New Drill press for the next 5-10 years under $1,500

[Alex Snyder]

I am a firm believer in buy it once without regrets, so I'm jumping into my first drill press with that in mind. I fully expect that I will want to upgrade it one day, but if I can get 5 years before wanting to upgrade.... nice!

Anyway, I'm looking to drill wood and maybe some soft metal on very rare occasions. The main push for the drill press is better accuracy. Running a hand drill for the last few years has gotten me by, but now it is time to do better. I build cabinets, desks, and do way more home DIY than I care to admit. Most of my drilling is done with Forstner bits.

Here are my thoughts on drill presses so far...



Powermatic 2800 is the current leader. I have a range of Powermatic tools already and am not only happy with the brand, but the dealer too. The dealer also sells Jet, Nova and Rikon. The 2800 has the features I want with the addition of not needing to mess with belts.
Nova Voyager is in second. It is pretty mindless. I prefer to spend the small mental capacity I have on project ideas instead of tooling.
Jet JDP-17 is third. Honestly, it looks cool and saves a little money. We're planning to get into providing customers video of the builds, so I'm "sprucing" the shop up. Functionally, I think this one lacks compared to the other two.
Delta 18-900L is in the running, but this one would probably be a Home Depot purchase. I'm okay with paying tax to make sure I have a neck I can choke nearby if things don't go well.


Important features (I think)...



5" or more Quill travel
RPMs that can handle a spindle sander
Laser
Not messing with belts
Decent-sized sturdy table
FOF (Fresh out the Factory) & FOB (Fresh off the Boat is fine)


Thanks in advance for any advice. I'm open to all suggestions.

[Keith Weber]

What are you calling "soft metal"? Aluminum? Or mild steel? Aluminum drills more like wood than steel, and you could any woodworking drill press to drill it. For steel, you want to be able to select lower rpm settings than you would typically use for wood. If you spin your drill bit too fast and with too slow a feed rate, you'll burn up drill bits in steel because of the friction heat. It's even more important with stainless. That stuff will work harden if you linger and let the heat build up. Once it does, good luck finishing your hole.

I'm not a big fan of any of the new offerings these days. Everything seems to be made in Asia and the fit and finish, runout and noise is horrible. I personally wouldn't touch that Nova DP. It over-complicates a simple machine and there's a much higher potential for that circuit board to pack it in just when you need it the most.

I agree -- changing belts sucks. With my Bridgeport mill. I change the speed for every tooling change, because it's variable speed. On a belt-driven DP, I tend to just leave the speed as it is unless it's really not working, or I have many holes to drill.

[Matt Day]

i know you're looking at new machines, but an old used Variable Speed Powermatic is the bees knees when it comes to drill presses.

[Alex Snyder]

An older machine could be the "upgrade" down the road. But for a first machine, I'd like to setup and go with a warranty.

[Larry Edgerton]

If you change table height often the Powermatic has the best mechanism of those listed. The others have a short crank at a right angle to the drill head that does not give enough force and interferes with any larger table that you install. You will be cussing it out every time you raise the table. The Powermatic has a crank angled back aaway from the table and so can use a longer crank. Why all these manufacturers stick with that stupid arrangement I can not fathom.

[Brian Tymchak]

I would drop the Delta from the list as the poor manufacturer support (service and parts) is becoming very well known. I would not buy a Delta product at this point.

[David T gray]

nova is by far the better of what u have listed no vibrations , very quiet . no runout mine has <.001 runout at 6 inch travel . its a smps so i unplug it when not in use. its also split head which is a huge upgrade.

[Steve Demuth]

I really like my Delta 18-900L. Mine came out of the box with minor fit and finish issues, which is pretty much what you get with anything made in Asia these days. Nothing of real concern though. I would personally avoid the Nova - putting a computer on a drill press makes no sense to me. Computers break even when not being used at a rate far greater than mechanical tools. And all an amateur woodworker will get from one on a drill press is a kind of pseudo-convenience - it won't save more than a few seconds out of a typical hour in your shop, and will probably teach you to forget to think about speed selection vis-a-vis tool and material, and in doing so, make your woodworking just a tiny bit more disconnected from human hands on wood as a creative task.

