Suggestions for drill press

[julianb85]

Hi I'm new to this forum and I am very looking forward for social friends of the same interest...I am a bit confused regarding buying a drill press,if I should buy a bench type or a floor standing type.would be great if you had to tell me your opinions and pros and cons on both types...

Julian Brown,
Malta.

 

[Steevo]

It usually comes down to two things.
What you plan to use it for.
How much floor space you have vs. bench space.
99% of what I drill with a drill press doesn't need the added height capability of a floor drill press, and a bench top works fine.
Most (not all) bench top units have smaller motors and don't have the power to turn large drill bits or hole saws.
Some floor standing units have greater depth between quill and the post, allowing larger objects to be drilled farther from their edge.

 

[Davefr]

It usually comes down to two things.
What you plan to use it for.
How much floor space you have vs. bench space.

^^^ Exactly!!

In most cases bench real estate is more constrained then floor real estate. In addition floor models have much more capability. I'd say go floor unless your floor space is very limited and your projects are small.

 

[454ragtop]

Other factors are probably more important than floor or bench mount. What will you be drilling, mostly wood, or steel? I'd look for one with a range of speeds to match what you do, and if in doubt, slower is usually better than faster. Myself personally, I wouldn't want a press without a table raising mechanism, and if you can add a sliding head, even better. I can't think of any project where I needed the height of a floor model press, even though I have a bunch of them.
HTH, Jim

 

[julianb85]

Basically i will be needing it for general use in my garage which could range from very small items to quite bulky and drilling all possible materials,it all depends the project i will be working on.I always thought that something like a drill press,the bigger it is,the smaller are the chances of certain restrictions.Space is a bit of an issue too so probably I would go for a bench type as long as it has variable speed and all the major importances of a drill press

 

[theknurl]

floor model

the best thing to have on a drill press is a #2 Morse taper spindle!

lets you change chucks in seconds.....sometimes i use my tapping head....works great for installing HeliCoils if i have a lot to do
my Jacobs Ball Bearing Super Chucks 1/4", 1/2", 5/8" and 3/4"
and ALL the Albrechts (except one) have #2 taper arbors
the one with the straight 3/4" shank goes into the RubberFlex collet chuck to hold little things in the lathe

 

[rodm1]

A floor model with the largest table you can get.

 

[Simple Sam]

My bench model is a floor model as I don't have remotely enough space on my bench for it. I always have my eye open for a floor model so I can get the pole and anything else I might need.

 

[jackfork]

A floor model with the largest table you can get.

If you have room for it this is good advice.

 

[Zeke]

Actually, I think a floor model makes for more room as it keeps the bench free and you can shove it over in the corner when not in use. Not a good tool to have on casters, but I do like my machines to be able to be moved around.

 

[Outlawmws]

Floor model and make sure its not a 4 or 5 speed as that will be wood only for the most part. drilling 1/2" holes in steel needs a slow speed adn you can't get there with a 4 or 5 speed unless you go with a VFD on a 3 phase motor or swap in a tread mill motor.

Try to get a table crank rack and I like the round tables so I can bolt my vise down and still quickly adjust drilling location.

 

[larry_g]

Basically i will be needing it for general use in my garage which could range from very small items to quite bulky and drilling all possible materials,it all depends the project i will be working on.I always thought that something like a drill press,the bigger it is,the smaller are the chances of certain restrictions.Space is a bit of an issue too so probably I would go for a bench type as long as it has variable speed and all the major importances of a drill press

If you understand the drilling process with a twist drill you know that the smaller the bit the faster you turn it. In metal working small high precision drill presses have a 1/8" max capacity and turn 10k rpm. Larger drill presses have low speed. So as Jim says what you plan to do determines the DP you get. Kinda like buying a ratchet, there isn't one that will do everything you want to do. Figure out your most common task, material you work with, and size of holes and t hen get a DP that does that. In future you can get larger or smaller as the need arises.

What works for me, or any other poster here, may not suit you at all.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[5mall5nail5]

I literally picked this guy up this evening:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_78742-46069...s&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=drill+press&facetInfo=

It's great. I was going to get a bigger HP grizzly but once you ship and all... can't beat this. Its very well made. I like it a lot!

 

[julianb85]

Floor model and make sure its not a 4 or 5 speed as that will be wood only for the most part. drilling 1/2" holes in steel needs a slow speed adn you can't get there with a 4 or 5 speed unless you go with a VFD on a 3 phase motor or swap in a tread mill motor.


so if it's not 4 or 5 speed it will be single speed ?

 

[the gypsy]

Hi guys, I would like to pick your brains if you will allow me to. What do yo think about a radial arm drill press. I like them because they are more versatile put I am hesitating because I don't see many posts or garages with these in them.

 

[Outlawmws]

Floor model and make sure its not a 4 or 5 speed as that will be wood only for the most part. drilling 1/2" holes in steel needs a slow speed adn you can't get there with a 4 or 5 speed unless you go with a VFD on a 3 phase motor or swap in a tread mill motor.


so if it's not 4 or 5 speed it will be single speed ?

No, I don't think I've ever seen a single speed DP.

The most common DPs you see, particularly in the vintage class, generally have a 4 sheave pulley on the motor (2" 3" 4" and 5") and another on the spindle and you move the belt fro one to the other to change speeds on the spindle.

Some few will have 3 or 5 sheave pulleys. Those, 3, 4, adn 5, sheave DP's will be for drilling wood or smaller holes on softer metals like aluminum or brass, copper.

Some will have an intermediate pulley so you have 4, 4, and 4. pulleys, (basically a jack shaft) and you get 16 speeds with that setup, and the ability to gear the spindle and therefor the drill bit way down.

A few DP's, generally the high end DP's, will have a variable speed pulley setup, with a speed lever.

Craftsman for a while had a 8 sheave 3 pulley setup with a real narrow belt and that one can do say 1/2" in steel but isn't slow enough for larger holes in steel. I restored one of those for a freind of mine. decent DP withing it's speed limits.