Need a new drill press

[Lori Kleinberg]

Well, the replacement chuck I had asked about previously didn't work out for my cheapy drill press :(,
so I guess I will have to buy a new one ;). Any suggestions? Do I need the 6" quill travel.
What about the 3/4 hp motor?
By the way I am a hobby woodworker whose weekend projects take from 3-6 months to complete :rolleyes:.

[Don Bullock]

Lori, it looks like you've already done some investigating. If I had my choice I would go for the 6" quill travel. My bench top only has a 2-3/8" quill stroke and it's a real pain to use. I discovered when I was putting in some Miller dowels, for example, that the drill wouldn't go all the way in so I had to raise the table on each hole to finish drilling the holes. Not I've decided for that type of job I have to go back to using a hand drill. That's not nearly as accurate. Just think of the length of holes you might have to drill and you'll see that the 6" would be great to have. BTW -- I'm just a hobby woodworker too.

[Matt Lentzner]

I've done a fair amount of research and asking around and have come to the following conclusion for floor model 3/4 hp DPs:

Best Overall: Steel City
Best Value: Delta 17-965

The SC is going to run you about $470 plus $100 shipping. The Delta is selling on Amazon right now for $285 plus $150 shipping, and I figure it is almost as good as the SC (quill travel is almost 5" vs. the SC's 6").

Hope that helps,

Matt

[Dave Laird in NM]

If I were looking for a new drill press I would seriously look at the Steel City Tool Works.

6" quill stroke, 3/4hp motor, 120v/230v, 1ph, 16 speeds (215-2720 rpm), 12" x 12" table. Model 20520.

Also available is a laser for getting the drill bit centerec where you want the hole. Model 25415.

That's my opinion, and if you add $4.50 to it you can get a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

[Lori Kleinberg]

Thanks all. Those are the 2 models I have been looking at. I believe woodcraft carries SC tools, do they have
them in stock so I can just send my boys to pick it up or am I still going to have to pay for shipping?

[Justin Bukoski]

I have the Delta and I can tell you the new woodworking table they have on these is really nice. Makes jig making so much easier. I'm very happy with it and I was able to buy it at my local Lowes for a good price.

[Don Bullock]

...I believe woodcraft carries SC tools, do they have them in stock so I can just send my boys to pick it up or am I still going to have to pay for shipping?

Lori, that's something that only your local WoodCraft can tell you. Just give them a call. I did that when I wanted a DeWALT planer recently. I called my closest WoodCraft. Fortunately they had them in stock and I saved a lot on shipping.

[Matt Meiser]

I just went through the same decision and ended up with Steel City. I seriously considered old iron, but decided to buy new. My decision came down to the Jet 17" and the Steel City with Steel City getting the nod due to mosly little things like the moveable light and the slightly larger table (even though I'll use an auxillary table for woodworking) I didn't like the Delta because of the depth stop design--both the Jet and the Steel City have an external depth stop while the Delta's was built into the quill handle. For me, I think the quill travel of any of the three would have been sufficient.

I also looked at a Rikon and a couple of General International models, but frankly they weren't much differnet than any other generic imported drill presses but with an expensive nameplate from what I saw.

In general the Steel City seems to be one of the nicer tools I've bought in terms of fit/finish. Honestly, I haven't drilled a single hole with it yet since I got it while I was in the process of fitting up cabinet doors and then subsequently spraying them. My next project will probably be my new DP table though. It was easy to assemble with the exception of getting the head out of the styrofoam packing. They put it in a plastic bag and then into a tight fitting molded space and its tricky to actually get a good enough grip to actually lift that bugger out! :D

Starting 9/1 (I think) Steel City is including the laser free. My dealer said his rep told him they would honor the free laser starting the morning they announced it to the dealers, which happened to be about 2 hours before I called to buy mine. He's supposed to get it for me after 9/1 when they start fulfilling the orders. I'll probably hook it up as I've read some positive things about DP lasers. You might want to ask about that.

My dealer is locally owned and did not charge me for shipping. If you can't get it for $479, which seems to be the required price, I'd walk out. Woodcraft doesn't sell Steel City here or I might have bought it from them as it happened to be their 10% off weekend.

[Jim Becker]

Quill travel and a low enough speed to safely use some of the cutters that you might in woodworking would be priorities with me...those big wing-cutters are a no-no at high RPM!

Bells and whistles like the laser thing don't impress me. Solid construction, good speed range (including the low end as I previously mentioned) and a nice stop system are what I would look at in a DP for woodworking. I've been using a Jet 17" for about 7 years now and it does the job. Some of the newer models available today have a longer thrown (quill range), however...

[John Thompson]

As Jim Becker mentioned.. quill travel is important to me also. I have an excellent 15" DP currently.. but will be selling it priced right soon. It has good clamping on the table and realitively long quill travel (but not close to 6") and little run-out. It has been a great drill press until I need a quill travel longer than 3 5/8". Then it comes up short.

6" quill travel has been tried before an failed in most cases and there is a reason. With that long of a travel you can develop slop in the throw down the road if the machine is used often. But industry grade DP's have long quill travel and don't have the problem..

So why do the models that are currently on the market or have been tried in the past develop slop eventually that renders too much run-out? Why would Steel City decide to add 6" quill travel with that in mind and not have to face that problem with a 5 Year Warranty?

Because they recognized the potential problem and added the solution on their Drill Press as industrial models have eliminating it. The solution is to use a "split head" as industry uses with an aduster that will pick up any slack from heavy use.

Just facts and yes I'm going to pay full price and happy to do so in case you're wondering. I need long quill travel, but without problmes! :D

Sarge..

[Roy Wall]

Because they recognized the potential problem and added the solution on their Drill Press as industrial models have eliminating it. The solution is to use a "split head" as industry uses with an aduster that will pick up any slack from heavy use.

Just facts and yes I'm going to pay full price and happy to do so in case you're wondering. I need long quill travel, but without problmes! :D

Sarge..

Like this one......:)

[Bill Wyko]

You definitely want to check out the Powermatic variable speed. I love mine.:)

[Matt Meiser]

I didn't mean to imply that the laser was important to me, but I certainly will take it for free and give it a try!

[John Thompson]

Like this one......:)

Ya da man, Roy.. pictures of "old iron" speak a thousand words. Ya better keep quiet or someone might take you for a "tool guy" that appreciates what was discovered long ago but doesn't seem to show up that much anymore.. Well... till recently! ;)

Regards...

Sarge..