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Thread: Grizzly G7947 17" Drill press - any experience with this?

  1. #1

    Grizzly G7947 17" Drill press - any experience with this?

    Need a woodworking drill press, for occasional use (but I like a nice round hole when one is needed).

    This Grizzly model 7947 seems like an excellent deal considering that it has a 1-1/2hp motor and 4-3/4" of spindle travel. I'm sure the chuck is marginal, but it's replaceable if true.

    Anyone have one of these, or see one at the showroom/woodworking expo? i am now living in California and have been trolling Craigslist and eBay for months with nothing decent within 100 miles...and i have a project coming up that needs some holes

    i appreciate whatever help anyone can offer.
    Rob

  2. #2
    I'm sure others will disagree, but I consider getting rid of my floor standing unit and moving to a bench top Drill press, one of the best decisions I've ever made. I had a floor mounted unit for over 10 years and hardly used it. It was difficult to move around. Difficult to construct a base for it. Extremely top heavy. If you build a cabinet, you have to build around the column. About 18 months ago, I bought a Wen Desktop and I've probably used it more in 19 months, then I did the other in 10 years. I found I didn't really need the extra travel, and the mobility of it, made it a much better solution for me. I got the Wen with the adjustable speed (essentially a Reeves drive) and it has performed very well. The worst thing I can say about it is, the light is poorly positioned, but a magnetic light solves that problem. I'm not familiar with Grizzly's drill press, but I do have their band saw G0555, which has worked flawlessly. Best of luck.


    -Todd

  3. #3
    I do not have experience with the Grizzly drill press. As you say, it looks to be a decent machine and a good price.

    I have a Powermatic floor standing drill press. I added an X-Y table and milling vise to the drill press which for my needs transformed the drill press functions. So easy to place the work with the X-Y table. The milling vise works very well for many parts I need to make.

    I had a friend with a bench drill press borrow these items. He was not able to use them due to insufficient table travel on his bench drill press.

    Milling_vise_compound_table_on_drill_press_2608.jpg

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Arlington, TX
    Posts
    452
    If all of your uses do not require large capacity (bit shank, swing, stroke, etc.) then a benchtop drill press can make sense, but I'd have to find bench space to sacrifice to it.

    The DP you are looking at seems like a good deal, with good capacity and power. The MT-3 arbor socket is larger than many similar sized drill presses. My uses call for 1/16" or smaller diameter holes often enough that I keep a 1/2" keyless chuck in it practically all the time.

    The table seems a little small, but most folks build or buy their own table with fence, etc. anyway, so it won't really matter if you go that route. It is also plenty big enough to handle a good sized XY vise or table on top of it anyway.

    I have a Nova Voyager floor standing drill press, and am VERY happy with it, but it may be beyond your budget. Most people fail to use the proper speed for the bit and material, because it is too much of a pain to change speeds. The Voyager makes it as easy as possible to set the correct speed, including a menu that lets you select bit style, diameter and material type, and it sets the appropriate speed for you. Or you can simply turn a knob on the front, or select from several pre-set favorite speeds. The direct drive (no gears or belts/pulleys) is exceptionally quiet, smooth and vibration free.

    -- Andy - Arlington TX

  5. #5
    I left a floor standing Delta drill press behind when I moved from Connecticut - it may have been a 17-900, not sure, it was a 15" or 16" swing, but regardless, it wasn't a very good machine. Chuck was junk, ~3" spindle travel was a little too shallow for several projects I did (for example, drilling through 4x4's meant starting on the drill press and finishing by hand - not hard, but annoying).

    I've only owned one Grizzly machine - a 15" planer I bought in 1988 that did yeoman duty for 3 decades but also didn't make the move to California. It wasn't the greatest tool; i spent several days over the years working to improve infeed and outfeed and bed roller alignment/pressure. I suspect all of the Taiwan machines of that era were similarly 'close, but no cigar' when it came to fit and finish. Never had any need to test Grizzly tech support but note that Green fans says it's excellent...

    I haven't seen any other consumer grade drill presses that offer similar capability at anywhere near this price, and budget is a consideration; i try to do good work, but woodworking isn't my profession. The Rikon 17" is priced comparably but it only has 3" of spindle travel and, based on my experience with their 18" bandsaw, is likely to be flimsy in places that don't show up in the product photos!

    I would LOVE to have the Nova, they make excellent machines - just can't justify spending $1000 for the benchtop or $1500+ for the floor model. I guess I'm talking myself into taking a chance on this tool and hoping it works out.
    Rob

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2020
    Location
    Oakland, CA
    Posts
    253
    I've got an ancient one of these bought from a liquidation sale for $150 10 years ago...and it was probably 15 years old at that point. I finally replaced the chuck and arbor for $50 last month (they had developed significant wobble) and it runs like a dream.

    Desktop drill presses are great if they can fit your projects, but I've been glad to have it the floor model more than once.

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