Drill Press advice buy vintage or new

[Jack Gaskins]

Hi all.

I have an 8 year old Delta 17" DP and to be honest it sucks. To many things are out of alignment with it and after reallignment they go back out of alignment easily. Nothing critical, all I do is woodturning and some flat work. So the Delta has gotten me by. I think the critical aspects I am looking for is a table that is easy to level and easy to adjust up down and a speed adjustment that is easy to adjust. I have read many threads and found there are more positive suggestions for vintage DPs from the 1920s to the 1950s versa anything made up to today overseas. If you wanted a DP for woodworking what would you look for.........One DP that seems to have good reviews is an old Buffalo #18. I know nothing about drill presses other than the basics of its use......

Thanks,
Jack

[Cary Falk]

The Powermatic 1150 gets a lot of respect. That would be the one that I would be looking for. Unfortunately a lot of vintage drill presses do not have a table elevation crank. That is a total PITA and a deal killer. I would also prefer 3phase and put a VFD on it to get infinite variable speed and not have to mess with changing belts as often. My Steel City DP is doing everything I need it to do so I am not in the market. If you go new the new Delta 18-900L? is getting excellent reviews.

[Scott T Smith]

If you do purchase new, be sure to check out the Delta 18-900L. I bought one a few months back for the wood shop and really like it a lot.

[Bill White]

I found an old King-Seely/Craftsman circa 1952/55 for $150.00. This DP is a mule. I've even used it as a milling machine for aluminum. Still as tight and true as new. This sucker is some kinda heavy (floor model), and it ain't goin' out of my shop. Look around for old stuff. You'll find some great old machines that are not equaled in today's machinery.
I forgot....I did have to change the belt. Shucks.................
Bill

[richard poitras]

I have had the Delta 18-900L for a few months now and think it is a great drill press, I looked for some time for used old iron with no luck and the ones I did find were just to bad of shape for the prices they were asking

[Timothy Wolf]

Older is better for Drill presses, I would look for a Craftsman King Seeley or Sprunger they are both well made, I have owned both but I sold the Sprunger when someone offered me 3x what I paid for it then I found a King Seeley for $125. I previously owned a newer Jet which turned out to be the biggest waste of time and money. I hope that helps!

[Jay Rasmussen]

One thing is for sure, if you buy new, “you get what you pay for” definitely applies.

[Van Huskey]

You don't have to go back to the 50s. Just look for a good PM 1150 even the gold era is fine. If you want an even nicer huge honker get a PM 1200. There are a lot of decent old lighter weight DPs but if you find a solid PM you will never have to want for more or better. Just be aware these heavier DPs tend to be 3 ph where the lighter weight versions are usually single phase so get a plan together for that if you want to go heavy.

The major pro for a new press is the ability to get them designed for woodworking and thus are easier to implement into a wood shop.

[Jack Gaskins]

I just can see the why these new DPs cost so much...The PM and Delta both look nice but man are they costly. One thing about old DPs is they have no crank for the table hieght. Has anyone found that to be an issue? I am always cranking mine up or down (even though the crank sucks on my DP). And speaking of cranks why cant they make a DP with tiny gears which would make them easier to raise and lower? Mine has large gear teeth and is hard to move.

[Van Huskey]

Some of the PMs for instance do have geared tables and/or geared heads but it depends on how they were ordered, industrial DPs like the 1150 and 1200 were usually ordered from an ala carte menu which had them set up for their specific use.

Large gear teeth are for the weights they are designed to lift, left over from metal working, a well build press table won't be a pain to move.

[Guy Belleman]

Guess I am confused, is that woodturning on the DP? If so, then the first thing to do is get a lathe. That Delta 18-900 is a nice DP. The PM2800 has gotten some great reviews. So has the Grizzly 7944. Good luck.

[richard poitras]

The PM2800 has gotten some great reviews.

I would look some more at the reviews of the PM2800 as there are a lot of not so good ones out there as well?

[David G Baker]

I have a Craftsman Commercial DP purchased in 1973 that has served me well. For critical drilling I use my tool room mill. I have three drill presses plus the mill and of the drill presses the Craftsman is the best. Older drill presses are great if they haven't been abused plus you get better metal used in their manufacture unless you pay the bucks and get a high end machine.

[David Kumm]

For the contrarian viewpoint, I replaced my DP with a used Millrite with the quick feed lever and find it way more versitile. Dave

[Steven Satur]

I picked up a 1950s Walker Turner floor mounted press with a crank up table for $100.00 on Craigslist.222911

[Kent A Bathurst]

Some of the PMs for instance do have geared tables and/or geared heads but it depends on how they were ordered, industrial DPs like the 1150 and 1200 were usually ordered from an ala carte menu which had them set up for their specific use.

Large gear teeth are for the weights they are designed to lift, left over from metal working, a well build press table won't be a pain to move.

Bingo.

My PM 1150A has the production table - one big honking slab of cast iron - and the gearing on the crank makes it reasonably comfortable to change height....down is still easier than up, tho........:D

[Kent A Bathurst]

I picked up a 1950s Walker Turner floor mounted press with a crank up table for $100.00 on Craigslist.222911


Steven - whacha got there in the back left of the photo?

[Ben Kiefer]

In my area anyways, vintage drill presses show up on Craigslist all the time. My Walker Turner 900 cost $100, and was an easy refurb. I love this drill press, but will agree that the lack of a table elevation crank makes changing the table height a real workout.

[Van Huskey]

Bingo.

