Is this a great deal on a drill press

[Brian Kent]

Daytona Drill Press on Craigslist for $70.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/tls/1224544206.html

Should I jump in the car and drive an hour?

[Kyle Iwamoto]

What? You haven't left yet? Seems like a good deal, although I personally don't know who/what Daytona is, and I couldn't quickly find out anything about them.
I think it should be worth 75 bucks. If it runs well. LOOKS like a big DP, looks to be in nice shape. Check the condition of the belts. If they look good, then it should be a good buy. Check for rust. Lots of rust = less than great care. Minor surface rust is okay.

[Pete Bradley]

This is likely a Taiwanese machine that was sold under a lot of different names. Quality varies. If it's mechanically sound and the chuck's not chewed up it's worth the asking price, but I'd still recommend against it if its one of the "junk tools" variety. If fit and quality seem good, go for it. I wouldn't worry about the belts, better to assume they need replacement.

Notice the clamp holding the table raise/lower rack on, could be busted from a dumb mistake, poor quality, or wear/abuse.

Pete

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Sorry, should have explained more. Check the belts for abnormal wear. It the pulleys are misaligned/bad the belts will get eaten. Then you should skip the DP. Yeah worn belts should not be a problem. Although that is an indicator of lots of hours.

[Dave Lehnert]

Dayton is the house brand for Grainger. An industrial supply house.

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/4CY86

FYI- Their list price is high. A business gets a good size discount dependent on their purchase volume.

[Bruce Page]

Dave, I thought Dayton also when I first read Brian's post but it's Daytona which I don't think is related to Dayton. Most Dayton stuff is very good, I had one of their Speed-Aire compressors for 20+ years and it's still going strong at my son-in-law's.

[Brian Kent]

Close up photo says it is made in Taiwan (or some other country starting with the letters Tai…)

[Jeffrey Makiel]

This drill press looks identical to my Central Machinery model sold by Harbor Freight from about 20 years ago, except mine was painted green. If so, it has 16 speeds from a very slow (<200 rpm) to a very fast speed (3,800 rpm). The chuck is of good quality and the machine has no plastic parts (other than the 3 round knobs at the end of the handles.

Although I'm just a weekend warrior of several hobbies, my drill press has seen a lot of use including sanding and polishing. It works very well and has no problems or quirks. It is of Taiwanese origin where mostly all the Asian clone tools came from at that time (1980s).

As for the specific condition of the advertised drill press, it is impossible to determine from a photo. However, $70 seems seems very reasonable, and it appears to be 'all there'. On the plus side, there's not much to go wrong with a drill press. The bearings are likely standard and readily available (never replaced mine), and the belts can be replaced if needed thru McMaster-Carr, Grainger, or perhaps an auto store.

cheers, Jeff :)

[Jeffrey Makiel]

A little more detail assuming it is the same as mine...

- It has a built in light (~75watt bulb) at the bottom of the head just in front of the support column.

- The motor switch is on the left side of the head and built into the head casting. It also has a separate light switch located there.

- The pulleys are 4 step machined aluminum including the idler pulley. The belts are standard width (forgot which one), and speeds are easily changed.

- The table swivels left or right for inclined drilling by loosening one bolt. It's not the most convenient set up, but I rarely use this option. Instead, I make wedges for drilling inclined holes.

- The swing is 16", and the motor has plenty of power to spin even large fly cutters. The motor is also TEFC and wired for 120V. It's rated around 14A (I'm not at home now...so I'm guessing).

- The chuck has a 5/8" capacity, standard key tighten, and is held into the head with a #2 morse taper adapter.

- I bought a mortising attachment from Grizzly that fitted the collar diameter.

- The base is cast iron and has provision to be bolted to the floor.

- The drill press table is raised/lowered via a cranking mechanism and then tightened with a knurled lever-type knob.

cheers, Jeff :)

[Bob Slater]

That looks just like my Taiwanese drill press I bought well used 15 years ago. It has been a great machine.

[Alex Shanku]

I would pass on that.

[Brian Kent]

Do the models that seem comparable have a 3-1/4" spindle travel?

That could be a limitation for some work I do that involves drilling and tapping. I want to be able to change from drill to tap without moving the table.

[David Hostetler]

That looks like my Northern Industrial. Just a generic Taiwan floor model DP. Good price on it, but consider that same model (okay updated model) in gray and black paint can be had at Harbor Freight for $189.99 without a sale or the % off coupons... How close is HF to you? Depending on gas prices where you live, the cost of going to HF, getting a brand new DP etc... might be a better deal for you...

If long quill travel is important to you you really need to save your pennies and get one of those Steel City 17" DPs with that 6" travel...

I have only done one project where I had to stop drilling, raise the piece, and restart with the bit in the hole. I was drilling axle holes in toy cars based on kiln dried non PT 4x4s...

[Brian Kent]

OK, I think I'll pass on this one.

My current drill press is the little bench top Harbor Freight that is $79, but I got it on sale for $39. I'll keep it for polishing. Its only real weaknesses have been quill travel and a depth stop that only sort-of stops the press.

The Steel City is what I have been looking at, but I am open to high quality used or other brands.

Thank you everyone. It is good to hear that many of you have had solid experiences with Harbor Freight.

Brian

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Brian...I won't be in my shop until Saturday. Perhaps somebody else can either measure their comparable machine, or look at the depth guage scale. But 3 1/4" quil travel sounds about right.

I'm betting the HF machine sold today is made in mainland China vs. Taiwan. From my casual observation, the mainland China machinery clones generally appear to be of a lesser visual quality regarding their smaller parts and casting quality. But, that's a very broad statement. Functionally, it may be equivalent. I dunno.

-Jeff :)

[Dave Lehnert]

Dave, I thought Dayton also when I first read Brian's post but it's Daytona which I don't think is related to Dayton. Most Dayton stuff is very good, I had one of their Speed-Aire compressors for 20+ years and it's still going strong at my son-in-law's.
Never heard of Daytona brand but a search shows such a drill press.
I in fact own one just like the one in the pic but painted white. Purchased it new for $99. Regardless of price it is one of the most accurate tools in my shop.

[Stephen Tashiro]

I have a "Duracraft" drill press with a shorter column that looks similar. One thing to consider is whether you need variable speed and , if so, are you really going to bother to get it by moving the belt on the pulleys? Would you be happier with a drill press that had electronically variable speed? This design is "tippy", and heavy so you definitely must bolt it down.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

I not sure if there are any electronic variable speed drill presses. Most use a variable pitch sheave to acheive the variable speed with or without a digital speed readout.

If I bought another drill press, I would strongly consider variable speed vs stepped pulley/belt. It's not necessary, but kind of nice. :)

-Jeff :)

[Dan Scott]

If I were going to buy a drill press, new or used, I would chuck up a short length of drill stock and chack the run-out with a dial indicator. I have seen several Taiwaneese drill presses that are pretty good..but bought one 25 yrs ago that had an unbelievable amount of runout..the machines "highest and best use" was as a boat anchor...

[Bob Slater]

You can often get rid of the runout with a steel shaft, a dial indicator and a light hammer. Worked well for my Taiwanese DP.