Drill press choices have me spinning

[Chris Stolicky]

So, in the world of drill presses there are quite a few choices. I own a Jet JDP-17DX and really like it. Here is my dilemma and why I need another drill press (besides liking tools)...

I have gotten into making some of my own tools; mainly turning related. I have gotten to the point where I am tired to trying to use my dedicated woodworking drill press for cutting metal and dealing with shavings and oil. They just don't mix well with wood! So, I want to get a dedicated drill press to put in the garage, away from the shop. I also need to put it on a mobile base, so getting too much of a beast could be problematic. I have been watching CL's for months and really only found one of what I wanted, and then the guy decided he didn't want to sell it! (that's for another conversation)

I have had good experience with Jet, and kind of lean toward them, but am not completely sold on one brand. I have not read many positive comments about Grizzly drill presses. There is the $300 Porter Cable at Lowes, but I tend to shy away from dedicated box store models these days. Ridgid, kind of the same feeling. Steel City seems to pop up quite a bit, but they don't seem to be as readily available. The PM2800 is nice, but its too much and I wouldn't want to use it for metal.

I live in NY, so sales tax can be an issue. Oh, and I really want a decent, solid, table that I can mount a cross-slide vise on to, and some kind of built in light. Laser is not important. Anyway, I think I have narrowed it down to the following, unless someone convinces me otherwise; just twist my arm:

Jet JDP-17MF ($600). All I probably need is the 3/4" HP, its a manageable size, but I wonder how sturdy the table is (any flex?). Seems to be a decent price point.

Delta 18-900L ($800 after rebate). Getting pretty heavy, wonder about use of limited T-slots - it is similar to my existing dp. Has the quality and customer service changed at all regarding this machine like it has on the Midi lathe (change of ownership of Delta)?

Jet JDP-20MF ($999). This really exceeds what I want to spend and it is a beast at 300 lbs.! It is truly probably more than I would ever need. The table looks a little different than others - not quite sure how well it would work clamping a vise to it. I just can't find much information on this machine, but it is intriguing. Oh, and it comes with a 2-year warranty, where the above come with a 5-year. I'm not sure what that is all about.

Any advice, suggestions, and/or experience would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Van Huskey]

I am a PM fan boy BUT buy the Delta 18-900L (unless you biy a PM 1150 or 1200 used instead). The Delta is the best engineered and thought out WWing DP on the market currently.




BTW I am including this in all my posts this evening, I am more than one sheet to the wind, so if the question deals with anything to do with safety do NOT follow any advise I give, right now I would shove a hotdog into a Unisaw and expect it to stop...

[Greg R Bradley]

Yes, go buy a Delta 18-900 for your wood drill press and use your existing Jet for metal. That sounds like a better idea than buying a Jet JDP-17MF for metal, which is the same drill press as your existing Jet but with a more metal oriented table.

[michael case]

Don't cry over the Powermatic. The ones I' seen on display have a huge amount of slop in the quill. For metal a tight quill and tight run out is critical. If your current Jet serves your metal working then I think Greg's suggestion of buying the Delta with the woodworking table makes a lot of sense. My only hesitation would be the current disarray of the the Delta Company. Delta was sold off to a Hong Kong based company and I've been coming across posts complaining that service and parts is absolutely zero. Guys at Rockler tell me the same thing. The old Delta with its national chain of efficient well stocked warehouses is completley gone. You might want to ask around before you buy from this very shaky company.

[ian maybury]

Don't have enough experience of different machines to be able to add a lot - but for sure your average low cost eastern made drill press isn't worth much on metal - even for basic stuff like countersinking a hole. The spindle on mine vibrates all over the place. Even quite basic metal working drills from years ago didn't suffer from these problems.....

ian

[George wilmore]

I have the delta 18-900 and it is a very nice
Drill press with great features: table, speed adjustment, laser alignment, and LED light.

