Drill Press Decision - Need Help

[Randy Gillard]

I am having a tough time choosing between my two finalists for a new drill press. The General International 17" and the Ridgid. Here's how they stack up:

HP General 3/4, Ridgid 1/2
Swing General 17" Ridgid 15"
Quill travel General 3 1/8" Ridgid 4" (specs say 3 3/4", but I measured 4")
The General has a threaded rod depth stop, the Ridgid a ring that seems to work well.
Both run really smooth
Both have a work light
The Ridgid is $80 cheaper

The thing that is drawing me from the General to the Ridgid is the quill stroke, a full 4" (7/8" more than the General)

Please help break the deadlock! Any opinions welcome.


Cheers
Randy

[Bruce Page]

Quill travel is nice, so is horse-power & size.

I wasn't much help...:rolleyes:

[Bob Noles]

Randy,

First a big welcome to SMC.

I have the Ridgid and have been very satisfied with it. A good machine and very solid and smooth like you said. I have not measured the quill travel, but it sure is a long one from user experience. If you decide on the Ridgid, I think you will be very happy with it.

Best of luck in the coin toss :)

[Matt Meiser]

I have a cheap floor drill press and haven't seen any need to upgrade, so I'd vote for the cheaper one.

[Frank Chaffee]

Randy,
I am not familiar with either of those two drill presses, but all other things being equal I would select the one with the longest stroke. While the added 7/8” stroke may not ever be required for a deeper hole, if ever you find yourself changing bits at one hole location (drill-countersink, pilot, full dia. bit, counterbore, for instance), the longer stroke may preclude table height changes, which are notoriously difficult to do accurately in this class of drill press.

Frank

[Todd Davidson]

Hi Randy ~

Welcome to SMC

I, too, have the Ridgid and have found it to be a very capable machine. It has also fared quite well in a couple drill press comparison reviews I've read. Good luck with your decision

In peace, Todd

[jonathan snyder]

Bob and/or Todd,

I have been considering the Rigid drill press, does it have enough power to run a large forstner bit and or a large sanding drum? Most other floor models all have larger motors.

Thanks
Jonathan

[Alan Turner]

I have vintage DP's, and all have a 6" throw. Maybe you could find one of these within your budget. I find the longer quill travel to be very useful.

[Bob Noles]

Bob and/or Todd,

I have been considering the Rigid drill press, does it have enough power to run a large forstner bit and or a large sanding drum? Most other floor models all have larger motors.

Thanks
Jonathan

Jonathan,

I have not used a sanding drum on mine, so I can't say how well it does, but I have used 2" and over forstner bits with no struggle what so ever.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

General isn't afraid to use a lot of nice heavy cast iron and damn good very basic time honored tested and proven design. There is a lot to be said for General.

I submit that they are among the best of the less expensive companies outdoing even Powermatic and Delta in some of their equipment.

I'd also look long and hard at their lathes and mortisers and tablesaws along with the DPs were I in that market.

[Todd Davidson]

Bob and/or Todd,

I have been considering the Rigid drill press, does it have enough power to run a large forstner bit and or a large sanding drum? Most other floor models all have larger motors.

Thanks
Jonathan



Hi Jonathan ~

I have not had any problems with forstner bits either, nor a mortising attachment. Nor a 4" hole saw. Haven't used anything but a small sanding drum. If you can locate one of the Borg's 10% or 20% off coupons the price is quite attractive too. Good luck in your search.

In peace, Todd

[James Biddle]

I've got the General International 17", and while it's an OK machine, there are things I don't like. I don't like the depth adjustment at all. The casting is slightly rounded where the jam nuts will stop the travel, making precise depth measurement difficult. Also, if you don't lock down the jam nuts, they will wander from vibration. It also lacks the ability to lock the spindle in the down position like the Delta (not sure about the Ridgid), which can be handy for set-up. I've owned other GI equipment before and really like the line, just not the DP.

[christopher miller]

First off ,i'am new to the group . Just joined a few days ago.Seems like a nice friendly group.
In regards to buying a drill press be it Ridgid ,General or whatever.The quill travel would always get my first attention as as been stated by other writers. Horse power also, would perfer 3/4 hp.
One of my pet peeves i have seen with many imports is slop between the quill and the bore in the head .This is most evident with the quill extended and shaking the quill. Some drill presses have a take up for the quill as does Sears in their 20" mod. i think. But this particular model has the two bearings real close together at the lower end of the quill and nothing higher to make the it ridgid.Just the spindle spline rattling in the pulley bearing.
Also many imports have avery weak tilting table .If you can, in the store , put a 2x4 on the table and pull down the quill.and note how much the table flexes. Chris
Ypsilanti Mich

[Scott Vigder]

Another consideration is the warranty. Rigid's warranty's are quite generous, as I found out with a Rigid belt sander and palm sander I recently purchased.

[Frank Fusco]

Similar question earlier. Here is a copy and paste of the reply I made there.
<<
My Grizzly drill press is the G7943, the bench top version of the G7944. Fine machine and I am happy with my choice. I shopped around and, like most Grizzly tools, this came out as the best value on the market. I did make a wrong choice with the bench top model. To do over again it would be a floor model, far more versitile.>>
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[John Respass]

I am looking for a drill press for my small home shop. I have been looking at a bench top models to save space. I am wondering what capabilites that a floor model provides that I wont have in a bench model. Right now my first choice on a drill press is a Grizzly G7943.

What cant I do if a choose a bench top drill press?

John Respass

[Frank Fusco]

I am looking for a drill press for my small home shop. I have been looking at a bench top models to save space. I am wondering what capabilites that a floor model provides that I wont have in a bench model. Right now my first choice on a drill press is a Grizzly G7943.

What cant I do if a choose a bench top drill press?

John Respass

Large items cannot be drlled on a bench version. I use a machinists cross-slide vice for small items and sometimes it is too close to the bit and I cannot get the item into the vice. With a floor model you can crank the table almost down to the floor. Last time I looked, the floor model was only about $20.00 more than the bench one. IMHO, the call is a no-brainer, get the floor model.

[Jeremy Gibson]

Have you seen and considered the new Delta 17-950L floor model? It is just out and has a large table with cast T-slots and a removable block in the center. It seems to be made with the woodworker instead of the machinest in mind. I've seen it on the Lowe's site for $369

[John Respass]

Thanks for the comments.

I have pretty much opted to go a bench model because I cant think of any projects that I will be doing in the next year or so that involve big items. I plan to mount the bench model on a cart/cabinet that I can move around the shop and park out of the way when I am not using it. I picked the Grizzly (G7943) because it was a 3/4 hp with speeds ranging from 140 to 3050 rpm. The spindle travel is a little shorterer (3 1/4") than I would have liked but the price was attractive. I am trying to find out what I can expect for spindle runout on the Grizzly. I am looking for reviews on drill presses now. I'll post again later when I have more data. Thanks again.

John R.

[John Kain]

I'm always in the same boat as you. I constantly need a press but I never REALLY need one. Well, that will change one day, and when that day comes I swore I'd go with the Delta, Ridgid or Grizzly floor base models.

Here's the key!

At any one time, I believe you can get a floor base 1/2 HP model (from any of the companies listed above) for $199.99.

Each of these companies will give you a machine to live up to your expectations. Believe me, I've been on the verge of the Delta and Grizzly many times now................