I am looking for a drill press to buy.

I would be interested in what you would do if you were looking for a
drill press.

What would you buy and why?

Would you seek out older American iron or go with a new import drill
press?

Since this drill press will be used with straight and morse taper
drills, it means that a morse taper spindle will be needed.

Thanks for any suggestions and comments that you might be able to
offer.

TMT

(Too_Many_Tools) writes:

I would be interested in what you would do if you were looking for a
drill press.

I'm no expert, so I'd bring a printout of this text to the sto

http://www.tinyisland.com/htbdrillp.txt

-tih
--
Tom Ivar Helbekkmo, Senior System Administrator, EUnet Norway
www.eunet.no T: +47-22092958 M: +47-93013940 F: +47-22092901

It depends on what you are going to use the drill for.
I have an imported drill press that works well and has served me for a
number of years. It is 3/4 HP 15 speeds with a good range and a 5/8" chuck.
The only poor point is the flex in the frame/table. This is only a problem
when drilling large holes or placing heavy weights on the table. If you are
working like that, I suggest a substantial machine or a mill may be better.

John

"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
om...
I am looking for a drill press to buy.

I would be interested in what you would do if you were looking for a
drill press.

What would you buy and why?

Would you seek out older American iron or go with a new import drill
press?

Since this drill press will be used with straight and morse taper
drills, it means that a morse taper spindle will be needed.

Thanks for any suggestions and comments that you might be able to
offer.

TMT

One other thing, I prefer British machines over US machines.
However, I'm British and patriotic so perhaps a little biased.

John

"John Manders" wrote in message
...
It depends on what you are going to use the drill for.
I have an imported drill press that works well and has served me for a
number of years. It is 3/4 HP 15 speeds with a good range and a 5/8"
chuck.
The only poor point is the flex in the frame/table. This is only a problem
when drilling large holes or placing heavy weights on the table. If you
are
working like that, I suggest a substantial machine or a mill may be
better.

John

"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
om...
I am looking for a drill press to buy.

I would be interested in what you would do if you were looking for a
drill press.

What would you buy and why?

Would you seek out older American iron or go with a new import drill
press?

Since this drill press will be used with straight and morse taper
drills, it means that a morse taper spindle will be needed.

Thanks for any suggestions and comments that you might be able to
offer.

TMT

Too_Many_Tools wrote:

I am looking for a drill press to buy.

I would be interested in what you would do if you were looking for a
drill press.

What would you buy and why?

Would you seek out older American iron or go with a new import drill
press?

Since this drill press will be used with straight and morse taper
drills, it means that a morse taper spindle will be needed.

Thanks for any suggestions and comments that you might be able to
offer.

TMT

Get one with a threaded-rod and nut type depth stop. The 'rotary' depth
stops on most of the import drill presses don't work at all well, and
rarely 'repeat' to much better than 1/16". They're also very prone to
slipping, meaning your 'stop' keeps moving.

Another useful feature is spindle downfeed lock, to hold the spindle
securely in an extended position.

Most imports don't have either of these features (but a few do).

Dan Mitchell
==========

(Too_Many_Tools) wrote in message . com...
I am looking for a drill press to buy.

I would be interested in what you would do if you were looking for a
drill press.

What would you buy and why?

Would you seek out older American iron or go with a new import drill
press?

Since this drill press will be used with straight and morse taper
drills, it means that a morse taper spindle will be needed.

Good question, and as always, the answer depends on what you intend to
do with it. THe final answer may be in having more than one, and that
is the way I went. I have, for smaller work, an old Dunlap, rebuilt
from the wrecks of two others gleaned from the scrapyard, which now
works well, but the column is very spindly. For larger work, I have
an older King-Seely/Craftsman which also works well, but has the
normal problem of not slow enough. I have modified several of the
imports to make them work well, but it's more of a challenge than a
practical thing. The newer imports seem to be of better quality, but
still have several problems that limit what can be done with them.

I've had some success finding older production machines, Worcester,
Barnes, and the ones I've found have been hacked already, I'm not
worried about keeping the original configuration. I consider these
older machines to have the better potential, one man may be able to
carry an import floor drill press, but one man isn't going to carry
the Barnes or the Worcester. Both have the benefit of massive cast
iron columns, and the beautiful curves that one no longer sees in
machines. The Worcester, I would limit to no bigger than 1/2"
drills, it was not made for anything bigger. The Barnes, the size
limit will depend more on how creative I am in coming up with
something to replace that which is missing. THese are not big
machines, no bigger than the average floor model import, but with much
more cast iron in them.

