Drill press survey and question's

[Randal Stevenson]

I am interested in seeing how many of you have a floor model, verses a benchtop model drill press.


For those of you who will do more then just click a choice,
Do you plan on changing? (going up to floor, or downsizing shop to benchtop)
How tall are those floor ones guys? (I have a small shop)
What are some of the projects you either had to use a tall one, or couldn't do because of not having one?


A little background, I have an OLD Atlas (around 1948) model, that compared to most of today's models, would be a 3/4 floor size (slight exageration, but larger then most benchtops I see).
This is a tool I may have a chance to upgrade, and am wondering how much use I would really get out of a larger one.


Thanks for all your help!

[Pat Germain]

FWIW, I've had a floor DP for about a year. I was all set to buy a bench top model when I saw a Delta floor DP on clearance at Lowe's for the same price as the bench top I was looking at. Thus, I bought the Delta floor DP.

In the past year, I can't recall a time where a benchtop DP wouldn't have done the job. I do like the large table and fairly heavy cast iron head my Delta has. I would not have this on a bench top model. It also has numerous speed setting available, but I rarely change speeds.

Now, if only I had the foot-pedal-activated assist like David Marks' DP ...

[Greg Cole]

Randal,
I have a Delta benchtop. It sits in a corner pretty lonely most of the time. I rarely use it for WW'ing projects and if I didn't have it in the shop, I don't think I'd miss it. I think my best use for it is to cut plugs.
I know there will be some replies that will be much more helpful, but my votes been tossed in the hat per say.
Greg

[Joe Meazle]

I have both and am trying sell my Floor model.

[Danny Thompson]

My Craftsman 17" floor model is just over 6' tall.

IMHO, its two biggest advantages over a benchtop are:

1) Stability. It can support a good sized drill press table, which helps support your work during drill operation.
2) Quill Travel. Most benchtops have quill travel < 3 1/2", so they can't drill through a 4x4. Some floor models have as much as 6". I think the Craftsman has somewhere around 4 3/4".

[J. Z. Guest]

Randal - I'd keep that old Atlas, unless something's wrong with it. Things were simply made better in those days; they weren't looking for places to make things cheaper.

Or, if it doesn't do something you really need it to do.

I have a benchtop Ryobi that I really like. I have a small shop too, and I find that I use the storage in the stand that I've built for it a lot more than I'd use the extra drilling capacity. I haven't yet had to drill anything that required the extra low RPMs of most floor presses either.

[J. Z. Guest]

2) Quill Travel. Most benchtops have quill travel < 3 1/2", so they can't drill through a 4x4.


a 4x4 is actually 3-1/2" by 3-1/2" so it would drill through a 4x4. That was probably one of the design criteria.

[Bob Slater]

I currently have a Glut of Drill Presses. Two benchtops and a floor standing one. I much prefer the floor standing model, as ergonimically you can put yourself in a better position when using it and you can also take it away from the wall when working on an odd shaped item. Unfortunately, my newest benchtop is of much higher quality than my floor standing one, so I will probably have to sell the Taiwanese floor model to make space.

[Dan Lee]

a 4x4 is actually 3-1/2" by 3-1/2" so it would drill through a 4x4. That was probably one of the design criteria.

I'm not sure but I don't think there are any BTDPs that even have a 3-1/2" stroke

[Stephen Edwards]

The next tool on my list to buy is the Steel City DP with the 6 inch quill stroke. I know that I won't need that much stroke very often, but when I do.....it'll be there.

[Rick Hubbard]

I must be doing something wrong. Unlike lots of folks I know (here at the Creek and elsewhere) I use my drill press a lot. I used to have a little benchtop model, but a couple of years ago I traded up to a floor model. I have never regreted it and would NEVER consider going back to the little one.

Here's the beast:

[Ken Fitzgerald]

For years I had a cheap ($79) bench model. Problem....it had a 2" quill travel. I bought a floor model 17" Jet as a replacement. Main reason....quill travel. I wouldn't buy a drill press with less than a 4" qull travel....benchtop or floor model.

