I'm looking for a precise drill press

[David Malicky]

Yes, the Sieg mini mill 'quill' should work well. My impression from forums is that Sieg quality is not so good, at least compared to the BF20, but that owners are also happy. The one Sieg I have used (an X2 from Grizzly) was pretty rough. The head seemed ok, and I also liked the long 'quill', but the XY needed a lot of work... a kit. Still, a tuned Sieg would be a leap ahead of hand precision and there's nothing like it at that price. It wouldn't be my choice, but I see the niche.

Yes, the RF clones are near clones (for the 45, the base casting and head lift are different). But the quality is not cloned -- generally, it can't be, at the lower price. I don't see a debate on Taiwan vs typical China. I've researched, sourced, and used a dozen Taiwan machines and dozens from China. All our Taiwan machines are quite nice -- casting and machining quality, precision, attention to detail, component quality, turn-key functionality. Generally our Chinese machines are a lower category at a lower price. But after fiddling, almost all work well, and a few are close to Taiwan quality. Our Rong Fu 45 is a typical Taiwan machine (except the plastic hand wheels -- a beancounter's contribution, but easily replaced). A Rong Fu 31 from China is probably somewhere in between, but I've not used one to know for sure.

[Brian Sommers]

I'm just making toys, etc. I have a little cheap ShopFox and I hate it. it has less than 2" of quill throw so I can't bore through a 2x4 for axles, etc.

I want to make a little wooden house set that interacts with each other and I want precise holes.

[Ole Anderson]

I'm just making toys, etc. I have a little cheap ShopFox and I hate it. it has less than 2" of quill throw so I can't bore through a 2x4 for axles, etc.

I want to make a little wooden house set that interacts with each other and I want precise holes.

Any decent drill press ought to be able to do that if you use jigs to support the items being drilled and you use quality drill bits intended for the use. Biggest hurdle you will face is the bit wanting to start in the soft part of the grain and starting off center. To avoid that you can add hardened drill bushing to a jig. That is how a Kreg pocket hole jig allows you to drill at an angle into a piece of wood. If you chuck a long drill bit into a Bridgeport you can still have the same problem.

NOW you tell me...

[mreza Salav]

There is nothing wrong with getting a good machine with tolerances in 0.0001". It is also your money and you decide how to spend it. But I am thinking a reasonable drill press will be capable of what you want to achieve in wood. I doubt there is anybody who can claim the wood pieces they create (cut/shape/drill) are accurate within that tolerance and beside, wood is always moving. I have an old Delta 17" with 4.5" (or slightly more) quill travel. The table isn't great, but I see the new models have very good tables (both the PM and Delta get great reviews, although Delta isn't a company I'd feel comfortable buying from these days...)

[Brian Hood]

Any decent drill press ought to be able to do that if you use jigs to support the items being drilled and you use quality drill bits intended for the use. Biggest hurdle you will face is the bit wanting to start in the soft part of the grain and starting off center. To avoid that you can add hardened drill bushing to a jig. That is how a Kreg pocket hole jig allows you to drill at an angle into a piece of wood. If you chuck a long drill bit into a Bridgeport you can still have the same problem.

NOW you tell me...

Drill press or mill when drilling a hole slightly offset from an existing hole or in variable density material an end-cutting 4-flute end mill will generally ignore the existing hole. Works great in a regular drill press. Downside is limited sizes but pre drill with small end mill and finish with actual size drill or for an absolutely perfect hole finish with a reamer.
There are a lot of very useful tools and techniques that cross over from machining to woodworking very nicely, my wood game got a lot better when I got the mill.

[Brian Hood]

Absolutely correct, a good drill press will suffice and the value of holding tolerance below .005" in wood is pretty low. The value of a good mill/drill might be the fine feed drive on the quill and the ability to quickly use it as an overhead router on smaller parts you would have a hard time using a regular router on. The OP is making toys and would probably get a lot of value from a mill, but is it worth the extra money, not to mention the hassle of transporting and installing a 750lb. mill/drill?