Westward drill press from Grainger?

[Allan Speers]

Does anyone know much about the Westward wood machines that Grainger sells?
There's a 20" one for sale near me, for a pretty good price, and I'd LOVE to have that depth, but I would really prefer a nice old American machine if possible. Still, a Clausing or good-condition Rockwell, in that size, is a bit out of my price range. Forget Hitachi !

I know these are imports, Chinese most likely, but I also know that they are spec'ed & made exclusively for Grainger, so MAYBE the QC is good.

I also know that Grainger's retail pricing is ridiculously high on most things, so these tools are probably not as robust as the prices might indicate.
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So:

1: Does anybody have one?

2: Is there a good American alternative, in that size range, that often comes up for reasonable prices?

3: And last, if I stick to 15" or less, and 3/4 HP or less, there are of course good old machines practically falling out of the sky.
Am I foolish to want 20" for woodworking?

[Don Jarvie]

Join OWWM.com and post a want ad for an older Delta, Walker Turner or Powermatic.

[Matt Day]

I’ve never felt that I needed more than my 15” PM1150. A 20” PM is a big DP, heavy things they are. Not that I wouldn’t want one, just haven’t had the need.

[David Buchhauser]

I purchased this Grizzly 20" drill press (the one on the right in the photo) several years ago directly from Grizzly. At the time I think the price was around $675 plus shipping. This is very stout drill press - weighs over 300 lbs. It has a nice big table with t-slots and it tilts and rotates. I use it for both metal and wood. If I were using it exclusively for wood then it would be nice to have a larger MDF type table attached with T-tracks for back fence and clamps. I may add these if I decide to move it into my wood shop.

I am not sure exactly which Westward drill press you are referring to. I looked in the Grainger catalog and did not see one. But the ones they do have are "pricey". This Grizzly drill press is made in China. I have purchased quite a few large tools from Grizzly, and in general the ones made in Taiwan have better quality, fit, and finish than the ones from China. However - some of the Chinese stuff (made exclusively for Grizzly) is pretty good. The drill chuck is "ok" - it has around 0.003" runout (+/- 0.0015") measured with a dial indicator and precision gage pin. My complaints about it are the engagement of the chuck key into the chuck (a little bit sloppy) and the excessive return spring pressure on the quill. The drill press does have an adjustment for return spring pressure - so this could be adjusted for a nicer feel.

The oldest drill press I have I purchased from Grainger about 35 years ago. It is a Dayton brand manufactured by Wilton in the USA. At the time I paid over $1000 for this drill press (full retail) and later discovered that I could have saved around 30% if I would have had a friend with a Grainger account but it for me.

I would recommend the Grizzly 20" drill press. I feel it is still a pretty nice tool and a pretty good deal price-wise when compared to some of the other imported drill presses (Powermatic, Jet, etc.)


https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly-12-Speed-20-Floor-Drill-Press/G7948
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[Allan Speers]

So then the general consensus is that this is lkely not a high quality machine?


David, thanks. Good to know the Grizzly is quite decent. I only need it for w-working, so it doesn't have to be dead-nuts on.

[robert wiggins]

For a drill press to enter my meager shop it must have 2 features, 1) a adjustable depth stop and 2) a quill lock. If you've never used one with those features you may not know the benefit. If you have you'll never own one without.

Drill press tables. In general they suck for wood working but manufacturers insist in a cast iron table that doesn't lend itself to clamping but continue to have machine shop features such as slots.

[David Buchhauser]

Allan & Robert,

I have just checked all of my drill presses (qty. 6) and my 2 conventional milling machines for the depth stop and quill lock features. It is true that I do mostly metal work, but I have done quite a bit of "wood work" - mostly in the restoration of pre-war automobiles and some post war MG's that use wood for the structural body supports. Of the drill presses - two have the quill lock feature - the Dayton drill press and one of the larger Grizzly drill presses (not the 20" model). Both of my conventional milling machines (Burke MillRite - USA circa 1950's and Bridgeport clone - SuperMax circa 1982) do have quill locks. All of these machines (all drill presses and both milling machines) have depth stops.

