Bob said it well! I tap stuff in a drill press all the time. The top
pulley cover opens from front to back. (most of the newer ones open side to
side) This allows me to take the belt off and fit a shop-made handle on the
spindle spine and turn it by hand to tap holes. Works great! -just remember
to take the belt off! You'll see a lot of drill presses with a lot of
different speeds, chances are you won't need more than 5 speeds. Go for
robust and simple, it will be one of your most-used tools. As soon as you
get it, drill a dimple or two into the cast table, that way YOU did it
rather than someone else that you would have to hunt-down and kill.


I use the shop-made handle on the chuck instead - a collar that fits over the
chuck nose, with three handles that screw into the key holes. Of course, now
that I use the Albrecht chuck on the DP, I guess I'll have to change spindles
first.

Don't forget to stamp "OIL" next to that first dimple.

John Martin