Heavy drill presses you like using?

With many holes to drill and taps to drive the little Taiwan Duracraft needs to go. I would like to find the best heavy American made drill press I can afford/fit in the shop.

What's your favorite drill press or small radial?

I'm looking for geared head 50-1000 RPM, wide range of power feeds, good clutch/control locations, plenty of work height adjustment and MT4 spindle.

This Cleereman looks like a winner: Cleereman drill press, 3 phase industrial Cleereman a good name?

Cincinnati Bickford 24" Drill Press 480 Volt | eBay

You are 250 miles from this unit. It is 480 volts, perhaps that can be adjusted.


The following is in Alton Illinois (Saint Louis, practically), most likely too far.

Cincinnati Bickford Drill Press

Pittsburg: Machining Equipment

SearchTempest - The EASY way to search Craigslist

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CINCINNATI-...621?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b6b84a35


35 miles from you: BROOK PARK, OH:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CINCINNATI-...621?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b6b84a35
$1250.00 Buy It Now / Make Offer

Good Luck,
Steve

thermite said:

I've heard of interference fits of course ...but this one must be that damned Continental Drift again ... Ohio is butting up against Oregon now, is it?

;-)


Bill

Click to expand...

OOPS!....Well, there is a Aurora Ohio... [on edit ]

http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/tls/2849436382.html

http://spokane.craigslist.org/tls/2788219364.html

If radial, it would have to be real small. For practicalities sake, lets say whatever machine I go for must weigh under 3500 pounds. I can rig big stuff no problem, just don't have the space/need for a decent size radial.

I'm pretty good at finding things. What I could use much more than links to drills for sale is good first hand knowledge of what brands were great and which ones were not so good. I've heard great things about Carlton radials, but have never seen a small one. What's the smallest they made? I found that Cleereman on craigslist with searchtempest and it looked like exactly what I had in mind, but I've never seen one in person.

I'm on the fence about the jig bore. On one hand they're fantastic machines and can do very precise work. On the other they require way too much handle cranking and I wouldn't expect to drill and tap a 2" hole with a jig bore. I'd much rather have a radial than a jig bore. I'd guess my CNC mill could do anything and more that a very big jig bore could, but maybe I'm wrong. If a good jig bore was cheap and real close I'd go for it, but I'm not going to hunt one down.

Most of my taper drills and big tooling is 4MT so getting a machine with a 4 or larger spindle taper would make sense for me. I believe I have a 4MT tapping head somewhere and have a 3' tall cardfile I bought at auction full of taps from 3/4-2.5" that I'd find ways to use if I had a machine to run them instead of just the 4' handle.

I appreciate the responses!

Love your enthusiasm Bill, (Thermite), guy asks about a drill press, posts a pic of a drill press and you make multiple posts suggesting a different, slightly larger machine, a RADIAL DRILL!

Bill he's moving up from a "Taiwan Duracraft".

Now me, I do want a "radial drill" and appreciated the pix...

Bob
Edit, oh you noticed.. "radial is probably gross overkill....." still, I liked your offerings.

Friend has a big Cleerman like the OP linked to, it's an impressive machine, never heard any complaints. Comparable, maybe a touch less refined than the Cincinatti Super Service which I think are maybe the best of the type.

I own a Leland Gifford with 4MT (90-1000rpm) and just bought a 2MT triple spindle L.G. with powerfeed on one spindle and integral tapping on the third (90-1800rpm IIRC). I like them but they are sort of an aquired taste with 4 speed motors and backgear/direct drive giving 8 speeds total.

Avey or Fosdick would be other names to look for though seems like the Aveys always have a smaller spindle than the overall size would appear to justify.

3500lbs rules out any radial worth a crap. My little 3ftx 11" column Fosdick is near double that, but it does match your rpm range requirements, precisely. 49-1100. It's a serious old school version with the cutout for the flat belt cone pulley still there under the tumbler transmission. Late 20s vintage best I can tell.