My PM 1150A has the production table - one big honking slab of cast iron - and the gearing on the crank makes it reasonably comfortable to change height....down is still easier than up, tho........:D

I looked at a couple of 1200VS last weekend, man was one of them VERY nice. They both had production tables with only a couple of holes, though you never see them on 1200s I would prefer the smaller tilting table since it is easier to set up for woodworking.

[glenn bradley]

I would look some more at the reviews of the PM2800 as there are a lot of not so good ones out there as well?

Agree. Issues reported included vibration, run-out, table raising mechanism being whimpy and failing to reach the not-slow-enough 400RPM low end. My brother is one (among others) who read the reviews, tried it anyway and took it back. PM makes some great stuff. This DP just isn't one of them.

The subject of a good modern era DP that is under $2500 or so, and is decent, is a frequently recurring subject here. The Delta 18-900, while not variable speed, seems to be the top dog lately. I have a Delta 17-925 which is the largest unit that carries the "Shopmaster" format. It is really a baby Delta DP on steroids and not well executed with the excpetion of the table tilt mechanism which they got 75% right. After 2 warranty calls the first year it has shaken out to be pretty decent for just $300. I lopng for a "good" one but, as of yet . . . I am still waiting.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I looked at a couple of 1200VS last weekend, man was one of them VERY nice. They both had production tables with only a couple of holes, though you never see them on 1200s I would prefer the smaller tilting table since it is easier to set up for woodworking.


And? Anything follow you home? $$$ on the VERY nice one, just for me to drool over?

[Larry Edgerton]

I have a pair of Walker-Turner presses, one floor model with crank table and one with a huge fixed table and the head cranks up and down. The second one has a threader and weighs over 1000#s. I paid $100 for the first one and $250 for the second one. The only problem with Walker -Turners is the head return springs are a little weak.

If looking at new look at Clausing, still made in the USA.

Larry

[Brad Patch]

Selection of a drill press comes down to what type of work you do. I had a import floor drill press that never could drill an accurate deep hole without the bit wandering. Finally gave up and bought a vintage Walker Turner 15 inch bench model and am much happier. I'll list my thoughts of the various drill press features

Quill Lock - Mandatory. you will use it a lot

Speed Change - Some imports have 12 speeds, the speed mechanisms are cheaply made and contribute to vibration. My four speed W/T drill press has been used for more than a year using micro bits through 1 inch bits and never changed the speed.

Bench versus Floor Model - In the years I used my import floor model I only used its greater capacity once.

Table raising - Yes I wish I had this function, however I get with minimal effort by keeping the post clean and waxed.

Tilting table - I rarely used this function, I now use shims when needed

Motor Horsepower - 1/3 to 1/2 HP is probably all you need.

Chucks - OEM chucks are usually low quality. I replaced mine with a high quality (import) chuck and am much happier

Your requirements and scope of work may differ, however the functionality, fit and finish, and cost of a well maintained vintage tool are hard to beat.

Brad

[Jerome Hanby]

I'll take a shot at running Brad's list from my perspective...since he made such a good list and it's a shame not to use it again!

Quill Lock - Mandatory. you will use it a lot. I agree, this (or lack of a good form of this) can make your life miserable

Speed Change - I don't think the mechanism is all that important. A VFD is cool because you never have to fool with belts and pulleys, but how often do you make a speed change. i tend to make one change and use that setting for a long time. important thing to me is the range, particularly the low range. Having a nice slow bottom end lets you use big Forstner bits and circle cutters without risking life and limb.

Bench versus Floor Model - I More than capacity, I like a floor model for space considerations. It doesn't occupy bench space, is always ready to go, and it occupies very little floor space and can sit in odd nooks and crannies where nothing else will.

Table raising - I think a good table raising mechanism is just about mandatory, A bad or absent one makes usage miserable. Low end speed and the table raising are the big knocks i have on my Shopsmith as drill press.

Tilting table - I rarely used this function, I now use shims when needed. I aggree, for my projects I can see this comming into play maybe once or twice, but when it does, I'm more likely to build a jig or use the Shopsmith.

Motor Horsepower - 1/3 to 1/2 HP is probably all you need. Agreed. More is always better, but I wouldn't let it be a deal breaker.

Chucks - OEM chucks are usually low quality. I replaced mine with a high quality (import) chuck and am much happier. I yield here, my chucks seem fine, but I may be such a poor user that I haven't noticed the limitations.

Your requirements and scope of work may differ, however the functionality, fit and finish, and cost of a well maintained vintage tool are hard to beat. I would almost always agree with this sentiment, but I went of the reservation on the drill press. I looked at a bunch of old machines and just couldn't find one i was happy with in my price range. When I lucked into a new Delta 18" model for half price, it turned out to be just what i was looking for at a price I could swing.

Brad[/QUOTE]

[Jack Gaskins]

For the contrarian viewpoint, I replaced my DP with a used Millrite with the quick feed lever and find it way more versitile. Dave

Whats a Millrite?

[Van Huskey]

Whats a Millrite?

A type of milldrill. Made for metalworking but some can be adapted to woodworking. I generally find them to me a PITA to use for woodworking and are more expensive, but others like them.

Edit: to fix my brainfreeze but Jerome copied it for all to see. :D

[Jerome Hanby]

I'm sue this was a hiccup, but it's pretty funny <g> Sounds like most of my tools!


A type of milldrill. Made for woodworking but some can be adapted to woodworking. I generally find them to me a PITA to use for woodworking and are more expensive, but others like them.