Thoughts on these drill presses

[Foreman05]

Good day

I wouldn’t say I’m in the market for a drill press but I don’t have one and can see the benefits of having one. Anyway I was on the Facebooks and seen some decent deals just wanted to see what the experts thought before I tried to grab one of these DP’s. The use would be limited but I also like quality tools. If I drill a hole with it I want it to be straight ect.
There’s is a Jet 5 speed 1/3 HP for $75
And a American Machine Tool 12 speed for $150

I like that the AMT has a crank to adjust the table though I’m not sure it’s required for my use.
Any thoughts would be appreciated

 

[Foreman05]

He’s another pic

 

[Davefr]

Those early Taiwan machines were good. Table lift, 3 pulley/wide speed range, usually decent TEFC motors, table lift/rotate, decent build, etc. Those prices are decent. There were a gazillion different brands but I suspect they all came from the same factory and were almost identical. It's personal preference whether to go bench top of floor but I'd go floor any day. Benchtop real estate is more precious then floor space IMO but YMMV. Floor DP's are also more versatile.

 

[exmaxima1]

I always like those Taiwanese presses with the 2 switches for light and motor. The keyless chuck is also a nice upgrade. Definitely worth $75

 

[Dave455]

The AMT, as Davefr has pointed out, is Taiwanese. Dating from early to mid ‘80’s if memory serves, and no, not bad at all. Not the same quality as a British or U.S. made drill, but one of Taiwans first attempts to get into the pro market.

Yes, same machine can be found with many different names on, the only major variation seems to be the column height and the table. I own one of these, had it from new, and it hasn’t been bad. There is a version with plastic parts (the collars that position the rack on the column) that I’d avoid, but most others are o.k.

Only weak point is the original Taiwanese chuck. Not the best, and struggle to hold anything much below 1/8”, but not a problem here with the keyless. If that's a German made chuck it’s probably worth $50 on it’s own.

That’s the machine I’d go for.

And you will use it more than you think. With a rigid table and constant downforce you can drill things that you wouldn’t be able to by hand, and everything you drill is square about both axes, and to depth. I have other drills now, but I keep the Taiwanese one almost exclusively for woodworking, and it’s worth it just for that!

 

[The Cobbler]

re American Machine tools
many threads on here with that asian model under many names. most reviews are favourable. I have a benchtop model & it does what I ask/expect of it

 

[Jawn]

Also think about what materials you might drill through... and what speeds that will require. If you want to put a decent size hole in a piece of steel, that 5-speed press may not run slow enough. The 12 speed should run slow enough.

I have a HF bench version similar to the 12-speed (mine's old enough to also be Taiwanese made), it's not the most precise but it works well.

 

[Foreman05]

Thanks everyone for the replies I didn’t even notice the keyless chuck.
I was really leaning towards the floor model myself because bench space is limited and it seems beefy.
This one popped up this afternoon it’s an old delta for $200

 

[Davefr]

Thanks everyone for the replies I didn’t even notice the keyless chuck.
I was really leaning towards the floor model myself because bench space is limited and it seems beefy.
This one popped up this afternoon it’s an old delta for $200

I'd go for the Delta but it won't have table lift. It's all a trade off.

 

[Indexmill]

Now, that Delta that "just popped up" is a very nice DP for $200.

 

[exmaxima1]

I'd go for the Delta but it won't have table lift. It's all a trade off.

And it won't go below around 500 rpm if there is no accessory third pulley.

 

[seber]

The Delta is a lot more machine and will last forever. If you need lower speed and it doesn't have the idler pulley, you can always put a three phase motor on it.

 

[Foreman05]

I’m trying to get more details on the delta, the post only said drill press so that don’t help much. I will let you know if I get it. Thanks for all the replies!

 

[exmaxima1]

It's a Delta DP225 if you want to research it. I've owned a few of them and they are nice lighter-duty machines. The speed range is more optimized for wood working, but it will also drill up to around 3/8" holes in steel. The Taiwanese DP has a much larger column and more heavy duty, plus it will accept Morse Taper bits and chucks.

 

[Foreman05]

Oh man too many decisions now!

 

[Foreman05]

Well the Delta sold while I was asking him questions. I ended up offering $125 for the Taiwanese press and he took it, I will pick it up in a few days. Will post up some pics and I'm sure I will have a ton of questions about disassembly and general maintenance. A full restoration is in order!