[Jeff Duncan]

I'm with Van, I'd find a nice older Powermatic 1150 or 1200 for $500 or less and have a nice machine for metal work. They have variable speeds, long strokes and are nice and heavy. In this part of the country they're not all that rare and I'm sure you could throw it up on a mobile base if needed.

good luck,
JeffD

[Kent A Bathurst]

BTW I am including this in all my posts this evening, I am more than one sheet to the wind, so if the question deals with anything to do with safety do NOT follow any advise I give, right now I would shove a hotdog into a Unisaw and expect it to stop...

Van - you're killing me laughing with this caveat............I have to ask - what's your poison? And, are you in Louisiana?

[Kent A Bathurst]

I'm with Van, I'd find a nice older Powermatic 1150 or 1200 for $500 or less and have a nice machine for metal work. They have variable speeds, long strokes and are nice and heavy. In this part of the country they're not all that rare and I'm sure you could throw it up on a mobile base if needed.

good luck,
JeffD

2 cents..........a well-sorted VS on the 1150 will bump you up above that $500, and the 1200 further still.

Also - my 1150A-VS is one massive sucker, comparatively speaking, and the 1200 is well beyond that. Absolutely zero chance I would consider putting it on a mobile base. I had my previous DP - garden-variety Delta 14-1/2" - on a mobile base, and while it was very rare that I moved it, when I did "adventure" comes to mind. No way with those big honking top-heavy older PM's.

Not arguing....just sayin'....

Beyond that - any of those breeds - 1150 or 1200, VS or belts & sheaves - are definitely designed for metal working.....they just laugh at wood.

[Matt Meiser]

I too recently bought the Delta. Very nice machine. I took Van's advise and bought a nice keyless chuck from Shars for it which added a nice feature. The machine seems to be nicely built.

Be warned though that the rebate process is sloooooowwwww which I think is inexcusable in modern times. I got an email several weeks ago that mine was received, several weeks after I sent it, saying it would be several weeks before I get my check. How can it possibly take that long to do something like this?

[Andrew Joiner]

It would come down to runout / quill slop for me as #1. #2 is a solid lever operated quill lock. Most older USA made models are good on #1+#2. 95% of the new drill presses I've tested in person have quill slop. Cheap or expensive they all have some runout / quill slop, except the Delta 18-900L. The 18-900L has a non lever quill lock that would bug me.

If your current model is adequate for your metal work use that. Then if you want new I'd test the actual drill press you buy for runout. Even on the same model the runout varies a lot.

[Matt Meiser]

I don't get the desire for a quill lock. What are people doing with their DP's that they need a quill lock? The one use I can think of is using a drum sander and precision depth control really isn't needed there. And anything like that is detrimental long term to the bearings.

[tom gepfrich]

I recently purchaced the Delta 18-900 and love all of the features. The included chuck is total garbage and had 1/8 of an inch at 2 inches! Before I shipped it back, I put my #2 MT lathe chuck into it and the runout is now .001 @ 2 inches. The usual runaround from Delta sent me to the local Delta repair store which placed the chuck and arbor on order for me and are covering it under warranty. I found out last week the ETA for the replacement chuck is Mid July! Other than that, the press is awesome and is the best WW drill press on the market today IMHO.

[Myk Rian]

A quill lock is nice for centering a work piece hole location, and clamping it to the table.
I would look for a big ole Rockwell or PM for the garage.

[Jay Jolliffe]

I took Van's advise and bought a nice keyless chuck from Shars for it which added a nice feature.


Matt...What keyless chuck did you get. They have a few at the site

[Matt Meiser]

I got the one that DIDN'T say CNC. I actually bought mine from their store on Ebay. With the #2 MT adapter it was about $35.

[glenn bradley]

I am a PM fan boy BUT buy the Delta 18-900L (unless you biy a PM 1150 or 1200 used instead). The Delta is the best engineered and thought out WWing DP on the market currently

What Van said.

