Hi y’all,
After 25 years of using a poor man’s drill press (hand drill attached to Craftsman drill guide) and the associated frustrations, I’m thinking about taking the plunge for a drill press. I’d appreciate any thoughts you all might have on bench top versus floor models, say in the $200 to $300 (US) range. Price and floor space (1 1/2 car garage) point me to a bench top design. Are there decent bench top models to be had?
I’m a weekend warrior but, after several painful lessons with economy tools and pleasures with good quality tools, I lean toward spending more to get something that I can live with for years. More inclined to buy contractor grade or something at the low end of the professional scale.
Thanks in advance for any direction you can give me. Seems like I saw a review of bench top drill presses recently but I can’t put my finger on it. Pointers would be welcome.
Best regards,
Kelly
Replies
I recently purchase the Rikon floor style press and am very happy with it - with one reservation that has nothing to do with the quality of the machine and everything to do with my own shortsightedness.
I ALMOST sold my Delta benchtop when I ordered the Rikon - good thing I didn't. It seems the Rikon's chuck can't grab anything smaller than 1/4". If I had not held on to the Delta I'd have been up a creek with the little lady as I would have left her in a real fix for her scrollsawing!
Bottom line - I now have 2. One for the big stuff........
Both machines are well made and perform as well as I would have hoped.
Regard it as just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral.
Frank Lloyd Wright
Rennie,Are you sure there is nothing wrong with the chuck ?
1/4" minimum drill seems awfully big to me !
You could always change the chuck.C.
The chuck on th Rikon is quite large - it will accept up to 3/4".
RennieRegard it as just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral. Frank Lloyd Wright
3/4 Capacity is nice but I use 10 times more bits under 1/4" than bits over 1/2 and most bits over 1/2" have 1/2" shank anyway.C.
"3/4 Capacity is nice but I use 10 times more bits under 1/4" than bits over 1/2 and most bits over 1/2" have 1/2" shank anyway."
I agree and did not buy the Rikon for the size of the chuck, but for the power advantage over my bench top. I was (perhaps poorly) trying to state that it's a good idea to know these things before buying (something I didn't do) so you won't be surprised or disappointed.
As for changing out the chuck, that was something I looked into but the cost and loss of flexibility might have been an issue. I had been thinking of selling my Delta bench top for under $100 - the cost of a good chuck, the loss of flexibility, having my wife wrestle with the larger machine and table - it wasn't worth it.
I'll probably never need a 3/4" chuck capacity, true. But I sure need the very small bit capacity for scroll sawing. As it worked out now my wife has 'her own' drill press that is somewhat less intimidating. So, all's well......Regard it as just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral. Frank Lloyd Wright
If you really wanted to sell your Delta, you could get a small chuck with a straight shank and chuck it into your big chuck.C.
I've already stated my reasons for not following that course. Have you got something against Rikon or are you just normally grouchy? ;o)
Regard it as just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral. Frank Lloyd Wright
Edited 5/24/2006 8:32 am by Rennie
Is your rikon drill press chuck mounted on a morse taper it probably is ;get a smaller chuck on a morse taper shank use morse taper sleeve adapters if you need to worth a try most engineering drill presses of that size are usually no. 2 or 3 morse taper.
You can make it fool proof but not idiot proof
Edited 5/26/2006 4:10 am ET by Bolts
A benchtop rather than a floor model won't save enough space so that you will notice. I recently acquired a Delta 17-965 at a good price which is now a bittersweet bargain. It is excellent - far better than anything I've had before. However, I spotted a Delta 17-950 at Lowe's about a month later. It has a table which tilts 90 degrees from the others - perfect for mortises at an angle! It also has t-slots for Delta's mortising kit! It has a light to boot! Raise the ante just a bit and go for the Delta 17-950. It is just what we WW/WWers (weekend warriors/woodworkers) have been waiting for. I am going to see if I the table will fit my 17-965. I may do a retrofit.
