Drill Press

[Todd Bin]

I am looking to upgrade my crappy bench top GMC drill press. I would like to buy a good one and was looking at the new Powermatic or the Delta X5 but there are some pretty negative reviews about these units. They seem to have nice features but poor execution.

Which drill press would you consider?

Thanks,

Todd

[Jason Morgan]

The steel city is on my short list for DP. From what I hear, quill travel is the big issue and the steel city has the longest that I have found (6" I think)

[George Bregar]

My buddy just got the Steel City, very nice. Only issue with his is that the motor cover hinge was put on backwards. No big deal, no effect on use. This will be my next drill press.

[Tom Veatch]

The Delta 20-950 specs caught my eye and prices seem to be about 100 below the X5. Can't find any reviews other than complaints about backorders. Maybe that's because they haven't shipped yet? Anybody know for sure?

Particular points that caught my eye are the 6" quill travel, woodworker friendly table with fore/aft and left/right tilt, and variable speed without moving belts around stepped pulleys. Specs on the Delta website say the variable speed is 200-250. Surely they dropped a zero because 200-2500 makes more sense.

If that one lives up to the promise of the specs (and the 250 is actually 2500) it may cause me to move my existing 17" Jet into the metal shop and put the Delta in the woodshop. Don't like those metal shavings around the woodwork anyway.

[Bill White]

Buy old stuff. You can pick up OLD ARN very reasonably, clean it up, use it, and pass it on to three more generations.
Bill

[Todd Bin]

Thanks for the input. I had not considered steel city and had not really considered buying an older DP. I had not even heard of the brand mentioned.

Maybe Rockeler will let me turn on a few on their showroom or one will be at the WW show this weekend.

Thanks,

Todd

[Eddie Darby]

Steel City 17" DP with a split head to maintain accuracy for years and years.
Only weak thing about this DP is the table is very small, so first project would be a new DP table.

[Al Garay]

The Steel City drill press looks almost identical (except for the longer quill travel) to the Delta 17-965 which you may still be able to find at Rockler for around $350. That's how much I paid last month.

The Jet 17" is also worth considering for about the same $350. You just have to negotiate a little.

[George Bregar]

FYI, the other issue with my buddies Steel City DP is although it comes with a flex lamp, it is so flexible that it will not stay in place. He is checking on replacement.

[Al Garay]

I bought the Delta lamp from Lowes for about $19. It has a very strong magnet and uses halogen bulb. Simple and easy.

The main reason I went with the Delta drill press (17-965) since it has been a proven design, very positive reviews including first place against comparable floor-standing (do a search, I think it was Fine Woodworking). And can be had for a discount since Delta has the newer laser models.

[George Bregar]

I bought the Delta lamp from Lowes for about $19. It has a very strong magnet and uses halogen bulb. Simple and easy.

The main reason I went with the Delta drill press (17-965) since it has been a proven design, very positive reviews including first place against comparable floor-standing (do a search, I think it was Fine Woodworking). And can be had for a discount since Delta has the newer laser models. Yeah, I know it's no big deal, and the SC DP is a great buy, just a heads-up.

[Vic Damone]

I've been considering the Delta 20-959LX for quite a while now. It seems it's going to be some time before its release so the 20-950 may be the way for me to go. I think I'm going to them some more time and wait until the spring.

Since I work with metal and wood the variable speed is a must. I've run into many situations were the six inch stroke would have been very welcome. The larger overhang capacity would simply be icing on the cake.

I've located presses by other manufactures that have most of these features but they're expensive. I'm open to suggestions.

Vic

[Dennis Reardon]

Todd I just bought a drill press after 2 years of research, (and constantly scanning the local craigslist hopeing to find a used press in good condition). I initially thought I wanted the Delta 965 since it came out on top in a couple of magazine reviews I read. However, after testing one I found on craigslist this press has a small flaw that bothers me.

Now don't everyone guffaw when I say this, because it truly is a small and relatively minor flaw. However, after setting the depth of stroke and pulling down the quill it hits the stop but it does not come to a solid stop; the quill can still can be pulled down a good sixteenth of an inch or better. This may be something that owners of this press adapt to and develop a feel for. I, on the other hand, am one of those guys who really "pulls down" when using a press. My fear was that I could either harm the press somehow, accidently "push through" a piece or overcut the recess for cabinet hinges.

The Steel City press, which appeared to me like an oversized Delta 965 had the exact same problem. It is reasonalbly priced and the table was larger and seemed a bit more substantial than the Dela's. But the lack of a definite "stop" just bothered me.

I ended up buying the 17" Jet on sale locally. This has a definete quill stop. It is not without its drawbacks however. The table is rather smallish and the built in light is not that effective. I did have to remove the chuck and re-install it to eliminate what I felt was excessive runout. Once I did that the runout was halved. I will also keep my eyes peeled for a good deal on an SPi keyless chuck, forgive me folks but I have really become accustomed to keyless since all my handrills have them. Now I am researching ideas for adding a table and building a mobile base for it. I am also wondering why I just did not go ahead and buy one two years ago, man are these things a godsend for a crooked hole driller like myself!

[Rob Diz]

The SC DP is made by Orion, which also made the Craftsman DP that was recently blown out (with a few obvious differences - quill travel length and no split head).

I got the Craftsman DP, and frankly was very impressed with the quality of the build. Depending on your needs, i would give a look for a craftsman being resold. There is a glut of them on the market, so you might get pretty close to the $200 sale price.

If you are going to be using the DP extensively, it might be worth the few extra hundred bucks, but for me, the Craftsman was the solution.

Either way, it's a quality tool

[Eddie Darby]

The split head is worth the extra $$$$.

"Split Head Casting Design:
Unlike its competition, the model 20520 gives you the ability to compensate for wear and insure accuracy of the quill assembly over the life of the machine."

http://www.steelcitytoolworks.com/products_tools.cfm?section=2&category=4&tool=20520