Greatest advantage of a radial is ease and speed of use. Got a 12 bolt 12" pipe flange to drill out? Clamp it to the table on some sacrifical 2x4s and let her rip. Instead of moving the work under the drill, you swing the arm and slide the head around the circle. You have plenty of power to pull the cut and a powerfeed that can put the pressure on a big bit. Through 3/4" material, you are talking about 15 seconds per hole. 15 minutes later, there's your 12 7/8" holes.

Go radial if you can.

There's something like 6 drill presses to use around here & I'll head for the Cinci Bickford radial most every time if it's open. Even for smaller stuff. They're just convienent.

Paul

One that satisfies all the requirements except mane in the USA is the Alzmetall but they are pricey and not many on the market.

Clausing 15" Drill Press | eBay

The above link is a belt drive machine and maybe #3 MT but the price is ok and shipping might be economical. At least it's a step up and the brand is an excellent job shop drill press. If you want to spend more there are a few Variable speed models on eBay for around $1,800.00

Johansson is another hard to find but very versatile drill press. We have two and they are workhorses. Technically they are Radials but being a center column model they are run like a normal drill press. I put a photo of my small one below. It also has a tapping cycle and a darn strong power feed.

Parts for Clausing are still available but Johansson parts have to be made. Not sure about Alzmetall parts.

Sorry I'm not much help on finding machinery but I hope I gave you more brands to think about.

Walter

another opinion

I see the lot of Cincinnatis on ebay-these are a stout drill that I believe would make quick work of anything you needed. I have seen them for 500 on up, but they are common and meet all of your requirements. I have a predisessor, a Canedey-Otto, when it was a division of Cincinnati. Mine is a 16 speed belt driven machine, #4 MT with 3 feeds. I really like this machine. All ball bearings, very simple (looks like a camelback), pleanty of power, 73-2200 RPM, and it has the round table. Now, the round table may not seem like much, but it has a strange advantage that I use constantly. Most of my drilling is done in a vice. Watching people use radials, I see how the swing is a huge deal when it comes to speed and accuracy in drilling multiple holes in a part, as well as setting up a part. So, waht I did was I bolted down a large vice on the table, and I offset the jaw from the center hole of the drill. When I set up a part, I clamp it in the vice, and I loosen the table from the column, and loosen the table from the arm. This allows me to move the part in two directions and center it perfectly under the drill. TIghten the clamps on the columm and table, and drill. THis works for most things I drill. I have not had to move the vise on the table and this saves a lot of time. If I had a drill with the square table, I would have to move the vice in the t-slots for every different width of bar that I was drilling. I believe that this is a really good way to save time without having a radial drill for smaller parts. I never hold parts by hand in this press, BTW. Too much power!
Joe

You won't go wrong with any of the above mentioned drills. Need to make the choice between and upright and a radial though. Shop space and workpiece size dictated my choices. The uprights can often be found used for $250- $1000, are a joy to use, and will last for generations in average use. You would need to melt down 17 $1000 Chinese Jets to equal one of any of the above.

My Cleereman and Cincinnati keeping each other company:

cleerman drills

Dear Garwood
I have the same drill that is shown with the white Cincinnati in the above photo. It is a workhorse. If you don't have room for a small radial, one of these colum drills will do ten times the work of your chinese drill. My Cleerman is 5 hp, has a nice long spindle travel, lots of speeds & feeds and instant reverse for power tapping. the only down side is moving it around. It's 9ft tall and very top heavy. It weighs 3000lbs and must be rigged properly. If your careful setting it up you will love it. As the gentleman stated earlier the round table is real qwick with setups.

Rick Hinsen

If you will go off shore to the East, Arboga makes a fine machine. Wilton used their style for a while. I have their radial (3500 lbs or so) and an unmentionable copy of the original plain machine. Both are 2HP and quite acceptable. Speed range 950-80 and slower with a VFD. Morse taper (#4) spindle on both.