(And, yes, I know I sound like a neo-Luddite here, but I'm not really. There are over 300,000 computers or computerized devices on the network where I work, and I am responsible for making sure they collectively do what the medical practice wants them to do. They are a necessary part of operating a modern clinic and hospital, so we put up with the fairly constant attrition and need to repair. But on a drill press?)

[pat warner]

Not what you want to hear, I'm sure.
Drill presses are made for drilling not sanding.
Rule out that folly.

A drill tip might be 8-12" from the last bearing in the quill, (if a 5" travel quill is extended). As such, expect the drill to spin in funny circles, especially those that are slightly bent or skinny (<1/4"). Nice to have lots of quill travel but usually at the expense of accuracy. Better to use short drills and keep the table at the same height for all drill opps on the same hole.

The best variable speed is with a VFD and a 3 phase motor.
New, these things installed, may eat up your 1500$.

A laser is only good to +/- .010-.015". There are other ways of finding close centers.

I would be looking at old rebuilt machines. A lousy alternative, I agree, but ...........
I would also say that drilling wood on close centers does not require a new Clausing, just patience with an ordinary machine. And your 1500 limit is not bad for a wood press.

[Ben Rivel]

Went through the same decision making process myself a couple years ago. The NOVA wasnt out, but I wouldnt have gone that route anyway as I felt it was too expensive and hasnt been out long enough to become "tried and true" in my book. I went with the Delta 18-900L and so far have loved it. Got a great deal from AcmeTools using a 15% discount coupon they put out a couple times a year and got free shipping and no tax. Once a year they do a 20% off coupon too. Considered the Powermatic, but I generally dont like Powermatic/Jet tools and I looked at the digital speed control as just something more to go wrong and not really worth the extra hundreds of dollars the Powermatic would have cost me over the Delta. I did change the chuck on the Delta immediately to a Jacobs 14N Superchuck ball bearing, and sold the one it came with. Never even used the stock chuck.

[Mark Carlson]

I'd also pass on the Delta because of parts availability. My 1st delta drill press had issues with the switch and the variable speed control and parts are no longer available. I'd get the Powermatic at the dealer you like. Maybe you can inspect the drill press for runout on the floor before buying.

[Van Huskey]

While I generally subscribe to the old is better (a PM 1150 or 1200 would be an excellent choice, especially if it is VS) I ended up with a PM 2800B which I really like. TIR is acceptably low and it is designed as a woodworking press. Note the VS is completely manual using a Reeves drive, the only thing electronic is the readout and will function if the readout were to die.

I don't consider new Delta any more parts availability is just too sketchy.

That said after playing with the Voyager it is on my to buy list. The low vibration all the way up above 5,000 rpm, loads of power and bells and whistles I would actually use have me sold, as soon as the new shop is built one is going in. I would be more reticent if Teknatools didn't have years of building their lathes with DVR motors and supporting electronics but there is still a level of risk here, but I am comfortable with it. I will be adding a keyless chuck and probably a laser, I will likely try the new Wixey.

One has to keep in mind for Voyager money you can get a very nice PM 1200 VS but of the new DPs I think it is the standout.

[Wayne Jolly]

I bought the Delta 18-900L on new years day. I saw that Home Depot had it on sale for about $875. I went across the street to Lowes and they price matched it, gave me my 10% veterans discount, and provided free lift-gate shipping. Not too shabby/

It was delivered on time although it took about 10 days to ship it. She shipper dropped it off in my garage and it was undamaged. Assembly was straight forward, but it will take at least two strong men to lift the head onto the post, or some sort of hoist. It's heavy! I used an engine hoist.

One thing to look for is the chuck height. I replace a 15-speed Craftsman drill press and the chuck on the Delta is probably 3-4" lower than the Craftsman. This is probably necessitated by the 6" quill travel as opposed to the 3" on the Craftsman. If the drill press head unit was raised so that the chuck was at the same height as the Craftsman, it would be dangerously top heavy.

It does have belts that have to be changed, but Delta has done a pretty good job of making that task as easy as possible for a belt-driven system. It has a nice big table with a 4" (I think it's 4") replaceable insert. Twin lasers that I don't use very often, but nice to have when I do want to use them.