I have had several older, "Catalog order" American made drill presses,
and they can vary from the quality of the King-Seely to the ones sold
by Montgomery Wards, which were mostly Sprunger. A dial indicator
quickly shows which are worth rebuilding/repairing. Drills that are
out of square or out of parallel are not something invented with the
imports. IF you have the room, and can handle the weight, the older
Powermatic drills are excellent machines, and made to industrial
standards to begin with. I have seen them go locally for as little as
$500, but that doesn't make them lighter or smaller, alas.

(But, if you want the ultimate in accuracy and rigidity, I know where
there's a dandy little Moore jig bore that I'd guess could be had for
as little as $450.)
(I'd also guess that's about ten cents per pound.)

One other thing, I prefer British machines over US machines.
However, I'm British and patriotic so perhaps a little biased.

John


Does Lucas make a drill press?

"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
om...
I am looking for a drill press to buy.

I would be interested in what you would do if you were looking for a
drill press.

What would you buy and why?
snip

I have an old Delta (17") that I picked up for $250 at a surplus outfit. It
came with a retrofitted 3/4hp 110 motor, a box of drill bits (1/2"- 1-1/4"),
an 8" quick vice and a 5/8" Jacobs chuck w/ a MT2 adapter. It runs smooth
and tight. Delta still has 95% of the parts in stock and they will fax you a
listing for your press if you provide some casting numbers. I have a 1.5 hp
3 phase motor that I'm going to put on it as soon as I get a VFD, this will
give me more options for spindle speed. I want to get a set of rotobrochs to
allow for larger holes. I also have a $99 bench top press for quick and
dirty holes in light stuff.

Enjoy the Hunt

Andrew

Of course they do! It's very quiet and only works in the dark....

John Lovallo

"Tom Gardner" wrote in message
m...

One other thing, I prefer British machines over US machines.
However, I'm British and patriotic so perhaps a little biased.

John


Does Lucas make a drill press?

On Thu, 01 Jul 2004 16:31:40 GMT, the renowned "Tom Gardner"
wrote:


One other thing, I prefer British machines over US machines.
However, I'm British and patriotic so perhaps a little biased.

John


Does Lucas make a drill press?


Or dental drills?

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

On Thu, 01 Jul 2004 17:34:03 GMT, "John Lovallo"
wrote:

Of course they do! It's very quiet and only works in the dark....

John Lovallo

"Tom Gardner" wrote in message
om...

One other thing, I prefer British machines over US machines.
However, I'm British and patriotic so perhaps a little biased.

John


Does Lucas make a drill press?



Naw! They are welders - used to fill holes.
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada

I have an old delta 17" that has the overhead bearing (there is a bearing
both above and below the spindle pulley) and am very happy with it. When I
moved it to my shop I got a weight on the parts and it adds up to about 325
pounds. Nice large pulleys and smooth running.
I have a picture at
www.motherearthrecycling.net/shop/shop.htm

I have looked at the imports (not used one) and I think my old delta is more
machine for a WHOLE lot less money.
"AndrewV" wrote in message
...

"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
om...
I am looking for a drill press to buy.

I would be interested in what you would do if you were looking for a
drill press.

What would you buy and why?
snip

I have an old Delta (17") that I picked up for $250 at a surplus outfit.
It
came with a retrofitted 3/4hp 110 motor, a box of drill bits (1/2"-
1-1/4"),
an 8" quick vice and a 5/8" Jacobs chuck w/ a MT2 adapter. It runs smooth
and tight. Delta still has 95% of the parts in stock and they will fax you
a
listing for your press if you provide some casting numbers. I have a 1.5
hp
3 phase motor that I'm going to put on it as soon as I get a VFD, this
will
give me more options for spindle speed. I want to get a set of rotobrochs
to
allow for larger holes. I also have a $99 bench top press for quick and
dirty holes in light stuff.

Enjoy the Hunt

Andrew

On 30 Jun 2004 21:34:03 -0700,
(Too_Many_Tools) wrote:

I am looking for a drill press to buy.

