Is a Grizzly drill press a good drill.

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Found a 20" Grizzly floor drill press. Says it works great and in the pics it seems to be in good condition. The price is $400 I have been looking for a drill press for awhile and needed one this weekend so now im ready to spend the money. I know i can go to lowes and buy one for around $300 its a porter cable but is it worth a crap. Does anybody know of any other drills for around that price range that are pretty good.Equipment:Lincoln Ranger 8Lincoln Power Mig 255Miller Diversion 165Hypertherm Powermax 45Victor Pro Series Torch setTons of other shop supplies
Reply:In the $300-$400 range they are all mostly Chicom manufacture. While I haven't looked to be sure, I would guess the Porter Cable is probably in the same league as the Grizzly drill press. Years back while waiting for the wife to finish shopping I was standing around in Sears and looked at their drill presses. They had one with a few different bells and whistles than the Harbor Freight model I had, but the exact same casting numbers on the head. Find one with the small features you like, or shop by price, since they all are about the same construction with a bit different sheet metal, paint or switch. If you have the time and inclination to do a little nosing around you should be able to find a decent quality American made, '40s-'60s drill press that may or may not need some refurbishment for less than the $300-$400 you are looking to spend. As an example, I found an old Royersford Excalibur 21" flat belt drill press with three speed power downfeed, a MT 4 quill and able to swing, per factory specs, an 1 1/2" drill through steel for $500. Finding any drill press with power downfeed new these days will run you at least $1500. Attached ImagesLast edited by WyoRoy; 10-17-2011 at 11:47 AM.Lincoln PrecisionTig 275Miller 251Miller DialArc 250Bridgeport millHossfeld bender & diesLogan shaperJet 14 X 40 latheSouth Bend 9" 'C'Hypertherm 900Ellis 3000 band saw21"Royersford ExcelsiorTwo shops, still too many tools.
Reply:Grizzly, Delta, Rigid, Shop Fox, General, Porter Cable. etc. are primarily made from the same basic design.  Things that vary are drive pulley and belt arrangements and number of speeds, table, quill travel and depth stop.  Do some research on the model you're interested in on the Internet.  Grizzly wins top tool or best buy awards fairly regularly in many of the wood working magazines.  Wood working is what most of these drills are best suited for, although they will do a fairly good job with most light steel applications.Last edited by Bob the Welder; 10-17-2011 at 10:37 AM.Reason: Added "light"."The man of great wealth owes a peculiar obligation to the State, because he derives special advantages from the mere existence of government."  Teddy RooseveltAmerican by birth, Union by choice!  Boilermakers # 60America is a Union.
Reply:I have a grizzly heavy duty bench drill press..http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-S...ll-Press/G7943Most of my machinery is older and I've restored it.  Walker Turner cabinet saw and bandsaw, Powermatic planer, Parks jointer.  I normally look for older machinery in good shape or to restore for use, but I was in need of a better drill press than the one I had at the time and I can only say good things about my Grizzly.  It's powerful, the chuck spins true and it runs very smooth.  The range of speeds is also very good.  It turns down to 140 rpm so it's good for metal work.  In fact, they make a t slot sliding table and you can get collet attachments to actually do some light milling with it. I've also read good things about the Delta and General variable speed drill presses. Patrick
Reply:If you are looking for something in the $400-600 range, a mill/drill (as they are referred to) is something to consider if you can find one used. About 8 years ago, I picked up an older ENCO with a 10"x31" table for $400. As a mill, they do have some limits as they are the round column with the associated issues. I use mine for drilling which is a better application(I have a dedicated knee mill and horizontal).You get a much beefier spindle and bearings plus a table w/ micrometer hand wheels to dial in x & y axis. A lot more accuracy and power than a DP unless you luck out and find an older model. The quality of the castings on mine is significantly better than the Jet/Grizz/HF models I have seen lately.The only drawback I have had on this is the time it takes to change belts for speeds. The Rockwell mill I have is so much quicker.
Reply:Get your craigslist shopping hat on and find your self a bridgeport or a clone of some brand x mill. I bought my first one for $650 and have never thought of a drill press again, Errr well maybe i slipped up and had a radial drill or 2 folow me home once.Rodl
Reply:I have a 20" Jet that is probably very similar to the grizzly (made in Taiwan, not China) It's not great, not terrible, goes down to 120rpms and does alright. Got it for $300 on craigslist it was just like new. I would have gotten a mill if they were around the same ballpark price but from what I've seen in my area, ANY mill is going to cost AT LEAST 5-10 times the amount I paid for my used DP. I don't think I've ever seen a mill for under $2K on Portland or Seattle CL. Unless it is trashed or has no tooling or both.I would like a mill sometime soon, but I doubt I'll get rid of the DP. I'll keep it around for the dirty and quick jobs when I want quick setup and absolute  precision is not critical.
