HI All

I'm looking for a (cheap) drill press / bench drill.

Currently I'm using an elderly Black & Decker drill mounted in one of
those drill press adapters - and the poor old drill has seen better
days. The chuck bearing is somewhat sloppy, the gearbox sounds like a
cement mixer, and the holes that the chuck key fits into are oval !

So - time for a new toy !

Not expecting to do much metalwork with it, certainly nothing
'heavy-duty'. Most of the time will be spent drilling timber, and
fused glass (more 'grinding' really - diamond wire & core bits).

I'm looking at the range from CPC - specifically because they do a
very reasonably delivery charge out here to south-west Ireland.

They have bench drills from Clarke and NuTool - both for about 55 euro
- which seems ridiculously cheap. Budget won't stretch to the other
model they have in stock which is made by Xenox (??) and costs 280
euro....

The Clarke one is here
http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/268887.xml

And the NuTool one is here
http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/437525.xml

Any comments / suggestions / recommendations about these two drills ?

Many thanks
Adrian

"Adrian" wrote in message
...
HI All

I'm looking for a (cheap) drill press / bench drill.

Currently I'm using an elderly Black & Decker drill mounted in one of
those drill press adapters - and the poor old drill has seen better
days. The chuck bearing is somewhat sloppy, the gearbox sounds like a
cement mixer, and the holes that the chuck key fits into are oval !

So - time for a new toy !

Not expecting to do much metalwork with it, certainly nothing
'heavy-duty'. Most of the time will be spent drilling timber, and
fused glass (more 'grinding' really - diamond wire & core bits).

I'm looking at the range from CPC - specifically because they do a
very reasonably delivery charge out here to south-west Ireland.

They have bench drills from Clarke and NuTool - both for about 55 euro
- which seems ridiculously cheap. Budget won't stretch to the other
model they have in stock which is made by Xenox (??) and costs 280
euro....

The Clarke one is here

http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/268887.xml

And the NuTool one is here

http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/437525.xml

Any comments / suggestions / recommendations about these two drills ?

Many thanks
Adrian

I bought the Aldi one when it was available at £29.99 its exactly the same
as either of those two which are basically the same model.
Pop into a local Aldi branch and see if its surfaced again? I'm sure it'll
be on sale soon if it already hasn't been on sale?

You got a machinemart in Ireland?

http://tinyurl.com/5pclu3

Adrian wrote:
HI All

I'm looking for a (cheap) drill press / bench drill.

Currently I'm using an elderly Black & Decker drill mounted in one of
those drill press adapters - and the poor old drill has seen better
days. The chuck bearing is somewhat sloppy, the gearbox sounds like a
cement mixer, and the holes that the chuck key fits into are oval !

So - time for a new toy !

Not expecting to do much metalwork with it, certainly nothing
'heavy-duty'. Most of the time will be spent drilling timber, and
fused glass (more 'grinding' really - diamond wire & core bits).

I'm looking at the range from CPC - specifically because they do a
very reasonably delivery charge out here to south-west Ireland.

They have bench drills from Clarke and NuTool - both for about 55 euro
- which seems ridiculously cheap. Budget won't stretch to the other
model they have in stock which is made by Xenox (??) and costs 280
euro....

The Clarke one is here
http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/268887.xml

And the NuTool one is here
http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/437525.xml

Any comments / suggestions / recommendations about these two drills ?

Many thanks
Adrian

A year or two ago I inherited what I think is a Nutool one (from a
friend who was buying himself a new one).

It works. It even sounds quite nice. But the damn thing wobbles. No
matter what I try to drill, the end of the bit wobbles with respect to
the thing I am trying to drill.

Yesterday I did a couple of 35mm holes (for Blum hinges). Very difficult
to get the bit to re-enter the partially drilled hole accurately
(whether spinning or not!). Yes - the workpiece was clamped to the
drilling table. Everything appears as tight as it can be.

I put this down to it being a very cheap model. So, as soon as funds
permit, I shall be investigating just slightly better kit. Not expensive
- just the next level up.

O - horrible chuck. Keeps going tight-slack-tight as you try to turn the
chuck key. Crap depth stop. Nasty MDF drilling table.

Have a look he

http://www.axminster.co.uk/category-Engineers-Pillar-Drills-208136.htm

(They do deliver to Eire.)

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

Hi George

On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:28:20 GMT, "George"
wrote:


"Adrian" wrote in message
.. .
HI All

I'm looking for a (cheap) drill press / bench drill.

Currently I'm using an elderly Black & Decker drill mounted in one of
those drill press adapters - and the poor old drill has seen better
days. The chuck bearing is somewhat sloppy, the gearbox sounds like a
cement mixer, and the holes that the chuck key fits into are oval !

So - time for a new toy !

Not expecting to do much metalwork with it, certainly nothing
'heavy-duty'. Most of the time will be spent drilling timber, and
fused glass (more 'grinding' really - diamond wire & core bits).

I'm looking at the range from CPC - specifically because they do a
very reasonably delivery charge out here to south-west Ireland.

They have bench drills from Clarke and NuTool - both for about 55 euro
- which seems ridiculously cheap. Budget won't stretch to the other
model they have in stock which is made by Xenox (??) and costs 280
euro....

