Economical Drill Press - what to get, what to avoid?

I'm making a small part for an antique motorcycle (see http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/general/case-hardening-vs-through-hardening-333594/

...and it looks this is giving me the excuse to get my first drill press. I'd like start with something small and economical.

What brands and features should I be looking for?


My tool budget is along the lines of Sears Craftsman, and not Snap-On, if you get my drift on $$$. I'd like to avoid Harbor Freight, but if their quality is ok, then that might work.

Joe

If you look and compare, the Sears and HF are identical. Sears is twice the price with a different color of paint. There are only a few different makes of import drill presses that will fit your budget, all are from one or two factories, so just find the cheapest one and go with it. I made this mistake years ago when getting a Wilton press. It was just a HF painted white and had all kinds of issues, right out of the box. In fact, the HF was a better finish and had a light in the head for $400 less.

When you do choose the size and type you need, look for the one with the most powerful motor, most speeds (16spd is best) and with the widest speed range. A 12 speed drill with a low speed of 750rpm and high speed of 2000rpm is nearly useless. You can drill holes from 3/8-1/8" in steel at the proper speed. This will be an issue when you need to drill larger holes. The drill will burn up your large bits and will likely not have enough torque to pull them, anyway. I have an older 16 speed press with low speed of 300 and high speed of 4200rpm. That means it is suitable for drilling 3/4"-1/16" holes in steel... far more useful machine.

sign216 said:

I'm making a small part for an antique motorcycle (see http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/general/case-hardening-vs-through-hardening-333594/

...and it looks this is giving me the excuse to get my first drill press. I'd like start with something small and economical.

What brands and features should I be looking for?


My tool budget is along the lines of Sears Craftsman, and not Snap-On, if you get my drift on $$$. I'd like to avoid Harbor Freight, but if their quality is ok, then that might work.

Joe

Click to expand...

Watch your local Kijiji, craigslist, etc., and keep an eye out for a General, Rockwell, South Bend or similar bench top drill press, for about the same money as the retail price of the new made Chineseium.

Possible troubles that the drill may have are a worn chuck, bad bearings, broken return springs, and wallowed out keys on pulleys. All are repairable if suitably priced.

If you can find a decent bench top drill with a Morse Taper Spindle, so much the better. These will have a slot in the side of the spindle, visible when at full extension, which will line up with a slot in the inner portion of the spindle, to allow you to remove the arbor.
The benefit of the MT taper is that it will allow you to use far larger drills than the ones in a chuck.

Best of luck, most of the modern stuff is made in China, and to a low price. Some of the older stuff was made to a low price (but, for the time, they had a rather higher bar to reach) and some really nicely kept older equipmet is out there.

Cheers
Trev

How small are you looking for and would you consider used vs new Chinese crap?

In the store, bring the quill of the drill press down against the table, or with something solid between it and the table.

Pull down on the handle like you mean to hurt it. If something breaks, walk away casually and pretend nothing happened. If everything is still in one piece, look at the amount the table flexes. Ideally it won't flex at all, but you can probably expect enough to see it without measuring in your likely price range. If the table lock slips, walk away.

Remove the belt and spin both pulleys by hand. Can you see them wobble? Walk away.

Try the belt tension mechanism. Is it a pain in the ass? Walk away.

Are you able to tip the thing over with one finger? Walk away. (unless you really do plan on bolting it to a bench or stand)

If possible, run it on the highest speed. Vibrations from hell? Walk away. (or if you find out at home, return it)

Lots of aerodynamic plastic shrouds are there for looks and the "feeling" of safety. Just as with riding lawn tractors, the reduction of drag when your drill press is moving at high velocity is not of concern, so don't let the visual appeal sell you on a machine. Simple heavy castings, as opposed to stamped sheet metal aren't always a sign of better design but at least give you more to work with. In fact, a 30-50 year old used machine could be a better buy.

My biggest complaint about small drill presses is the lack of a speed low enough to be useful for larger drills and chamfering. Though they don't have the power to drive a "large" drill properly at these speeds, there are still plenty of reasons to give me something down to like 50 or 100 RPM.

Trevj is right on the money. You'll be a lot better off with used, older, quality machine than a new DPSO. (drill press shaped object)

Craigslist is your best bet. As you are in Mass. it is worthwhile to add Providence RI and Hartford CT to your craigslist searches, as those two former industrial cities often have a decent selection of used machinery.

Besides the other items already listed, make very sure that the spindle does not wobble in the casting. Test this easily at full extension.
This applies to new and used. Ask me how I know :-(

Gerrit

gerritv said:

Besides the other items already listed, make very sure that the spindle does not wobble in the casting. Test this easily at full extension.
This applies to new and used. Ask me how I know :-(

Gerrit

Click to expand...

Many of the newer ones have a "gib screw" that can be adjusted for less slop but they still don't equal the fitted quill on an older machine in good shape.

Mike C. said:

If you look and compare, the Sears and HF are identical. Sears is twice the price with a different color of paint. There are only a few different makes of import drill presses that will fit your budget, all are from one or two factories, so just find the cheapest one and go with it. I made this mistake years ago when getting a Wilton press. It was just a HF painted white and had all kinds of issues, right out of the box. In fact, the HF was a better finish and had a light in the head for $400 less.

Click to expand...

Huh? I remember when shopping for a good used vise, people raved over Wilton. Now you say it's just repainted Asian stuff?

As for Sears, I know much of their product is imported, so I've been buying their vintage tools. Although some of their current line is still USA made.

Is it safe to buy a vintage drill press? Or do they commonly get used/burnt and have little residual value?

I'd rather get a quality used press, than new junk, but this is unfamiliar area for me so I'm in a poor position to evaluate older equipment.

I'm surprised to hear that South Bend and General are good names. In other areas those names are low to medium quality stuff.

As this is not a forum to be discussing Chinese home shop grade machines, this thread is being locked. You need a home shop specific forum and this isn't it. See Machinery Discussion Guidelines sticky thread here.