[Van Huskey]

One other thought is if you have the room you could buy a multi-head PM 1150 setup. They often sell cheap since not many people want them for hobby shops. Set one head up for metal work and one head up for wood, they are often super cheap when 3 ph (which most are) then use a VFD for continous VS, you could set the VFD up to run both heads but it would require some thought to prevent the VFD from EVER becoming disconnected from a load (motor) while running.

All the Asian presses have variable runout and the best solution would be to be able to check the one you are buying before taking it home... In the past I tested a lot of Asian presses and it would vary from press to press from ALL the brands, though some were worse than others.


Kent, we are in Louisiana now, my wife and I both are beer drinkers, there is a very cool bar here that you can take your dogs with you to, and it has 80+ beers on tap (60+ are "real" beers) and coolers full of unusual bottled beers. Lately I have been exploring the Trappist beers but my current favorite is St Sabastian which is an "Abbey beer" brewed in the Trappist tradition but not within an Abbey so it can't be called a Trappist. Last nights tour involved Trappist, Abbey, Irish Stout, Begian white and I started with a St Arnold Weedwhacker since we were hot when we got there since we were just coming from the dog park.

[Andrew Joiner]

A quill lock is nice for centering a work piece hole location, and clamping it to the table.
I would look for a big ole Rockwell or PM for the garage.What Myk said. Also you can drop your bit to the depth you want, lock the quill then set your depth stop to that depth.

[Michael Peet]

A quill lock is nice for centering a work piece hole location

That's what I do with mine, every time I bore a hole. I bring it down just above the surface of the workpiece though - I don't use it to clamp the piece down (although I might give it a try next time).


Also you can drop your bit to the depth you want, lock the quill then set your depth stop to that depth.

I do this as well. I love my quill lock, and would not get a DP without one.

Mike

[Michael Peet]

Kent, we are in Louisiana now, my wife and I both are beer drinkers, there is a very cool bar here that you can take your dogs with you to, and it has 80+ beers on tap (60+ are "real" beers) and coolers full of unusual bottled beers. Lately I have been exploring the Trappist beers but my current favorite is St Sabastian which is an "Abbey beer" brewed in the Trappist tradition but not within an Abbey so it can't be called a Trappist. Last nights tour involved Trappist, Abbey, Irish Stout, Begian white and I started with a St Arnold Weedwhacker since we were hot when we got there since we were just coming from the dog park.

You have good taste in beer, Van. A few years ago I was fortunate enough to go to Belgium for a couple weeks. Best beer in the world.

Hope you ain't hurting too bad today :)

Mike

[Scott T Smith]

Yes, go buy a Delta 18-900 for your wood drill press and use your existing Jet for metal. That sounds like a better idea than buying a Jet JDP-17MF for metal, which is the same drill press as your existing Jet but with a more metal oriented table.


Another recommendation for the Delta. I bought one a few months back and have NO regrets. My third drill press too (have a Grizzly Radial Arm and an Ellis one for metal working). Hands down the Delta is the best one for WW.

[Mike Heidrick]

Dont forget Clausing and industrial Deltas when looking at great iron DPs.

I bought an old King Seeley Craftsman DP from the 50s - its a very cool DP. It will shock you what the quality of a generally available DP used to be.

[Chris Stolicky]

Thanks a lot for all of the replies. As you can see there are a lot of choices out there. Like I mentioned above, I did scour Craigslist for months - I have an app on my phone that allows me to search many areas, so I have looked beyond my home area. I have seen some older, cool spaceship-looking drill presses out there, but nothing that really looked like what I am after. One key thing I need, is some good slow speeds.

Everyone seems to like the Delta. Its just the question of customer service if ever need it. Its interesting that the chuck is so bad. I do like how you can go all the way to 6" in one turn of the handles.

Maybe I should have some of that Abby Ale to help me decide, huh?