The Clarke one is here

http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/268887.xml

And the NuTool one is here

http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/437525.xml

Any comments / suggestions / recommendations about these two drills ?

Many thanks
Adrian

I bought the Aldi one when it was available at £29.99 its exactly the same
as either of those two which are basically the same model.
Pop into a local Aldi branch and see if its surfaced again? I'm sure it'll
be on sale soon if it already hasn't been on sale?


Thanks for the reply.
I get the impression that these tools at the cheap end of the market
are probably all much the same... - hence the question...

Yes - 30 quid is about the same as the euro price from cpc - plus a
bit for postage but I need some other stuff from them as well.

Our nearest Aldi is up in Killarney - probably 1.5 to 2 hours each way
- told you we were out in the sticks ! g Actually, there's probably
one in Cork City - but getting around the 'big city' is a hassle g
Much the same travel time anyway.

We do have a local Lidl - but (judging by their Irish fliers) there's
no pillar drills on their way in the near future...

Thanks
Adrian

Hi George

On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:35:53 GMT, "George"
wrote:

You got a machinemart in Ireland?

http://tinyurl.com/5pclu3


Apparently not....

Adrian

"Rod" wrote in message
...
Adrian wrote:
HI All

I'm looking for a (cheap) drill press / bench drill.

Currently I'm using an elderly Black & Decker drill mounted in one of
those drill press adapters - and the poor old drill has seen better
days. The chuck bearing is somewhat sloppy, the gearbox sounds like a
cement mixer, and the holes that the chuck key fits into are oval !

So - time for a new toy !

Not expecting to do much metalwork with it, certainly nothing
'heavy-duty'. Most of the time will be spent drilling timber, and
fused glass (more 'grinding' really - diamond wire & core bits).

I'm looking at the range from CPC - specifically because they do a
very reasonably delivery charge out here to south-west Ireland.

They have bench drills from Clarke and NuTool - both for about 55 euro
- which seems ridiculously cheap. Budget won't stretch to the other
model they have in stock which is made by Xenox (??) and costs 280
euro....

The Clarke one is here

http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/268887.xml

And the NuTool one is here

http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/437525.xml

Any comments / suggestions / recommendations about these two drills ?

Many thanks
Adrian

A year or two ago I inherited what I think is a Nutool one (from a
friend who was buying himself a new one).

It works. It even sounds quite nice. But the damn thing wobbles. No
matter what I try to drill, the end of the bit wobbles with respect to
the thing I am trying to drill.

Yesterday I did a couple of 35mm holes (for Blum hinges). Very difficult
to get the bit to re-enter the partially drilled hole accurately
(whether spinning or not!). Yes - the workpiece was clamped to the
drilling table. Everything appears as tight as it can be.

I put this down to it being a very cheap model. So, as soon as funds
permit, I shall be investigating just slightly better kit. Not expensive
- just the next level up.


The chuck assembly might not have been central aligned? when I bought this
Aldi one the chuck had to be fixed into place up the drive shaft ie the
chuck was tapred at the end and it had to be hammered into place with a soft
mallet.

On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:22:46 +0100, Adrian wrote:

HI All

I'm looking for a (cheap) drill press / bench drill.

Currently I'm using an elderly Black & Decker drill mounted in one of
those drill press adapters - and the poor old drill has seen better
days. The chuck bearing is somewhat sloppy, the gearbox sounds like a
cement mixer, and the holes that the chuck key fits into are oval !

So - time for a new toy !

Not expecting to do much metalwork with it, certainly nothing
'heavy-duty'. Most of the time will be spent drilling timber, and
fused glass (more 'grinding' really - diamond wire & core bits).

I'm looking at the range from CPC - specifically because they do a
very reasonably delivery charge out here to south-west Ireland.

They have bench drills from Clarke and NuTool - both for about 55 euro
- which seems ridiculously cheap. Budget won't stretch to the other
model they have in stock which is made by Xenox (??) and costs 280
euro....

The Clarke one is here
http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/268887.xml

And the NuTool one is here
http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/437525.xml

Any comments / suggestions / recommendations about these two drills ?

Many thanks
Adrian


==================================

The Clarke drill (CDP 5DD) is described as 'Hobbyist drill press' in
Machine Mart's current printed catalogue. This could possibly limit your
guarantee if you intend using it professionally. However, if you've been
managing with a B&D / Bridges setup you'll notice a substantial
improvement.

If you have a B&Q near you you might look there because they also do a few
of these entry-level drill presses at reasonable prices.

Cic.
--
===================================
Using Ubuntu Linux
Windows shown the door
===================================

HI Cic

On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:09:50 GMT, Cicero
wrote:

On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:22:46 +0100, Adrian wrote:

HI All

I'm looking for a (cheap) drill press / bench drill.

Currently I'm using an elderly Black & Decker drill mounted in one of
those drill press adapters - and the poor old drill has seen better
days. The chuck bearing is somewhat sloppy, the gearbox sounds like a
cement mixer, and the holes that the chuck key fits into are oval !

So - time for a new toy !

Not expecting to do much metalwork with it, certainly nothing
'heavy-duty'. Most of the time will be spent drilling timber, and
fused glass (more 'grinding' really - diamond wire & core bits).

