Used drill press questions

[Off_kilter]

Merry Christmas! While our flight is delayed back to Canuckistan I went looking on FB marketplace and found this unit.

I've been on the hunt for an affordable drill press and this one is listed at $250.

Things I should look for? Runout and smooth movement up and down?

For the run out you just hand turn the chuck and measure off a drill bit with dial indicator correct?

Thanks in advance and hopefully you all have a good new year!

 

[iagsxr]

They really don't want the chuck key to wander off. Golf balls on downfeed levers. I'd buy it for those two features alone.

 

[lilredex]

Look for 16 speeds if you intend to drill metal. Listen for smooth running and operation of the quill. Typical import, about $100 or so around here.

 

[whateg01]

That appears to be 20", which imo, is worth far not than the typical 10-15" drill press. It's capable of down to 60 rpm, which is also a plus. Interesting that they seem to have the same problem I had with one of my old machines where the handles kept unscrewing so they welded them in.

I'm a cheapskate so maybe not good at reasonable prices, but I would buy that one if nothing seems to be broken on it.

 

[cannuck]

That press has definitely seen a hard life, but no reason to walk away from a much better tool that a similar priced bit of recent brand-damned-new junk. It has size and rigidity going for it. Don't worry about runout at the chuck - it is installed into the quill with a morse taper adapter and that can get bent from abuse - the quill not likely so. One of the best things you can do when buying a drill press is to buy a new MT to JT adapter and spend the bux on a shiny new ball bearing chuck (on that one up to 3/4". I like keyless, but in fact they don't grab as well as keyed BB chucks. As with any other machine tool, the tooling for it will cost far more than the machine, but starting with something stout is a great idea.

 

[RTM]

60 RPM on the low end! Grab it on the way home, strap your luggage on the roof if you need to.

 

[Zeus36]

That covered foot switch is worth $100 alone and a sign this was not a consumer-grade drill. The DP was likely made in Taiwan in the 1980s.
I would check run-out at the spindle, ignore the chuck. Listen for bearing noise at the spindle.
Open the belt cover and pull the belt off the motor pulley, then run the motor to check for bearing noise.

Negotiating areas for the price:
Handles welded in place is a con (to me).
Wrong handle knobs.
I don't see any table lift mechanism.
The OEM table lock is either missing or has been modified with the extended homemade handle.
The depth indicator/stop is missing, there looks to be the bottom of the depth collar hanging to the left of the chuck.
The vise is a cheap Harbor Freight looking one, not worth any cash points.
Check the condition of the belts. Not a big issue, as they are cheap to replace, but are a good for pricing.

Ask about the history and number of owners if the seller has the info. I would offer $200 after pointing out those areas and go up to $225, but I would be purchasing to rebuild it. Not sure what the DP population is in Edmonton, that will also factor in the price. If it starts and runs smoothly, it's better than the newer stuff in the sub-$1000 range

 

[Davefr]

That translates into around $180 USD. It's had a hard life and been jury rigged but could be an otherwise stout machine. The table lift rack was probably busted off from abuse. Without table lift, a 20" machine with a heavy cast table will be a PIA to elevate. I bet you could find a table lift. All those Taiwan machines probably used the same parts and there were tons of them made.

You just need to inspect it closely to separate cosmetics from function. It does like like it has a premium Jacobs 14N or larger ball bearing chuck and those are pretty spendy.

You don't see a 60 RPM low speed too often!

I agree with Zeus - negotiate based on all the issues.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Very simple machines,probably same machine as a grizzly, should be able to get parts. If the motor is good and nothing is cracked offer 200$. Easy to replace bearings, quill or chuck.

 

[rcsuder]

If you look on Kijijji there is a someone in Sherwood Park (I believe) who has 3 Jet benchtop drill presses for sale. $75.00 to $150.00. I’ve had a couple of these in the past and they are excellent machines. If it were me I would look at these first