Overall, I LIKE IT!

Wayne

[David M Peters]

I've had the JPD-17 for over a year and am happy with it; I love the large woodworking-oriented table. I keep it @ 1000RPM for most tasks and will slow it down if I'm doing something with a larger Forstner bit, so for this hobbyist belt changes haven't been an issue.

The PM2800 is only about $700 more than the Jet and seems to have a better-enough feature set to warrant that bump. I'd say to spring for the PM! Very little chance you will be dissatisfied with it in the long run.

[Andrew Kertesz]

Got a Woodcraft flyer today, the Nova drill press is on sale for $1,299.00 with some free extras....

[Ben Rivel]

Got a Woodcraft flyer today, the Nova drill press is on sale for $1,299.00 with some free extras....Thats good to hear. Wonder if they are doing that in my area, I'd be curious to see what "free extras" theyll be including.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

$1500 buys a used drill press that is better than any made today.

[Dave Macy]

Don't rule out a used milling machine. They can sometimes be found uber cheap and then can be used for other things. We found an old Powermatic which is about 3/4 the size of a BP. Also have a delta dp that I love. There's nothing wrong with changing belts. It only takes a minute.

[Mike Kees]

I have a 20 year old Delta drill press and a old Rockwell 16 inch that I got in a package deal with three other major tools all for $400. The Rockwell is an excellent machine. The Delta is good but not in the same league as the Rockwell. I would look for and buy an old Rockwell , Powermatic or General drill press, if you only want to spend money once. Start with your "upgrade", and enjoy it. I would agree that a laser is not a necessity,and I would not run sanding drums much on my presses. I have never felt short-changed without 6'' of quill travel either. Only you can decide what is right for your needs however,so with that I wish you luck, Mike.

[Alex Snyder]

Got a Woodcraft flyer today, the Nova drill press is on sale for $1,299.00 with some free extras....

I couldn't see a change in price on their website, but would like to see if my local dealer will price match. Do you mind sharing the flyer?

[Ben Rivel]

Stopped by my local Rockler yesterday. They had one on display but couldnt power it on and they didnt know anything about any $1299 sale. Seems like a solid unit. Thought the depth gauge wasn't super nice and the chuck wasnt anything fancy, but the rest of it was nice enough from what I could tell.

[Nick Decker]

The Woodcraft "flyer" is more like a catalog than a flyer. It does list the DP at $1299, but the sale ends today. The "free stuff" is a magnetic light.

[Scott Besaw]

The sale flyer states that the sale runs February 24 thru March 23. There are some exceptions -- Jet 3/3 thru 3/6, Rikon 3/10 thru 3/20, Sawstop 3/1 thru 4/30. The free gift for the Nova is a magnetic base light. The Nova drill press appears to fall under the 2/24 thru 3/23. It does say shipping may apply.

[Van Huskey]

Stopped by my local Rockler yesterday. They had one on display but couldnt power it on and they didnt know anything about any $1299 sale. Seems like a solid unit. Thought the depth gauge wasn't super nice and the chuck wasnt anything fancy, but the rest of it was nice enough from what I could tell.

It is a shame they couldn't power it up (and know how to use it) when the electrons hit it makes this odd duck make sense. When it is loafing along at 60 rpm with almost no noise and stupid amounts of torque (yes we tried to stall it) and when it is flying at 5000k and there is simply no vibration it starts to make sense. The depth gauge does appear an afterthought BUT it kinda is considering it has a quite sophisticated electronic stop built into it with much higher accuracy than a manual stop. I would change the chuck but I will never have a DP with a keyed chuck ever again but that is cheap and easy from say Shars or one can go with a real Albrecht. A couple of things not highlighted in the thread are the base (huge compared to the Delta and PM) and the fact it is a split head design, the latter is something sorely missing from the majority of new woodworking DPs. While the electronic bells and whistles may appear to be the calling card of this DP for me it has more to do with the actual bones of the machine, it is heavy, has a huge amount of power and the vibration it lower than any DP I have ever used save a mill/drill. I am a big fan of the PM 1200 VS but honestly would have a hard time choosing if they were both gifts, even if the 1200 had a production table devoid of any arc of shame.

