drill press cofusion

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what is a dependable drill press for around $700.00
Reply:I would go with finding a nice old used delta, rockwell, powermatic, walker turner, etc.   Mine is a 1952 delta and it still will wipe a new drill press butt any day of the week.  These older machines are design to run for ever.  I looked at all the new stuff, its all china made and not nearly as heavy build as the old stuff.    I picked mine up for $350.Lincoln 300 Vantage 2008300 Commander 1999SA250 1999SA200 1968Miller Syncrowave 200XMT350MPA/S-52E/xr-15Xtreme 12vs Millermatic 251 w/30A  Millermatic 251 Dialarc 250 Hypertherm 1250 GEKA & Bantom Ironwokers
Reply:I got this one a while back.  After putting a bigger, better chuck on it and replacing the worn belts, it has performed well for maybe 4-5 years now.  I'm not generally a fan of harbor freight, but this item I like.  I am however considering selling it now that I've got the mill.  I could use the floor space.http://www.harborfreight.com/12-spee...ess-39955.htmlMy name's not Jim....
Reply:Originally Posted by Xtreme FabricationI would go with finding a nice old used delta, rockwell, powermatic, walker turner, etc.   Mine is a 1952 delta and it still will wipe a new drill press butt any day of the week.  These older machines are design to run for ever.  I looked at all the new stuff, its all china made and not nearly as heavy build as the old stuff.    I picked mine up for $350.
Reply:Yep, for seven bills and under its either on one hand finding a Harbor Freight, Grizzly, Sears or one of the store-branded machine tool catalog drill presses or the other hand  finding a vintage drill press. Save some money on either choice and buy a decent chuck. From day one the Grizzly I bought 20+ years ago was a POS until I installed a Jacobs SuperChuck on it...night and day difference. Depending upon your needs, all of the above choices are going to run too fast for any drill bit much over 1/2" when drilling steel. I had the good luck of picking up the example below for $500. Rated to swing up to 1 3/4" bit with three speed power downfeed. Downside...lot of oil holes to keep lubricated and it does take up a good bit of floorspace. Attached ImagesLincoln 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:What is that and where can I get one asap?!   Originally Posted by WyoRoyYep, for seven bills and under its either on one hand finding a Harbor Freight, Grizzly, Sears or one of the store-branded machine tool catalog drill presses or the other hand  finding a vintage drill press. Save some money on either choice and buy a decent chuck. From day one the Grizzly I bought 20+ years ago was a POS until I installed a Jacobs SuperChuck on it...night and day difference. Depending upon your needs, all of the above choices are going to run too fast for any drill bit much over 1/2" when drilling steel. I had the good luck of picking up the example below for $500. Rated to swing up to 1 3/4" bit with three speed power downfeed. Downside...lot of oil holes to keep lubricated and it does take up a good bit of floorspace.
Reply:Originally Posted by mot krigWhat is that and where can I get one asap?!
Reply:Most of the over 1" are already stowed away in a letter file cabinet...just marking the size before doing the same with these. MT4 socket on the Royersford. I've got a 20N for up to 1" straight shank bits and a 16N Jacobs SuperChuck for the little stuff as well Attached ImagesLincoln 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:G-Man, how big of a hole do you want to drill?  And how accurately?  And how many?  If you're in a production situation making lots of the same widget, a square-column press with simple up/down table will work fine.  If you're doing one hole here, one different-sized hole there, etc, consider a round-column press which will allow you to completely rotate the table out of the way so you can fit a big ole something in under the press.If you don't need excellent accuracy and are going to use it once in a blue moon, you can just buy whatever the big box store is selling this week for less than $700.  Your best quality press, for your money, is going to be a used American-made one as stated above.If you're wanting to drill big holes, find a drill speed chart online and find out how low of an RPM you'll need - this will influence your choice of press.  WyoRoy's press will undoubtedly turn well below 100 RPM, probably below 50 RPM if he has back gears.  Those Camelback presses can often be found for $200 to $300, and if you don't mind dealing with leather belts and S-L-O-W drilling speeds, they'll handle whatever you throw at them.  And he's right about oiling in eleventy-million spots - you'll need an oil can.  Be prepared to spend time and money guarding all of those belts if your shop needs OSHA compliance.If you don't need to drill monster holes, by all means consider a smaller, older press such as Craftsman (I mean the old ones, made by King-Seeley - usually go for $100 to $300), Delta, Buffalo (my personal favorite), etc.  The list a few posts above is a good one.  If it's American-made from back in the '40's or '50's, and it's not worn-out, you'll most likely get the most for your money.My personal presses are a Buffalo 22 (MT 4 socket - my biggest bit is 2-1/4"), and (2) Craftsman/King-Seeley presses which came with Jacobs 633 chucks from the factory.  The Buffalo was made in 1952, one of the Craftsmans is from the late '40's, and the other is a bit newer I believe.If you need to buy new, and want good accuracy and repeatability, go ahead and factor in the price of a good Jacobs chuck as well.  There is some real junk out there passing for chucks these days.  I would also do some searching on the Practical Machinist forums - TONS of good info there on machine tools.Last edited by tbone550; 03-16-2011 at 11:26 PM.