[Steve Campbell]

I have and older floor model that I use most of the time. I was in a used tool store a few years ago and found a J C Penny 32" radial drill press for next to nothing. I bought it and cleaned it up and now have two drill presses. Turns out Delta made all the J C Penny drill presses so it is very nice quality. I used to make a lot of wooden cars and trucks so it was nice to have two of them. I was always setting up a jig to drill a number of holes only to discover that I needed to drill a hole in another piece first.

Since I bought my "Little General" wood lathe both of them seem to do more time as tables than as drilling.

Steve

[Don Bullock]

I have a bench top. Out of all the tool purchases I have made for my shop buying a bench top was, by far, my biggest mistake. I should have waited until I could buy a floor model. The biggest problem I have with the bench top is quill travel. It's far too short.:(

[Steve Kolbe]

I recently purchased the Ridgid floor DP. It works fabulously. I grew up using floor DPs and prefer the stability, xtra quill travel and xtra height that comes with them.


If you really need the xtra storage space you can always build a roll-away cabinet the fits just under the table...

[Peter Quinn]

I have a delta floor model, never considered a bench top as I would have had to build another bench to put it on, and that was more work than I was willing to do at the time of purchase.

The only thing that would make me trade up is if I could find a deal on a press with a foot actuated quill like DJ Marks. For years I thought he had an off scene assistant pulling the lever! Either a foot actuated press or a goon to stand around all day waiting to pull the lever on my drill press, either would be nice, assuming I didn't have to pay or feed said goon.

[glenn bradley]

Do you plan on changing? (going up to floor, or downsizing shop to benchtop)
- I went from a 10" bench to a 16-1/2" floor.
How tall are those floor ones guys? (I have a small shop)
- About 66" but I have it on a ballast-platform and mobile base so 72" The footprunt is about the same.
What are some of the projects you either had to use a tall one, or couldn't do because of not having one?
- it is more depth of throat than height for me but, I did have to borrow a neighbor's to drill my TS extension wings, some table legs and the like.

I was after the SCTW and would have it if a GREAT deal on the Delta 17-950L hadn't come along. No regrets at all and saved a couple hundred bucks.

[Dan Schocke]

I have both a floor model (17" Craftsman) and a bench top model (12" Craftsman). Either one of them could do any job that I've needed a drill press for. If I hadn't seen the 17" drill press go on sale for $179 I probably wouldn't have ever thought of purchasing a floor model.

That said, I prefer to use the floor model drill press because it's more stable, has a larger table, has more speeds to choose from, and is easier to change from one speed to another. Add me to the list of people that use their drill press all the time. I didn't think I'd use it nearly as much as I do, but I find myself using it almost every time I'm in the shop. I must be a bad judge of tools, though, because I didn't think I'd use my bandsaw much either -- now I'm not sure how I ever got anything done without one :o.

[Joe Jensen]

Here are my thoughts and experiences.

1) I have a floor standing DP. I've never needed the working height, but I think the floors space occupied is actually equal too, or less than if I have a bench top model.
2) I have an old industrial Rockwell with a 6" stroke. I've taken advantage of the stroke many many times. I rarely have to change the table height when changing bits or workpiece thickness because of this. If I ever had to replace mine, I would not buy anything with less than 6" of stroke.
3) I think old iron is equal to or better than new. Too many people only look at new. My DP cost less than $200, and an equivalent replacement would be way over $1000. I see people buying new entry level machines all the time for $200 or more.
4) My DP does not have a crank to raise and lower the table. I would not buy one again that didn't have a raising crank. I am currently using a bottle hydraulic jack with a block of wood. Works, but Kludgey

[Roger Bell]

I have an old Delta benchtop set up at a high speed for metal or small wood bits. I also have a Walker Turner floor model set up on low speed for larger wood bits. That saves the hassle of belt changes.

Both are quality older machines purchased for much less than anything new, and are much better made than most new stuff.

I prefer the floor model although I have the benchtop on it's own stand so the height is right for me.

On the floor model, the only thing I would change would be a rack and pinion table adjustment. But considering the outstanding quality and the price, I can live with that minor deficiency.

[Jules Dominguez]

I'm on my second benchtop. I just replaced a Craftsman that I bought new 40 years ago. I replaced it for the reason that it didn't have the rack and pinion table-raising feature, and I had to muscle the heavy cast iron table up and down the post. Not as esy as it was 40 years ago. Other than that, I'd have kept the Craftsman.