[Nick Decker]

Oops, my bad. Misread the dates.


The sale flyer states that the sale runs February 24 thru March 23. There are some exceptions -- Jet 3/3 thru 3/6, Rikon 3/10 thru 3/20, Sawstop 3/1 thru 4/30. The free gift for the Nova is a magnetic base light. The Nova drill press appears to fall under the 2/24 thru 3/23. It does say shipping may apply.

[Ben Rivel]

It is a shame they couldn't power it up (and know how to use it) when the electrons hit it makes this odd duck make sense. When it is loafing along at 60 rpm with almost no noise and stupid amounts of torque (yes we tried to stall it) and when it is flying at 5000k and there is simply no vibration it starts to make sense. The depth gauge does appear an afterthought BUT it kinda is considering it has a quite sophisticated electronic stop built into it with much higher accuracy than a manual stop. I would change the chuck but I will never have a DP with a keyed chuck ever again but that is cheap and easy from say Shars or one can go with a real Albrecht. A couple of things not highlighted in the thread are the base (huge compared to the Delta and PM) and the fact it is a split head design, the latter is something sorely missing from the majority of new woodworking DPs. While the electronic bells and whistles may appear to be the calling card of this DP for me it has more to do with the actual bones of the machine, it is heavy, has a huge amount of power and the vibration it lower than any DP I have ever used save a mill/drill. I am a big fan of the PM 1200 VS but honestly would have a hard time choosing if they were both gifts, even if the 1200 had a production table devoid of any arc of shame.Was going to comment on that but for some reason left that sentence out. I did really like the large base on it. VERY stable and definitely felt like it didnt need to be bolted to the floor.

[Alex Snyder]

Swung by my local dealer and he made me a deal I couldn't refuse on the Powermatic 2800B. Someone ordered one and backed out of it, so I got a pretty decent deal. Will pick it up tomorrow.

Thanks for all the responses. As with most woodworking equipment of this caliber, they'll all do the job. Some are loved; some are hated. Gotta love the Internets1.

[Larry Edgerton]

I think you made a good choice. Congrats.

Owwww, New toy! [Rubbing Hands];)

[John Ziebron]

The Woodcraft sale of the Nova DP starts tomorrow (Friday, Feb 24th) which is why you don't see it on their website now. The freeby with it is a $50 magnetic base work light.

[david coelho]

I have a Delta 18-900L and have been very happy with it.

[CPeter James]

Well, I am a little late to this party, but I rebuild and sell Delta 17" drill presses from the 40's and 50's and for $650 you can have a 17" drill press with a 3 phase motor, Automation direct VFD, remote speed and forward/reverse control. ball bearing thrust bearing on the table lift (which works as smooth as glass) a nice table, a superior 4 bearing spindle/spindle pulley set up and much more. Spindle speed range is zero to about 4,000 rpm.These weigh about 400 pounds. The sad part is I don't have any available as I sell as fast as I can get one done.

I once was looking for an upgrade and looked at what was coming in from across the pond and decided to wait. I finally got into "old arn" and never looked back.

[Barry Richardson]

If I lived near you Peter, I would be on your waiting list!
We had the Powermatic 2800 at work, frankly it was a disappointment, lightweight and intended to be pampered by a hobbyist, didn't hold up to production work, within a year, the laser, worklight stopped working, the rack and pinion gear had buckled (twice, replaced once) A screw came loose from the depth stop, turns out it was stripped, so that stopped working properly. Next to our old Delta and Rockwell presses, it didn't compare. Don't mean to beat up on PM, I have some PM machines I'm very happy with. But I would never buy, not recommend buying that drill press. I suspect the New Delta is similar, Lots of nifty features to lure the hobbyist, but in the end, a lightweight......

[Alex Snyder]

I think this will suit my needs fine. She's all setup and ready to roll. Thanks for the help folks!

354766

[Charles Taylor]

Looks good. Enjoy it!

