Old Shopmaster bench top drill press

[jransom]

Hi guys, long time reader first time poster!

I'm in the market for a drill press for my little shop. I mainly work with light weight steel, sometimes with pieces of 1/2" plate. Anyways, I'd like to know if this smaller machine is capable of drilling up to 1" holes in up to 1/2" plate hot rolled steel. I realize I'd need to go slow and use oil and the correct bits and such, I just can't figure out if this particular machine can go slow enough. Drilling 1/2" would be a pretty rare occasion I think but just in case I want make sure whatever I get is capable. I did some searching and still havent found a solid answer. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm doing my best to not buy an imported machine if I don't have to. It also helps that these older machines are simply beautiful!

Well, thanks for any info you guys may have and talk soon hopefully! -John

 

[454ragtop]

Welcome. It's unlikely that drill press as it sits will turn slow enough for metal work with 1/2" and larger drill bits. Should be able to modify it to slow it down, either with a third pulley setup, or some sort of variable speed with a DC motor or a 3 PH motor and VFD.
HTH, Jim

 

[Carla]

Hi guys, long time reader first time poster!

I'm in the market for a drill press for my little shop. I mainly work with light weight steel, sometimes with pieces of 1/2" plate. Anyways, I'd like to know if this smaller machine is capable of drilling up to 1" holes in up to 1/2" plate hot rolled steel. I realize I'd need to go slow and use oil and the correct bits and such, I just can't figure out if this particular machine can go slow enough. Drilling 1/2" would be a pretty rare occasion I think but just in case I want make sure whatever I get is capable. I did some searching and still havent found a solid answer. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm doing my best to not buy an imported machine if I don't have to. It also helps that these older machines are simply beautiful!

Well, thanks for any info you guys may have and talk soon hopefully! -John

Hello, John,

An easy way for you to get a good over-view of the capabilities of various models of drill presses would be to go to the 'Vintage Machinery' web-site, where you may peruse old machinery catalogues in 'PDF' form.

The 'Delta' make is a good reference. They offered a light 14" drill press in 'high speed', for woodworking, and 'low speed', for metalworking, variants.

The 'low speed' 14" drill press was rated for 3/8" drilling in steel.

The Delta works also offered a 17" drill press, a significantly stronger machine, but I don't remember what drill size it was rated for, in steel, so go look in the catalogue.

There were several manufacturers who were Delta's competition, and produced generally similar, high quality equipment. (some, like the 'Canedy-Otto', and 'Buffalo' makes, were a bit higher quality than was the 'Delta' make, but more expensive new.....the 'Delta' make is the most commonly found today.)

As a generality, for infrequent use, done carefully, a drill press can be 'over-loaded' relative to its rating by 'step-drilling', that is, using a series of increasingly larger drills until the desired size is obtained. An example of that would be a 1/2" drill in steel with the low speed version of the usual light 14" drill press.

The common light 14" drill press just won't pull a 1" drill in steel, even the slow speed versions are still way too fast. The 17" size 'slow speed' Delta, or equivalent in any of the good makes, will, if the operation is 'stepped out'.

If you've only a few 1" holes to drill, in 1/2" thick steel, and would rather not make the investment for a drill press heavy enough for that work, consider whether a 'hole saw' might produce adequately accurate drilled holes for your work.

Using a 1" hole saw in a slow speed light drill press is an 'improvisation'....if it would do your work well enough, it may be cost-effective.

If you elect to try that with a 14" size drill press, you'll need the 'double reduction' version, with a third step pulley, to slow the spindle to a vary low rpm. A best quality hole saw, the Starrett make or equivalent, used with a good cutting oil, should 'get it done' albeit slowly.

cheers

Carla

 

[jransom]

Great info guys, thanks! Carla, I'll go peruse this "vintage machinery" site you mentioned. Sounds like it has tons of great info! Thanks again. -John

 

[jransom]

Hi again Carla, I also know of a Delta dp220 14". Is this one of the ones you were referring to? I think drilling through 1/2" will be a very rare occasion if at all to be honest. I just would like the capability I needed it in a pinch. Doing it "stepped" would be fine with me. Thanks guys! -John

 

[Carla]

Hi again Carla, I also know of a Delta dp220 14". Is this one of the ones you were referring to? I think drilling through 1/2" will be a very rare occasion if at all to be honest. I just would like the capability I needed it in a pinch. Doing it "stepped" would be fine with me. Thanks guys! -John

Hi, John.

Yes, the Delta DP220 is the Delta light 14" drill press.

You can down-load and print out the manual for it from the VM web-site.

Note that it was offered in slow and high speed versions. Only the slow speed version is suitable for drilling steel, (except, of course, for very teeny-tiny drills), but there are only two parts needed to change the fast version to the slow version......the larger driven or spindle pulley, and the larger cast belt guard.

If the one you have available is the high speed version, you may well be able to offer it for a trade, as the slow one is more common, and woodworkers look for the high speed style.

cheers

Carla

 

[jransom]

Thanks Carla. I confirmed it is the slow speed version. It didn't come with the belt cover but looks super clean as it was repainted close to factory a while back. He says there is no slop or play in it and it is in great condition. Do you think it's worth $300? Thanks! -John

 

[zkling]

What model Shopmaster are you looking at?

A DP220 is a 3/8" in steel and under machine. Will it do 1/2" yes, but not designed for it. It would have to be exceptionally nice and decked out for $300.

 

[jransom]

Thanks zkling. I haven't seen it but it looks pretty nice. If I decide to go see it maybe I'll see if he'll take $250 for it? Think that's fair if it is in great working order and looks good? Thanks.