A floor-mounted model is not inherently more stable than a benchtop, if the benchtop is bolted down to a stable stand or bench. In fact, it is inherently less stable due to being more "top-heavy".

More "swing" is certainly an advantage when you need to drill in the center of a wide panel, but that will probably occur relatively infrequently and you can make a simple jig to drill square to a surface with a hand drill when necessary.

The longer quill travel you can get with a floor model would be an advantage at times, but in my experience those times are rare. In fact, I don't ever remember it being a real issue for me. Some strong preferences have been expressed for more quill travel, so I guess it depends on the kind of work you mainly do with your drill press.

You need to try to figure out which features will be important to you, and select accordingly. And the right choice for you may be floor-mounted or it may be bench-mounted. But I wouldn't consider a floor model to necessarily be an "upgrade" to a bench model.

[Michael Lutz]

I have a 1950's Rockwell floor standing drill press. It is heavy and built like a tank. I a have >5" quill travel and best of all it has a foot pedal actuated quill. It was LOML grandfather's, so we will be keeping it for sentimental reasons.

Mike

[Peter Quadarella]

I went with the floor standing model. I have a small shop and only have so much bench space; I can't keep building benches for tools. In the short time I have had it I have already used the long space underneath a few times (drilling into the sides of shelves and other long stuff like that).

[J. Z. Guest]

I'm not sure but I don't think there are any BTDPs that even have a 3-1/2" stroke

Well Dan, you're probably right.

I just checked the two Ryobi benchtop models: 2-3/8" and 3" travels. (for the 10 & 12" models.)

This Grizzly benchtop drill press (http://www.grizzlyindustrial.com/products/12-Speed-Heavy-Duty-Bench-Top-Drill-Press/G7943) has a 3-1/8" quill travel.

This 16" model (http://www.grizzlyindustrial.com/products/16-Speed-Bench-Drill-Press/G0485) has a 3-3/16" travel.

[Randal Stevenson]

Well Dan, you're probably right.

I just checked the two Ryobi benchtop models: 2-3/8" and 3" travels. (for the 10 & 12" models.)

This Grizzly benchtop drill press (http://www.grizzlyindustrial.com/products/12-Speed-Heavy-Duty-Bench-Top-Drill-Press/G7943) has a 3-1/8" quill travel.

This 16" model (http://www.grizzlyindustrial.com/products/16-Speed-Bench-Drill-Press/G0485) has a 3-3/16" travel.


What started this whole mess, was years ago I wanted one. I never had one growing up, and there were too many things that were "engineered", due to lack of the proper tools. I had told a machinist friend what I was looking for and he knew a local shop was closing. I got the call to go down and buy it ($50), or else he was and he would then know I wasn't serious about it. It turned out to be the benchtop version of one that I had bid on, and lost, locally (floor model went for around $425 in rough shape). I did some research on it, after he said that the tube could be replaced and it made into a floor model, but I have never found a replacement base (gave up looking recently).
I don't understand all the terminology, as I know the quill relates to the spindle, but not how (my understanding is they aren't the same thing). The spindle travel on my model was the same for floor or benchtop, 4". The press is an Atlas model 64, from 1948 if I remember the date correctly (I try to remember the column size more).
My father (who would like it if I upgraded), thought that I could build a stand and spin it around for larger work, but I do need to clean it up.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
I have a benchtop that I use quite a bit.
One day, I hope to add a floor model.
I'll either regulate the benchtop to metal only, or possibly a drum sander.

[Don Bullock]

What started this whole mess, was years ago I wanted one. I never had one growing up, and there were too many things that were "engineered", due to lack of the proper tools. I had told a machinist friend what I was looking for and he knew a local shop was closing. I got the call to go down and buy it ($50), or else he was and he would then know I wasn't serious about it. It turned out to be the benchtop version of one that I had bid on, and lost, locally (floor model went for around $425 in rough shape). I did some research on it, after he said that the tube could be replaced and it made into a floor model, but I have never found a replacement base (gave up looking recently).
I don't understand all the terminology, as I know the quill relates to the spindle, but not how (my understanding is they aren't the same thing). The spindle travel on my model was the same for floor or benchtop, 4". The press is an Atlas model 64, from 1948 if I remember the date correctly (I try to remember the column size more).
My father (who would like it if I upgraded), thought that I could build a stand and spin it around for larger work, but I do need to clean it up.