With the milling machines, the quill lock is very handy. For example - bring the drill bit or endmill down to touch the surface of the work piece, lock the quill, then use the lower knee handle to raise the table/work piece into the drill bit or endmill. The lower knee crank is calibrated in 0.001" so this allows precision drilling or milling to the desired depth. I can speculate, but - Robert, I would be interested to know the advantages (and some examples) of the benefits of the quill lock when drilling/sanding/milling wood with the drill press.

Thanks,
David

Photo 1 - Dayton drill press with quill lock,
Photo 2 - Grizzly 15" drill press with quill lock
Photo 3 - Grizzly 20" drill press - no quill lock
Photo 4 - Supermax milling machine with quill lock
Photo 5 - Burk MillRite milling machine with quill lock

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[robert wiggins]

[QUOTE=David Buchhauser;2920570] Robert,

- Robert, I would be interested to know the advantages (and some examples) of the benefits of the quill lock when drilling/sanding/milling wood with the drill press.

Thanks,
David
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First, let me say I don't do commission work but have enjoyed wood working since I was a kid when I had no power tools and no power for that matter.

I can give one example, of the many many possible, that I believe will describe the usefulness of both the quill lock and depth stop. Let's say I need a flat bottom hole bored 5/32"" deep into a piece. To accomplish this I might press a Forstner bit onto the work, lock the quill then I would adjust the depth stop to that 5/32". Being the thread pitch on my depth stop is 1/16" the depth adjusting nut would be rotated 2.5 turns from zero. This is most handy when some accuracy and repetitious work is involved. Some may say just watch the scale and pointer provided on the machine. Anyone can that prefers that but not me.

[George Yetka]

I dont know much about this machine. But i do know that graingers prices are high for a reason, their no questions return policy on everything for 1 year is ridiculous. I use them at work from time to time. One example we had a steam condensate pump that had a gasket go bad I called and told them i had a bad gasket here is their part number for the replacement gasket, but instead sent us a new $1800 pump free of charge. So I put a gasket in it for $5 and now we have 2.

[Doug Dawson]

I would recommend the Grizzly 20" drill press. I feel it is still a pretty nice tool and a pretty good deal price-wise when compared to some of the other imported drill presses (Powermatic, Jet, etc.)
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Interesting. With the obvious exception of the head unit, that looks identical to the Nova Voyager. Who makes the chuck?

[David Buchhauser]

I don't know the specific brand of the chuck. It has no maker's name on it - the name may have been on the cardboard box the chuck came in and I probably discarded the box. I assume that it is made in China by the same company (or and associated company) that manufactures the drill press for Grizzly. The chucks do look similar. The Nova Voyager (which I had not heard of before) looks like an interesting drill press. It has received high marks in the Amazon reviews. I was not able to ascertain if it has a quill lock or not. Perhaps you can let us know. The Nova Voyager is about twice the price of the 20" Grizzly and I'm not sure if I really need the digital control for a drill press - but some of the reviewers seem to really like this feature.
David

https://www.amazon.com/NOVA-58000-Voyager-Drill-Press/dp/B01LG5XIBK

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[Clint Baxter]

The Voyager does have a quill lock. The digital control and readout is very nice to have. A bit more precision in allowing you to know what you're set at and the ability to return to those settings if so desired.

I really like mine, more for the ability to easily and rapidly change speeds, than for it's other features, (but those are both useful and fun to have as well.)

The ability to reverse and the slow speeds allow tapping to be done as well for those who wish to do so. Another plus.

Clint

[Allan Speers]

FWIW, I'm going to pass on that 20" Westward.

I'll keep looking for big 'ol Amercan arn.



Thanks, guys.