low speed on drill presses?

[Jay Yoder]

I am currently comtemplating a new drill press and noticed how some presses have low speed 300 and below. How important are the slow speeds? would 300 be slow enough? i am trying to upgrade from a 12" which had a slowest speed of 500. I was cutting a 2-1/4" hole in 3/4" red oak and the wood started to burn. I figure the larger diameter the bit, the slower the speed, right? thanks alot!

[Craig Earls]

I am currently comtemplating a new drill press and noticed how some presses have low speed 300 and below. How important are the slow speeds? would 300 be slow enough? i am trying to upgrade from a 12" which had a slowest speed of 500. I was cutting a 2-1/4" hole in 3/4" red oak and the wood started to burn. I figure the larger diameter the bit, the slower the speed, right? thanks alot!

More likely your hole cutter wasn't particularly sharp. Wood cutting speeds are on the order of 3000FPM which for a 2.25" hole saw equates to 6000RPM. You get burning if the teeth aren't sharp and the gullets fill up without removing the ships.

Low speeds are for metals, which have much lower cutting speeds.

[Pete Bradley]

My industrial Delta "Slo-Speed" DP goes down to 470. I haven't found a need for less in metal or wood, and I don't think any hobbyist drill press is going to turn the kind of drill that might need less.

Pete

[Jeffrey Makiel]

I think 300 rpm is kind of fast for a fly cutter.

My drill press has a low speed of about 150 rpm. I use this speed for a fly cutter in wood, or large twist drill bits (1/2" or more) in metal with an oil coolant.

-Jeff :)

[Chip Lindley]

????6000 RPM???? For a woodboring tool? I think not! The max rpm of any drill press I am familiar with is about 3450rpm, or double the motor rpm. Perhaps you are referring to SPM, or surface feet per minute? There is a Huge Difference!

[Craig Earls]

????6000 RPM???? For a woodboring tool? I think not! The max rpm of any drill press I am familiar with is about 3450rpm, or double the motor rpm. Perhaps you are referring to SPM, or surface feet per minute? There is a Huge Difference!

Maybe I am missing something, but 3000SPM (surface feet per minute) is about 6000RPM for a 2.25in diameter hole saw. But as I said the limit is gullet clearance...which is severely limited in a saw that never leaves it track.

[Wade Lippman]

My industrial Delta "Slo-Speed" DP goes down to 470. I haven't found a need for less in metal or wood, and I don't think any hobbyist drill press is going to turn the kind of drill that might need less.

Pete

Well, lets see what requires 250rpm
http://www.ibiblio.org/twa/info/drillSpeedChart.pdf
3/4" brad point
1 1/8" forstner bit
1 5/8" hole saw
Any circle cutter

Nope, woodworker would never need any of those.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Maybe I am missing something, but 3000SPM (surface feet per minute) is about 6000RPM for a 2.25in diameter hole saw. But as I said the limit is gullet clearance...which is severely limited in a saw that never leaves it track.

If my math is working today, to get 3000 surface feet/min, you need to turn a 2.25" bit at 5095.51 rpm.

My drill has a chart that calls for 300 rpm for bits of 2" diameter or more in wood. It only goes as low 300 rpm, so I'd bet that a machine that could go slower would call for less speed in a 2.25" bit. BTW, I'm a fan of slower speed cutters, I usually run on the low end of the recomended range.

To answer the original question, yes the bigger the bit the slower. In wood, a press that would run between 300 and 2000 would be just fine. Most will go higher.

[Jay Yoder]

So based on what i am seeing a drill press with a min slow speed of 300 would work. Anyone have any experience with the Ridgid DP1550? just got back from the BORG and they seem to be very well built. I thought they are better built quality wise then the Delta 17-950. the Delta has the great table. they are only $50 apart and the delta comes with a laser, but other than the added depth and the table and a bit more spindle travel they are same...any input as to which one would work better?

[Steve Rozmiarek]

So based on what i am seeing a drill press with a min slow speed of 300 would work. Anyone have any experience with the Ridgid DP1550? just got back from the BORG and they seem to be very well built. I thought they are better built quality wise then the Delta 17-950. the Delta has the great table. they are only $50 apart and the delta comes with a laser, but other than the added depth and the table and a bit more spindle travel they are same...any input as to which one would work better?

