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

nb

On Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:32:49 +0000, 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 :-).

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

"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.

On 2010-03-30, Lee Michaels wrote:

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 :-).

Very good points and one's I should have thought about before rashly
posting my question. I was looking for a fast fix and didn't think it
through. Having been a machinist at one time, I'm quite familiar with
drill speeds and am probably jumping the gun. I will be drilling
small holes for electronics work and making homebrew antennas.
Perhaps a drill stand for drill motors is more appropriate. Even
drill jigs that fit directly on the drill motor may suffice. I've
used them successfully before where nothing else would do. Probably
more important is getting a good hi-speed 1/4" drill motor for small
drill bits.

Killed me to hafta sell my 3/4" tapered chuck floor press with 2 hp
motor when I moved, but such is life!

Thanks for the reality check, Lee.

nb

On 3/30/2010 11:44 AM, notbob wrote:

I will be drilling small holes for electronics work and making
homebrew antennas.

I bought a Ryobi bench-top a few years back (IIRC $99 at HD) that has
done a good job for light duty 1/2" drilling in wood, aluminum, brass,
and 1/4" mild steel.

For 1/2" and up I fall back on a 1973 ToolKraft VS floor model because
the bench-top just doesn't have all that much power.

You can see a bit of the Ryobi at

http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/Projects/DrillPressTable/

(Mine makes antennas, too.)

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

On 3/30/10 12:20 PM, Morris Dovey wrote:

I bought a Ryobi bench-top a few years back (IIRC $99 at HD) that has
done a good job for light duty 1/2" drilling in wood, aluminum, brass,
and 1/4" mild steel.



I have the same one. I had to tighten up that 8mm bolt in the side to
correct some run-out, but after that, it runs true.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On Mar 30, 10:32*am, notbob wrote:
Any recommendations for a solid reliable brand/model. *Don't even
mention Craftsman! *

nb

At the risk of repetition, I second Lee's recommendation of an olde
floor standing model. I was fortunate to find one through the seller's
newspaper add. It was a cast iron model made by Buffalo Forge, with a
step pulley arrangement for speed change. The only thing it needed
was a new quill assembly and Jacob's chuck. It has no bells or
whistles but does its job more than adaquately.
Joe G

On 2010-03-30, -MIKE- wrote:
On 3/30/10 12:20 PM, Morris Dovey wrote:

I bought a Ryobi bench-top a few years back (IIRC $99 at HD) that has
done a good job for light duty 1/2" drilling in wood, aluminum, brass,
and 1/4" mild steel.



I have the same one. I had to tighten up that 8mm bolt in the side to
correct some run-out, but after that, it runs true.

What kinda drill speeds, top end? Small bits need speed and there's
no limit when working aluminum.

nb

On 2010-03-30, notbob wrote:

What kinda drill speeds, top end? Small bits need speed and there's
no limit when working aluminum.

WOW! I think I'm in love. Delta DP350. 500-3100rpm vari-speed! I
can chuck up a pin chuck fer the itty-bitty bits. Isn't Delta suppose
to be pretty good stuff? Anyone have reasons why this might be a bad
choice? Thanks in advance.

nb

"notbob" wrote in message
...

What kinda drill speeds, top end? Small bits need speed and there's
no limit when working aluminum.

For electronics work, specifically drilling small (#50 thru #80) holes
in PCB's I've found that a Dremel in their drill press accessory works
very well. I have solid carbide bits with 1/8" shanks which fit the
dremel collet but dremel has a jacobs style chuck for the odd shanks
too.
Art

I have the Delta DP 350 and really like it. Have not done really fine
electronic type work. I like the variable speed and for a bench top it has
fairly long quill travel, IIRC about 4.5 inches. The variable speed is
really great, just twist the handle on the front.
Russ
"notbob" wrote in message
...
On 2010-03-30, notbob wrote:

What kinda drill speeds, top end? Small bits need speed and there's
no limit when working aluminum.

WOW! I think I'm in love. Delta DP350. 500-3100rpm vari-speed! I
can chuck up a pin chuck fer the itty-bitty bits. Isn't Delta suppose
to be pretty good stuff? Anyone have reasons why this might be a bad
choice? Thanks in advance.

nb

On 2010-03-30, Artemus wrote:

very well. I have solid carbide bits with 1/8" shanks which fit the
dremel collet but dremel has a jacobs style chuck for the odd shanks
too.
Art

Ah... good idea, but not gonna buy a dremel, also. That Delta DP has
the speed and I have the chucks and drills. Plus, want steady vert
repeatability for drilling multiple inline holes in tubing. Thank you
for the idea, though.

nb

On Mar 30, 7:32*am, notbob wrote:
Any recommendations for a solid reliable brand/model. *Don't even
mention Craftsman! *

The two things that bug me most about my benchtop press
are
(1) small spindle travel (about 2"); I've gotta reposition the work
when a deep hole is needed.