I'm looking at the range from CPC - specifically because they do a
very reasonably delivery charge out here to south-west Ireland.

They have bench drills from Clarke and NuTool - both for about 55 euro
- which seems ridiculously cheap. Budget won't stretch to the other
model they have in stock which is made by Xenox (??) and costs 280
euro....

The Clarke one is here
http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/268887.xml

And the NuTool one is here
http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/437525.xml

Any comments / suggestions / recommendations about these two drills ?

Many thanks
Adrian


==================================

The Clarke drill (CDP 5DD) is described as 'Hobbyist drill press' in
Machine Mart's current printed catalogue.

This could possibly limit your
guarantee if you intend using it professionally. However, if you've been
managing with a B&D / Bridges setup you'll notice a substantial
improvement.

Ah - so long as it makes life simpler, and hopefully a little more
accurate....

If you have a B&Q near you you might look there because they also do a few
of these entry-level drill presses at reasonable prices.

Yes - there's a Homebase up in Killarney - but they seemed to be
concentrating on scatter cushions the last time I was in there g -
and it's a fair drive to get there...

So - not much to choose between the two drills that I mentioned at CPC
?

Thanks
Adrian

On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:26:20 +0100, Adrian wrote:

HI Cic

On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:09:50 GMT, Cicero
wrote:

On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:22:46 +0100, Adrian wrote:

HI All

I'm looking for a (cheap) drill press / bench drill.

Currently I'm using an elderly Black & Decker drill mounted in one of
those drill press adapters - and the poor old drill has seen better
days. The chuck bearing is somewhat sloppy, the gearbox sounds like a
cement mixer, and the holes that the chuck key fits into are oval !

So - time for a new toy !

Not expecting to do much metalwork with it, certainly nothing
'heavy-duty'. Most of the time will be spent drilling timber, and
fused glass (more 'grinding' really - diamond wire & core bits).

I'm looking at the range from CPC - specifically because they do a
very reasonably delivery charge out here to south-west Ireland.

They have bench drills from Clarke and NuTool - both for about 55 euro
- which seems ridiculously cheap. Budget won't stretch to the other
model they have in stock which is made by Xenox (??) and costs 280
euro....

The Clarke one is here
http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/268887.xml

And the NuTool one is here
http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/437525.xml

Any comments / suggestions / recommendations about these two drills ?

Many thanks
Adrian


==================================

The Clarke drill (CDP 5DD) is described as 'Hobbyist drill press' in
Machine Mart's current printed catalogue.

This could possibly limit your
guarantee if you intend using it professionally. However, if you've been
managing with a B&D / Bridges setup you'll notice a substantial
improvement.

Ah - so long as it makes life simpler, and hopefully a little more
accurate....

If you have a B&Q near you you might look there because they also do a
few of these entry-level drill presses at reasonable prices.

Yes - there's a Homebase up in Killarney - but they seemed to be
concentrating on scatter cushions the last time I was in there g - and
it's a fair drive to get there...

So - not much to choose between the two drills that I mentioned at CPC ?

Thanks
Adrian

==================================
I haven't seen the Nutool press but judging by information from another
respondent (Rod) about the drill table (MDF) I would think that the Clarke
press is likely to be far better quality than the Nutool one *IF* the
information from 'Rod' is accurate.

However, the picture (Nutool) you showed doesn't look like MDF so there's
probably not much difference between the two. A quick 'phone call would
confirm that the picture (showing cast table)is an accurate
representation.


Cic.

--
===================================
Using Ubuntu Linux
Windows shown the door
===================================

On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:52:43 GMT, George wrote:

The chuck assembly might not have been central aligned?

Certainly sounds like a problem with the chuck, especially with the
reference to tight-slack-tight as you turn the key. Knock it off the
shaft, it'll no doubt be a taper fit. Check the shaft runs true then set
to striping the chuck to make it work evenly.

I've got a "Performance Power" (aka NuTool and countless other "brands")
small cheapo pillar drill. Does well enough, drill go straight back down
the hole they have just drilled. B-)

--
Cheers
Dave.

"George" wrote in message
...

"Adrian" wrote in message
...
HI All

I'm looking for a (cheap) drill press / bench drill.

Currently I'm using an elderly Black & Decker drill mounted in one of
those drill press adapters - and the poor old drill has seen better
days. The chuck bearing is somewhat sloppy, the gearbox sounds like a
cement mixer, and the holes that the chuck key fits into are oval !

So - time for a new toy !

Not expecting to do much metalwork with it, certainly nothing
'heavy-duty'. Most of the time will be spent drilling timber, and
fused glass (more 'grinding' really - diamond wire & core bits).

I'm looking at the range from CPC - specifically because they do a
very reasonably delivery charge out here to south-west Ireland.

They have bench drills from Clarke and NuTool - both for about 55 euro
- which seems ridiculously cheap. Budget won't stretch to the other
model they have in stock which is made by Xenox (??) and costs 280
euro....

The Clarke one is here

http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/268887.xml


I've got one of those but these motors are incredibly gutless. It struggles
with any sort of significant load but as long at you're prepared to take
your time, you will get through eventually. ;-)

My handheld drills have all been more powerful than this.