I have the DP 15501. Don't know what the difference is between the number you listed, and mine, but mine has proven to be a good little drill press. I didn't expect much, but it really has surpassed. No runout, I like the belt, great work light, and I thought better fit and finish then the Delta. I usually avoid the Borg tools, but for the price, I took the gamble, and would do it again. I built an auxilary table for mine, which most of us do anyhow, so I wouldn't really use that as a deciding factor. Both good presses I'd bet.

[Mike Wellner]

Its better to spend your money on a vintage Delta DP from the 40s-50s. Solid and lasts forever.

[jim gossage]

I have had the delta 17-950 for several years and really like it. I believe that the creeker who commented on needing 6000 rpm may be wrong. The chart that comes with my delta suggests 500 rpm for a 2" forstner, which equates with a cutting speed of 262 surface feet per min. I have used a 2 3/8" forstner at that speed without any problems.

[Dave Trask]

Snip" the Delta has the great table. they are only $50 apart and the delta comes with a laser, but other than the added depth and the table and a bit more spindle travel they are same...any input as to which one would work better?

The Delta has a .....
* Better table suited to a wood workers needs and tilts forward.
* It has a lower speed of 250 rpm for drilling big dia's.
Wish it was 200 or less
* Comes with a laser.
* Has a tad more quill travel.
* 1/4 more horsepower.

I was in the same dilema between buying the two a couple of years
ago. I bought the Delta for the reasons above, and when I grabbed
the drill chuck and quill on the Ridgid there was way too much sideways
play" (run-out) in the spindle.
But in all fairness that was a display model.

The 17-950 had no play at all.
This is an important issue to check with any drill press.

[Jack Briggs]

3000 SFPM is way too fast for a hole saw. A bandsaw, on the other hand, has only a few teeth contacting the wood at any given second. A hole saw has every tooth in contact for that duration.

I use hole saws in my drill press at the lowest speed (150 RPM) always. Whether 1.5" or 6" diameter, this is the way to drill holes in wood.



Cheers,

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Its better to spend your money on a vintage Delta DP from the 40s-50s. Solid and lasts forever.

I agree Mike. They are not that easy to find in decent condition though. Vintage cast iron is usually better then any of the new lightweight stuff. Vintage could be any of the other good old brands as well, not exclusively Delta or Rockwell.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

The Delta has a .....
* Better table suited to a wood workers needs and tilts forward.
* It has a lower speed of 250 rpm for drilling big dia's.
Wish it was 200 or less
* Comes with a laser.
* Has a tad more quill travel.
* 1/4 more horsepower.

I was in the same dilema between buying the two a couple of years
ago. I bought the Delta for the reasons above, and when I grabbed
the drill chuck and quill on the Ridgid there was way too much sideways
play" (run-out) in the spindle.
But in all fairness that was a display model.

The 17-950 had no play at all.
This is an important issue to check with any drill press.

As I said before, I have the Ridgid, but I think the Delta would be a good press. The Ridgid has no way to lock the quill down, that I know of. I think the Delta does. I also like the depth adjust on the Delta, if they are still using that quick adjust system. The Ridgid's depth adjust is pretty good too, a dial lock type thing, that is very accurate.

I probably got lucky in getting a good Ridgid, and it may not happen again. Delta's quality is probably more reliable. I think the Powermatic press looks like the best new press out there, but not cheap.

[David G Baker]

Jay,
This is not wood realated but may help those that need slower speeds on their drill presses.
My Dad used quite a bit of stainless steel and a very slow speed is needed to drill the stainless with out melting the drill tip. My dad modified his drill press by adding pulleys to the pulley stack in the diameter required to obtain the speed needed. I think he had his slowest speed at around 100 rpm.

[Jay Yoder]

The Delta has a .....
* Better table suited to a wood workers needs and tilts forward.
* It has a lower speed of 250 rpm for drilling big dia's.
Wish it was 200 or less
* Comes with a laser.
* Has a tad more quill travel.
* 1/4 more horsepower.

I was in the same dilema between buying the two a couple of years
ago. I bought the Delta for the reasons above, and when I grabbed
the drill chuck and quill on the Ridgid there was way too much sideways
play" (run-out) in the spindle.
But in all fairness that was a display model.

The 17-950 had no play at all.
This is an important issue to check with any drill press.