[CPeter James]

If I lived near you Peter, I would be on your waiting list!
We had the Powermatic 2800 at work, frankly it was a disappointment, lightweight and intended to be pampered by a hobbyist, didn't hold up to production work, within a year, the laser, worklight stopped working, the rack and pinion gear had buckled (twice, replaced once) A screw came loose from the depth stop, turns out it was stripped, so that stopped working properly. Next to our old Delta and Rockwell presses, it didn't compare. Don't mean to beat up on PM, I have some PM machines I'm very happy with. But I would never buy, not recommend buying that drill press. I suspect the New Delta is similar, Lots of nifty features to lure the hobbyist, but in the end, a lightweight......

The old Delta's are out there. I get 3 or 4 a year and try not to travel too far for them.
Peter

[Mike Cutler]

Well, I am a little late to this party, but I rebuild and sell Delta 17" drill presses from the 40's and 50's and for $650 you can have a 17" drill press with a 3 phase motor, Automation direct VFD, remote speed and forward/reverse control. ball bearing thrust bearing on the table lift (which works as smooth as glass) a nice table, a superior 4 bearing spindle/spindle pulley set up and much more. Spindle speed range is zero to about 4,000 rpm.These weigh about 400 pounds. The sad part is I don't have any available as I sell as fast as I can get one done.

I once was looking for an upgrade and looked at what was coming in from across the pond and decided to wait. I finally got into "old arn" and never looked back.

CPeter James

Keep a friend in mind next time you have one to "move on". ;)
I've been looking for a DP exactly like that for awhile now. I need one to go slow, less that 150 rpm, and maintain torque.A bench top model would be ideal. I thought I had a line on a Delta Radial out on the Cape, but the ad was pulled from Craigslist. There's one central New Jersey, but that's a bit more of a drive than I'd like to make.
Like others, I'm just not impressed with what is offered as new in drill presses.

[Andrew Kertesz]

Peter is there a specific model you try and focus on for rebuild?

[Tony Roun]

I'll probably get laughed out of the forum for suggesting this, but my uncle gave me an older shopsmith. I removed the legs and mounted it vertically on my wall, it serves as my drill press and some sanding operations. Variable speed, enough power for what I need and a ton of flexibility with table height, fence, ability to angle the table, etc. There are a lot of things I don't like about shop smiths, but they are built to last and are great drill presses in my opinion.

[lowell holmes]

I have to chuckle, are we shopping for a tools or trophy wives? I think we all are guilty of it.:)

[CPeter James]

Peter is there a specific model you try and focus on for rebuild?

The older Delta 17" from about 1940 to late 50's. They were a true industrial and designed to run 24/7. Many of them did during the War and are still running now.
Peter

[CPeter James]

CPeter James

I need one to go slow, less that 150 rpm, and maintain torque.A bench top model would be ideal. I thought I had a line on a Delta Radial out on the Cape, but the ad was pulled from Craigslist. There's one central New Jersey, but that's a bit more of a drive than I'd like to make.
Like others, I'm just not impressed with what is offered as new in drill presses.

I have one of the big Delta radial based on the W/T design. It is from 1967 and while it will go down to almost zero, the spindle pulley is too small and there is not enough torque to do any serious drilling of large holes. It does have it's place, especially drilling on a angle and the 32" from the column to the spindle is nice. After Rockwell bought the W/T line of tools in 1957, it would have been nice ig they had changed the drill head on the big radial to the Delta 17" and not stayed with the W/T design fron 1940. They were still available up until a few years ago, price = $11,400!! Still using oddball bearings from the W/T era!

If you can find a Delta 17" look for the slow speed pulley set. They are much more versatile and with a 3 phase motor and VFD will go from zero to well over 4,000 rpm. They really have some nice features and are worth the effort to do a rebuild on. I have a spare spindle nut wrench you can borrow id you need it. It works much better that a hammer and punch.

My 20" W/T
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udZ_hgZjLT4
Peter

[Nick Stokes]

I think this will suit my needs fine. She's all setup and ready to roll. Thanks for the help folks!

354766


Looks awesome.

It's always nice to get the one you wanted in the first place. And not let the forum talk you out of what you wanted, cuz there's always that itch.