Tim

George wrote:
A year or two ago I inherited what I think is a Nutool one (from a
friend who was buying himself a new one).

It works. It even sounds quite nice. But the damn thing wobbles. No
matter what I try to drill, the end of the bit wobbles with respect to
the thing I am trying to drill.

Yesterday I did a couple of 35mm holes (for Blum hinges). Very difficult
to get the bit to re-enter the partially drilled hole accurately
(whether spinning or not!). Yes - the workpiece was clamped to the
drilling table. Everything appears as tight as it can be.

I put this down to it being a very cheap model. So, as soon as funds
permit, I shall be investigating just slightly better kit. Not expensive
- just the next level up.


The chuck assembly might not have been central aligned? when I bought
this Aldi one the chuck had to be fixed into place up the drive shaft
ie the chuck was tapred at the end and it had to be hammered into place
with a soft mallet.

It's that kind of "almost acceptable, but not quite" performance that
you would find hard to rectify with a cheaper drill. The importer may
claim it was never meant for precision work anyway.

I had similar problems with a Warco pillar drill bought several years
ago. The cause turned out to be the two conical seating surfaces for the
MT chuck: the lower one was centred OK but the upper one was slightly
off-axis. The importer readily sent a replacement quill, but that one
was no better. A friend who owns a precision engineering firm had a go
at re-grinding it, and that made some improvement but it still wasn't
perfect.

The off-centre errors led to vibration and the same problem of the chuck
dropping out. That was cured by trueing it up as accurately as possible
in the taper, using a precision mandrel, engineer's square and dial
gauge... and then waiting for the Loctite to set hard. (That isn't quite
as drastic as it seems, as a really good thump with the drift would
still release it.)

After that initial fettling work, the drill has been... well, mostly
adequate and never bad enough to make me replace it. The same 13mm chuck
is used for all sizes of drill, right down to 0.8mm tungsten-carbide PCB
drills (with a 3mm shank). Tiny t-c drills will break if you look at
them wrong, but those have given the least trouble - the reason being
that they are very short. The only problems have been with the big
drills, because those are also much longer, so the off-centre errors are
greatly magnified.

It may be worth trying one of the lower-cost drills, but the pass/fail
test would be with a big, long drill in steel. If it tries to shake
itself to bits, and/or if the chuck drops out, then you'd have
reasonable grounds to "reject" it under consumer law. Just don't mention
"precision", as that would only muddy the waters.



--
Ian White

"Adrian" wrote in message
news

This could possibly limit your
guarantee if you intend using it professionally. However, if you've been
managing with a B&D / Bridges setup you'll notice a substantial
improvement.

Ah - so long as it makes life simpler, and hopefully a little more
accurate....

I would have thought even the £25 in Aldi/Lidl would be better than a B&D
drill in a stand.
To start with they have induction motors and can run for ages without
breaking.

You do have to watch vibrations on a drill press with a Morse taper.. the
chuck can fall out if it vibrates too much.

HI Tim

On Tue, 8 Apr 2008 11:05:25 +0100, "Tim Downie"
wrote:


"George" wrote in message
m...

"Adrian" wrote in message
...
HI All

I'm looking for a (cheap) drill press / bench drill.

Currently I'm using an elderly Black & Decker drill mounted in one of
those drill press adapters - and the poor old drill has seen better
days. The chuck bearing is somewhat sloppy, the gearbox sounds like a
cement mixer, and the holes that the chuck key fits into are oval !

So - time for a new toy !

Not expecting to do much metalwork with it, certainly nothing
'heavy-duty'. Most of the time will be spent drilling timber, and
fused glass (more 'grinding' really - diamond wire & core bits).

I'm looking at the range from CPC - specifically because they do a
very reasonably delivery charge out here to south-west Ireland.

They have bench drills from Clarke and NuTool - both for about 55 euro
- which seems ridiculously cheap. Budget won't stretch to the other
model they have in stock which is made by Xenox (??) and costs 280
euro....

The Clarke one is here

http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/268887.xml


I've got one of those but these motors are incredibly gutless. It struggles
with any sort of significant load but as long at you're prepared to take
your time, you will get through eventually. ;-)

My handheld drills have all been more powerful than this.

Thanks for the comments.
I was a bit sceptical - after all, I've spent more on just a motor
than they're asking for the complete thing -

About the hardest work I can imagine giving it is drilling 9.5mm holes
in ash-wood..... so that shouldn't be too taxing.

Thanks
Adrian

HI Dave

On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:49:54 +0100 (BST), "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:

On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:52:43 GMT, George wrote:

The chuck assembly might not have been central aligned?

Certainly sounds like a problem with the chuck, especially with the
reference to tight-slack-tight as you turn the key. Knock it off the
shaft, it'll no doubt be a taper fit. Check the shaft runs true then set
to striping the chuck to make it work evenly.

I've got a "Performance Power" (aka NuTool and countless other "brands")
small cheapo pillar drill. Does well enough, drill go straight back down
the hole they have just drilled. B-)

Sounds good - thanks !
Adrian

Hi Dennis

On Tue, 8 Apr 2008 13:45:50 +0100, "dennis@home"
wrote:



"Adrian" wrote in message
news

This could possibly limit your
guarantee if you intend using it professionally. However, if you've been
managing with a B&D / Bridges setup you'll notice a substantial
improvement.

