Belt Sander and Drill Press

admin

I'm looking to  buy a a drill press and belt sander and would like your opinion.  I've narrowed down my search to the Shop Fox line of machinery. From what I've read, I think it's a good mix between affordable and medium quaility tools. Here's the sander and drill press I have in mind:http://www.northwestpowertools.com/s...disc/w1712.htmhttp://www.northwestpowertools.com/drillpress/w1670.htmThe sander has a 1.5 hp motor and seems like a sturdy piece. Compared to a similar HF or Grizzly sander(I know Grizzly makes Shop Fox, the Shop Fox belt sander has a more powerful motor and seems to have better quality components. I'd buy the drill press based on the price and reviews I've read. Keep in mind this will be used in a home/hobby setting and will not be used 8h a day 40 hours a week.Last edited by stripes; 09-10-2007 at 09:12 PM.
Reply:Hmmm,  I have read bad things about direct-drive sanders.  The radial-arm drill press sounds like an invitation to even more slop/flex in a cheap drill.  But what do I know, I have an old school HF drill press and a Craftsman direct drive belt sander... That aint heat lightning in the neighborhood tonight...
Reply:Don't know how much heavy work you would really do on that drill press but I don't think I would be happy with only 5 speeds and the lowest was 5XX rpm.
Reply:ok thanks fore the feedback. I'll keep looking at other products based on these responses. as for the drill press, I'm actually looking at the 16  speed version. I did not realize this link was only 5 speeds.
Reply:1st thing I look for in a drill press is how slow can it run. Big drills and hole saws like really slow speeds but is a rare drill press that goes below 200 RPM. I now do most of my big holes in my bench mill that goes down to about 90 RPM. I never get the speed on my drill press up to 1/2 the speed it is capable of.Just my $0.02JimCut an MGB and widened 11" C4 Corvette suspension and LT1 Chevrolet power & 6 spd. Pictures here:Part 1http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,7581Part 2http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,22422
Reply:I recommend spending some money for the variable speed option on a drill press.  It definately has come in handy for me.
Reply:I'm with the others get a drill press with the lowest rpm you can get as for the sander what rpm does it have you're gonna want that sucker to be fast for metal removal 350P 30A spool gun cut master 51  syncro 250 other stuff " take a dog off the street and make him prosper and he will not bite you sad the same cannot be said for man" i didnt use punctuation just to piss you off
Reply:I should quantify my belt sander comment.  Direct-drive machines limit your motor choices in replacing the intragal motor.  If you run into problems you will have to see the manufactureer for parts or a replacement.  In an external motor machine, you can swap till your hearts delight.  I'm sure that torque multiplication could be had with pulley size differences but that would be at the expence of belt speed.  I searched for quite a while for a sander and finally snapped up a small  Craftsman 6" disk/2"x42"belt sander off Craigslist.  The price was right..., but I'm still looking for a bigger machine.That aint heat lightning in the neighborhood tonight...
Reply:I am also looking for a drill press, what do you guys suggest for minimum HP?
Reply:Originally Posted by GLwelderI am also looking for a drill press, what do you guys suggest for minimum HP?