[Jerome Hanby]

Simple answer is that it isn't. Taking money out of their cash flow doesn't help them, so the longer they can stretch out the process the better. I've seen deals on blank CD's where they were free after the rebate, but that rebate took several months to get...


I got an email several weeks ago that mine was received, several weeks after I sent it, saying it would be several weeks before I get my check. How can it possibly take that long to do something like this?

[Kevin Groenke]

Since this thread has turned to beer, I'll chime in.

We were lucky to get one of the few Delta 20-950s that wasn't a dud. I would pay $2000 for another one. We need to replace our old 17" Delta and I will probably get the 18-900L since it has the same slotted, dual axis, replaceable "throatplate" table that makes the 20-950 so great. (come on Delta, just put DC motor and a VFD on that thing). We did put a keyless chuck (Grizzly) on our 20-950, fitted a Kreg Klamp to fit into the T slot and made a T slotted fence that fits into the slots.

I looks to me like the 18-900 is the best woodworking drill press currently on the market. Either that or an old variable speed unit from Clausing, Delta, Powermatic or Wilton. A general purpose drill simply should be variable speed.


On to beer. Went to Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg and Munich last summer. Many of the best beers in the world. Liters of Hofbrau Dunkels in the Chinesischer Turm Beer Garten, Budvar Ležák on Wenceslas Square, Marzen at the AugustinerBrau in Salzburg, etc, etc... The trip wasn't about beer, but it could have been (also sausages).

I also do some homebrewing, currently on tap is a nice mildly hopped IPA, a rye stout and an english brown ale with cocoa nibs and anise seed. Also a pilsen malt w/biscuity english ale yeast and an irish red with honey in bottles, russian imperial stout and a wheat ale fermenting.

Currently in hand is a Dunkel from Sprecher in Milwaukee.

-Cheers!

[Michael W. Clark]

I bought the Delta 17-950L. It was about $450 at the time, and I had read a lot of reviews about the bad chuck on the 18-900 and excessive spindle run-out. Maybe they have fixed it by now. I think the 17-905L has a larger column diameter and larger quill diamter than the 18-900, but I think it has the same table. The front-back t-slots are excellent for attaching a fence. I don't have a drill press table on top of the CI table, I haven't needed it. I have been very pleased with it.

Mike

[Jeff Duncan]

First off, are you using any search engines when you search CL? If not you should....they'll make your life a good deal easier:)

I bought my Powermatic 1150 for $600 and that was before the economy slipped over the edge a few years ago and sent old iron prices into the toilet. I will admit however that these seem to hold their value a bit more than a lot of machinery.....then again I guess that tells you something;)

Lastly, Belgian White's are pretty impressive beers. I used to enjoy quite a few of the imports at a place called Sparky's in Brooklyn some years ago. Unfortunately the bar is long gone, however the memory of being pretty well pickled after only 3 or 4 Belgian beers stick with me like it was yesterday:D

JeffD

[Ole Anderson]

Lacking a quill lock would be a stopper for me. Mine has it and I use it all the time, often to stop the bit just above the work so I can use 2 hands to align the center mark to the bit. And to use a drum sander as I don't have a spindle sander. And to hold the work to the table while I set the fence and stops... I have an old 1980's Sears with a skinny single belt that has held up real well, even doing production work with aluminum for 15 of those years. Bought an extra belt and never used it. Don't think they still make it though. Make speed changes real easy. A table lift would be real nice though. Lately though I have been rough on it using it with a Delta mortiser attachment spinning a 5/8" bit in QS White Oak, and the quill doesn't seem as smooth as it used to.

[Van Huskey]

I bought my Powermatic 1150 for $600 and that was before the economy slipped over the edge a few years ago and sent old iron prices into the toilet. I will admit however that these seem to hold their value a bit more than a lot of machinery.....then again I guess that tells you something;)


JeffD

The PM DPs like the 1150 and 1200 may well have held their value better than any other "old iron". Partly because they aren't THAT expensive anyway and two they are just that good.