I would be interested in what you would do if you were looking for a
drill press.

What would you buy and why?

Depending on your budget and other requirements it might not hurt to
look at a cheap Chinese vertical mill/drill rather than a straight
drill-press.

They're a whole lot more rigid and you get the added bonus of an XY
table.

The downside is that you'll be a little more limited in respect to the
height of the workpiece you can address.

When I want to do any *serious* drilling I skip the cheap Chinese
drill press I bought and go straight to my RF30.


--
you can contact me via http://aardvark.co.nz/contact/
Need a cruise missile?
http://www.interestingprojects.com/needamissile.shtml

I would recommend the older Rockwell/Delta 17" models. I bought one in good
shape about six years ago for $150 and have been very happy with it. In fact I
sold my 1 HP Harbor Freight model for $150 (that I had bought new for $250) to
buy the much older Rockwell. However it's a much better machine . . If ! . .
in good shape. It has heavier castings, thicker column, smoother operation, and
a larger more stable base. It reflects the typical quality of 1950's machines
"Made in the U.S." My only complaint is that speed changes are a little more
clumsy. The variable speed model would be nice but these usually bring three
times the money.
Good luck. John M

I had an imported drillpress which worked well for a while, and then after
having used it for about a year and a half, the table developed a hairline
crack, and a few light blows with a brass hammer broke the whole thing in
half.

Almost broke my foot when it hit the floor.

I moved it to a new location where it can be used safely, at the bottom of
Lake Michigan.

"Clovis" wrote in message news:NbMFc.19977$a24.13051@attbi_s03...
and a few light blows with a brass hammer broke the whole thing in
half.

I get the impression that the hammer is your favorite machine.

In article , Too_Many_Tools
says...

I would be interested in what you would do if you were looking for a
drill press.

This one, in the rear of the photo, partly hidden behind
the lamp reflector:

http://www.metalworking.com/RCM-gallery/files/Rozen,Jim/Nshop2.jpg

It's an older walker-turner, which I got from Dave Sobel for
several hundred dollars. Real solid, been running trouble
free for a long time.

Jim

==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at yktvmv (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

On 4 Jul 2004 08:54:17 -0700, (Lennie the Lurker) wrote:
"Clovis" wrote in message news:NbMFc.19977$a24.13051@attbi_s03...
and a few light blows with a brass hammer broke the whole thing in
half.

I get the impression that the hammer is your favorite machine.

Reminds me of the old saw about the man who was so mechanically
mal-adept that "He could break an anvil with a rubber hammer."

Gary

On Sun, 04 Jul 2004 15:48:32 -0400, Gary Coffman
wrote:

On 4 Jul 2004 08:54:17 -0700, (Lennie the Lurker) wrote:
"Clovis" wrote in message news:NbMFc.19977$a24.13051@attbi_s03...
and a few light blows with a brass hammer broke the whole thing in
half.

I get the impression that the hammer is your favorite machine.

Reminds me of the old saw about the man who was so mechanically
mal-adept that "He could break an anvil with a rubber hammer."

Gary
There are so many people around who don't know which end of the
screwdriver to hit that I have never paid more than 15 bucks for a
power mower - last one was $2 six years ago.
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada

In article , Gerald Miller says...

There are so many people around who don't know which end of the
screwdriver to hit ...

Or which end of the soldering iron to hold....

Jim

==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at yktvmv (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

Are you guys getting commissions from Beijing for selling this stuff ? Might
want to renegotiate your margins with that collective back home.

You speak pretty good English for a Chinese guy -

On 4 Jul 2004 15:15:12 -0700, jim rozen
wrote:

In article , Gerald Miller says...

There are so many people around who don't know which end of the
screwdriver to hit ...

Or which end of the soldering iron to hold....

Junior found out the hard way that nice white insulator is not a
handle even when the iron is falling toward the "sensitive parts"
:-)}
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada

and a few light blows with a brass hammer broke the whole thing in
half.

I get the impression that the hammer is your favorite machine.

Reminds me of the old saw about the man who was so mechanically
mal-adept that "He could break an anvil with a rubber hammer."


