no further info up to this point. The seller is going to send me better pics tonight. This is a long shot, but who knows?

 

[Eric2576]

Does anyone have more information on the optional table raise mechanism I've seen on some of these Sears drill presses? Seems pretty simple, a threaded rod attached to the base and the table actuated by a small hand crank.

 

[xman_charl]

original drill press had two pulleys

what a terror to change belts back and forth on pulleys...

very rarely change belts now


easy breezy...

Charl