 

[shawhite]

In my opinion that drill press is not worth a full restoration. If it works correctly use it and work on more projects instead of having the drill press be the project.

 

[Foreman05]

Awe every tool deserves a good restoration lol.
I have a thing with making stuff new again. I even bought this iron so I could return it to its glory days.

 

[shawhite]

Nothing wrong with a project I’m just saying you don’t want projects waiting on restoring a drill press restoration.

 

[Davefr]

Nothing wrong with a project I’m just saying you don’t want projects waiting on restoring a drill press restoration.

I bet it won't require much work. Tram the table, check runout, clean it up, check to make sure bearings run smooth, lubricate where needed, adjust/tighten quill, check V belt, check power cord, level/align the pulleys, etc. Probably a couple hours max. and time well spent.

 

[brownbagg]

i like to paint all my tools harbor freight green, It keeps my friend away from them

 

[Foreman05]

i like to paint all my tools harbor freight green, It keeps my friend away from them

Haha I’d be lying if I said I don’t own a lime green rolling cart. I haven’t lost it in the shop yet.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Good choice, 1/3 HP isn't enough. I have a Craftsman with that I want to hit every time I notice its not as strong as my cordless drill.

 

[exmaxima1]

Good choice, 1/3 HP isn't enough. I have a Craftsman with that I want to hit every time I notice its not as strong as my cordless drill.

There was no mention of the motor size on the Taiwanese (AMT), but I would be surprised if it wasn't adequate. I've used those presses and with the 3-pulley setup they have plenty of torque. And you really can't compare Craftsman "developed" horsepower to real world motors.

 

[Davefr]

Good choice, 1/3 HP isn't enough. I have a Craftsman with that I want to hit every time I notice its not as strong as my cordless drill.

The little benchtop Jet was 1/3 HP but the OP bought the AMT floor model. From the image it's a TEFC motor and from what I've seen they didn't scrimp on HP nor lie about the specs. (I'm guessing 1/2 HP +)

 

[Foreman05]

I will pick it up tomorrow and try to get some details from it. Like I said before I have no real depth of knowledge on a DP so I’m all ears

 

[Foreman05]

Well the dang guy sold it from under me, messaged him to arrange the time for pickup and never messaged me back now it says sold. Didn’t even have enough integrity to tell me. The search continues

 

[crguy]

Well the dang guy sold it from under me, messaged him to arrange the time for pickup and never messaged me back now it says sold. Didn’t even have enough integrity to tell me. The search continues

No great loss. Look for a used Delta like the 220.

 

[Dutch01]

I have a 1/3rd Hp bench drill. I do find it a bit week but still useful. To save on space it is mounted outside between my 2 garage doors.

 

[slowtwitch73]

Yeah no loss. My experience with those dp's is that the table visibly flexes downward when quill pressure is applied to the work.

 

[Foreman05]

Thanks the search continues. I did t know I had a want for one before but now I keep thinking of all the things I could use it for.

 

[macgee]

Sorry you missed out of these DP's. It ***** but a good lessoned learned.
DP's in your part of the country has been a very hot commodity for the last 12 months after covid and selling for high prices. I'm betting other buyers who have been on the hunt longer see these DP ad's pop up and were ready to immediately hand over cold hard cash and pick up the same day. Those Taiwan DP's are not bad, they're good & practical users as other earlier mentioned and easy to fix and replace bearings if needed. I've rebuilt many nice collectable Delta DP's and have to say I never want another one without a table crank and would probably prefer using the TW DP in anger, they're nothing collectable about it nor bling for a shop to keep up with the Joneses but they get the job done.

$125 was a very good deal for that TW DP for your area, if you didn't pick it up immediately after your low offer, you left the door very wide open for seller to keep responding to other offers who also saw the ad and those offers were probably higher than yours and willing to come over quickly and pay him.
It's typically a first come, first serve world out there now a days with used garage machinery. Its rare that I and most other sellers hold items anymore for a potential buyer (typically newbies) as I've been burned way too many times.

Keep your eye out for other ones, if you found these, you'll find others and you now realize you have to jump on these asap. Good luck

 

[seber]

It's typically a first come, first serve world out there now a days with used garage machinery. Its rare that I and most other sellers hold items anymore for a potential buyer (typically newbies) as I've been burned way too many times.

I'm with you on that. I will hold an item if someone tells me they are in the truck and on the way. Otherwise, first one to show gets the prize.