(2) lack of quill lock; if I need to measure the drill position, it's
convenient to chuck up a dowel pin and pull out the calipers. Not
so convenient if I can't park the dowel where I want to measure.

The benchtop models I didn't like, had nonreplaceable motors and/or
geared drives. It's awfully convenient to be able to loosen a belt
when you WANT the drill to slip before it grabs.

Worklight and airnozzle addons are on my to-do list. Last time I
had a bunch of holes (holesaw in wood) to do, I loaded boards
with my left hand, operated the press with my right, and huffed
and puffed with a sodastraw in my mouth to clear the waste.
It gets ... dizzying ... after a while.

"whit3rd" wrote

Worklight and airnozzle addons are on my to-do list. Last time I
had a bunch of holes (holesaw in wood) to do, I loaded boards
with my left hand, operated the press with my right, and huffed
and puffed with a sodastraw in my mouth to clear the waste.
It gets ... dizzying ... after a while.

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

LOL I know exactly what you are talking about! I have done the same thing.

I remember one job where I had to drill a large number of holes in another
shop. It wasn't my drill press and had to work with what theyhad. And they
tried to do it with dull bits. I told them no. So after considerable
argument, they got me some sharp bits. Then I had the same problem mentioned
above and no air. I made a complaint and was told to wait a minute.

Soon a teenage boy showed up with a fireplace bellows! He squirted air on
shavings and blew them away. It was funny. But it worked and I got done a
lot quicker.

On 2010-03-30, Lee Michaels wrote:

LOL I know exactly what you are talking about! I have done the same thing.

I was shocked when I grabbed the DeWalt jigsaw, admittedly in a hurry,
and later discovered someone still actually made a jigsaw with no
built-in sawdust blower. Sure, there was an orbital sander in the box
that I hadn't counted on, but when all was said and done, I'd have
gladly done without the sander for even a wimpy sawdust blower. What
are these people thinking? (yeah, I know.... I wasn't). :\

nb

"notbob" wrote in message
...
On 2010-03-30, Lee Michaels wrote:

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 :-).

Very good points and one's I should have thought about before rashly
posting my question. I was looking for a fast fix and didn't think it
through. Having been a machinist at one time, I'm quite familiar with
drill speeds and am probably jumping the gun. I will be drilling
small holes for electronics work and making homebrew antennas.
Perhaps a drill stand for drill motors is more appropriate. Even
drill jigs that fit directly on the drill motor may suffice. I've
used them successfully before where nothing else would do. Probably
more important is getting a good hi-speed 1/4" drill motor for small
drill bits.

Killed me to hafta sell my 3/4" tapered chuck floor press with 2 hp
motor when I moved, but such is life!

Thanks for the reality check, Lee.

nb


For your application, you might want to take a look at this:

http://www.micromark.com/MICROLUX-3-...RESS,7797.html

The Proxxon line of small power tools is also quite good.

On Mar 30, 9:32*am, notbob wrote:
Any recommendations for a solid reliable brand/model. *Don't even
mention Craftsman! *

nb

Might take a look at grizzly. This link will get you into their
site. I personally prefer the floor model and this one has some
commonality with bigger machines.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-S...ll-Press/G7943

RonB

On Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:32:49 +0000, notbob wrote:

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

I have a Delta DP300L that I picked up at Lowes a couple years ago.
It was on sale for somewhere around $100.

It's solid and seems well constructed. Changing speeds is a bit
awkward, moving belts on pulleys. There not much play even when
the motor is loosened.

Like any benchtop drill press, the table is small. Someday I'll
make a wood table to fit over the metal table.

-- Michael Eager

On 2010-03-31, LDosser wrote:
"notbob" wrote in message
...
On 2010-03-30, Lee Michaels wrote:

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 :-).

Very good points and one's I should have thought about before rashly
posting my question. I was looking for a fast fix and didn't think it
through. Having been a machinist at one time, I'm quite familiar with
drill speeds and am probably jumping the gun. I will be drilling
small holes for electronics work and making homebrew antennas.
Perhaps a drill stand for drill motors is more appropriate. Even
drill jigs that fit directly on the drill motor may suffice. I've
used them successfully before where nothing else would do. Probably
more important is getting a good hi-speed 1/4" drill motor for small
drill bits.

Killed me to hafta sell my 3/4" tapered chuck floor press with 2 hp
motor when I moved, but such is life!

Thanks for the reality check, Lee.

nb


For your application, you might want to take a look at this:

http://www.micromark.com/MICROLUX-3-...RESS,7797.html

The Proxxon line of small power tools is also quite good.


I think that some of MicroMark tools are re-branded Proxxon tools. For
example the drill press above looks lots like Proxxon TBM. Very good tool, a
bit too slow for small carbide bits I use. I have Proxxon IB/E for small
scale work:
http://www.sell-it-easy.de/en/handhe...,rid,8,kd.html
with Proxxon drill stand:
http://www.sell-it-easy.de/en/wbc.ph...066&recno=1 3

seismo malm