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)