Drill Press?

[LowNFToy]

I'm looking to buy a good drill press sometime soon, just looking around for opinions.. I don't really need the biggest/best industrial type press, a floor mounted or bench mounted would be fine.. id mainly be drilling through 1/8"-1/4" steel and not on a regular basis. I'm not rich so someone help me find a dependable one i can afford lol. Thanks in advance

 

[kartracer55]

Well there was a thread on this a while back by a guy named OWEN which you might want to look up. What exactly is your budget? Your needs are the same as mine, and over the winter, I plan on purchasing a JET JD 17MF. They go for about 4-450, and its a 17 inch model, which means it can drill in the center of a 17 inch workpiece. There is also Delta, which That guy Owen wound up with, and he was pleased.

Unless you find a good used american one, your going to be looking at an import, because while the American made machines are amongst the best, they are also the most expensive. Maybe PM Krooser for some links to good used ones on EBAY.

Below Jet/Delta, Id say Your looking at Grizzly. Not quite as Nice as the JET models, but also cheaper. Below that (as bad as they get) are from harbor freight. The quality control is so bad you will need to take it apart and clean off casting sand. After installing shims and some grinding, many have been pleased with thier HF units.

Jim

 

[LowNFToy]

I cant spent anywhere near 400 or more though

 

[kartracer55]

Look into grizzly, or look for a used american one on EBAY.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/category.aspx?t=drill_presses

Jim

 

[LowNFToy]

Out of those which are $189 and under, which is best? and why? thanks!!

 

[kartracer55]

For what you are doing, I would look at the 199 bench top model, or the 215 floor model at least.

I know you said 189 or under, but the smaller ones are useless because of the capacity, and the 5 speed floor model is WAY to fast for drilling steel and aluminum like you plan too. The slowest speed is about 500RPM, you need half that at least for larger holes. Youll be going through drill bits like they are going out of style.

Jim

 

[LowNFToy]

I'm leaning more towards the floor model.. $16 more isnt bad. BUT this price is still a little high for now, until I start needing it more I can wait. Are the grizzly products good?

 

[kartracer55]

Grizzly stuff is made offshore, China or taiwan. Its a step below Jet, but a step above harbor frieght. Basically when you buy a JET, you have a tool that takes minimal tinkering to get working perfectly. With Grizzly, you need to do a bit more, but a good machine is still easily achievable. With HF, you need to take it all apart and clean out casting sand.


If the price is High, wait until you havbe more money to spend or look for a good used unit on ebay. Theres no sense in spending all that money on something that will barely meet your needs, when for a bit more you can get exactly what you need.

Jim

 

[LowNFToy]

What is usually required to get these tools working properly? You keep mentioning tinkering with them, is it just a normal thing to do? sorry i dont own many tools like these.. just basic hand tools, a welder and a few dewalt grinders/drills lol. Also does JET have a site?

 

[kartracer55]

http://www.jettools.com/

They are owned by the same company that owns Wilton/Columbian, as well as Powermatic, which are seriously industrial/highend tools.

There are a few quality differences in the machine too. I have never actually taken a JET drill press apart, but I have heard that there are multiple spindle bearings, something like 3, where as Harbor frieght only has one or two. Also, JET drill presses use a higher quality motor.

What do I mean when I say tinkering? People have bought harbor frieght drill presses, and have had to actually make thier own standy because the stands they come with can barely hold the machine up. Also, with harbor freight, one of the most common problems is that there is still sand from where the pieces were cast still inside the head unit and all in the bearings, which, as you probably know, will kill them in a heart beat. People have experienced HUGE amounts of runout as well. All sorts of problems relating to quality control. Basic design is apparantly the same as JET, but there is little or no quality control, and good luck trying to get replacement parts.

Jim

 

[Fast Orange]

Another suggestion-
How about good ol' Craftsman? Prices aren't bad,quality on a par with the import stuff (may even be built by the same manufacturer as Grizzly/Jet),you can go locally to look at 'em and parts available relatively easy.
I've got a 17" 3/4" floor model that isn't bad.I don't put much faith in the angle and depth markings,but it does well for general purpose drilling. When i bought it 5-6 years ago,I think it was around $400.Smaller models are much less-probably $150-$200 for a 12' bench model.

George