PM 2800 Drill Press

[Leigh Betsch]

I've owned a PM2800 18 variable speed drill press since Saturday. It's going back. It vibrates so bad you need ear plugs just to be around it. :mad: I pulled it apart and found that the sleeve that the pulleys ride on has .048" run-out in it. It was against by better judgment to buy a Chinese made tool but what else can a person do these days? All my other tools are Italian (MM) or old US iron, but all I can find for new drill presses is the Chinese junk. Delta has been advertising the 20" variable speed press for 6 months but still can buy one, and even then it is made in China (probably why it's still not available).
I spent a month looking at e-bay for a used Bridgeport but couldn't justify the shipping cost on top of the $2500 for a mill. So I capitulated and bought what I though was the top of the line drill press. Anyone have any ideas? Wait for the Delta and hope it's made better?, save up for a used Bridgeport?, Anyone know of a USA or European made drill press? I'm not interested in giving PM another try.

[David Weaver]

If you're going to buy chinese, might as well get one of the HF presses. It's hit or miss, but they don't mind if you take something back.

There have been a lot of negative PM posts here lately.

I do recall someone on here a while ago saying that they had gotten a DP at HF and it had far less runout than their delta press.

Or, you could always start offering your buddies money for theirs.

[Randy Denby]

Leigh, I seem to remember Laguna having a drill press at their booth at the AWFS in vegas. Might check it out. Its disappointing to here about the Powermatic....I had my eyes on it. My older Jet has been a good tool, which is the main reason the Powermatic is way down on my list.

EDIT...nevermind, I just checked. It was a mortiser they had.

[Gary Keedwell]

I would do almost anything if I had the room and place for a Bridgeport. Man, I used to make some fast mortises with those babies.:)
Gary K.

[Leigh Betsch]

I would do almost anything if I had the room and place for a Bridgeport. Man, I used to make some fast mortises with those babies.:)
Gary K.
I've got the room but the wife gives me the evil eye when I talk about it. I just bought an Oliver lathe from Chuck, 56 years old and runs as smooth as silk. Maybe I'll just stand it on end and drill some holes with it.

[Chuck Lenz]

Hi Leigh, I'm very sorry and suprised to hear that your not happy with the drill press. When you mention vibration, do you think it could possibly be the belt. Maybe a Fenner Drives PowerTwist link belt would cure it. Otherwise how do you like the drill press ? Are there other issues also ? I can't imagine that PowerMatic wouldn't make things right for you.

[glenn bradley]

That is disappointing and not the first return on one of these I've read about here. For that price I would expect a solid tool. I ran across a smaller Delta 17-950 but was really planning on holding off for something a little larger. The sale price combined with LOML's ability to talk almost anyone down a bit further once the discounts start got me home for under $300.

Granted it is not a comparable machine spec-wise but it runs quiet, smooth and is working out quite well. I'm sure its as off-shore as anything but it may just end up being a keeper instead a 'tweener'.

It seems like in todays market you really can't shop brand, you have to shop item. Even the best respected makers have some turkeys in their catalog.

[Leigh Betsch]

Hi Leigh, I'm very sorry and suprised to hear that your not happy with the drill press. When you mention vibration, do you think it could possibly be the belt. Maybe a Fenner Drives PowerTwist link belt would cure it. Otherwise how do you like the drill press ? Are there other issues also ? I can't imagine that PowerMatic wouldn't make things right for you.
Not a problem with PM making it good, or Acme Electric, just I don't like to give second chances on a $900 tool. I'm sure you can tell that I'm not a China fan to start with. Now if you had an old US iron dp like the Oliver lathe I'd be back at your place instead of the Acme Electric store in Fargo.

[Leigh Betsch]

Not a problem with PM making it good, or Acme Electric, just I don't like to give second chances on a $900 tool. I'm sure you can tell that I'm not a China fan to start with. Now if you had an old US iron dp like the Oliver lathe I'd be back at your place instead of the Acme Electric store in Fargo.
Actually Chuck overall the DP had some nice features. The extendable table was nice although the mounts/slides for the table extensions are plastic. The fence is pretty cheap, but al least it did have a fence. The laser was not aligned to the spindle but I suspect it could have been adjusted if I kept it. Other than the noise and vibration the variable speed was nice. I really like the varialbe speed on metal dp's and mills I've used so I'm willing to spend the money for the vs option, just gotta find one that works. I also like the keyless chuck. My beef is that I stepped up, payed my money, and PM didn't deliver. Now I'm back to square one, wait for Delta or keep shopping for a Bridgeport. I've heard that the Shopsmith makes a good drill press, if you can find one cheap, I don't need all the other stuff you get with a Shopsmith.

[Chuck Lenz]

There is a ShopSmith that just went up for sale here intown, but it has the tablesaw, bandsaw and I'm not sure what else. Unfortunatly he is asking a whoping $1500

[Doug Mason]

The General DP is solid as a rock--but pricey ($1,800); but as the saying goes, you usually get what you pay for. Amortize the cost over a number of years and it will be cheaper than a cheap drill press--and throw in the enjoyment of using a fine tool; unless of course you give up WW!!! In hindsight, If I had known more about DP's, I would have bought old iron (but good stuff is still pricey, or so it seems).