Yes. A common misconception. But I would argue that the true sign of
mechanical ineptitude is demonstrated by the equipment we buy. Someone who
would buy Chinese crap obviously dosent know anything about machines.

The problem today is that people get into a business not out of love for the
trade, but for love of money. If you're a business owner and you're wasting
money on low quality equipment, you are shooting yourself in the foot with
your own greed. Go ahead and buy it. You probably wont be in business for
the long haul, and someone who has more respect and knowledge will displace
you eventually.

On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 13:11:22 GMT, "Clovis" wrote:

and a few light blows with a brass hammer broke the whole thing in
half.

I get the impression that the hammer is your favorite machine.

Reminds me of the old saw about the man who was so mechanically
mal-adept that "He could break an anvil with a rubber hammer."


Yes. A common misconception. But I would argue that the true sign of
mechanical ineptitude is demonstrated by the equipment we buy. Someone who
would buy Chinese crap obviously dosent know anything about machines.

That's a very sweeping generalization.

The problem is that not everyone can afford to buy the best (or even
pretty good) quality tools and machinery.

If you're faced with the option of a Chinese drill press or no drill
press at all then the choice becomes very easy.

And it's a bit unfair to dismiss all Chinese-made gear as "crap" since
some of it (like my RF31 mill/drill) is more than capable of doing the
jobs I ask of it. Sure, it's no bridgeport -- but it's a fraction the
price which means I can also afford the tooling, rotary table and
other bits needed to actually make a mill useful.

--
you can contact me via http://aardvark.co.nz/contact/
Need a cruise missile?
http://www.interestingprojects.com/needamissile.shtml

"Clovis" wrote in message news:Gp0Gc.24735$XM6.19120@attbi_s53...
Are you guys getting commissions from Beijing for selling this stuff ? Might
want to renegotiate your margins with that collective back home.

You speak pretty good English for a Chinese guy -

You don't do too bad for a burned out blockhead.

It's quite obvious that even for the village idiot, you have little
power of understanding and less ability to research. There have been
no, repeat, NO small drillpresses made in the US for at least twenty
years now. This leaves you with two choices, buy, or try to, an older
US made machine, from a diminishing supply, or buy an import and put
it right. This leaves you, personally, only the first choice, as I
doubt that you're capable of putting anything right with your hammer.
I have two imported drill presses, a small HF bench model, and a
chinese clone of the Rong-Fu radial. Both work well for what I use
them for, but I also have a total of six drill presses. (Note to
those that may be considering the Rong-Fu or clones, all of the
reasons for buying a radial are NOT there. No power feeds, unlock the
arm and center is lost, speeds too fast for tapping, and no instant
reverse. Depth stop is weak, doesn't hold.) Its saving grace is that
once the head is set square to the base, it stays there.

(Note to Clueless Clovis, I am speaking of drill presses of a size and
capacity that would normally be found in a home shop, not something
that would be made by the likes of Dumore et al, at industrial
strength prices. Getum picture, Clueless? ie: if I needed the
Dumore, I'd buy one.)

"Clovis" wrote in message news:_rcGc.11643$JR4.9383@attbi_s54...
and a few light blows with a brass hammer broke the whole thing in
half.

I get the impression that the hammer is your favorite machine.

Yes. A common misconception. But I would argue that the true sign of
mechanical ineptitude is demonstrated by the equipment we buy. Someone who
would buy Chinese crap obviously dosent know anything about machines.

I would argue that if you can't make any machine do what it's supposed
to, the problem is in your lack of knowledge. The operator is
supposed to know enough to get acceptable and in tolerance work out of
a less than perfect machine. Obviously, you cannot. " 'Tis a poor
craftsman that blames his tools." Most here know enough about
machines to put the machine right and not bitch about it. You didn't
pay for a quality machine, and you didn't get one. You paid for a WIP
and that's just what you get.

Gerald Miller wrote in message . ..

Junior found out the hard way that nice white insulator is not a
handle even when the iron is falling toward the "sensitive parts"


Damned if you do, and double damned if you don't. Ouch!

Yes. A common misconception. But I would argue that the true sign of
mechanical ineptitude is demonstrated by the equipment we buy. Someone
who
would buy Chinese crap obviously dosent know anything about machines.

