Ryan,

Someone else recommended a mill/drill, and I would second that. The
make poor milling machines so people sell them for a lot less then they
paid. If you use it as a drill press you should be happy. As a
disclaimer, I should say that I have never owned a mill/drill.

The one feature that comes to mind for a drill is a quill with a 5 inch
stroke. I have found that it is extremely useful when drilling metal
because you can start with a center drill (very short) and then finish
the hole with a larger/longer drill bit.

I have a 17" Delta which I believe, IMHO, is perfect. I have used a
1/2" split point drill and drilled through steel without a pilot hole at
the lowest speed. And the drill press did not complain or act like I
was pushing it past its limits. I could not drill a 3/8" hole in
aluminum with my Sears/Craftsman drill press (same size) with out step
drilling the hole. The pulleys on the motor and spindle were designed
so that I could set the tension once, and then just roll the belt from
step to step without touching the adjustment. At the low speed I could
still drill the steel with out the belt slipping.

Hopes this helps,

Vince


Ryan Wright wrote:

I could also title this thread, "Help me spend my money".

OK, so I'm just starting to get into metalworking, and my first two
purchases are a chop saw (bought it) and a drill press (still
looking). I need to cut some steel beams and bore nice, straight holes
in them for bolting a metal frame together. I'll also be doing some
welding, but that's another topic alltogether.

I'd like this press to be my first major purchase toward building a
good machine shop and learning metalworking techniques. So, on to my
questions:

1. What else can I do with a nice press besides drill straight holes?
I admit I know very little about metalworking. I'm into woodworking
and have built some very nice pieces of furniture, but I've only ever
used a drill press to make a straight hole. What else are they used
for?

2. What sort of features should I be looking for in a press?

3. Can you recommend a good press that will work well both for metal
and woodworking?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

-Ryan