[Rod Sheridan]

Leigh, if you want North American, purchase a General (NOT General International).

Regards, Rod.

[John Callahan]

There's a small family owned company in Verona, Wisconsin called Ellis Manufacturing that makes drill presses among other things. Not inexpensive- Tools Plus had their Model 9400 w/ power downfeed for $2299. No experience with them but might be worth a look. Clausing is still around. Pricewise old iron might be the way to go- I see old PM's, Clausings etc for sale time to time. Talked to a Delta rep at a tool show a couple of weeks ago and it sounded like the slow boat from China is or will be arriving shortly. Sounded like the 17-959L and 20-950 should be in stores this month if they aren't already.

[Bill Wyko]

I'm sorry but I'm going to have to disagree with your opinion of this drill press. I've owned one for a few months now and mine had a little shake when I got it but once the belt broke in it purrs like a kitten. This is a top notch press and PM really stands by their product. It's unfortunate you had this problem but you may want to contact PM. They are very willing to work out any problems you might have encountered. I had an issue with my 2nd table saw and they jumped through hoops for me. When the repair shop said the tech was on vacation here in Tucson they contacted another shop over 100 miles away and were going to send someone from there. The tech in PHX said this problem had only happened 5 or 6 times ever and recommended replacing the saw. PM called me and told my new saw was ready for pick up. Woodworkers let me pick it up, take it home, swap the saw and bring the old one back at my convenience. I truly believe this was not a common problem for my saw or your drill press but good luck with your investment any way you decide to go. BTW I've had my first JET table saw in daily use for 10 years and never even dusted off the motor once and it still works perfectly. Again, good luck with your investment.:)

[Bill Wyko]

Actually Chuck overall the DP had some nice features. The extendable table was nice although the mounts/slides for the table extensions are plastic. The fence is pretty cheap, but al least it did have a fence. The laser was not aligned to the spindle but I suspect it could have been adjusted if I kept it. Other than the noise and vibration the variable speed was nice. I really like the varialbe speed on metal dp's and mills I've used so I'm willing to spend the money for the vs option, just gotta find one that works. I also like the keyless chuck. My beef is that I stepped up, payed my money, and PM didn't deliver. Now I'm back to square one, wait for Delta or keep shopping for a Bridgeport. I've heard that the Shopsmith makes a good drill press, if you can find one cheap, I don't need all the other stuff you get with a Shopsmith.
I have a shopsmith with all sorts of accessories I'll sell you cheap. Please come and get it. I've never even turned it on. :D

[bruce norton]

Lee,

Not sure where you are located, but here in the south, there are used american drill presses to be had. I can usually find a couple each year and I only look for the old Powermatic 20", model 1200 or the Clausing 20", and the old Rockwell Delta 20" models. I usually have to do some repairs but they are repairable. I bought two of them in the last year and currently have three in the shop. I plan to use two of them and have an offer on the third but I may be able to find more as I passed on four more of the Clausing 20"s this summer.
The only American made models I know of are the Clausing and the Canadian General. These are both top quality drills. I have looked at the Ellis and am not sure but the design looks a lot like the imports so I do not where is is built.
If you are close enough to ship the drill reasonably then I can look for another one. I now have most of my friends shops outfitted with 20" drill presses.

By the way, I sold my old Bridgeport to another woodworker last summer for the paltry sum of $900. It was good for mortises and light milling but had lost some of its orginal accuracy. I still made woodworking machine parts with it and had good success. I bought a pristine Bridgeport w/ 2J2 head at a nearby auction so I did not need the old Bridgeport any more.

[Jay Yoder]

Ever thought of looking at the steel city? That is what i have tabbed for delivery sometime next year (provided funds arrive). I have heard great things about their customer service and in looking at it compared to the delta right next to it, it was built the way things used to be built...heavy...anyone had any experience with this drill press?

http://www.steelcitytoolworks.com/products_category.cfm?section=2&category=4

[Leigh Betsch]

Lee,

Not sure where you are located, but here in the south, there are used american drill presses to be had. I can usually find a couple each year and I only look for the old Powermatic 20", model 1200 or the Clausing 20", and the old Rockwell Delta 20" models. I usually have to do some repairs but they are repairable. I bought two of them in the last year and currently have three in the shop. I plan to use two of them and have an offer on the third but I may be able to find more as I passed on four more of the Clausing 20"s this summer.
The only American made models I know of are the Clausing and the Canadian General. These are both top quality drills. I have looked at the Ellis and am not sure but the design looks a lot like the imports so I do not where is is built.
If you are close enough to ship the drill reasonably then I can look for another one. I now have most of my friends shops outfitted with 20" drill presses.

