Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 16 to 23 of 23

Thread: Drill Press Education Needed

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Southwestern CT
    Posts
    1,392
    Hmmm ... interesting point. Could the tool that performs that function arguably be the CNC Router?

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Posts
    6,390
    Quote Originally Posted by ian maybury View Post
    A general point on drill presses. They in a sense are the cinderella tool, aren't they? For just about everything else in woodworking there's every level of product available from bog basic to pearl encrusted, but for some reason drill woodworking presses these days just don't make it into quality territory. We'll pay a lot of money for e.g. a fancy panel saw, but not the marketeers seem to think a drill press...
    I agree - good analysis.

    Here in the Colonies, you gotta go back in time to the high-quality, big-arn stuff. In today's dollars, those machines new would be $2-$3K, I guess. I run a mid-80's PM150A-VS. The standard-grade Delta it replaced was not in the same ballpark - not even in the same solar system. It took a while to find a good, refurb one, and it took a 1,200 mile round trip drive to get it. And I paid close to top-dollar. But - all said and done, I've got less in mine than a new PM2800.

    It really was, I guess, an entry-level tool for machine shops, but it is also a top-level for WW. It's big brother the 1200 is a honker, and really only for machine shops and nutso WW guys - like me - wish I had one.

    I figger that the market for something new, at this quality and performance level, would have a market size too small for a company to make the investment on R&D and production.

    There is a reasonable trade in the PM1150 and 1200 machines - that is why I asked the OP where he is located..thought I could offer him a few possible sources he was not aware of..............but he hasn't shown back up to his own party so far.
    When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    'over here' - Ireland
    Posts
    2,532
    It seems unlikely that there isn't a market Kent - plenty are happy to pay for machines at the Hammer/Felder level for example.

    It's got problematical over here - the traditional refrain of 'keep an eye out for a good used machine on the cheap' doesn't apply any more. Not unless you get very lucky.

    We just don't have the industrial history for there to be enough old iron popping up in Ireland, and what does has typically been beaten to death and rusting in some farmer's hayshed for years.

    In the UK where until recently there was a steady supply of good quality/lightly used old stuff like Fobco, Meddings and the like coming out of schools and colleges, but that supply seems largely to have dried up. The dealers are grabbing the little that does surface at auction (institutions are anyway often scared to sell to the public for fear of liability), and jacking prices to the moon. e.g. over $2,000 for a used Fobco 7/8. It's a bit the same for stuff like mill drills, it seems it was only a case of waiting a while to pick up a nice used Arboga 2508 mill drill (again from a college) for around £500 a few years ago, but e.g. the last that came up was missing key tooling, and they were looking for £1,250 and refusing any warranty whatsoever. Add in transport and it's heading for $2,000. That's before you risk finding you got a clunker, and are facing into $250 a pop for even basic OEM parts e.g. a gear from Sweden….
    Last edited by ian maybury; 03-25-2015 at 6:19 PM.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Posts
    6,390
    Ian -

    I feel your pain.

    I got nuttin' to help you, brudda. Zip. Zero. Nada.

    What's the freight for a 600# crate from US to Ireland?
    When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    'over here' - Ireland
    Posts
    2,532
    I can't remember the numbers, but I've had a pallet over before and it's not bad at all. Of the order of a few $100s. Tax is perhaps the bigger issue at 21%. At one point I thought seriously of bringing over one of the woodworking specific high end Delta, but took fright at the reports of poor quality and minimal spares back up. There's also the 50/60Hz issue. There's also a high end Jet variable speed, but there's been a few mixed reports about regarding reliability on that too. Both get some good reports too...

    As above i've for good or ill just ordered an RF 31 type mill drill type machine in the UK. Presuming it's a good example it looks very promising. 500 x200mm positioning table, light milling capability, 130mm spindle travel, better than 1 thou runout, smooth running and rock solid for £1,150. (about $1,400) Judging by one I saw running last week they can be very smooth… The risk its hard to eliminate is that they come out of a number of different Chinese factories as well as the original in Taiwan - it's hard top know what's decent and what not. I've gone for one that gets good press, and has been around for years. It's about double the cost of a better quality but still consumer level drill press which isn't so bad, but wish me luck...
    Last edited by ian maybury; 03-25-2015 at 8:59 PM.

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Glenelg, MD
    Posts
    12,256
    Blog Entries
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by ian maybury View Post
    There's also the 50/60Hz issue.
    Look for a high-horsepower version that uses a VFD... that should solve your 50/60 Hz issue.
    Hi-Tec Designs, LLC -- Owner (and self-proclaimed LED guru )

    Trotec 80W Speedy 300 laser w/everything
    CAMaster Stinger CNC (25" x 36" x 5")
    USCutter 24" LaserPoint Vinyl Cutter
    Jet JWBS-18QT-3 18", 3HP bandsaw
    Robust Beauty 25"x52" wood lathe w/everything
    Jet BD-920W 9"x20" metal lathe
    Delta 18-900L 18" drill press

    Flame Polisher (ooooh, FIRE!)
    Freeware: InkScape, Paint.NET, DoubleCAD XT
    Paidware: Wacom Intuos4 (Large), CorelDRAW X5

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    A suburb of Los Angeles California
    Posts
    644
    Quote Originally Posted by ian maybury View Post
    They in a sense are the cinderella tool, aren't they? For just about everything else in woodworking there's every level of product available from bog basic to pearl encrusted, but for some reason drill woodworking presses these days just don't make it into quality territory. We'll pay a lot of money for e.g. a fancy panel saw, but not the marketeers seem to think a drill press...
    I'm trying to find a radial arm drill press (need the reach) that runs slower than 550 rpm. It's a pretty dry search.
    AKA - "The human termite"

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Posts
    6,390
    Quote Originally Posted by Chuck Nickerson View Post
    I'm trying to find a radial arm drill press (need the reach) that runs slower than 550 rpm. It's a pretty dry search.
    Have you tried the used machinery sites? Industrial Recovery Services - auctions; machinetool dot com - lot of giant industrial stuff there, but some "normal ' stuff too.
    When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •