Need a new drill press

[bluedog225]

My cheap, old carpy drill press carped out. The switch broke. And I’m glad. I never loved the pos from harbor freight back in the 90s.

Need a new one. Probably floor mount. Mild steel. Up to 3/8. Maybe 1/2”. Slow speeds a plus. And the lasers look nice. Above all, decent reliability, repair ability, and parts availability.

What’s a smart move? Home Depot Wen or Delta for $250? Or harbor freight? Is their quality better?

I wanted to check in to see if there was an obvious go-to for under $500.

Many thanks

 

[whateg01]

My cheap, old carpy drill press carped out.

Sounds fishy.

I'm not a fan of any of the new machines out there. I like old iron that can be fixed and is usually a better machine overall. Much depends on whether you need a drill press now or can patiently wait for the right used machine to come along.

Fwiw, I paid $250 iirc, for my late 40s Walker Turner behemoth. I had to put a motor on it but it is an absolute beast. That same money will usually get you a great running old Delta, Atlas, etc. A good powermatic will usually be more. I also have an old Craftsman 150 that I paid 50 for.

 

[metal1313]

I think I paid $250 for my jet industrial 20” drill press like 10 years ago. If I were buying new I’d prob just go for the biggest hf one my budget would support or start searching classified adds.

 

[BTL-A4]

I agree. Look on CL and FBMP. You can find older machines that are better than the new ones. Ask here and other forums before you buy. Do some research so you know what you are looking at and can pounce if it's a screaming deal. Craftsman drill presses from the 70's and earlier are pretty good. Be sure to get one with lower speeds, since you are cutting metal. I think the lasers are gimmicky and useless. They are never accurate for me.

 

[bluedog225]

You realize this means I have to bypass the switch and soldier on with the old one until I find something. Plug in-on. Unplug-off

 

[foghorn1966]

The new ones are not any better if not worse than you have. Fab up a switch or replace the switch with a paddle off one.

 

[tarbellb]

Good excuse to get foot pedal switch

Newer HF is NOT a upgrade

Add your location and let the GJ collective do the hunting for you!

 

[bluedog225]

Austin. And thanks!

 

[Nvrplzd]

You should be able to find a decent older craftsman 150 for within your budget

Generally can’t go wrong with Clausing (may be difficult in your budget), Rockwell, Walker turner or craftsman as mentioned above. Try to stay out of the newer plastic era, mid-pre 70s generally nets decent results

 

[whateg01]

You realize this means I have to bypass the switch and soldier on with the old one until I find something. Plug in-on. Unplug-off

I know you said you aren't sad to see the old one fail but it's that the reason for not replacing the switch?

 

[bluedog225]

Yes. It’s a miserable dog.

 

[whateg01]

Seeing what they go for around here, I would be tempted to fix the switch for $10, sell that one for $75 because it works, then buy something better. Actually use that one until the right one comes along, then sell it to recoup some money. But it's your machine now. How bad do you hate it?

 

[bb29510]

hgrinc.com

 

[bluedog225]

That’s a good plan. I’ll do something for a switch. And fix the belt slip. It’s maxed on adjustment.

 

[whateg01]

Seems like around here older drill presses tend to go for little money because people want the bells and whistles. You mention maintainability. Older machines are better in that regard, imo. There are some parts that can't be found easily and you have to check for wear, but overall I find them to be easier to find parts for. There's generally a pretty big community of people who have fixed their older drill press and can give advice. Newer ones can have the same failures but cost much more to begin with. They are also lighter duty in the same price range. If the machine has electronics, finding a replacement board will be hard and/or expensive if it fails. Just my $0.02.

There are a couple other drill press threads currently running. If you check out the vintage tools subforum, there are some good discussions there about specific machines.

 

[isb cornbinder]

I bought and restored several very old Camel-Back drill-presses. The older and larger, WF and John Barnes drill press is from the mid 1800s. My slightly smaller Camel-Back is a Hofer. It is about 1900.
A lot of freshening and repowering and these old drill presses work really well. Just about anyone can buy something new and common. These large old drill presses are not common and certainly get attention. I might go so far to suggest an old Camel-Back adds a touch of class to a shop.
Picture is of an unrestored unit.

 

[isb cornbinder]

A few more vintage drill press pictures. A commercial media blasting shop did the metal cleaning on my ancient drill presses. They used ground walnut shell abrasive.
The orange cabinet, in the background is a Canadian made, powered parts washer cabinet.

 

[whateg01]

A few more vintage drill press pictures.

This one has a feature I miss a lot. Floor space around it!

 

[Woods_Wanderer]

I'm a bit far from you in Fort Worth, but I have a powermatic 1150 up for sale. I'm obviously biased here but I think all the old american iron is better than the drill presses you can buy new.

 

[whateg01]

Too bad that won't fit in my caliber. I might be tempted to tie it to the roof though for the drive back to Wichita!

 

[bb29510]

that blue thing with wheels, I was given one last week, havent play with it yet

 

[Kuma601]

I have one the the Central Machinery 13" presses bought back in the later 90's. It's ok. Mine did not drill a perpendicular to the table so it took shimming the head to get it right. Other than cleaning up some of the castings and other coarse finishing it has been acceptable. Pulleys run smooth no horrendous runout at the MT2 taper so pretty decent. I pitched their chuck and arbor though. I'd buy another for coarse use but not for precise drilling.

The 14" Jet bought mid 90's out of the box has been excellent. That one got the Jacobs arbor and chuck combo.

 

[bluedog225]

I bypassed the switch. No problem. Got an early start. But the project may be cursed. I’ve entered the vortex of doom.

 

[RTM]

. But the project may be cursed. I’ve entered the vortex of doom.

Might be a good time to stay away from other family members, pets, and the good car.

 

[bluedog225]

I’ll ask this here to avoid another drill press thread. I was happily drilling holes this morning got about two or three dozen finished. Half inch holes in quarter inch steel.

The drill just stopped working. I unplugged it and plugged it back in and the generator loaded up. And the drill spun once or twice weakly then stopped. The motor was hot. I let it cool for for five hours then went back and tried again. It’s turning at maybe one or two revolutions per second. Something is definitely wrong. Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[RTM]

Obviously: The generator has been talking to your router, and shared this post with the drill press. It knows you want to replace him, so it’s flipping you the bird on the way out the door.

 

[whateg01]

Do not buy a lottery ticket today. It does sound like the drill press purchase has moved back up the list.

 

[bluedog225]

As I arrived home today, it occurred to me that my little hacked together switch bypass was probably the issue. Will check next time I’m out there.

 

[Kscardsfan]

Seems like around here older drill presses tend to go for little money because people want the bells and whistles. You mention maintainability. Older machines are better in that regard, imo. There are some parts that can't be found easily and you have to check for wear, but overall I find them to be easier to find parts for. There's generally a pretty big community of people who have fixed their older drill press and can give advice. Newer ones can have the same failures but cost much more to begin with. They are also lighter duty in the same price range. If the machine has electronics, finding a replacement board will be hard and/or expensive if it fails. Just my $0.02.

There are a couple other drill press threads currently running. If you check out the vintage tools subforum, there are some good discussions there about specific machines.

You’re also in an area flooded with machine shops and industrial manufacturing centers so good tools aren’t terribly hard to come by. I stop by the yard store on general principle when I’m down that way.

 

[whateg01]

You’re also in an area flooded with machine shops and industrial manufacturing centers so good tools aren’t terribly hard to come by. I stop by the yard store on general principle when I’m down that way.

Most bigger stuff here is pretty worn out or outrageously priced though. Those older smaller machines show up once in awhile. I buy a lot of stuff from KC, OKC, Tulsa, and even the DFW area. I drove to Atlanta, tx for my 10ee.

 

[bluedog225]

Jeeze those are some beautiful machines.

Here’s the best I can find right now.

 

[bluedog225]

This one looks nice. A 3 hour drive each way though.

 

[corn chip]

the new age low budget china drill presses are complete ****. if you like **** then youll be in heaven. if $250 is all you have then **** is all youll get

 

[bb29510]

i got my low budget tawainn **** for $50 in 1994, its been a good nachine

 

[bluedog225]

May have something in town.

Does anyone know if the old atlas presses have bearings that are available? Or are they something “special.”

 

[BD1]

Bypass switch, wire hot, and get a foot pedal. Foot pedals are my favorite for drill presses. It's a lot quicker to remove foot from pedal then to flick the switch if needed.
I two belt system will usually provide slower speeds for metal and a fast enough to use flapper wheels.

 

[whateg01]

Bypass switch, wire hot, and get a foot pedal. Foot pedals are my favorite for drill presses. It's a lot quicker to remove foot from pedal then to flick the switch if needed.
I two belt system will usually provide slower speeds for metal and a fast enough to use flapper wheels.

You're kind of late to the party

 

[whateg01]

May have something in town.

Does anyone know if the old atlas presses have bearings that are available? Or are they something “special.”

Most but not all of the consumer grade machines used common bearing sizes. Some might have a snap ring groove though. Do you have an details on the particular atlas machine?

 

[whateg01]

Jeeze those are some beautiful machines.

Here’s the best I can find right now.

Seems a little high but I don't know the market in your area.

It's too bad you weren't looking for a machine a couple weeks ago. I would have been happy to help you look at them while I was there for work visiting tx DPS.

 

[bluedog225]

No details yet. It may have sold while I’m waiting for a call back. Austin in boomtown still. Nothing is cheap.