By the way, I sold my old Bridgeport to another woodworker last summer for the paltry sum of $900. It was good for mortises and light milling but had lost some of its orginal accuracy. I still made woodworking machine parts with it and had good success. I bought a pristine Bridgeport w/ 2J2 head at a nearby auction so I did not need the old Bridgeport any more.
I'm up here in South Dakota so shipping becomes a costly deal when ever I find something I like on e-bay. I would jump on a Bridgeport for $900 but sounds like I'm too late and too far away. I'm off to return the PM tomorrow, the dealer also handles the General line so I'll look into it. I took a look at the Ellis web site. Looks to be some heavy duty stuff and maybe over kill for the woodworker, not to mention it probably will cost more than a used Bridgeport. But I'll give them a call tomorrow and see what they have to say. If I don't find anything I like I may ask for some advise on finding and re-building some old US iron.

[Leigh Betsch]

I'm sorry but I'm going to have to disagree with your opinion of this drill press. I've owned one for a few months now and mine had a little shake when I got it but once the belt broke in it purrs like a kitten. This is a top notch press and PM really stands by their product. It's unfortunate you had this problem but you may want to contact PM. They are very willing to work out any problems you might have encountered. I had an issue with my 2nd table saw and they jumped through hoops for me. When the repair shop said the tech was on vacation here in Tucson they contacted another shop over 100 miles away and were going to send someone from there. The tech in PHX said this problem had only happened 5 or 6 times ever and recommended replacing the saw. PM called me and told my new saw was ready for pick up. Woodworkers let me pick it up, take it home, swap the saw and bring the old one back at my convenience. I truly believe this was not a common problem for my saw or your drill press but good luck with your investment any way you decide to go. BTW I've had my first JET table saw in daily use for 10 years and never even dusted off the motor once and it still works perfectly. Again, good luck with your investment.:)
I don't mean to disagree with you. I'm sure PM would make everything right if I wanted to keep the DP. Acme Electric is more than willing to repalce the unit. It is really just up to me if I want a new PM 2800 or if I want to switch to something else.

[Leigh Betsch]

Well I took the PM2800 back today. I looked over the Delta and Jet stuff. I felt the PM was head and shoulders above the competion in features and cosmetic quality. So I brought back another PM2800. I set it up and it was much smoother that the one I took back. I let it run for about an hour to see if the belts would break in. The noise/vibration just kept getting worse. After an hour the motor was quite hot, I could still touch it but it was hot. The motor sleeve looks to have aout as much run out as the one I took back. Maybe it is normal for the motor to heat up after an hour but I can't accept the vibration and noise. I'm going to call PM directly on Monday and see if someone will come out and replace the motor sleeve or if they will at least send me a new sleeve. Based on what I saw of the Delta and Jet stuff today I would much rather get my PM fixed than buy one of those. I did check out the price of a General (not General International) but at $1500 I think I would opt for a used Bridgeport instead. So I'm still not happy with the PM but I'm going to give PM a call and see if they can fix it and if that doesn't work I'm going to buy a used Bridgeport and be done with these problems. By the way Acme Electric - Tool Crib of the North are a pleasure to deal with.

[Jim Becker]

Do note that PM and Jet are essentially the same company (both part of WMH and sharing many products outside of paint and doo-dads), although the former has often been positioned as more "industrial"... That said, my Jet 17" DP has been outstanding for anything I've asked it to do.

Question...what is the slowest RPM on the PM? I seem to recall it was quite high which surprised me given it's marketing toward woodworking. Fly cutters and big Forstners really need a fairly low RPM to work with safely.

[Leigh Betsch]

Do note that PM and Jet are essentially the same company (both part of WMH and sharing many products outside of paint and doo-dads), although the former has often been positioned as more "industrial"... That said, my Jet 17" DP has been outstanding for anything I've asked it to do.

Question...what is the slowest RPM on the PM? I seem to recall it was quite high which surprised me given it's marketing toward woodworking. Fly cutters and big Forstners really need a fairly low RPM to work with safely.
The slowest speed is 400 rpm. A bit fast. The Jet is my second choice in terms of fit and finish it's not quite as good as the PM. If I was only concerned about getting a hole drilled accurate at the least cost there are a lot of drill presses that would work just fine. But I'm building a shop. Just as when I build furniture I strive for the best I can do and at some point I will comprimise and live with the imperfections. I'm just not there yet on the DP.

[Jim Becker]

Leigh, I can appreciate how you feel about tool selection...I've been pretty aggressive over the past four-five years with how I've equipped my shop under that same philosophy. Three Minimax machines, a Stubby 750 lathe, Oneida DC, etc...I took advantage of some good years when I could.

That said, I have always found that the DP gets very limited use so "bells and whistles" have little impact. A reasonably deep throat depth, long quill throw (at least 4+"), a decent stop setup, slow low-end speed and smooth running is all I care about. The built-in light is nice, too. I have that with the Jet 17" machine that I bought back in 1998. The round table was of no consequence as I made a shop-built auxiliary table appropriate for woodworking. This DP is the only major tool left from my original shop equipment and still serves well for what it gets asked to do.

Maybe someday I'll pick up a surplus 3-ph motor and a VFD and make it variable speed...just for something to do.... :D

[Basil Rathbone]

Nothing is perfect, but the SCDP with its split head casting, 6' quill travel and 16 speeds (215 to 2720) certainly meets my needs. I like it.