I would argue that if you can't make any machine do what it's supposed
to, the problem is in your lack of knowledge. The operator is
supposed to know enough to get acceptable and in tolerance work out of
a less than perfect machine. Obviously, you cannot. " 'Tis a poor
craftsman that blames his tools." Most here know enough about
machines to put the machine right and not bitch about it. You didn't
pay for a quality machine, and you didn't get one. You paid for a WIP
and that's just what you get.


What you are buying when you purchase Chinese ****-crap-quality is a useless
pile of steel which wont work properly unless by accident.

I suppose that it would also be OK to drive a car with faulty brakes because
"Tis a poor driver who cant make his car come to a stop, with or without
brakepads." .

You're losing this one Len -

Sorry.

Well, that was funny, but not really good enough to elicit a response.



Are you guys getting commissions from Beijing for selling this stuff ?
Might
want to renegotiate your margins with that collective back home.

You speak pretty good English for a Chinese guy -

You don't do too bad for a burned out blockhead.

It's quite obvious that even for the village idiot, you have little
power of understanding and less ability to research. There have been
no, repeat, NO small drillpresses made in the US for at least twenty
years now. This leaves you with two choices, buy, or try to, an older
US made machine, from a diminishing supply, or buy an import and put
it right. This leaves you, personally, only the first choice, as I
doubt that you're capable of putting anything right with your hammer.
I have two imported drill presses, a small HF bench model, and a
chinese clone of the Rong-Fu radial. Both work well for what I use
them for, but I also have a total of six drill presses. (Note to
those that may be considering the Rong-Fu or clones, all of the
reasons for buying a radial are NOT there. No power feeds, unlock the
arm and center is lost, speeds too fast for tapping, and no instant
reverse. Depth stop is weak, doesn't hold.) Its saving grace is that
once the head is set square to the base, it stays there.

(Note to Clueless Clovis, I am speaking of drill presses of a size and
capacity that would normally be found in a home shop, not something
that would be made by the likes of Dumore et al, at industrial
strength prices. Getum picture, Clueless? ie: if I needed the
Dumore, I'd buy one.)

On Sun, 11 Jul 2004 03:41:07 GMT, "Clovis" wrote:



What you are buying when you purchase Chinese ****-crap-quality is a useless
pile of steel which wont work properly unless by accident.

Making them work properly is what people that are qualified do.
Bitch, **** and moan are all you do. And I doubt that any of your
"stories" ever happened.

I suppose that it would also be OK to drive a car with faulty brakes because
"Tis a poor driver who cant make his car come to a stop, with or without
brakepads." .


I believe my quote is from Franklin. Yours is out of your ass, where
your head resides. It seems strange to me that many of this group can
use these, make them work acceptably well, and all that you can do is
make noise. I don't believe you have ever touched any machine at any
time in your "life". I have remachined quite a few imported machines,
granted, the time I spent could not be economically justified, but I
don't have to justify anything, especially to dipwads that call
themselves "clovis." When you cut your first chip, let us know.
Until then, get back to pulling chips and sweeping.

Lennie the Lurker

Some meatsock wrote:
What you are buying when you purchase Chinese ****-crap-quality is a
useless
pile of steel which wont work properly unless by accident.

I collect arrowheads. When I look at what someone did with only their
hands, some skill, some talent, and a couple of rocks, sticks, pieces of
bone, and their imagination, I am awed. I am humbled greatly because I have
tried it, and have only made a few things that look decent at all.

A true craftsman can take raw materials and tools and make something great.
Look at the Stradavarius violins. Furniture from the 17th and 18th century.

If you can't take a Chinese pile of steel and come up with something, the
reflection is not upon the machine, but you. But judging by your frustrated
adolescent tone, you probably knew that already, didn't you?

Steve

And I would argue that the true sign of mechonical apptitude is the
ability to inspect a machine and determine if it of the necessary
quality for what one expects to use it. N.B. This is not dependent on
the country of origin. Many U.S. made drill presses were American
crap made for the home shop. The Chinese make both industrial quality
machines and home shop quality machines. You apparently did not know
enough to buy a machine that was good quality.

Dan



"Clovis" wrote in message news:_rcGc.11643


Yes. A common misconception. But I would argue that the true sign of
mechanical ineptitude is demonstrated by the equipment we buy. Someone who
would buy Chinese crap obviously dosent know anything about machines.