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Thread: should I sell my drill press?

  1. #1
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    should I sell my drill press?

    I have a Walker Turner drill press (serial number 1 9 44) in nice condition that I got for a good deal years ago when intending to buy a band saw (but bought this as well), and am wondering if I should sell it...

    My reasons for being interested in potentially selling are:

    1) For the type of work that I do, have yet to find a need for a floor standing model... so it takes up a ton of space in my small shop without providing me utility in return

    2) I cobbled together a trailer jack as a means of raising/lowering the table, which works, but isn't ideal.

    3) There's noticeable runout... I can see bits wobbling visually, and have measured to find that it bores holes ever so slightly bigger than intended.

    4) I have zero interest in a restoration project right now... I'm in a great woodworking groove right now and just want to keep working. I fear even "simple" swap out of parts may become a snowball of fixes.



    All that being said, I do want a drill press... I think... Unsure what features to even look for since I've only ever had the old WT.

    I want one that's more reasonably accurate. I'm not a machinist, but I do want better results than "visible wobble" that I'm achieving today.

    Perhaps a benchtop model is more suitable for my work. Typically I use the drill press when making jigs and sometimes during furniture making when the pieces are able to be brought to the tool. Most materials range between 1/4" to 6" thick.

    Ease of raising/lowering the table is important to me.

    I almost always am drilling wood, but can imagine wanting flexibility to easily change speeds to drill metal etc.

    I feel like some have digital readouts, and perhaps that would be handy.

    Something that is more dust collector friendly wouldn't be bad.



    So.. based on this story, do you think it's sensible for me to sell the WT in favor of a new benchtop option?

    Do you think $300 is fair price if I do sell? (edit, for that price, I'd include the mobile base and pictured accessories)

    Can you recommend any benchtop drill presses for under $500 that might be good options for me to consider?

    THANK YOU!!!

    drill press 1.jpgdrill press 2.jpgdrill press 3.jpgdrill press 4.jpgdrill press 5.jpgdrill press 6.jpg
    Last edited by Bob Riefer; 02-18-2021 at 3:54 PM.
    - Bob R.
    Collegeville PA (30 minutes west of Philly)

  2. #2
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    I think $300 is a bit high on the price from how you describe it .....
    Richard Poitras
    Central, Michigan....
    01-02-2006


  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by richard poitras View Post
    I think $300 is a bit high on the price from how you describe it .....

    What number do you think would be fair? (and... do you think I should sell, buy something new... if new, what?)
    Last edited by Bob Riefer; 02-18-2021 at 5:27 PM.
    - Bob R.
    Collegeville PA (30 minutes west of Philly)

  4. #4
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    Whether you keep or sell, you should look into the spindle runout. Is the taper itself bad ? Put an indicator inside the taper and check it. If that is good, look at the bearings. I'm not familiar with the WT other than to know it is considered a good machine and likely better built than most new comparables. If the bearings are two Angular contact you should check the preload. A/C bearings with little or no load will cause the runout. That machine is worth very little with the wobble but all of 300 if that is cleared up. OWWM is the place to advertise as the WT are well liked. Dave

  5. #5
    No Clue, but seems to me if you could get the price of a comparable machine in working condition you could work backwards. As long as you disclose the issues, the buyer can decide. I'm sure there are people with the knowledge and interest in a rebuild. The number of CL machines is down, from what I see presently, and the prices are up.

  6. #6
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    Bent Taper/chuck would be my thoughts. When the bearings are bad they tend to go just one way. I rebuilt my WT and it did what you are describing, borrowed the chuck/taper from my brothers and it stopped. Loved my WT but it was too big so I bought a 20"Clausing to save the space. Sometimes I regret it, miss the power feed. See if you can borrow a known taper/chuck, clean the female taper and see if it goes away.

    Another option, and it would be mine is fix the WT and cut down the post and make it a heavy bench top model. You could drill a hole in a bench and leave the base on the floor as well if that would work. Most bench tops are not as nice as a well sorted WT.

  7. #7
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    Any similar local Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace listings?

    I have a bench top Rikon that's on a mobile cart.
    I rarely use it, but it's out of the way.

    It might not be worth much but limited floorspace is valuable.

  8. #8
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    Pull quill all the way up and measure the runout with a cheap DI. Rotate by hand to get readings. Set it so the max runout is facing the operator. use a pipe clamp and pull the chuck back to the column until it reads zero and add 2-3 thousands beyound zero. remove clamp and measure runout. Repeat adjusting the overtravel to allow for springback as determined. Get within 0.002 or so. Plenty good enough for wood working. A big bit that grabs will bend it back out of line.
    Bil lD

  9. #9
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    Good idea to sell before the top pulley bearings wear out. They are custom made with extended inner races. I hear NTN has something that will work. The bearing # on the outer race is for the normal bearing and makes no reference to the extended inner race. I had my father bore the small tophat casting to next standard size and make a inner tee shaped sleeve to adapt the inner bore.
    Bill d

  10. #10
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    Thanks guys! I posted it for sale locally and will monitor progress.

    --

    Now, onto the next part... For my uses (jig making, general home use, selected tasks for furniture making, and maybe a sanding drum on occasion) what are some benchtop units under $500-ish that I should really consider?

    Again, I think ease of changing speeds, reasonable accuracy (I'm not a machinist), ease of raising/lowering table are probably most important to me... but I'm willing to be swayed as I've never used a drill press other than my old unit.

    THANKS!!
    - Bob R.
    Collegeville PA (30 minutes west of Philly)

  11. #11
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    If it wasn't for your budget...NOVA. Can't get any easier on speed changes that that! (And yes, I'm speaking of the benchtop version...but that's somewhere around a grand if I recall)
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  12. #12
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    Buy a quality USA made unit that came from the factory with a three phase motor. Run it with a VFD for variable speed. The 20" wt is fine and uses off the shelf bearings.
    Bill D

  13. #13
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    Jim, why did you have to mention the Nova? I just watched an extremely enthusiastic YouTube unboxing of the Nova Viking and will now lose sleep until I buy one.

  14. #14
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    Wow, yeah that's nice, and also probably overkill for my specific usage. :-)


    Last night and this morning, I have read a bunch about many DP's and have started to zoom in more on the Rikon 30-212vs benchtop drill press. Link


    Minimal (and easy) belt changing is needed only to shift from one speed range to the 2nd speed range. Within each range, a lever allows on-the-fly speed adjustment, with digital readout keeping score as you go.

    The machine is bigger than a typical benchtop, but far smaller than a floor model. 3/4 hp motor. So a nice balance of providing ample power (more than I have currently) while taking up less space than my current DP.

    Lots of internetting indicates that runout should not any longer be a problem if I go with this unit.

    edit: And the spindle travel is quite long (a little over 3 inches) compared to many other benchtop units. That seems to me like a valuable feature especially since my current DP has similar travel.

    The square table looks to me to be easy to clamp/affix an auxiliary table to.

    Many actually report that the laser cross hairs on this unit are accurate and helpful. I'm skeptical, but would welcome that if it is true.

    Raising/lowering the table is easily accomplished, tilting too.

    Pricing seems to range between $400 - $450 depending on where you buy.


    This youtube reviewer did a nice job showing/explaining features.


    Any thoughts?
    Last edited by Bob Riefer; 02-19-2021 at 10:09 AM.
    - Bob R.
    Collegeville PA (30 minutes west of Philly)

  15. #15
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    Curious how you want to sell a faulty drill press for $300 and then replace it with a $400 brand new machine. That's a very optimistic price on a bad drill press.

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