Ironically the display model i looked at, the quill on the delta was pretty loose and the ridgid was tight. I have not had much luck with Delta lately, but maybe it is more an issue of the individual press than the actual model. I already have the SCTW add on laser new in box, and i am almost done with the Shop notes drill press table from last year. i do like how the table adjusts side to side and front to rear on the delta, as long as it can be dialed in easily. no matter what is bought, hopefully it can be returned if it is too sloppy (although that would be a pain).

[Pete Bradley]

Well, lets see what requires 250rpm...

Nope, woodworker would never need any of those.
Are you really trying to claim that a hobbyist must have 250 RPM to use these?

Mike W, agreed on the old iron, mine's a 1960 and built to work hard forever. A note of caution to potential buyers though that most of the 40s-60s machines one finds for sale have bearings that are shot. Replacement is very doable, but typically more complicated than bearing replacement on a band saw or table saw.

Pete

[Dick Strauss]

Many of the older drill presses often have fewer speeds than their modern counterparts. My buddies old 40-50's bullet style floorstanding Rockwell/Delta DP has 4 speeds (~750-2500 rpms ?????)

IMHO 150-200 rpms should be slow enough for almost all home applications. I wouldn't suggest running a 2" forstner bit at 500 rpms unless you don't care about your tools. The cutters will stay sharp much longer if you can slow them down to keep them from overheating.

[Wade Lippman]

Are you really trying to claim that a hobbyist must have 250 RPM to use these?


Of course not. It is rarely mandatory to do things properly; it just works better.

[Jerome Hanby]

My Shopsmith's lowest rate is about 700 RPM and swinging a wing cutter always makes me nervous. I'd love to have a little lower RPM available. Been snooping around or a speed reducer...

[Pete Bradley]

There's quite a bit of variation in recommended RPMs out there. For example, here are Woodcraft's numbers for Forstners:

http://www.woodcraft.com/images/articles/bit3.jpg
Similarly Disston and others recommend RPM well north of 500 for even large hole saws. At the end of the day it's results and safety that count.

Along those lines, I agree with Jerome that running a big wing at 700 isn't a great idea.

Pete

[Chuck Tringo]

Thats because WC wouldnt sell very many VS drill presses if they recommended speed lower than any of them went :D


There's quite a bit of variation in recommended RPMs out there. For example, here are Woodcraft's numbers for Forstners:

http://www.woodcraft.com/images/articles/bit3.jpg
Similarly Disston and others recommend RPM well north of 500 for even large hole saws. At the end of the day it's results and safety that count.

Along those lines, I agree with Jerome that running a big wing at 700 isn't a great idea.

Pete

[Pete Bradley]

Thats because WC wouldnt sell very many VS drill presses if they recommended speed lower than any of them went :D
Yeah, I was actually wondering the inverse -- if some of the folks who were selling a lower speed would be trying to push recommendations lower. Kinda like Delta's two speed band saw.;) This isn't quite like that of course.

Pete

[Lee Schierer]

????6000 RPM???? For a woodboring tool? I think not! The max rpm of any drill press I am familiar with is about 3450rpm, or double the motor rpm. Perhaps you are referring to SPM, or surface feet per minute? There is a Huge Difference!

Chip, I have a 1750 rpm motor and a 4:1 step pulley set up for speed changes on my drill press, so I get about 7,000 rpm on the high speed and about 430 on the low end.

[Alex Shanku]

vfd on a 3ph motor solves all of these problems.

[Dick Strauss]

Pete,
Remember a hole saw only cuts around the perimeter of the wood and leaves a big wooden plug behind so I can understand using a faster speed for hole saws. Hole saws act more like a round saw blade than a drill bit. Forstners have to break down and remove all of the wood!

[Jules Dominguez]

Low speed is important, more so than high speed. I have a 15" Jet with a low speed of 200 rpm.

The Jet has 16 different speed combinations, which is way overkill. It wouldn't improve your work or gain you anything to change speeds as often as you would need to in order to utilize all those settings. I rarely change the speed on mine.

