Low rpm drill press?

[Robertdeuce]

Any suggestions on a quality, not to expensive drill press that has rpms around 300? Thanks

 

[scooby074]

Quality and not too expensive these days means used.

The china ones ( I got one) spin too fast for steel and are alright but far from what Id call quality.

Ive used Clausings at work and they are very good, and do come up time to time used. The Vari speed models will turn nice and slow (150RPM). Slower is better for steel. No idea on what new cost would be on them.

Best slow speed drill presses are gearhead. We have one of them too and the thing is awesome. Will twist your arm off if youre not careful. I believe ours is a Solberga, and probably cost as much as a small car when new.

 

[Robertdeuce]

I'm trying to avoid the China made ones to be honest. If I have to, I don't mind spending a little extra for a good drill press but don't want to over spend.
Maybe I should asked what's the best bang for buck?

I'm going to be cutting lots 1" holes in 11 gauge steel

 

[ez-duzit]

Paid around $250 (used) for my massively heavy, Taiwan-built, floor model Delta drill press with large crank-up table. Speed range starts very slow. Best bang for the buck is in a clean used machine. Pass on the budget new ones.

 

[larry_g]

One option is a mill/drill. They have the slow speed, some have power down, and in a pinch can be used as a mill Are you intending to use a twist drill, hole saw, or a rotobroch cutter? If your just down the road you'd be welcome to use mine.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Robertdeuce]

Is this a good deal? Canada dollars
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-tool-other/...at/1187870976?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

 

[bkibler]

My cheap Ryobi goes down to 530 RPM. I wouldn't call it "quality", but it's 10+ years old and still runs like a champ, no issues.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

 

[ez-duzit]

I'd want to get down to at least 200 rpm.

 

[66cj225]

Look for 'double reduction' step pulley to obtain the rpms you want. A motor spinning 1750 will be more suitable than one at 3450.

 

[Packard V8]

Give us some more info as to material, depth and diameter of holes you'll be drilling.

Look for 'double reduction' step pulley to obtain the rpms you want.

FWIW, building an intermediate pulley to have double reduction when needed is not too difficult for most GJers who enjoy making their own stuff.

jack vines

 

[dutchgray]

Go for a good old drill, mine is only a plain 5 speed (not double reduction) but is still only 340 rpm in bottom, I added a vfd as its 3 phase so can half that without issue. The only thing I would change it for would be a good old gear head drill.

 

[Davefr]

Go for a good old drill, mine is only a plain 5 speed (not double reduction) but is still only 340 rpm in bottom, I added a vfd as its 3 phase so can half that without issue. The only thing I would change it for would be a good old gear head drill.

^Agree!!

With a VFD and a decent size 3 phase motor you can set the DP to it's lowest belt speed and then dial down the VFD to get another approx. 10:1 speed reduction.

Double digit speeds is easily achievable.

 

[cvairwerks]

1" holes in 11 ga, I might look at a mag drill.

 

[Robertdeuce]

Give us some more info as to material, depth and diameter of holes you'll be drilling.



FWIW, building an intermediate pulley to have double reduction when needed is not too difficult for most GJers who enjoy making their own stuff.

jack vines

Material is 11 gauge steel, 1" holes (lots of them).
What is the difference with a Mag drill?

 

[dutchgray]

That thin is hole saw or unibit territory, a mag (magnetic) drill and an annular cutter would work but you would want a bit of scrap 1/2" plate to put directly under the workpiece to get it to stick properly.

 

[Lelandwelds]

^Agree!!

With a VFD and a decent size 3 phase motor you can set the DP to it's lowest belt speed and then dial down the VFD to get another approx. 10:1 speed reduction.

Double digit speeds is easily achievable.

+1 My first choice.

My second choice.
https://www.roguefab.com/product/drill-press-reduction-kit-161-ratio-12-belts/
They have four main options. Nice tubing bender too. I like the tubing clamp they use.

 

[tool_scrounge]

I am really impressed by the simplicity of building your own equivalent of the Cardinal Machine Company Number 18 slo-drive (no longer available). Just get the following off of ebay. Just make sure it all the parts match the motor shaft diameter.

two pillow blocks
ground rod (use as pulley shaft)
tubes for standoffs for the motor
bolts & nuts
pulleys (1 small, 1 large)
belt

You will probably need to drill 4 holes in your motor mount to attach the pillow blocks. I suspect a single pulley/belt on the bottom will be just fine.

You should be able to get a 2 to 2.5X speed reduction easily and you standard belt cover will probably still fit. You can still change belt speeds as usual, but all the speeds are slower.

Link to advertisement:
http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=17012

 

[2oolhound]

It ain't that big a deal if you're just starting out and buy the correct DP. It only gets complicated if you've already bought the wrong one (or one you really like) and need to convert it.

Just look for one with 3 pulleys up top that uses 2 belts like this pic:

Here is the speed chart for the different belt configurations:

I waited and waited for a good deal on a Canadian or US made DP but finally pulled the trigger on a 10 year old Taiwan 17" 1HP MT3 like new for $290 and it came with a full drill carousel, mobile base, cheap cross slide vise, T-slot table etc. I'm happy with it as it does what I need.

Other important factors to consider when shopping for a DP:
HP usually indicative of the robustness of the press.
DP Size Designation (distance from the centre of the chuck to the outside of the column) this determines the biggest piece of material you can still drill a hole in the centre of. A 16" DP means the outside of the column is 8" from the centre of the chuck so you can drill a hole in the centre of a 16" plate for e.g.
Quill Travel How deep you can drill without changing anything
Chuck Size how big of drills you can chuck up
Spindle Bore or Taper determines the type of chuck you use but also allows you to use drills with the same taper without a chuck. The most common I find is an MT3 (morse taper #3)
Type of Table a "T-slot" table is great for metal work

There are other factors to consider but those are the main ones. A foot control feed or a foot control ON/OFF switch is great for freeing up both hands and a geared column/table is also nice.

There seems to be a phobia against changing speeds of a DP by switching belt positions but it takes less than a minute. Once you get past the phobia your work will go smoother.

 

[ez-duzit]

2--good post.

 

[isb cornbinder]

If you are going to be putting one inch holes in 11 gauge sheet-metal, you should consider having the holes punched. On the off-chance you want to do this yourself. a rotary broach and a mag-drill should be your first choice. I bought my HOGAN mag drill and 50 rotary broaches off Craigslist for a couple hundred bucks.
Another and often better option is to have your local water-jet fabrication shop cut the holes for you.

 

[bcradio]

Lots of good suggestions in here. It sounds like you'll have the most expensive power rack out there when all is said and done. I hope you will post up pictures of the finished product.

 

[exmaxima1]

Recommended speed for a 1-inch bi-metal hole saw is 350 rpm in mild steel. That should not be an issue for most any large drill press, even 2 pulley models. Another option would be to install a 1140rpm motor on a standard press to lower speeds substantially.

 

[Lelandwelds]

I think I might build a headache rack for the pickup and just go buy a used weight rack. Before January.