I would love to have this one that Boeing is auctioning off right now, but I'm tight on space at the moment (and I expect it to go for more than I want to spend), but this is in Auburn, WA:

https://active.boeing.com/assocproducts/surplus/ItemDetails.cfm?pageID=m43402&auctionID=39687



Visually, that seems like a very capable machine, but I don't know anything about them.

With the cross slide table, that Cleerman looks more like a jig bore than a typical drill press. It'll make a great drill press, but it's really meant for SUPER precise hole locating, not just blowing 1" holes in pipe flanges. That said, you could make some REAL precise pipe flanges! BEWARE the spindle taper. Look at the pic of the spindle bore or whatever toolholding system it has on it. Some kind of quick change thing with balls in it. If you can remove that and get to a common MT, it would be OK. If you are stuck with that system, better make SURE you can get tooling reasonably or at all before plunking down cash.

Mike C. said:

With the cross slide table, that Cleerman looks more like a jig bore than a typical drill press. It'll make a great drill press, but it's really meant for SUPER precise hole locating, not just blowing 1" holes in pipe flanges. That said, you could make some REAL precise pipe flanges! BEWARE the spindle taper. Look at the pic of the spindle bore or whatever toolholding system it has on it. Some kind of quick change thing with balls in it. If you can remove that and get to a common MT, it would be OK. If you are stuck with that system, better make SURE you can get tooling reasonably or at all before plunking down cash.

Click to expand...

http://www.laagland.nl/files/documents/SPV Spintec/SPV_Spintec_Jahrl.pdf

The quick change looks like the Swedish SPV Jahrl brand. I have several sizes that are at least 30 years old and still going strong. Not only are they very strong you can change holders on the fly while the spindle is turning.

But. like Mike said you have to find them first. With luck the individual holders are there. If not I hope you can find them used because new they are very costly.

Walter

I had an Arboga 24" 3508 that I really liked - 3hp, 4MT, rated for 1-5/8" in steel.

I have a Buffalo 22 which has done a nice job in my farm shop. It weighs less than a ton, has a nice range of speeds and the powerfeed is really helpful when drilling larger holes. I picked mine up for $250.00 a few years ago.

Here is a link which has pictures and specs - VintageMachinery.org - Photo Index - Buffalo Forge Co. - Buffalo Forge #22 Drill Press

Avey is nice. I paid $250 for an Avey #2. They are always on E-bay if you haven't seen one before.

Mark

have you gotten one yet???
I have a carlton and I have not ran it. but you can tell a lot from the way it's put together.
I took the head off arm, arm off column and column off base to get it home. its solid!!! I have a Dayton drill and i love it but i cant wait to run this thing. the feel to it, the ergonomics are on point!
i never understood why many other makers have the arm taper/reinforcement on the bottom?? i can only imagine it preventing you from lowering all the way down with a hole near the column.
the spindle is counter-balanced.
head rides smooth on the arm, to the point i can push the head without using the handwheel!!! it rides on bearings then is clamped slightly upward. again im new to metal work and never ran a radial but i could see a small(3/4") bit centering the head with everything unclamped.
what else.....
micro feed
you can pass electricity and coolant through the column, so have a neat setup.
it has a auto reverse for tapping
coolant reservoir in the base
4mt, seems small to me
12" of spindle travel
carltons heads are HEAVY, id guess mine is 600lbs. and they market "low hung gears". where the last gear transmitting to the spindle is as low as possible. so its not way at the top of the spindle and twisting the further you feed. now i cant attest to the benefit of such feature but makes sense.
2" spindle btw

id be lying if i didn't disclose to you the negatives im aware of;
no second keyhole in the spindle to hold tools UP
only 4 feeds, does have 12 speeds though
heavy 6000 and big, 9ft tall with head up(positive in my book)