walker turner drill press opinion

[jsulli]

hello all, I just signed up on this forum since I have seen and read a lot of good stuff about drill presses. I am in the market for a bench top drill press and almost bought a new one but have gotten nothing but a run around with sale company ( ordered new and was sent TWO defective models in a row) but later on that. I like that the older drill press seem to have a better build quality with the only disadvantage of parts availability. I found a seller of a walker turner DDP500 that seller states refurbished with new bearings. attached photo shows the unit which he repainted also. his price was reduced to 100.00. Would like anyones opinion on this deal. thank you.

 

[Packard V8]

Walker-Turner is a good quality homeowner/light industrial bench DP. It's about as good as Delta, Powermatic, Atlas, et al. The "arc-of-shame" is exceptionally bad, but doesn't really compromise the utility. Don't see how you could go wrong for $100.

jack vines

BTW - there are those who will be along to point out it will not run slow enough to drill large holes in steel. How often do you drill more than 1/2" in steel? If often, you'd want a much larger and heavier duty DP anyway.

jv

 

[Zeus36]

Buy it now!

 

[Marsim]

I would buy that in a heartbeat if it worked as advertised.

 

[jsulli]

Walker-Turner is a good quality homeowner/light industrial bench DP. It's about as good as Delta, Powermatic, Atlas, et al. The "arc-of-shame" is exceptionally bad, but doesn't really compromise the utility. Don't see how you could go wrong for $100.

jack vines

BTW - there are those who will be along to point out it will not run slow enough to drill large holes in steel. How often do you drill more than 1/2" in steel? If often, you'd want a much larger and heavier duty DP anyway.

jv

thank you for the reply. most likely I will need to drill 6 - 5/8 holes in steel but by starting small and going up in diameter I don't see any problem. other find is a floor model rigid (china) that a fellow says works perfectly for 125. but see getting parts if needed is harder.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Those apprentice marks make me mad.

What is the diameter of the column on that machine? If its smaller than 2 3/4" its a bit too small of a machine to do what you are looking to do.

 

[jsulli]

Those apprentice marks make me mad.

What is the diameter of the column on that machine? If its smaller than 2 3/4" its a bit too small of a machine to do what you are looking to do.

trying to find more info. from seller as she showed it has the original 1/2 hp motor made in Plainfield n.j.

 

[whateg01]

If you'll only need to drill 6 holes that big, it'll probably get the job done but if you are step drilling, you may have to sharpen the drills multiple times. You might be able to find a pulley to slow it down but by then it might not be the bargain is almost is now. If you think you might need to drill big holes in the future, the floor model you mentioned, if it's capable of sub-300 rpm, may be a better idea. Old iron is cool though. I can't imagine going back to import drill presses after getting both my mid-1940s Craftsman (Atlas) and mid-30s WT 1100 up and going.

 

[jsulli]

If you'll only need to drill 6 holes that big, it'll probably get the job done but if you are step drilling, you may have to sharpen the drills multiple times. You might be able to find a pulley to slow it down but by then it might not be the bargain is almost is now. If you think you might need to drill big holes in the future, the floor model you mentioned, if it's capable of sub-300 rpm, may be a better idea. Old iron is cool though. I can't imagine going back to import drill presses after getting both my mid-1940s Craftsman (Atlas) and mid-30s WT 1100 up and going.

agreed. the rigid dt15501 has 3 pulleys and a lower rpm rate to choose. but made in china not like the older ones which imo are also a piece of art work.

 

[Whitworth]

You will have no problem drilling 5/8" holes in steel with that WT drill press set at the slowest speed.
Provided a sharp, good quality drill bit, stock is clamped down firmly and maybe center punch or spot drill to start. No reason to drill in multiple steps.

 

[Prospecter]

I have its brother, right down to the arc of shame. $100 is a great price, and the parts are worth quite a bit more than the price. You should easily get your money back if you choose to sell later. I am sentimental about the WT because I was born in Plainfield. I remember passing the factory.

There are fancier ways to fix the table, but I just used JB Weld. Good enough for me, since it's a user.

 

[jsulli]

I have its brother, right down to the arc of shame. $100 is a great price, and the parts are worth quite a bit more than the price. You should easily get your money back if you choose to sell later. I am sentimental about the WT because I was born in Plainfield. I remember passing the factory.

There are fancier ways to fix the table, but I just used JB Weld. Good enough for me, since it's a user.

thanks for the reply. I was debating buying it as the plainfield history was impressive, and I live in N.J. but this press is located in east Harlem and passed since I would have had to go alone. I did pick up a craftsman 150 floor model in great cosmetic and operation for the same price. only thing is owner lost the depth gauge for it.

 

[whateg01]

There's a 900 on FBMP here now that the guy started out at $350 for and is down to $200. That 150 will do you fine, I'm sure. Does it have the vari-slo or the extra speed reduction pulley?

 

[jsulli]

No vari-slo or extra speed reduction pulley. it's a 103-24531. checked it out and it ran very smooth and quiet. it has the spindle return by spring but no spring adjustment knob. saw someone on this forum state the later models didn't have it. anyway will have fun cleaning up and tinkering with.