"Larry Blanchard" wrote

notbob wrote:

Any recommendations for a solid reliable brand/model. Don't even
mention Craftsman!

nb

All of the ones I've seen in the last several years have been a little on
the flimsy side compared to the floor models, especially in the post.

You might look around for a used one. I'm lucky enough to have one I
bought about 20 years ago and I swear all the manufacturer (Taiwan) did
was saw off the post and put a smaller foot on it :-).

I agree. The problems with drill presses is that if they are too small,
they are almost useless for many jobs. The only time I saw a small drill
press fit in perfectly in a shop was for a model builder. The scale was
small enough.

That said, you need to know some things. Primarily, how fast (or slow) must
the drill speed be? And how deep (quill travel) do you have to drill. Also,
how big a chuck do you need?

Another problem with all drill presses, bench or floor models, are
inherently unstable. Particularly if drilling holes in long stock. You not
only need to stabilize the drill press itself, but have adequate support fo
the stock as well. And you will probable need some kind of fence. Although,
for many folks, a piece of 2 X 2 and some clamps do just fine.

Buying a small drill press and putting it on a bench will not address those
basic concerns. For my money, I would rather have a floor model. I know,
they take up more room. But I have seen very few bench models that I would
even have in my shop. I have owned small floor models that were
underpowered. And it still did better than most bench models.

The only exception to this general observation is some old machinists
benchtop models from almost a hundred years ago. Those things had more cast
iron in them than current floor models. Replace the bearing in them and you
will have a good set up.

Sorry about that, but I have used drill presses extensively in both
woodworking and metal working. The biggest problems I have always had was
power and drill speed. For my applications, I could never get the speed low
enough. For me, slower was better.

Figure out what you need and go from there. Or just buy on price. Many
people do. I have bought a bunch of Grizzly drill presses over the years for
myself and others. The price is decent. The quaility is OK. And the more you
spend, the better drill press you get.