Anyone used one of these in a woodshop? Grizzly G0779

[Larry Edgerton]

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Heavy-Duty-Floor-Model-Gearhead-Drill-Press/G0779

Only interested in this model.

[Ronald Blue]

No, but it looks pretty impressive. More like a milling machine head affixed to a drill press. The R-8 Spindle would allow some options a standard drill press would never allow as well.

[John T Barker]

I should be so lucky.

[Larry Edgerton]

No, but it looks pretty impressive. More like a milling machine head affixed to a drill press. The R-8 Spindle would allow some options a standard drill press would never allow as well.


It is a milling machine head. My brother has the milling machine it was based off of, mediocre milling machine, but it was cheap compared to. Was just wondering how it translates to a drill press. As it is based off of a milling machine I don't see any reason not to use it like oneoccasionally .

[Jerry Bruette]

I would think the R-8 taper would be a pain for drill press use, the standard morse taper would give you more options for drill bits and chucks. The geared head might come in handy though.

[William M Johnson]

I would think the R-8 taper would be a pain for drill press use, the standard morse taper would give you more options for drill bits and chucks. The geared head might come in handy though.

Owning several milling machines with R-8 I can assure you that there are infinitely more options available with the R-8 than with the Jacobs of Morse taper. It is far easier to change attachments with the R8

Bill

[John K Jordan]

Owning several milling machines with R-8 I can assure you that there are infinitely more options available with the R-8 than with the Jacobs of Morse taper. It is far easier to change attachments with the R8

Bill

I agree, I have two mills with R8 and prefer that to the morse taper. Either needs a drawbar but unlike R8 a lot of the morse taper tools I use with my wood and metal lathes are not made to accept a drawbar.

A mill of any kind can be quite useful on a wood shop, depending on the kinds of things you do. I've made tools, brackets, jigs and more and have repaired many things made from metals, plastic, and wood. I made a critical component missing from a sliding table that I bought used.. (milled from a block of lignum vitae)

To be useful, however, it needs a good X-Y table. Without that it's just another drill press.

JKJ

[John McClanahan]

You would a collet for each size drill bit you plan to use with it. If you use an R-8 to Jacobs chuck, I don't see an advantage over other heavy duty drill presses. The top speed seems slow for woodworking, more for metalworking. Just my thoughts.


John

[Carroll Courtney]

For woodworking,I think its over kill for metal working the head would have to be dial in each time you move the head.But it does look like its a beast,few dollars more maybe a full blown used Bridgeport

[Len Roberts]

Larry, My son and I just took delivery on one. Ours came with oil already in head (instructions say it is empty). We built a gantry crane from wood with a harbor freight chain hoist to get it off the pallet. Then used pipes from pipe clamps to set it on and roll it into place. Ours came without 220 plug.

[Larry Edgerton]

No hurry, but after you use it for a while for different purposes let me know if you would what your impression is. Enjoy.

Thanks, Larry

[Ben Rivel]

Kinda looks like its an in between product not fitting for either. Too much for woodworking and not enough for metal working. I cant see why a woodworker would need something like that. Check out the Delta 18-900L or the Powermatic equivalent.

[Larry Copas]

For woodworking,I think its over kill for metal working the head would have to be dial in each time you move the head.But it does look like its a beast,few dollars more maybe a full blown used Bridgeport

Yes, and the Bridgeport will have more spindle travel, a lot more swing, and a higher top speed.

I use my Bridgeport all the time for woodworking with a router bit. A rotary table lets me cut circle's and circle inlays, A dividing head lets me do fluting on round dowels/shafts. The power feed makes that an enjoyable job. I run my Bridgeport with a VFD, which lets me double the spindle speed, but I hardly ever use do it with straight router bits as they cut well enough. The table allows me to drill holes accurate to a thousandth. Very handy when fitting things like barrel hinges to small one off boxes.

And of course I use it for metalworking.

[Larry Edgerton]

I cant see why a woodworker would need something like that.

Exactly. You have no idea why I would want that machine.

[Ben Rivel]

Exactly. You have no idea why I would want that machine.
Please explain then. Id like to know why.

[Keith Weber]

Exactly. You have no idea why I would want that machine.

Wow! That came across as a snippy comment. You asked if anyone used one of those in a woodshop, and Ben said he couldn't see why a woodworker would need something like that. I don't think he deserved a response like that.

A gear head drill would be a powerful drill press for drilling metal (as the speeds suggest). But it is just a drill press. As a milling machine, that thing would be a bit of a joke. Without an X-Y table giving a method of moving the workpiece accurately and repeatably into position, an end-mill would just be a fancy drill bit. If you added one, the design of the machine would certainly lack the rigidity to do anything other than light cuts without chatter.

A second hand J-head Bridgeport for not much more money would do everything that that thing would do, and much, much more, with better results. If you just wanted it for drilling many, eyeball-positioned holes in thick steel, then the Grizzly would definitely serve a purpose.