Why haven't hand-cranked drill presses gotten much attention in the hand-tool world?

[David Fegen]

Over the holidays I was in an antique tool store owned by a woodworker. He had maybe 15-20 hand-cranked post drill-presses for sale. He couldn't stop raving about how great they were and how much power they have - apparently no problem drilling through steel. All the drill presses were rather large and the starting cost was around $150. He didn't have any hand-cranked benchtop versions, but mentioned the starting cost was about the same. Of course, both types are also found on eBay and other places.

I have been looking for a drill press, mainly to:

• drill critical alignment/fastening holes in wood
• light metalwork (holes/counterbores in brass, etc.)

(right now I am chopping mortices by hand)


So I'm wondering why these hand-cranked post/benchtop drill-presses don't get more attention in the hand-tool world. I have never really read/seen much about them. Even hand-cranked grinders have gotten some attention.


Does anyone have experience with these - either post or benchtop versions? Any thoughts why they aren't discussed more in the hand-tool world?


(here is a nice writeup: https://beautifuliron.com/thepost.htm)

[Jim Koepke]

Any thoughts why they aren't discussed more in the hand-tool world?

It might be because most of us have egg beaters & braces for boring holes.

Post drills are nice if you have a spare post in the shop to mount it on. Because the crank or flywheel often reaches beyond the back, mounting on a wall might not work.

The other reason might be that an electric drill press is more convenient us Neanderthals close the curtains and cheat when we need to drill a lot of accurate holes or work on metal.

Over the holidays I was in an antique tool store owned by a woodworker. He had maybe 15-20 hand-cranked post drill-presses for sale. He couldn't stop raving about how great they were and how much power they have

Some of us get excited about planes. Some get passionate about other tools. Sounds like this guy loves post drills. If one were on my want list, this sounds like the guy for my business.

jtk

[Jason Buresh]

If my memory serves me right, which it very well might not, I believe historically post drills were used more in blacksmith/metalworking shops than wood shops.

I also have a swan drill, or beam drill I think the technical term is, and that was used historically for drilling peg holes in barns and timber framing.

I got really excited when I found my swan drill at the antique store, but I think I've only used it once or twice to try it honestly.

In the reality of modern woodworking, I believe most people, including myself, use an undersized bit when removing mortice waste and then use a chisel to pare the walls. Obviously on a through mortice drilling perfectly parallel is more important than on a blind mortice so you aren't drilling on an angle and exiting past the layout lines.

If I were to make an assumption of why these machines aren't as popular today it would be under the assumption that a used electric drill press can be found cheaper or as cheap as a hand cranked one. That and with the thickness of stock used for furniture making, there is less chance of drilling on an extreme angle as there would be on a 10" barn beam.

For what it's worth I found a post drill at the antique store about 3 years ago in working order but unrestored and in need of a good oiling. I paid $40 for it. If the guy is trying to sell you one for $150 I would be talking it up too. That is three years ago granted and I don't know how much they go for now, but with patience and persistence I'm sure you could find someone that is trying to get one out of their barn and find one much cheaper.

Best regards.

[Bob Borzelleri]

eBay prices are in the $250-300 range. Red ones might be more costly

[Stephen Rosenthal]

The Yankee 1003 (bench mount) and 1005 (floor standing) are considered the best of these. They appear on eBay fairly often (there are currently 3 listed) for prices that make most electric drill presses seem cheap. I’ve even seen a few listed on SF Bay Area Craigslist. Unlike Jim, I don’t pull the curtain when I’m happily using my 60’s era Craftsman 150 with the desirable 3rd pulley. But when neandering beckons I do have an assortment of eggbeaters, braces, push drills and even a breast drill.

[Jason Buresh]

One other thing that might be worth noting is that some post drills have an automatic feed feature. If you are using something like a modern twist drill or maybe even a forstner bit if it can handle the torque, this may not be an issue.

If you are thinking of using something like an auger bit, remember that the snail is designed to pull the bit into the wood at a somewhat controlled speed. My beam drill is designed that the head is floating and the weight of the head and/or snail on the auger bit controls the feed rate.

I guess it all depends on what you are trying to do.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

Over the holidays I was in an antique tool store owned by a woodworker. He had maybe 15-20 hand-cranked post drill-presses for sale. He couldn't stop raving about how great they were and how much power they have - apparently no problem drilling through steel. All the drill presses were rather large and the starting cost was around $150. He didn't have any hand-cranked benchtop versions, but mentioned the starting cost was about the same. Of course, both types are also found on eBay and other places.

I have been looking for a drill press, mainly to:

• drill critical alignment/fastening holes in wood
• light metalwork (holes/counterbores in brass, etc.)

(right now I am chopping mortices by hand)


So I'm wondering why these hand-cranked post/benchtop drill-presses don't get more attention in the hand-tool world. I have never really read/seen much about them. Even hand-cranked grinders have gotten some attention.


Does anyone have experience with these - either post or benchtop versions? Any thoughts why they aren't discussed more in the hand-tool world?


(here is a nice writeup: https://beautifuliron.com/thepost.htm)

I have one. I have it fitted with a modern chuck, and it works well.

[chris carter]

My understanding is that these were designed for metal work. They can be used for wood, but they are inconvenient and feed way too slow. And, there aren’t too many situations where you need a hole in a piece of wood to be exactly 90 degrees – usually anywhere from 89 to 91 is close enough.

I’ve seen quite a few popular youtube handtoolers drool over these things. And I can’t blame them as they are incredibly cool and I also want one. But then when they get one and finally use it (on wood), you NEVER see them use it again. Because, for woodworking, they are mostly a disappointment.

I still want a small one for the occasional hole I need to drill in mild steel...

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I inherited one from great grand pa. It like all of the old tools from the farm were so worn out they barely functioned. I had plans to make a working pre electric shop / museum. Everything that had a crank and gears had gear teeth missing, there were lots of broken castings that had been poorly welded. I ended up selling several pieces of the collection on Craigslist. The barely functioning forge brought $100.00. I fully restored the big treadle grind stone. It sold for $100 as well, to the guy that came to look at the post drill. The post drill, a broken two speed breast drill and an egg beater went for $20. It makes me a little sad. At the time I just did not have a spot to keep these things or time to do the restorations.

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[Richard Coers]

I've never used on that advanced the drill fast enough. The gear and pall on top are "geared" to advance the bit at the speed needed for steel and is far too slow for wood.

[Eric Rathhaus]

Hi - I have a post drill set up in my shop. (Roy Underhill had one in his,btw.) Being a machine, setting it up to drill takes much longer than the process of drilling. I've never found the feed mechanism to slow bcs really the amount of time the bit is actually drilling for most purposes isn't long. I think the best uses for a post drill in woodworking are 1) drilling wide-diameter holes; 2) holes the require the hole to be 90 degrees to the surface of wood with extreme accuracy; and, 3) big, repetitive drilling projects.