Ah - so long as it makes life simpler, and hopefully a little more
accurate....

I would have thought even the £25 in Aldi/Lidl would be better than a B&D
drill in a stand.

Well - the drill / stand combo has done ok for the last 20 years g -
but, as I say, the drill's seen better days - and I've got a 'proper'
and continuing use for one now ....

To start with they have induction motors and can run for ages without
breaking.

You do have to watch vibrations on a drill press with a Morse taper.. the
chuck can fall out if it vibrates too much.

Right - hopefully not a problem with smallish holes (up to 9.5mm in
timber) - but I'll watch out for it.

Thanks
Adrian

On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:21:21 +0100, Rod wrote:

Cicero wrote:
On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:26:20 +0100, Adrian wrote:

HI Cic

On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:09:50 GMT, Cicero
wrote:

On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:22:46 +0100, Adrian wrote:

HI All

I'm looking for a (cheap) drill press / bench drill.

Currently I'm using an elderly Black & Decker drill mounted in one of
those drill press adapters - and the poor old drill has seen better
days. The chuck bearing is somewhat sloppy, the gearbox sounds like a
cement mixer, and the holes that the chuck key fits into are oval !

So - time for a new toy !

Not expecting to do much metalwork with it, certainly nothing
'heavy-duty'. Most of the time will be spent drilling timber, and
fused glass (more 'grinding' really - diamond wire & core bits).

I'm looking at the range from CPC - specifically because they do a
very reasonably delivery charge out here to south-west Ireland.

They have bench drills from Clarke and NuTool - both for about 55 euro
- which seems ridiculously cheap. Budget won't stretch to the other
model they have in stock which is made by Xenox (??) and costs 280
euro....

The Clarke one is here
http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/268887.xml

And the NuTool one is here
http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/437525.xml

Any comments / suggestions / recommendations about these two drills ?

Many thanks
Adrian

==================================

The Clarke drill (CDP 5DD) is described as 'Hobbyist drill press' in
Machine Mart's current printed catalogue.
This could possibly limit your
guarantee if you intend using it professionally. However, if you've been
managing with a B&D / Bridges setup you'll notice a substantial
improvement.
Ah - so long as it makes life simpler, and hopefully a little more
accurate....
If you have a B&Q near you you might look there because they also do a
few of these entry-level drill presses at reasonable prices.
Yes - there's a Homebase up in Killarney - but they seemed to be
concentrating on scatter cushions the last time I was in there g - and
it's a fair drive to get there...

So - not much to choose between the two drills that I mentioned at CPC ?

Thanks
Adrian

==================================
I haven't seen the Nutool press but judging by information from another
respondent (Rod) about the drill table (MDF) I would think that the Clarke
press is likely to be far better quality than the Nutool one *IF* the
information from 'Rod' is accurate.

However, the picture (Nutool) you showed doesn't look like MDF so there's
probably not much difference between the two. A quick 'phone call would
confirm that the picture (showing cast table)is an accurate
representation.


Cic.

It's accurate *for mine*! It might be that newer ones are better, do not
use MDF, etc. Sort of, I'd hope so :-)

==================================
I wasn't actually doubting the accuracy of your description of your
machine. Manufacturers have a habit of showing pictures and including a
disclaimer to the effect that the picture is for illustration
purposes only. It seems a bit pointless to include a picture for
illustration purposes if it isn't accurate but everybody is so afraid of
being sued for the most trivial deviation that they simply have to cover
their backs with a disclaimer.

Cic.

--
===================================
Using Ubuntu Linux
Windows shown the door
===================================

Doesn't everyone have a Meddings?

Seriously, for slightly more money, Axminster do some reasonable drill
presses:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-A...rill-21711.htm
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-A...ill-719246.htm
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-J...ill-208703.htm

There's also an excellent secondhand market for machine tools on ebay
- you could have a top quality engineers drill press/pillar drill for
the price of a same-size, not-so-great looky-likey.

I realise this is more than you're looking to spend, but if you
consider Meddings to be top dollar, many of the respected brands will
be less than this:

http://search.ebay.co.uk/search/sear...=32%26fsoo%3D2

I paid 200 quid for a s/h Meddings - had 20 years engineering use
already and completely untouched by it.

Hi Dom

On Tue, 8 Apr 2008 07:01:33 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

Doesn't everyone have a Meddings?

g


Seriously, for slightly more money, Axminster do some reasonable drill
presses:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-A...rill-21711.htm
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-A...ill-719246.htm
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-J...ill-208703.htm

There's also an excellent secondhand market for machine tools on ebay
- you could have a top quality engineers drill press/pillar drill for
the price of a same-size, not-so-great looky-likey.

I realise this is more than you're looking to spend, but if you
consider Meddings to be top dollar, many of the respected brands will
be less than this:

http://search.ebay.co.uk/search/sear...=32%26fsoo%3D2

I paid 200 quid for a s/h Meddings - had 20 years engineering use
already and completely untouched by it.

