Replies

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Jun 04, 2008 04:22am | #1

   Andy,

   I've had the Steel City 17" for about a year.  It's a great machine.  The only complaint I have so far is that if you're not careful, you can hit your knuckles on the belt-tensioning lever when raising/lowering the quill.  I mentioned this to SC C/S many months ago and they informed me that they were aware of the issue and were coming out with shorter handles to eliminate the problem.  I don't know if this has been introduced yet.  I bought an keyless 5/8" chuck for the drill press and love it!  No more chuck key to lose!

   You may not need to use the 6" quill travel everyday, but it does save moving the table up and down a whole lot.

   Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

1. 
   AndyE | Jun 04, 2008 07:23pm | #5

   Chris,6" of travel... I would have to buy longer bits, but it sure would be nice to have the option. Do you recall what the list price of the machine is? I hate when companies don't list prices. How else am I supposed to narrow the choices without knowing if I am looking within my budget?I use a rare earth magnet on the side of the machine housing to hold the chuck key. The key goes from the magnet to my hand to the chuck and back to the magnet. Haven't lost it once since I started keeping it there. Not like the old days, before magnets..Do you ever find you might need more than the 3/4 hp of the SC machine? Seems like plenty, but you never know.AndyWatching knuckles and pennies.

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Jun 05, 2008 03:37am | #6

   Andy,

   I paid $550 November 06.  I seem to recall seeing a $75 rebate some time ago.  Not sure if it'll be re-run.  You don't really need longer bits unless you are drilling really deep holes.  I think that the 3/4 HP is plenty for any woodworking application.

   By the way, the depth stop on the SC is awesome.

   Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

   Edited 6/4/2008 8:38 pm by flairwoodworks

1. 
   AndyE | Jun 05, 2008 04:49am | #7

   Chris, Thanks for the info. I will weigh it into the decision.Andy

2. 
   oldfred | Jun 04, 2008 04:43am | #2

   Those both look like good choices. One of the most important features for me is that a DP has a post type depth stop as opposed to the dial type. Looks like both of those have the post. I've never had good results using the dial type depth stops.

   As for a floor model vs a bench model, I have one of each and like the bench model with storage below. I seldom need more depth than the bench model provides, and when I do I can turn the entire head around and use the floor (or a shorter bench) as the table.

   My own DPs are both old Craftsman 15" models and work fine for my purposes, but in my school shops I've had several others - Powermatic, Delta, Rockwell, can't remember what else.....

   The handiest DP I had was a fairly small, 4 speed Rockwell radial arm that had a long reach and tilting head. (FIL has one like it in FL - I keep hinting......)

   oldfred

1. 
   Mackwood | Jun 04, 2008 05:04am | #3

   I bought my drill press about 25 yrs. ago because I wanted to do mortises with it.  It's a 15" Craftsman.  Just over a year after I got it, it developed slop between the quill and the housing which gave me some problems with accuracy in mortising.

   I disassembled the thing and put some stainless steel shim stock between the quill and housing.  It was a PITA but it worked--until a couple weeks ago when I noticed the shim stock was breaking up and coming out.  I'm thinking about a replacement.

   Is there a drill press out there that anyone is aware of that has bearings between the quill and housing instead of metal sliding on metal?  No one that I have seen mentions this in their ads.  This may be too much to ask of a "hobby level" machine but it sure would be nice!

   Regards,

   Mack"WISH IN ONE HAND, S--T IN THE OTHER AND SEE WHICH FILLS UP FIRST"

2. 
   AndyE | Jun 04, 2008 07:09pm | #4

   oldfred,The post type stop is definitely and improvement. The DP I'm replacing has the rotary style around the handle shaft, and it wasn't a feature I looked at at the time, but given a choice it is something I would avoid with the upgrade.I am actually moving away from a bench model due to the clutter that having it on a stand has caused. I have it on a shop fox stand that works well but I am always guilty of piling stuff up (scraps, cutoffs, jig parts) and tossing into the pile as opposed to carefully returning to whence it came. Perhaps the floor stand model will spur me to build some of the sorely needed storage for the shop I have been thinking of.Andy