Cadiddlehopper
I bought a Fisch floorstanding model. I wanted something more substantial than the bench top. Up till Feb when I bought, I was using the shopsmith as a drill press. I have mine against the wall beside my RAS. I set the DP table at the same height as my RAS and use it as a support when cutting large boards. I still like it. The accuracy is excellet. My son who used it for metal shop class in highschool for some projects and it worked fine for metal as well. I liked the tapered shaft Here is the link to my review.
http://forums.taunton.com/fw-knots/messages?msg=804.1
You might want to check out this article at if you decide on a bench top model: http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/ezine/toolpreview.cfm
It is about two new Ryobi bench model drill presses. I wouldn't get excited about the laser attachment, but one of the models has a mechanically controlled variable speed system, monitored by a digital RPM readout. I think this would be a neat feature to have.
I think for the typical workshop, it would be better to put the money into quality rather than speed gizmos.PEte
KCM,
There are three features I'd look for in a drill press, especially for the weekend warrior:
First, radial arm... which provides tremendous flexibility and therefore utility
Second, floor mounted...smaller footprint and out of the way of other tools
Third, easy to change speeds...better cuts, longer bit life, sharper bits.
OLD Metal's worker here.. ALL drill presses ya get in a Big Box are C***.. BUT Useable!
In my humble opinion, Most cheeeeep drill press works OK with a STRAIGHT cutting drill bit.. Just me though.. I have been rong? Yes I can spells Wrong If I try!
OK, I can feel myself being gently nudged toward a floor model and we got a nice digression on retrofitting chucks to boot :-)
cadiddlehopper: I read the reviews of the Delta 17-965 on Amazon and they looked pretty good, with the usual rants about Delta quality and the made-in-China syndrome. I didn't get any Google or Yahoo hits on a Delta 17-950 so mebbe it's not available yet. Did find Delta 11-950 bench top, but I doubt that's what you're referring to.
Mrhermit: That's where I saw the bench top review! Thanks. Can't say that alaser-guided drill bit adds much value for me though. But the variable speed gizmo sounds cool.
Well, sounds like I'm getting nudged out of my current price range so I may need to wait and throw a few more nickels in the jar. Plus I'll need to look into mobile bases.
Thanks for all the great replies! Weekend Warrior Wood Workers unite!
I found the 17-950 at Lowe's. Didn't look elsewhere.My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
I bought the jet 15 in benchtop model that is made in either floor model or benchtop. It has 3/4 hp, same as the floor models. You can later purchase the floor base later if you change your mind from a bench top or vise versa. It has performed nicely, chuck works on all bit sizes, and has a handy light so you can see what you are doing. I found it looking at the jet catalog, no stores near me had one to look at. But I am glad I bought the benchtop as I have no floor space at this time. dpr
OK, I'm basically convinced that I should buy a floor standing model. If I had the bucks today, I'd probably go for the Delta that's been discussed here. Unfortunately the child support and college tuition does not allow that at this point :-( so I'm looking at options. How about this: I have a Delta 14-651 Bench Top Mortising Machine (I love it except for one fried capacitor and broken depth adjustment knob). It's not practical for drilling because the chuck is up inside the housing that holds the mortising chisel. What about fitting it with another chuck attached to a drill rod (morse taper?) that's chucked into the original chuck. A friend told me his mortiser actually came with a setup like this. Any ideas about this? If it is feasible, could someone layout for this novice what parts might be required and where best to buy them?Thanks again for the great discussion!