Thanks for the suggestions.
While it might be a good plan to buy an older 'quality' tool -
the killer on most mail-order deals is the carriage (to Ireland).

CPC seem to only want 8 euro to get one of their drills over here -
so that seems like a good deal.

Looks like the CPC Clarkes jobbie
Many thanks
Adrian

Adrian wrote:
HI All

I'm looking for a (cheap) drill press / bench drill.

Currently I'm using an elderly Black & Decker drill mounted in one of
those drill press adapters - and the poor old drill has seen better
days. The chuck bearing is somewhat sloppy, the gearbox sounds like a
cement mixer, and the holes that the chuck key fits into are oval !

So - time for a new toy !

Not expecting to do much metalwork with it, certainly nothing
'heavy-duty'. Most of the time will be spent drilling timber, and
fused glass (more 'grinding' really - diamond wire & core bits).

I recently bought same-ish one from MachineMart for similar light use -
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/pr...dd-drill-press

it's fine, but throw away the crappy eyeguard upon unpacking.

"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message
ll.net...
On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:52:43 GMT, George wrote:

The chuck assembly might not have been central aligned?

Certainly sounds like a problem with the chuck, especially with the
reference to tight-slack-tight as you turn the key. Knock it off the
shaft, it'll no doubt be a taper fit. Check the shaft runs true then set
to striping the chuck to make it work evenly.

I've got a "Performance Power" (aka NuTool and countless other "brands")
small cheapo pillar drill. Does well enough, drill go straight back down
the hole they have just drilled. B-)

I've got one as well, can't grumble about it either.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

On 8 Apr, 20:33, "Steve Walker" wrote:
it's fine, but throw away the crappy eyeguard upon unpacking.

There was no need to in my case. The guard broke and fell off.

Richard.
http://www.rtrussell.co.uk/
To reply by email change 'news' to my forename.

In article ,
Adrian wrote:
I'm looking at the range from CPC - specifically because they do a
very reasonably delivery charge out here to south-west Ireland.

They have bench drills from Clarke and NuTool - both for about 55 euro
- which seems ridiculously cheap. Budget won't stretch to the other
model they have in stock which is made by Xenox (??) and costs 280
euro....

All these cheap pillar drills seem to come from the same maker - just
cosmetic differences. So look at B&Q, Wicks etc to save on carriage costs.

My only real complaint about mine bought from B&Q was the maximum distance
from table to chuck - not enough for a 2 x 2" lump of wood held in a vice
and a 1/2" drill. A bit like a compound mitre bench circular saw - I want
one which can chop 12" planks. But we all have our own bench marks for
this sort of thing. And that pillar drill was a million times better than
a drill mounted in a stand.

--
*Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Adrian wrote:

I'm looking at the range from CPC - specifically because they do a
very reasonably delivery charge out here to south-west Ireland.

They have bench drills from Clarke and NuTool - both for about 55 euro
- which seems ridiculously cheap. Budget won't stretch to the other
model they have in stock which is made by Xenox (??) and costs 280
euro....

The Clarke one is here
http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/268887.xml

And the NuTool one is here
http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/437525.xml

I have something similar to the NuTool - a slightly posher one with 550W
motor IIRC. I would suggest that is a reasonable minimum power though -
I don't think the 250 would hack it. One thing of note on mine, is that
the chuck is fixed to drill via a morse taper, however the chuck has the
female part of the fitting rather than the male. Hence you can't remove
the chuck and fit MT shank bits directly in the quill. The safety cage
round the chuck is of decorative value only - might satisfy the H&S
Nazis, but is otherwise irritating in use. Still can be removed easily
enough.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

In article ,
Adrian wrote:
About the hardest work I can imagine giving it is drilling 9.5mm holes
in ash-wood..... so that shouldn't be too taxing.

I'd check it has enough clearance between table and drill end for this
task. Mine hasn't if the wood is thick and you're using a vice.

--
*Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

HI Dave

On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:17:47 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
Adrian wrote:
About the hardest work I can imagine giving it is drilling 9.5mm holes
in ash-wood..... so that shouldn't be too taxing.

I'd check it has enough clearance between table and drill end for this
task. Mine hasn't if the wood is thick and you're using a vice.

Hmmm - there's a thought..... (ordered the Clarke drill last night !)

168mm apparently - might be OK - though I see they also quote a
chuck-to-base distance of 260mm (presumably you can swing the table
out of the way and work directly on the base..?)

The wood in question is the triangular base for a stained-glass lamp -
only about 25 - 30mm thick, and I've tended to do the drilling without
the aid of a vice......

Anyway - all ordered - so we'll see what the courier brings. He'll be
delighted - apparently it weights 19kg. Just hope they don't do what
the did once in Suffolk - shipped me a 100m (wooden) reel of
heavy-duty coaxial cable - loose-packed with an assortment of dil ICs
and other discrete components. Quite a mess, after the cable reel had
bounced around inside the box for a day or so.....

.....we'll see.

Thanks
Adrian

HI Dave

On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:13:28 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
Adrian wrote:
I'm looking at the range from CPC - specifically because they do a
very reasonably delivery charge out here to south-west Ireland.