Reply:Holy Crap those are big bits!!!I cant fathom the metal that needs that....just too much for me right now.  my stuff is all 1" and less..............most at 3/8" and less.I have 2 sears drill presses.....both same size, bench top units.  One is for drilling, the other is for cutting tubing and notching it.I personally have seen the BIG HF press....the chuck alone looks like its 5 pounds or better.Maybe some day Ill need something like that......but how the hell will i move the metal around???  lolJDLincoln IdealArc 250 AC/DC  w/ tigLincoln Ranger 8Miller Millermatic 140Victor Cutting setForney gas welding setMilwaukee power-tools3 legged dog named SpeedyFridge full of Diet Coke1 angry wife2 loud kids
Reply:Originally Posted by darthwelderHoly Crap those are big bits!!!Maybe some day Ill need something like that......but how the hell will i move the metal around???  lolJD
Reply:For about a year I kept an eye out for one of the older but sought after units and never found one within a reasonable driving distance. I ended up buying one of these from Grizzly and feel that it provides a good value for the price. Not saying that it is the best solution but it fit my needs within my budget and has performed as advertised.http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-S...ll-Press/G7948Ken
Reply:Originally Posted by tbone550If you don't need to drill monster holes, by all means consider a smaller, older press such as Craftsman (I mean the old ones, made by King-Seeley - usually go for $100 to $300), Delta, Buffalo (my personal favorite), etc.  The list a few posts above is a good one.  If it's American-made from back in the '40's or '50's, and it's not worn-out, you'll most likely get the most for your money.
Reply:Originally Posted by Rog02$35 from CL.  55-56 vintage.And these are easily rebuild-able if needed.  For info on that, look over at OWWM.com.
Reply:The biggest improvement to any drill press is a Albrechet german keyless chuck.AWS certified welding inspectorAWS certified welder
Reply:look at home depot.comthats where i bought mine
Reply:I have a 1940's Delta DP220 floor standing model.  Got it from a guy on CL after he restored it (all cleaned up, new headstock bearings, chuck rebuilt, etc...) for $300.  It's runout at the spindle idicates at .0001.  Honestly, it's the best drill press I've ever owned.  If you can afford to wait and look around, I'd recommend doing that.  If not...well, I'd still avoid buying any new models produced by the following manufacturers: Craftsman, Delta, Ryobi, Rigid, Buffalo, Central Machinery, HarborFreight, etc...Try to find something as high end as you can get for your money and stay away from the cheap imported crap that's most prevalent these days (good imported tools are available though...but mostly more expensive than buying US made...I really like the Knuth brand...but they're really pricey).--Wintermute"No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience." - John Lockewww.improvised-engineering.comManufacturer Agnostic:Blood----------Sweat---------Tears----|------------------|----------------|----Lincoln Red, Miller Blue, Esab Yellow
Reply:Originally Posted by tbone550And there's a prime example of the Craftsman vintage I'm talking about.  Made by King-Seeley, you can find the part number on a metal tag on the base of the machine, usually starting with 103.  These were also called the "150" series later in their life.  I expect they were sold by Craftsman for at least 20 years, maybe 30.