2 HP C'man 20" drill press

[Jay Yoder]

I have been looking off and on at drill presses and have located a 20" 2Hp c'man near me. Anyone have any info on it? It is labeled as industrial unit...Any experiences with it out there?

[Chip Lindley]

Craftsman *industrial* stuff is usually worth keeping! That drill press will handle anything you plan on drilling. I doubt it is variable speed, which is a downer, but belt can be changed on the pulleys quickly too! If the price is right, you should definately consider it.

[Jay Yoder]

Chip,
Thanks for the input. I know some C'man is suspect, but I have an industrial RAS and it seems to be very heavily built. Although I have not used it more than once since I got it. The DP is not variable speed, but that is ok with me. I don't think i would change speeds that often as I dont do alot of drilling. I am not sure how old it is, but it appears in good condition and has 4-3/4" drilling depth capacity. He is asking $300. I checked and a new one is about $750 after freight is added...does that price seem about right?

[John Bush]

I have a 25+ y.o. Craftsman 17" Heavy duty DP and it's a great machine. I was going to "upgrade" to a newer one for the table raising mechanism and the longer spindle stroke(Steel City), but I liked the "feel" of my oldie better. I added a trailer tongue jack to the post and it works fine to raise the table and the 4" stroke works just fine as well. If you are comfortable with the price I think you could add a machine to your arsenal that will outlast you.

[John Bush]

I just read you new post, Jay, and $300 seems very reasonable. Mine also isn't variable speed and changing belt position takes 30 seconds to do. A good point may be to check the lowest speed on the machine. When I am using a circle cutter or drilling steel I would like to have a lower speed but I haven't had any difficulties yet. IIRC mine has a 4 3/4" stroke as well. If this DP is an older vintage without the table crank, let me know and I can send pics of my set-up.

[Jay Yoder]

John,
Thanks for the reply. I currently have a 12" c'man that is ok, I just wanted a greater capacity, as I have had to come up with major work arounds (which dont always work well) for a couple of projects. My dream DP was the Steel city, but the $$ was an issue, so I have been scouring craig's lists and papers and such. DP's just don't seem to be sold in our area for whatever reason. I guess obviously the lower I can get it for the better I would feel. Not to mention the SC is a 17" and this a 20"!

[David G Baker]

The older Craftsman Commercial equipment that I have seen is quite well made and most are still in service. The $300 if a very good price if the DP is in good shape. I have a 15 inch Craftsman Commercial that I purchased in 1973 that has been used a lot and it is still a fine working machine.

[Jay Yoder]

this unit is 7 years old and appears to be in good condition...It has the crank handle you mentioned. so 60% depreciation over 7 years is not bad then? Where might I find the actual model number?

[Burt Waddell]

I have a 20" Craftsman that is about 10 years old. It is a good drill press. I did initial adjustments right after I bought it and nothing has been required since then. If I recall correctly it was selling for $600 plus.


Burt