They have bench drills from Clarke and NuTool - both for about 55 euro
- which seems ridiculously cheap. Budget won't stretch to the other
model they have in stock which is made by Xenox (??) and costs 280
euro....

All these cheap pillar drills seem to come from the same maker - just
cosmetic differences. So look at B&Q, Wicks etc to save on carriage costs.


Yebbut - if you're out in the wilds of south-west Ireland (as we are)
it can be a long way to your friendly local B&Q.

In the end, CPC are charging me 15 euro (or about 10 of your earth
pounds) to deliver the drill press, plus a laminator, plus some odds &
ends that I can't get over here - so I'm not unhappy with that...
Saves trailing all the way to Cork or Killarney, which would cost more
in petrol anyway....g

My only real complaint about mine bought from B&Q was the maximum distance
from table to chuck - not enough for a 2 x 2" lump of wood held in a vice
and a 1/2" drill. A bit like a compound mitre bench circular saw - I want
one which can chop 12" planks. But we all have our own bench marks for
this sort of thing.

And that pillar drill was a million times better than
a drill mounted in a stand.

That's what I needed to hear.

Wonder what's the smallest drill bit that you can grip in the chuck?
Some of the diamond drills I use have very fine diameter shanks - so
I've bought a 'fine' chuck from CPC as well - and hope to be able to
put that in the 'main' chuck if necessary..

Many thanks
Adrian

HI John

On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:15:02 +0100, John Rumm
wrote:

Adrian wrote:

I'm looking at the range from CPC - specifically because they do a
very reasonably delivery charge out here to south-west Ireland.

They have bench drills from Clarke and NuTool - both for about 55 euro
- which seems ridiculously cheap. Budget won't stretch to the other
model they have in stock which is made by Xenox (??) and costs 280
euro....

The Clarke one is here
http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/268887.xml

And the NuTool one is here
http://cpcireland.farnell.com/jsp/le...cpc/437525.xml

I have something similar to the NuTool - a slightly posher one with 550W
motor IIRC. I would suggest that is a reasonable minimum power though -
I don't think the 250 would hack it.

OK

One thing of note on mine, is that
the chuck is fixed to drill via a morse taper, however the chuck has the
female part of the fitting rather than the male. Hence you can't remove
the chuck and fit MT shank bits directly in the quill.

Odd - probably saves a few yen somewhere along the line...
won't bother me in this application.

The safety cage
round the chuck is of decorative value only - might satisfy the H&S
Nazis, but is otherwise irritating in use. Still can be removed easily
enough.

Yes - another poster said that theirs fell off !
Might be handy for me - some of the work (diamond drilling) has to be
done with the work immersed in water - the safety guard 'might' stop
the water from going everywhere. And 'yes' - I do know about mixing
water and mains electricity g...

Thanks
Adrian

On Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:29:54 +0100, Adrian wrote:

The wood in question is the triangular base for a stained-glass lamp -
only about 25 - 30mm thick, and I've tended to do the drilling without
the aid of a vice......

Thinking about how the work is held when (not if) the drill binds is a
Good Idea(tm). Even if it's just that it rotates and hits the column, if
that is the case start with the work against the column. B-)

The other thing that might be a problem is the quill centre to column face
distance but of you've been using a B&D drill stand without trouble that's
probably not going to be an issue.

Just hope they don't do what the did once in Suffolk - shipped me a 100m
(wooden) reel of heavy-duty coaxial cable - loose-packed with an
assortment of dil ICs and other discrete components. Quite a mess, after
the cable reel had bounced around inside the box for a day or so.....

I wouldn't put any money on it. I had a packet a ground glass in with one
of my deliveries that also contained a drill vice. The ground glass should
have been 5 20A fuses... Hope the laminator survives. B-)

--
Cheers
Dave.

HI Dave

On Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:37:26 +0100 (BST), "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:

On Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:29:54 +0100, Adrian wrote:

The wood in question is the triangular base for a stained-glass lamp -
only about 25 - 30mm thick, and I've tended to do the drilling without
the aid of a vice......

Thinking about how the work is held when (not if) the drill binds is a
Good Idea(tm). Even if it's just that it rotates and hits the column, if
that is the case start with the work against the column. B-)

Yes - all understood g


The other thing that might be a problem is the quill centre to column face
distance but of you've been using a B&D drill stand without trouble that's
probably not going to be an issue.

No - that won't be a problem
The timber in question is a piece of (usually) ash - cut to an
equilateral triangle about 4.5" per side. Needs a small hole near each
corner and then the big 9.5mm one in the centre.

Just hope they don't do what the did once in Suffolk - shipped me a 100m
(wooden) reel of heavy-duty coaxial cable - loose-packed with an
assortment of dil ICs and other discrete components. Quite a mess, after
the cable reel had bounced around inside the box for a day or so.....

I wouldn't put any money on it. I had a packet a ground glass in with one
of my deliveries that also contained a drill vice. The ground glass should
have been 5 20A fuses... Hope the laminator survives. B-)

g
It's common in the stainaed glass / fused glass world to buy 'scrap'
glass (as in other peoples' offcuts). Once had some scrap come from
the USA - postie stood there with a parcel which sounded like broken
glass ('cos it was) and an expression on his face that said 'he's not
going to like this'.....

