Drill press buying advice

[Lloyd McKinlay]

Time for another tool.:)

Need to get a small drill press. Very limited space makes a bench top preferable, but I'm not certain it would be big enough. First uses will be drilling holes for euro hinges in 3 sets of cabinets, then I need 50+ rosette corner blocks (5 1/2" molding, anybody know where I can find 4" diameter cutters?).

Asking for sugestions on what to look for, features, throat size, quill travel, etc. Obviously a slow speed is needed for the big cutters, what else? Also, and great labor saving jigs or accessories?

[Jim Becker]

IMHO, a bench-top DP will usually take up more room than a floor-standing model and in many cases, be lacking in capacities and speeds. A floor model DP with a small hand-truck or a mobile base (I have the latter) is really easy to shoe-horn into a corner or other available space and doesn't take up valuable bench space in a small (or large) shop.

[Dan Clark]

Jim,

I'm hot on the issue of building a shop in a very small space. What brand and model of DP do you have? What kind or brand of mobile base?

Thanks,

Dan.


IMHO, a bench-top DP will usually take up more room than a floor-standing model and in many cases, be lacking in capacities and speeds. A floor model DP with a small hand-truck or a mobile base (I have the latter) is really easy to shoe-horn into a corner or other available space and doesn't take up valuable bench space in a small (or large) shop.

[glenn bradley]

I'm with Jim. By the time I got something under my baby Delta DP and expanded the miserably small table, I was occupying more space than a good floor model would have taken up. I would also have the quill travel (bench tops rarely have much over 3") and throat depth (mine's 5"). OTOH I got it for just over $50 and should be able to sell it for that when I'm ready. Go straight for a floor model. Save time and long-term money.

[Jim Becker]

I have the Jet 17" DP and it's on one of the inexpensive HTC mobile bases for convenience. One must take care with DPs on mobile bases as they are very top-heavy tools. (Never leave them in the "mobile" mode when not actually moving them and use two hands) The Jet 17" and the equivalent Delta have nice long throws (depth of quill movement) and a multitude of speeds, including a setting the lower 200 rpm range which is needed for wing-cutters, rosette cutters and large Forstner bits. There are probably Grizzly and other brands that have similar specifications...I bought Jet 'cause I had an "all Jet shop" at the time, but a DP is a pretty simple device. As long as the one you get runs true and has the capacities you want/need, it's one of the tools you can easily be less brand sensitive on...within reason...and IMHO.

I think one of the manufacturers just finally brought out a DP that was designed more with the woodworker in mind, but I don't recall the specifics other than the factory table, while metal, has provisions for an MDF or plywood insert in the middle as well as easy clamping capability. But I'd still put my shop-built auxiliary table/fence on it as I find a large work surface is quite handy when using a DP for woodworking. Mine is made of scrap baltic birch plywood and MDF with a scrap oak fence that uses toilet bolts, wing-nuts and routed tee-slots to stay on the table in the right place.

[Don Bergren]

I'd also suggest starting with a floor model drill press rather than a bench top model. When looking for a drill press I chose the bench top Delta 350 and now wish that I'd opted for a floor model. My Delta 350 has been a good drill press for the most part, but it takes up the same amount of floor space as a floor model would.

As has been said, the floor models offer a lower speed selection than most bench tops, which can be a very important feature. I've been affected by the inability to slow my drill press speed down enough for certain tasks, with large forstner bits being one of them. A friend of mine has a floor model on a mobile base and pushes it out of the way when not in use. His drill press takes up no more floor space than my setup does, plus he has features that mine doesn't have.

[Frank Fusco]

My Grizzly G7943 was a good choice except I should have gone for the 7944 floor model. Think about it, they both take up the same footprint space. The floor model is vastly more versitile than bench tops unless you are getting an itsy-bitsy, almost toy sized one.

[Paul Canaris]

I would seriously look at http://www.knuth.de/frameset_usa.htm

[John Renzetti]

I would seriously look at http://www.knuth.de/frameset_usa.htm

Hi Paul, You had to do that and post that link. :) These look interesting. I'm planning on replacing my Delta DP.
take care,
John

[Corey Hallagan]

LLoyd, I used to have a floor model DP until the motor went and now I have a benchtop. The issue on whether you are going to be using more space or not depends on whether you have a space now that the benchtop will sit on top of. In my case I free'd up much needed space and I had a cabinet top that shares my benchtop router table. It fit in perfectly. So if you have to create space to make room for a floor model then it maynot be the way to go. Some folks just can't fathom some of the small shop spaces that we have to work in :) Larger shops it just isn't that hard to carve out a space that will work. My shop is very small and it the front portion of a 1 car garage.
With that said, you do have to take into consideration the limitations of some of the bench tops if you go that way. The concerns about HP and quill travel are both very valid. Get the most HP and travel that you can and buy the best you can afford in this instance. I am somewhat limited with my Craftsman bench top in quill travel. I have learned to work around it which you can do. When I have to upgrade my drill press ( and I will because I went too cheap) I will consider buying a floor model and adapting it to a bench top buy either chopping the main pole down or in some other fashion. Hope this helps.

Corey

[Corey Hallagan]

I would seriously look at http://www.knuth.de/frameset_usa.htm

Now those are some sweet drill presses!!

Corey