Having a long quill travel (which I don't have) would be a worthwhile convenience, but you can mitigate the need to raise or lower the table by setting it at a good midpoint for the bits you use most often, and by using backing boards under your workpiece to accommodate your shortest bits. (Still can be a PITA, though)

A large auxiliary table is a huge convenience. Mine (homemade) is 24 by 40, and has compartments behiind the column which hold drill bits, a drill gage, pencils, awl, ruler and bench brush. The DP is mounted on a rolling cabinet, which also allows use of the top of the cabinet for more handy space, plus drawers and shelves in the cabinet. I sacrificed quill travel and chose a benchtop over floor-mounted for these reasons. The cabinet is sized to fit in the same footprint as the worktable.

[Jay Yoder]

One of the inherent advantages of slow speed is it reduces heat and friction. Which lengthens bit service life. After discussing this issue further with the Wifey, she asked me how much I would actually use the DP. Call me silly, but i never really thought of it in those terms. I had set the SCTW as the top (read that most "wanted") but now am questioning whether that would be overkill. Let me ask this question to you'all...I basically am building mostly cabinets and dressers and stuff like that, and was curious how much i would actually use the DP. If you had to choose between a great router table and a great DP, which is the better choice? I am just trying to gauge if i should save the 150+ and go for the 17-950l or save even more and go for the Ridgid...ultimately the true question is how much and for what are your drill presses actually used?

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Jay, I bought mine to use for Euro hinges, and have found that I use it pretty often. More so than a router, if that helps. About the same number of times that I use a low angle block plane.

[CPeter James]

I find that my large Forstner bits cut best at low speeds and that something under 200 rpm is nice. My radial drill goes down to 160 rpm and I use that speed a lot. Having 16 speeds is a good selling point, but about 5 well spaced ones is really adaquate IMHO. How often do you really use most of the ones in the middle?

[Pete Bradley]

Let me ask this question to you'all...I basically am building mostly cabinets and dressers and stuff like that, and was curious how much i would actually use the DP. If you had to choose between a great router table and a great DP, which is the better choice?
Don't limit your thinking to just woodworking. Need a few quick plugs for some millwork? Quickly sand a bit off something curved? Couple of accurate holes in whatever you're repairing this week? Light duty press? Make a special tool to fix a machine or get you out of a jam? The drill press is the machine I use the most. Get the best quality (not to be confused with number of features) you can afford.

One feature that's nice (if it's available on non-industrial machines, not sure) is a chuck with a threaded collar. This avoids you inadvertently popping the taper with a side load like a sanding drum*.

Finally, plan on getting a good drill press vise. I really like the float-lock:
http://eaglerockonline.com/index.php?Catalog=View&ProductLine=26
This vise has passed through several companies over the years, you sometimes find them on eBay also, usually from when they were made by AMF.

Good luck!

Pete


*every once in a while I see something on the internet about sanding drums being bad for drill press bearings. A drill press is no substitute for a sander but for the most part, drill presses use the same radial bearings as most other tools so there's no issue.

[Jay Yoder]

I was thinking that was the best application of slow speeds. I dont do that alot, but when i did it was sure a pain! Not to mention the heat and stench of burning oak. LOML ran out with nose plugged, and she can't usually smell anything. I have attached my comparison chart in case it may help someone...i tried assigning values to each to come up with a mathematical solution, but not sure it worked...

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I was thinking that was the best application of slow speeds. I dont do that alot, but when i did it was sure a pain! Not to mention the heat and stench of burning oak. LOML ran out with nose plugged, and she can't usually smell anything. I have attached my comparison chart in case it may help someone...i tried assigning values to each to come up with a mathematical solution, but not sure it worked...


Jay, you must be an accountant? Most of us do this for an escape from the day job;)

When you assesed values for features, is lower better or worse? Also, a feature is useless if poorly executed, so I suppose your rankings are subjective?

[Jay Yoder]

Jay, you must be an accountant? Most of us do this for an escape from the day job;)

When you assesed values for features, is lower better or worse? Also, a feature is useless if poorly executed, so I suppose your rankings are subjective?

I am not an accountant (LOML is!), I am more of the engineer type with a flare for overthinking EVERY decision! And yes it was to escape from the day job! haha

Like golf, Low score wins...if money no object. Unfortunately, unlike golf, once it is home, there are no mulligans!

[Greg Hines, MD]

My Shopsmith's lowest rate is about 700 RPM and swinging a wing cutter always makes me nervous. I'd love to have a little lower RPM available. Been snooping around or a speed reducer...


I have a Smithy. Lowest speed is 32 RPM.

Doc