Randell, since you already have the bench top just keep it. They can be very handy. Four inch quill travel (distance the spindle travels up and down) is better than most bench tops I've seen. The reason I said that buying a bench top was a big mistake is that I need a longer quill travel on a drill press for some projects I've been working on. Whenever I can afford a floor model drill press I'll keep the bench top because it is useful for some drilling jobs. Perhaps, if your father wants you to upgrade, he'll help out with the cost of a floor model.;):D

[Randal Stevenson]

Well I called on one Thursday (bad weather, no help), I figured it would be gone, but I checked CL last night. I called on it this morning, it was still available. Not anymore!:D

Now it is a much newer Atlas, and I don't know if it is as heavy duty as the old one, but it was comparable in cost, to buying the replacement tube, and base (that I couldn't find) to upgrade mine. At the very least, now I can clean up the old one, and I gave half the price of a new, HF one.

[Steven Wilson]

Well I have a Jet floor model that snugs in nicely between my Oneida Cyclone and the Cyclone's filter. I built an open cabinet that fits over the base so I can store drill bits and such in close proximity of the machine. My only plan now is to find a Powermatic 1200HD (newer one with the VFD)

[Tom Veatch]

...
Do you plan on changing? (going up to floor, or downsizing shop to benchtop)

No plans to change from present floor model. May get another floor model with a longer stroke (Steel City?) and move my current Jet 17" to the metal shop.


How tall are those floor ones guys? (I have a small shop))

If you have comfortable head room in your shop, a floor model will probably fit. Mine is appx. 6' tall.


What are some of the projects you either had to use a tall one, or couldn't do because of not having one?)
The DP is my "go-to" tool any time that I need an accurately aligned hole (square to the surface or at a specific angle). About the only time I use a hand/portable drill is when the workpiece is too large or otherwise inconvenient to place on the DP table or when precise location/orientation is not a factor.

[Hank Knight]

Randall,

I had a Deta floor model for years. It was a basic machnine and did a good job. Two years ago I bought an old 1940s vintage Walker Turner benchtop, reconditioned it and sold the Delta. I've been very happy with the Walker Turner. So far I haven't missed the extra capacity of the floor model. I love the old iron machines, and the Walker Turner is a good one. So is the Atlas you have. "They don't make 'em like that any more" really applies to drill presses. I agree with the advice that you keep the Atlas.

My $.02.

Hank

[Pat Keefe]

I have a bench DP. A Fidax, cast iron thing (Cast Iron pedestal/Table/Head) weighing 50 odd Kg (110 lb). It is old, so I put a Link belt in it and it does anything I ask it to.

[John Renzetti]

About a year ago I bought an old Powematic 1150A drill press at an auction. It was 3 ph and had the PM speed change mechanism. I cleaned it up, put a chuck on it and also a VFD. Works great.
take care,
John

[Rob Will]

I picked up a Walker-Turner radial arm drill press for $425. I also have a benchtop DP. I use both all the time.

Rob

[Cary Falk]

I had a bench top DP for years but never had a bench so it always sat on the floor. If I wanted to use it I had to sit on a stool. I finally bought a floor model and couldn't be happier. I also like the longer quill travel that comes from a floor model.

[BOB OLINGER]

I'm a little like Dan. I had a Craftsman bench top for several years. Worked fine on most jobs. Then was able to cash in on the 17" floor model for $179. It depends on what you plan to use it for, it's about that simple; plus the bench top robbed bench top room.

[Brandon Shew]

I have a Delta benchtop press and it is mounted on top of a 15" wide base cabinet that I put casters on. I roll it around and have storage for all of my cordless drills and bits in the cabinet & drawer below.

I can only think of a few times where the 3" quill travel was not enough, but I was able to improvise. Still, it would be nice to have when you need it. I have toyed w/ the idea of getting a floor model, but I would need to find a way to make it mobile.