Grizzly G7938 drill press - good value?

[scott vroom]

I can purchase the Griz G7948 12 Speed 20" Floor Drill Press for $595 & free shipping. I don't have a lot of time to research drill presses and heard this was a very good design. Any thoughts on this particular model? Are there better values out there at this price? I'm not looking at used by the way.

[Carroll Courtney]

Awhile back I purchase a 15"DP and love it very much,until I used a 20".Boy is there a difference,very HD,solid,lite,and a good chuck.Yep,its the same one your looking at.I'm not a giz fan,but the DP may have change my mine.(If I had one:D) If your like me,I use it for wood & metal working.I wish it was easier to change speeds,but can't have everything.New,shipped to your door I think its worth it and should last you alife time.Wana' see pics----Carroll

[Jacob Mac]

I am interested in this model too. The only thing I consistently hear is that you want as much quill travel as possible, which is why the SC drill press gets so much play.

If you get one, I would appreciate a review.

[Kevin Groenke]

Scott,

That DP was on my short list of machines under consideration last year as well as: PM2800, old Clausing or Powermatic, Steel City and Delta 20-959LX(never produced) and 20-950. I seriously considered buying the Grizzly, a SC17", a 17-959 or similar and adding a 3ph motor and VFD to get variable speed.

Ultimately I realized that I simply couldn't make a drill press with the features of the 20-950 for less than the cost of the 20-950.

Though there were mixed reviews, I took the plunge with the 20-950 and have no regrets. I may have gotten lucky, but the machine we got is as smooth and quiet as any other drill press I've ever used. It's a nicely designed machine with several unique features (forward tilting table w/T-slots, replaceable insert, 6" stroke) The quill lock and depth stop are simple and effective.

Unfortunately, according to Google:
ITEM IS ON FACTORY BACKORDER UNTIL JANUARY 2009 Woodworker s table has a removable insert for through drilling with large bits; Unique table is designed to eliminate auxiliary fixtures by tilting left and right & forward; Large quill stroke capacity allows users to drill a variety of demanding operations; A quick-adjust depth stop allows users to quick set the drilling depth for repetitive operations; Heavy-duty 1 HP motor provides ample power for demanding drilling operations; Large, redesigned base helps promote greater tool stability; Integrated task light provides improved visibility in the drilling area; Largest in class cast iron head provides smooth drilling with minimal vibration.

Considering the fate of the 20-959lx, who knows if the 20-950 will ever come back - too bad since it's really the only machine of it's kind.

If I had to buy a drill press right now I would probably try the one from Northern rather than the Grizzly because it has varaible speed and pretty much the same features for the same money. (shipping to a retail store is free - if you're outside of Northern's area, shipping $ is probably a killer)

The reveiws of the Griz on Amazon seem mixed, but that seems more about delivery and instruction manuals than anything else, I really can't find and real-world experience with Northern's.

http://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-G7948-Speed-20%2522-Floor/product-reviews/B0000DD6TI/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?ie=UTF8&coliid=&showViewpoints=1&colid=&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41CVXHMAR7L._SS500_.jpghttp://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/155306_lg.jpg

[William Addison]

I have had one for about a year and would buy another without thinking twice about it. I believe it was probably the best value of any DP I looked at. I don't like VS drill presses and the 43/4 inch quill travel is as much as I need. It is very heavy, quiet, and powerful. aside from a small problem with the lamp being miswired on arrival, it has been trouble free. It's a fine machine.

[Jacob Mac]

I have had one for about a year and would buy another without thinking twice about it. I believe it was probably the best value of any DP I looked at. I don't like VS drill presses and the 43/4 inch quill travel is as much as I need. It is very heavy, quiet, and powerful. aside from a small problem with the lamp being miswired on arrival, it has been trouble free. It's a fine machine.


Did you have to replace the chuck? Or is runout not an issue with the chuck it comes with?

[William Addison]

As I recollect, It has .004 run out. I imagine that could be reduced with a better chuck because the one that came with it is---just a Chinese chuck. For the metal work I do on occasion and wood working I don't have a problem with the runout.

[Eddie Darby]

From the sounds of things, Grizzly is getting ready to take the lead in the DP world.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=121904

See post #12. The only question then is can you wait?