kcm,You are making me cry. I can remember how it was when I had to deny myself the tool I really wanted. Now I cry for myself because I have bought several tools just before what I really wanted came to market. The Delta 17-950 is such a beast. I spotted it at Lowe's ($369) a month after getting my 17-965.Now that you have told us about the mortiser, it appears that, if the mortiser worked, the 17-950 won't be of any great value to you like it would to me. Allow me to suggest that you look into repairing the mortiser. Getting service on Delta is not too bad nor expensive. I have bought parts, no hassle. A good floor model drill press can be had for under $300. Several magazine articles exist comparing them. I believe a Grizzly for about $250 offers good value. LOL!Cadiddlehopper
Hi Cadiddlehopper,Oh my, I didn't mean to make you cry. Seems I stumbled into a painful topic for both of us :-( :-)Actually, my mortiser _does_ work. Fortunately it was still under warranty when the capacitor fried...with cool volcanic lava flow special effects. Delta replaced it (and the motor to which it was attached :-) )...no questions asked. They sent me both the capacitor and the motor because the capacitor was not a separate item on the parts list. Go figure. Took about a month because they had to backorder it from China. So I have a capacitor-less motor helping to hold my shop floor down. I replaced the depth stop knob myself with a T-nut and a block of wood. So I'm cool with Delta's customer suport but not very warm and fuzzy about their quality.Update: The friend I mentioned a few replies back gave me the arbor and chuck that he received free with the mortiser he bought from Harbor Freight. (We have different philosophies about buying quality tools.) The arbor has a morse taper on one end for the second chuck and a straight shank on the other end for chucking up in the mortiser's chuck. Works great in theory. But it vibrates so much that it's unusable. My mortiser runs with little vibration so that's not the prob. The arbor chucked up by itself vibrates a bit. And seating the chuck onto it results in dangerous vibration. I tried re-seating the chuck on the arbor and re-chucking the arbor to no effect.So I basically know what I need to get now. I just don't know how to order it. I poked around of the web and found an overwhelming and confusing array of chucks and arbors. Haven't found an arbor with a morse taper on one end straight shank on the other, though. They're mostly tapered on both ends with tang thingies on one end and I'm not sure about matching an arbor to a chuck. The machine shop terminology (MT #1, 2, JTs, etc.) is over my head.If anyone could point me in the right direction in terms of and arbor, matching chuck and a good place to buy them, I'd be much obliged.Thanks,
Kelly
The main point about tapers is that the spindle taper should match that of the bore. My 18th edition of Machinery's Handbook has data on all sorts of tapers. There is a Jarno taper which is .600"/foot (.050/inch) regardless of diameter. I don't know if that taper is indicated as "JT" or not, but you could measure yours to see. Measuring a tapered stub is relatively straightforward. Measuring a tapered bore may require some ingenuity. If you can send some measurements, taper/foot or taper/inch, I could check them against these rather extensive tables to a bll park estimate anyway, if you really want to know.Cadiddlehopper
JT indicates a Jacobs taper. There are several sizes.Pete
cadiddlehopper, I think I've found what I need at littlemachineshop.com:2298 Arbor, Drill Chuck 3/8" Straight to 2JT $9.95
1213 Drill Chuck, 3/8" $8.50 The description of the chuck is:
0-3/8" Capacity drill chuck.
All working parts are hardened. Chuck key is included. Number 2 Jacobs taper mount. And the descripton of the arbor is:
Drill chuck arbor. 3/8" straight shank to 2 Jacobs taper.This arbor lets you put a drill chuck in a 3/8" boring tool holder on a quick change tool post. The flat prevents rotation. Does that sound like a reasonable solution to you?Thanks!-Kelly
I couldn't say. BRADLEPC informs me that JT indicates Jacobs taper. I don't know your mortiser, so I must plead gross ignorance. The data I have is taper dimensions and that is all I know.Cadiddlehopper
Isn't the 17-950 a step *down* from the 17-965? Sure, the 950 has the laser and the larger table, but the 965 is heavier duty and has a more powerful motor. They are both about the same price too... The depth capacity is also larger on the 17-965...
I would think that a larger motor and a greater depth would be much more important than a laser and a larger table.The laser can be added on later with either the factory part (if it's compatible) or an aftermarket laser for drill presses.The table isn't even important. All the tables on drill presses seem to me to be pretty useless for woodworking; if you're going to be using the press much at all, you should build a table for it. There's many plans available. Basically you want a large melamine or plywood table which bolts to the drill press's metal table, and has a fence with T-tracks on the fence and on the table.Drill presses already don't have enough depth for drilling on the larger items that are common in woodworking; you might as well get the largest one available within your budget.