Reply:Take your time and find a nice used machine. I found this Leland Gifford at an auction and paid pennies on the dollar. Maybe even less. I know that when the machine was purchased new it was over $10,000 and yes that is correct number of zeros.This machine stands roughly 8ft at the top of the motor. It is a variable speed machine and is in great shape. Moral of the story is not to gloat, rather, for you to be patient and keep your eyes peeled. Deals come by if you are patient and in the right place at the right time.Grant Attached Imageshttp://jackalopefab.com/MM210Synchrowave 200DXMiller XMT350 w/60series feederMiller Bobcat 250 with SGA 100 and spoolgunHTP PlasmaFull Machine shop with everything
Reply:Good advice from Jackalope. Before I could talk the guy I bought that flat belt Royersford out of his drill press I had to find him a suitable replacement. Ended up finding a WWII era Carlton radial for $1600-$1700 about a hundred miles from his shop. Motors had to be rewound to 220v and a minor gear selector glitch fixed...and hauling a 9000+ lbs. machine, but it gave him the drill press he needed and gave me one that I needed as well. Google image of a similar drill press, but it will give you an idea of what is out there to be had with a little work. His Carlton is still actively supported by Carlton...or at least the company that still manufactures them. It is a bit more involved than heading to the big box store and plunking down your cash, but not overly so. The rewards are far better quality, increased range and, for the both of us at least, power downfeeds on either machine.Lincoln PrecisionTig 275Miller 251Miller DialArc 250Bridgeport millHossfeld bender & diesLogan shaperJet 14 X 40 latheSouth Bend 9" 'C'Hypertherm 900Ellis 3000 band saw21"Royersford ExcelsiorTwo shops, still too many tools.
Reply:WyoRoy,  I'd love to a have a radil that size for the shop. My father in law has a lot of very large tractors and implements and being able to use a radial would keep a lot of work in house. Trouble is justifying the space vs need on a jewel like that!  I am keeping my eyes peeled because if one shows up for the right price, it WILL make it's way to the shop floor!Granthttp://jackalopefab.com/MM210Synchrowave 200DXMiller XMT350 w/60series feederMiller Bobcat 250 with SGA 100 and spoolgunHTP PlasmaFull Machine shop with everything
Reply:[QUOTE=jackalope;564912  I am keeping my eyes peeled because if one shows up for the right price, it WILL make it's way to the shop floor!Grant[/QUOTE]Jackalope, I'd love to have one myself, but being just a hobby sort I really couldn't justify the deal...even to myself. I'll keep an eye out for you. Found the radial for the guy out in Washington sitting here on the computer in Wyoming...so it is possible. By and large, what with the state of the economy these days, those large radials don't bring much on the used market. Can't say if I can find one in your area or what the price will be...this one had an owner that bought it several years prior from Reliable Tools off eBay and had no clue as how to get it up and running...440v electrics were voodoo science to him. Seems that there are a slew of them over in Indiana from the closed down auto plants and auto parts plants. Downside of those beasts is that they bring about as much in scrap iron prices as they do in re-sale...gotta be there quickly.Lincoln PrecisionTig 275Miller 251Miller DialArc 250Bridgeport millHossfeld bender & diesLogan shaperJet 14 X 40 latheSouth Bend 9" 'C'Hypertherm 900Ellis 3000 band saw21"Royersford ExcelsiorTwo shops, still too many tools.
Reply:I pick up almost all of my machine tools, etc at auction. I will not buy from a dealer and only rarely will buy from individuals unless I know them.Please don't make any effort looking for me. I can track one down if I need it. At this point, it would have to almost fall into my lap for me to justify bringing it back to the shop.Thanks though and best of luck to the OP on his search. Again, wait and be patient.Another thing, if you look in the picture I posted, you can see another drill press off to the right tucked away behind a shelf. That, too, was a Leland Gifford. Only difference is that one had a RPM range up to 19,000 !!! I paid around $600 for that one and thought it was a great buy, only to find out the one that replaced it was considerably less and way more beef, etc and in 1000% better condition.Last edited by jackalope; 10-18-2011 at 12:40 PM.http://jackalopefab.com/MM210Synchrowave 200DXMiller XMT350 w/60series feederMiller Bobcat 250 with SGA 100 and spoolgunHTP PlasmaFull Machine shop with everything