Drill Press Help

[Gregg Feldstone]

I'm trying to find a NEW drill press which meets the following criteria:
1. Under $2000
2. Variable speed with min. speed 250 rpm or less.
3. 5" or greater quill travel.
4. 18" Swing or greater.
5. 1hp motor or greater.
6. The kicker, NOT made in China. Preferably Taiwan, Europe or
North America.

Thanks!!

[Myk Rian]

I think you're into the commercial category of DPs with those specs. The $2,000 price limit for a NEW tool is probably the deal killer.

[pat warner]

There are tools in your neighborhood, Wilton, Canadian made General, Buffalo, maybe Delta, and a few others. But, like this rebuilt Rockwell (http://patwarner.com/images/quill-stop.jpg), I'd be lookin' at rebuilt stuff from the 60-70's for 15"+ tools @<2K$.

[Van Huskey]

I am skeptical that what you desire exists. Delta, PM, Jet, General, Wilton, Laguna are out I am pretty sure for different reasons. Ellis is one that comes to mind, their drill press is EXACTLY what you want except probably for price... checked the price $2600...

[Kent A Bathurst]

There are tools in your neighborhood, Wilton, Canadian made General, Buffalo, maybe Delta, and a few others. But, like this rebuilt Rockwell (http://patwarner.com/images/quill-stop.jpg), I'd be lookin' at rebuilt stuff from the 60-70's for 15"+ tools @<2K$.

Recently got a 1985 PM1150A-VS in very good shape for well under $1k. Experienced PO had replaced bearings, tuned it up, etc. What a horse. Bottom end is 450 rpm, but I'd guess that could be addressed with a different RPM motor, or a VFD on a 3ph maybe?

Mine has a replacement 1ph motor on it, but the PO included the OEM 3ph as part of the deal, so I hope someday to remount the 3ph and add a VFD.

Or, if you want to get REALLY serious, look for a PM 1200VS. Couple hunded pounds heaver than my weenie 1150 :D , and bottom end is 200rpm, IIRC.

[Gregg Feldstone]

I knew this would be hard to answer. I am interested in the Ellis, but am not sure about a VFD at that price, as these type of machines usually cost much more. They claim to operate at minimal speeds with full torque. Also, this machine, model 9400 has a Chinese motor.
The Jet 15" VS is from Taiwan and only goes down to 400 rpm. Clausing's are $3500 and up. The used Clausing's are advertised at $1500-$2500. My biggest question is: Are the parts still available for older Clausing drills? With a Powermatic, this is an issue. My problem with getting a used drill is that I don't live close to where I can see them in person. I'm afraid that buying sight unseen could be an expensive disaster.

[Gregg Feldstone]

Any other opinions today?

[Greg R Bradley]

A Clausing is very reliable. A friend, who also owned a machinery dealership, used one in his factory for many years without any issues. He considered them to be the best available. I can't imagine that they would be useful for wood as they are very heavy duty. I'm thinking the table must weigh 10 times what the table on my Delta weighs.

ETA: The "made in USA" is a bit of a confusing subject. None of these are completely made in USA. Not even a Bridgeport Mill is still completely made in the USA. They stopped making the castings in the US and seasoning them 15+ years ago. The castings are made in China and finish machined in the US. The US legislated foundries out of existence years ago except for a few companies that could prove a need for ultra precision castings. One of my customers is making his machines in the US out of Chinese made components built to his specs - These machines average around $1 million each.

Compare the specs on the Porter Cable 15" drill press sold in Lowes for $299. Yes, it is a complete POS, and is dramatically inferior to the Rigid that is sold in Home Depot for the same price. The same company sells the 15" Delta USA made unit that looks very similar in specs is around $4,000 - And the basic castings are almost certainly made in China. They call it their "production" drill press. We bought one around 15 years ago and I recall it was around $1,000.

[Gregg Feldstone]

Greg,
Are you saying the $4000 machine is not much better than the $300?
What do you think of the "industrial" Jet drills?
The 15" model can be had for around $1600 but I'm afraid having only 15" of swing would be too limiting for woodworking.
I'm going to look at a Clausing that's up for auction this weekend. I don't have the specs yet but it looks like a 20+ year old model maybe 15" or 20". It has a 3 phase motor so I would most likely replace the motor with a Baldor or Lesson. Does anyone know who sells motors with mounts for Clausing drills?
Also, what has too be done to a drill when switching from a 3ph to 1ph motor? Is it just a matter of the right mount, size and hp and a little wiring or is it more involved than that?
Thanks!!