[scott vroom]

[QUOTE=Kevin Groenke;1233074]Scott,


Considering the fate of the 20-959lx, who knows if the 20-950 will ever come back - too bad since it's really the only machine of it's kind.


Kevin, I'm confused. Your comment seems to indicate the 20-950 is not available however ir can be purchased at several on-line sites for $799.

Is it worth the extra $200 Vs the Grizzly 20"?

[scott vroom]

I have had one for about a year and would buy another without thinking twice about it. I believe it was probably the best value of any DP I looked at. I don't like VS drill presses and the 43/4 inch quill travel is as much as I need. It is very heavy, quiet, and powerful. aside from a small problem with the lamp being miswired on arrival, it has been trouble free. It's a fine machine.

William, I'm curious as to why you don't like variable speed drill presses?

[Kevin Groenke]

Scott,

Considering the absence of other contenders in the VS, long-stroke drill press category, I think the 20-950 is a very good option: IF you can get one.

I personally don't recognize any of the vendors who claim to have it in stock (google "Plumbers Surplus scam" before placing an order) I recall seeing somewhere that Delta has discontinued production, but I can't seem to find that info now. The reputable outlets who have it on their webpages seem to list it as unavailable or discontinued.

There were mixed reports on the quality of these units, some here and elsewhere reported that their machines vibrated badly and had other issues, ours is great, but it may be an exception.

I wouldn't buy from anyplace that I hadn't heard of or even ordered from prior.

Frustrating, that a guy can't buy a decent drill press isn't it?

good luck
-kg

[David Wong]

A couple of weeks ago, I called several on-line places that show the Delta 20-950 in stock. They all told me that the drill is not available because Delta has discontinued it. I did not try Plumber's Surplus. After calling a few local places and a few reputable internet places, I got the idea the item was not to be found.

[Karl Fife]

I actually own the 20-950 drill press and I love it. I would buy it again in a heartbeat if I had to (and of course if it had not been discontinued). I called Delta on November 20th (2009) and they CONFIRMED it--discontinued in September. They did not say why.

I consider myself lucky to have gotten one while it was available. Fitted with a beautiful ALBRECHT key-less chuck, and a Powertwist drive belt it is an unbelievable machine, especially for the price. It runs quiet, smooth and true, the huge flat (and perfectly square-to-spindle) table adjusts smoothly. Once you USE an 'REAL' variable-speed machine you will NEVER go back. In fact, now that I have seen first-hand how useful that feature is, I would definitely be willing to pay more for it if I had to do it all over again (which I'm happy I don't have to)!

I acutaly retrofitted the laser from the 17-959L and a wixey DIGITAL DEPTH GUAGE onto mine. Now it's actually more like the 20-959LX.

I DO KNOW that the original discontinuation was due to quality control issues with the Chinese contract manufacturer. I ALSO CAN SAY that I had a few (very minor) quality issues with mine--specificaly the depth-stop rod had "factory-mangled" threads. Delta had to send me THREE replacements before getting one that would work. The first replacement was also mangled, and the second two replacements were 'mushroomed' on the threaded ends--couldn't get them started. To me this fact points squarely to sloppy contract manufacture, which (in contrast to the unbeatable design) is a strong indication that the re-discontiuation is probably AGAIN DUE TO QUALITY CONTROL.

Hopefully they'll move production to Taiwan, and re-re-release it before we all die of old age. :-) If you're in the market, try to nab one of these before they disappear.

You might be interested to read this Amazon.com review
http://www.amazon.com/review/R1T3BRSDG0SH7F/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

[george wilson]

We had a variable speed new Delta DP at my old job. It did need a new chuck right off the bat,and vibrated too. We changed the belt,which didn't do much good. I ended up leaving a clamp clamped across the head of it to ease the noise,but never got around to working on it further due to our work load.

I wouldn't buy the 20" Grizzly,but my needs are different from the average wood worker,as I am also a machinist. The 20" is a metal working type machine,but will not go slow enough to take advantage of the size holes it is supposed to be able to drill in steel with that #4 morse taper quill.

Right now,the only way I can drill large holes would be to drill them in my 16" lathe,which I altered to do 30 rpm. The Ellis drill press mentioned a few days ago looks nice,but is $2500.00(or more by now) plus freight. That seems to be about what you have to pay these days to get a decent larger metal working DP.