...was much relieved when i explained that's how it should sound !

I'll let you know whether the drill press gets damaged by the
laminator - or the other way round g

Adrian

Adrian wrote:
HI Dave

On Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:37:26 +0100 (BST), "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:

On Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:29:54 +0100, Adrian wrote:

The wood in question is the triangular base for a stained-glass lamp -
only about 25 - 30mm thick, and I've tended to do the drilling without
the aid of a vice......
Thinking about how the work is held when (not if) the drill binds is a
Good Idea(tm). Even if it's just that it rotates and hits the column, if
that is the case start with the work against the column. B-)

Yes - all understood g

The other thing that might be a problem is the quill centre to column face
distance but of you've been using a B&D drill stand without trouble that's
probably not going to be an issue.

No - that won't be a problem
The timber in question is a piece of (usually) ash - cut to an
equilateral triangle about 4.5" per side. Needs a small hole near each
corner and then the big 9.5mm one in the centre.
Just hope they don't do what the did once in Suffolk - shipped me a 100m
(wooden) reel of heavy-duty coaxial cable - loose-packed with an
assortment of dil ICs and other discrete components. Quite a mess, after
the cable reel had bounced around inside the box for a day or so.....
I wouldn't put any money on it. I had a packet a ground glass in with one
of my deliveries that also contained a drill vice. The ground glass should
have been 5 20A fuses... Hope the laminator survives. B-)

g
It's common in the stainaed glass / fused glass world to buy 'scrap'
glass (as in other peoples' offcuts). Once had some scrap come from
the USA - postie stood there with a parcel which sounded like broken
glass ('cos it was) and an expression on his face that said 'he's not
going to like this'.....

..was much relieved when i explained that's how it should sound !

I'll let you know whether the drill press gets damaged by the
laminator - or the other way round g

Adrian

I'm looking for a bench drill that takes Morse Taper bits (I forget
exactly which) as well as a normal chuck. Most of the ones I've seen
advertised are quite expensive. Are there cheap ones? Are there some not
advertised as MT that actually have it?

thanks

dan

Dan Smithers wrote:

I'm looking for a bench drill that takes Morse Taper bits (I forget
exactly which) as well as a normal chuck. Most of the ones I've seen
advertised are quite expensive. Are there cheap ones? Are there some not
advertised as MT that actually have it?

Most of them seem to have a morse taper chuck fitting, but as I
mentioned in another post, my Ferm drill has a morse taper quill, but it
is the wrong sex for use with a drill bit - i.e. the chuck has the
female bit. So you will have to check carefully before buying.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:39:35 +0100, Adrian wrote:

And 'yes' - I do know about mixing
water and mains electricity g...

Ah - good - far too many people add the electricity to the water instead of the
other way round...

Geo

HI Geo

On Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:45:02 GMT, Geo
wrote:

On Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:39:35 +0100, Adrian wrote:

And 'yes' - I do know about mixing
water and mains electricity g...

Ah - good - far too many people add the electricity to the water instead of the
other way round...

g
Actually - the 'water & electrickery' thing is the least of my
problems right now.

CPC's order status page seems fundamentally broken - so it didn't warn
me that there was some danger of the package being delivered
yesterday.....

....so UPS tried to deliver, and left one of their famous little
notes....

...promising delivery today.

Well - that didn't happen - so phoned UPS, who got the depot to phone
me back. Apparently CPC, in their infinite wisdom, popped the 19kg
pillar drill in a standard carboard shipping box - so by the time it
arrived with me the inner box with the drill in it had broken through
the outer box. So they took it back to the depot to perform a 'damage
assessment' - which meant that it missed being sent out today - so
it'll be coming out again on Monday.

So far, nobody knows what may have happened to the laminator, perspex
car sun-visors, electrolytic capacitors, SLA battery & charger and
laminating pouches that were also (allegedly!) in the same box......

Anybody care to place bets on which items survived ?? g -
I'll let you know who's closest to the mark when the remains of the
parcel arrive on Monday....

Bloody amateurs !

Adrian

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Adrian
saying something like:

I get the impression that these tools at the cheap end of the market
are probably all much the same... - hence the question...

I bought the Aldi bench drill a couple of years ago, not expecting it to
be up to much, but I was surprised. It's agricultural, sure, but quite
useful. When I bought mine there was a stack of them remaining in store,
and that was a good week after they'd been out on the floor - I reckon
most people who wanted one had their need satisfied the previous time
they'd been available.

Since then, I've seen it pop up a couple of times on the Aldi site and
Lidl have had it too. If you get a CPC version, it would be worth your
while grabbing an Aldi one as a spare.
--

Dave

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Adrian
saying something like:

Just hope they don't do what
the did once in Suffolk - shipped me a 100m (wooden) reel of
heavy-duty coaxial cable - loose-packed with an assortment of dil ICs
and other discrete components. Quite a mess, after the cable reel had
bounced around inside the box for a day or so.....

Bless'em, warehouse monkeys aren't employed for their brainpower.
I had a Northern Tools compresser arrive in a single skin cardboard box.
As you can imagine it took a bit of a battering in transit and the
plastic air cowl was busted. Useless *******s never replaced it.
--

Dave