[Kent A Bathurst]

......what has too be done to a drill when switching from a 3ph to 1ph motor..........

There is a large group of folks that would keep the 3ph and put on a VFD. Var Freq Drive on a Var Speed drill?? what the heck????????

Price competetive with new motor, IIRC. My anecdotal observation has been that there can be a premium demanded by the market for a toll like this that was factory 1ph, so a 3ph plus VFD can often be cheaper

The really focused DP guys would say that you use the drill's speed adjust to get about where you want to be, then use the VFD to fine tune the speed to find the sweet spot with no vibration.

Sounded odd to me at first, but the PO of my PM1150VS had replaced the 3ph with a 1ph, and I got him to throw the 3ph into the deal. Someday, I'm going get a VFD and try it out.

[Dan Hintz]

Gregg,

If you end up getting a 3Ph model, I'll swap you for the 1Ph on the PM2800 I'll be picking up next week. I like a lot of the features of the PM2800, except the low-end speed, like you. I figure I'll throw a 3Ph motor on there at some point and install a VFD, as others have suggested.

To be honest, though, I know there are VFD solutions for 1Ph motors, but I can't imagine the torque would be the same at the lower speeds compared to a 3Ph.

[Greg R Bradley]

Greg,
Are you saying the $4000 machine is not much better than the $300?
What do you think of the "industrial" Jet drills?
The 15" model can be had for around $1600 but I'm afraid having only 15" of swing would be too limiting for woodworking.
I'm going to look at a Clausing that's up for auction this weekend. I don't have the specs yet but it looks like a 20+ year old model maybe 15" or 20". It has a 3 phase motor so I would most likely replace the motor with a Baldor or Lesson. Does anyone know who sells motors with mounts for Clausing drills?
Also, what has too be done to a drill when switching from a 3ph to 1ph motor? Is it just a matter of the right mount, size and hp and a little wiring or is it more involved than that?
Thanks!!
No, I'm saying that they are both basic 15" drills with similar specs. They look very similar in a catalog. The quality difference is huge. The rack mechanism on the "homeowner" Porter Cable probably would fail within a month of typical shop use. If you know equipment, you would see numerous problems. Sad to see what B&D has done to the PC brand.
I considered Jet's woodworking drill press that was about $500 but the Delta 17-959L seemed much better for just a bit more money. I liked the poly belt system on the Jet better than the Delta.
After being used to variable speed on my Bridgeport & Drobo, I got carried away and bought the Powermatic PM2800 without looking at it carefully enough.
I can't imagine that you would be happy with any of the Clausing equipment I have seen for woodworking. Every shop I've seen with units that size also had a 15" for general use.

[Gregg Feldstone]

Why would I not be happy wth a Clausing for Woodworking? It seems as though they can do anything you might ask of a a drill press. I mean variable speed, low end speed down to 200, super heavy duty, nice T-slots to anchor stuff with. What's there not to like?

[Kent A Bathurst]

No reason I know of. If the speed range [low + high], price, etc. get you where you want to be, go for it. Much more HD than a typical ww application needs [not sure which model you are looking at, but guess it is roughly comparable to a PM1200 - which I was close to buying]. Normally a machine-shop tool, but that doesn't mean you won't be happy with it for ww. Serious beast - 600+ lb? - get some help to unload + reassemble it. You can probably drill anything short of a Chilean mine rescue shaft with it - and that might not be out of the question.

[Gregg Feldstone]

I have located a Wilton Model 2035 used DP with a single phase 1.5 hp Baldor motor. The entire unit was made in the USA. This model is a 20" variable speed unit which looks very similar to the current Jet model.
They are asking $1250 compared to the $2500 for a new Jet model ( made in Taiwan). I feel like it's a good deal except for one possible drawback; the variable speed range is 80-1200 rpm. I am concerned about the low top end speed. As woodworkers, what is your opinion about this? What type of operations does one need speeds >1200 rpm for? Thanks!!