questions about radial drill press

[Stephen Edwards]

I've never used a radial drill press. Can anyone explain advantages of it over a standard drill press? I've been looking at this one:

http://grizzly.com/products/5-Speed-Bench-Top-Radial-Drill-Press/G7945

I can see a few obvious possibilities but have no experience with them. Any tips or info would be appreciated. Thanks.

[David DeCristoforo]

I used to have a Delta version of this DP. Very handy for drilling angled holes, longer reach than "standard" DP, can easily be positioned "to the side" for drilling into the ends of taller pieces,etc. You can even do horizontal drilling with the right shop made jigs and stand.

YM

[Stephen Edwards]

Thank you. I hadn't thought of being able to use it horizontally. That's a useful tip. Thanks again.

[Keith Outten]

Stephen,

Radial drill presses are versitile machines but you need to consider the flex that you will experience in the horizontal pipe when you purchase your drill press. Depending on your needs you should be even more cautious when you make the decision concerning the size of your new DP. On a standard DP this is rarely an issue but radial style drill presses are a whole new ball game and you generally are better off purchasing a much larger press than you think you need so the flex doesn't become a problem. With small drill bits you won't notice much of an issue but with large bits and hole saws the flex in the horizontal pipe will be very noticable and affect accuracy.

.

[Stephen Edwards]

Thank you, Keith. From looking at photos of the RDPs they do appear to be very versitile. Should I ever decide to buy one I'll certainly keep your sound advice in mind.

[Curt Harms]

Keith alluded to one above--flex in the head. It doesn't seem bad when the horizontal extension isn't much but as the head moves out from the column the rigidity of the head assembly is going to suffer. I have the Delta version and it works okay but I doubt I'd buy it again. The second issue is speeds. Most "consumer" radial drill presses only offer 5 speeds, the the slowest speed it typically around 550 or 600 RPM. That's plenty fast for large cutters.

HTH

Curt

[CPeter James]

If you want a radial drill press, this is the real thing.

Walker Turner Radial Drill

http://www.surplusmachinetool.com/images/Walker-Turner%20radial%20drill-1.jpg

CPeter

[Rob Will]

If you want a radial drill press, this is the real thing. Walker Turner Radial Drill CPeter

I agree with CPeter and also have one of these WT drills in my shop. You should be able to find one used for $500 - $1500. Delta started making these again but - are you sitting down? - new ones list for about $10,000:eek:.
One word of caution, because of the rear protruding ram these puppies take up a lot of space and will require over 5 feet out from a wall.

Rob

[CPeter James]

I am not lucky enough to have one. Found the photo on the net.

CPeter

[Greg Hines, MD]

I use a Shopsmith, so do not have a standard drill press beyond its capacities. That said, when I do decide to get a drill press, it will be a radial. My thinking on it is that for standard drilling, where the head is close to the support column, the flex is likely to be negligible. And for those operations where it is cantilevered out from the post, there will be some flex, but it will also be drilling holes that you really could not do with a standard drill press, so I am willing to chance it.

Now, if only they offered radial presses with the woodworkers support tables you see for the standard models....

Doc

[Paul Girouard]

I have that same model ,

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b299/PEG688/Corbels6.jpg

It's a little under powered , but for the dollars it can't be touched.

It is versatile , if you've ever had a regular drill press you know you are aways wishing , "I had one more inch of space between the shaft and the drill bit !" so for that fact alone I went with the Rad. press.

I've found it to be very useful having the ability to even move the table out of the way and resting stock on the shop floor so longer stock could be end bored.

If your looking for versitilty radial is the way to go for a woodworker.

There is some flex in the head / arm etc , but for common woodworking those , at least IMO , are not a great issue.

Those old industrial ones are very nice if you like restoring tools as a hobby or you have very deep pockets.

[Rob Will]

Check out the T-slotted table on the WT / Rockwell / Delta radial arm drill. It is very big and will accomodate any kind of clamp or accessory you can imagine.

The best radial arm drills of this style have a 6" stroke - other models have a 4.5" stroke. I just wish there was a variable speed version.

Rob

[Rob Russell]

Here's a great post by Lou Sansone on his Walker Turner Radial Drill (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=18970&page=1&pp=15). He's got some great closeup pics of his machine and talks about how useful it is.

If you're lucky and keep your eyes open, you can get a machine like this for a good deal. This SMC thread (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=22620) shows the Rockwell version of the radial drill that I picked up for about $500. They do come up on Ebay - search for "Radial Drill". There's a Walker Turner on there now, but it looks like it needs a lot of TLC - as such - the price is a bit high IMO.

[Larry Conely]

I've had a Rockwell radial arm drill press for close to 25 years. It is not the workhorse that a fixed head drill press is, but I have never regretted buying it. I am a hobbiest, and there are many times I have appreciated the flexibility it gives. I would buy it again in a heartbeat.

Larry