I just bought a 17-965. Yes, it is bigger, more powerful, & has longer stroke. To boot, it has a nicer depth stop. I doubt that a woodworker hobbyist will ever need those features. In 33 years of WW drill press use I haven't (except the depth stop). I see no reason for lasers either. The table of the 17-950 is to die for, however. It tilts on an axis 90 degrees to where all others tilt. It has t-slots where needed for a mortising attachment. To boot, you get a lamp on the 950. If you don't want those features, or if you are more than a hobbyist, maybe we can work a trade. I was not aware of the existence of the 950 when I ordered the 965.
Cadid
Just thought I would add to the drill press discussion. The Delta 17-950 is available at Lowes, I purchased one about a week ago. The table is big, 14" x 18", tilts forward and has t-slots that will accomodate 9/16 t-nuts for jigs or a fence. The price was less than 400.00. I am happy with it as a replacement for my bench top drill press.
Where do you get these t-nuts. I have used carriage or machine bolts and they don't work very well.
I don't use t-nuts, because it's harder for me to use them. I like the bolts I get at Woodcraft, because the bolt head captures in the slot, then I just use a through knob to hold it in place, and I have a lot of flexibility about bolt height.
If you want t-nuts, there's plenty at Home Depot, etc. Just take accurate measurements of your miter slot's dimensions. :)My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
John, May I borrow your ear for one more favour. That bolt sounds like just the thing. I have the May issue of the Woodcraft catalogue. What page and/or catalogue number can I find that bolt under. I have fought carriage and machine bolts for years. I often use a fence that was probably designed for a mortising attachment. It is handy but is a pain to move.
You know, I actually tried to give you a link when I wrote the first response, but couldn't find what I've bought on woodcraft.com. Since you wrote back, I decided to go down to the shop and pick up the package, maybe it'll help:
It's by Rousseau Co., called the T-Nut Kit. The box describes it as "Sliders for Attaching Custom Fixtures." Looking at the Woodcraft tag on the back, I think the stock number is 143239, and the price is $6.25. It contains two standard 2" hex bolts and a large hex-shaped device that slides into a t-slot and won't come up through the top. So what you have is an assembly that slides into the t-slot and sticks up about 2". It also has two metal fender washers, four plastic 1/4" spacers, and two through knobs, so you can tension down anything from 0" to 2" against your saw top.
Hope this helps, and sorry I can't find a web link. EDIT: Hey, there it is.My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
Thank you both John D and Andym for the info. I have seen that many times and not registering. Was originally thinking something for the drill press. I wonder if these bolts are to small for it. Will have to measure.
Rockler carries the t-nuts, or more correctly, t-slot bolts. Search for jigs on their website (http://www.rockler.com) and you will find all kinds of knobs, bolts, and t-tracks. I bought a mixed bag of all sizes for around $20.00.
You may wish to look at used drill presses, frequently they are the price of a new one with much better capacities and/or features.
Here's something that might fit your budget:
http://www.woodweb.com/exchanges/machinery/posts/407476.html
I have a larger floor model, and I am pretty shure I've never needed the capacity. A good bench model should be fine for all but the rare odd job.
Mike
Pardon my spelling,
Mike
Make sure that your next project is beyond your skill and requires tools you don't have. You won't regret it.
Look for an older Delta 14", 15", or 17" floor model from the 40's, 50's or 60's. Those were actually made in the USA using good quality cast iron unlike the peanut butter iron in the Chiwanese crap. If shopped for carefully, it will be a much better drill press than any of the Chiwanese junk that is out there now. It will also outlast them. The drill presses made today have no provision for taking up play in the quill when the head casting starts to wear. The old drill presses also had a quill clamping lever that locked the quill in both up and down directions. Something you don't find in today's cheapo presses.
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