Is this a good drill press?

[Bennylava]

The wife likes to go garage sale-ing and she brought me home this drill press. $20 and I didn't have one yet, so maybe it was a good deal. My knowledge of drill presses is somewhat lacking so I thought I'd ask the experts. Its craftsman and from reading this forum, some love craftsman, while others.. don't.

 

[930dreamer]

If it works and the spindle isn't out of whack, clean it up and thank your wife.

 

[Bennylava]

Not familiar with the spindle, I'm guessing its something I'd notice while using it.

 

[jakemac]

If it works and the spindle isn't out of whack, clean it up and thank your wife.

^^^^ THIS ^^^^^
Is this the model that gets the vintage guys (like me) drooling ? No.
But you've gotten by this long without a DP, so if it works you should be fine until you get the bug for something else. For $20 you can't lose.

You owe you're wife a dinner.
(hint : spend more than $20 on her, she's a keeper. You, on the other hand - she might have over paid for.)

 

[Bennylava]

Yeah I am a little curious to know how old it is. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say something like 1990-2001, somewhere in there. Feels a little weird cause she talked to the people, and they said that their dad had passed away and they were selling off all his tools. Poor old guy dies, and then they just sell all his stuff. Maybe he didn't have any sons

 

[ajchien]

I thinks that's a good deal. Small drill presses like that are often asking for $50 on CL in my area.

 

[dodge610]

I had one of those till i bought my clark floor mount DP from tsc. It will do most of what you need done. I started getting into bigger jobs and needed a bigger one. Wish now at times i had both.

 

[Bennylava]

^^^^ THIS ^^^^^
Is this the model that gets the vintage guys (like me) drooling ? No.
But you've gotten by this long without a DP, so if it works you should be fine until you get the bug for something else. For $20 you can't lose.

I'm going to attempt to clean it up some. I saw your projects thread where you clean up and repaint old tools. How would you go about getting the rust off the support? Take it all apart and vinegar soak? It doesn't appear to be painted so that part would at least be ok.

 

[dodge610]

I'm going to attempt to clean it up some. I saw your projects thread where you clean up and repaint old tools. How would you go about getting the rust off the support? Take it all apart and vinegar soak? It doesn't appear to be painted so that part would at least be ok.

Just steel wool that support looks to be only surface rust. Or if you got a lot of time pull it apart and soak it.

 

[uart]

Not familiar with the spindle, I'm guessing its something I'd notice while using it.

Have you used it yet?

Just put a small (good quality straight) drill bit in it and take a look. If the tip of the bit runs nice and true then it's good.

 

[f150skidoo]

Looks like a good drill press for what she paid. But dont expect to drill any good sized holes in steel.

 

[rsanter]

If you don't have a drill press, for $20 it's a good one

Mount it to one edge of the workbench so you can swivel the table and the head over the side.
Then you can tilt the table 90 deg and drill into the end of long items

Bob

 

[larry_g]

Not familiar with the spindle, I'm guessing its something I'd notice while using it.

The spindle is the rotating shaft that has the chuck on one end and the pulley on the other end. The spindle has to be straight and not run in bearings that are to loose. They all have some runout with the amount of runout determining the accuracy of the machine.

One thing on that machine with its tilting table is to make sure that the table is perpendicular to the spindle or else all the hole you drill will be at some angle that you may not want. Google tram or tramming to get a better description of what I'm rambling about.

That is a good machine for the money and will do a lot of work.

One way to look at tools from your perspective is that it is a learning thing. As you use this DP you may live with it just fine, or soon learn it's short comings and you will know then what to look for in the next one you buy.

lg
no neat sig line