Who makes a good drill press?

[mschjone]

Fellow Welding Guys and Gals:

We all know Miller makes the best welder in the world. Snap-0n, Mac, Matco, etc. makes a good wrench. I am going to buy a drill press and my research hasn't produced any results on a high quality drill press. Delta, JET, Dayton, Grizzly, Rockwell any others? In your opinion what's the best drill press out there? As for size I'm talking about the 3/4 to 1 hp. versions. Thanks in advance for your much needed info.

mschjone

[HAWK]

mschjone,

I am of the opinion you can wear out several less expensive drill presses such as the $100-$200 Delta and get excellent service and conserve your cash.

On the more exotic side: an electromagnetic Milwaukee press

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=Rod+guard&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xelectromagnetic+Milwaukee+press.TRS0&_nkw=electromagnetic+Milwaukee+press&_sacat=0

[hankj]

Drill press

mschjone,

The HAWK has spoken, and I've learned to trust him and a few others you'll undoubtedly hear from. My .02 is that my Delta 3/4 hp, 16-speed floor model (280$$ in 1990) still runs as good as the day I first tried to figure out how to keep the chuck stuck to the spindle.

It's drilled thousands (no joke) of 5/8" holes in 1/4" x 2" angle without complaint.

I'm surprised Andy didn't squelch the part about the Milwaukee *** machine. I didn't think that stuff was allowed here!

Be well.

hankj

[shane7207]

since i live about 1 1/2 hours from the grizzly store in muncy pa, i have bought alot of equipment from them. the first thing i bought was a 12 speed drill press. it cost 200.00 dollars and has never given me any trouble. it has alot of features that you would find on more expensive "name brand" models. i've bought alot of other equipment from grizzly. like a 4 ft. sheet metal brake,horizontal band saw and alot of other smaller equipment. so far they held up just fine. the drill press i bought will go as low as 140 rpm and you'll need that for drilling larger holes. hope this helps.

[cope]

Re: Who makes a good drill press?

Originally posted by mschjone
Fellow Welding Guys and Gals:

We all know Miller makes the best welder in the world. Snap-0n, Mac, Matco, etc. makes a good wrench. I am going to buy a drill press and my research hasn't produced any results on a high quality drill press. Delta, JET, Dayton, Grizzly, Rockwell any others? In your opinion what's the best drill press out there? As for size I'm talking about the 3/4 to 1 hp. versions. Thanks in advance for your much needed info.

mschjone

I am partial to Jet when it comes to stationary power tools, but Grizzly makes good tools a bit cheaper. All the Taiwan made tools are made by one company, but they are made to the specifications of the customer and will all be different even though they may look alike.

[HAWK]

Re: Drill press

Originally posted by hankj
mschjone,

The HAWK has spoken, and I've learned to trust him and a few others you'll undoubtedly hear from. My .02 is that my Delta 3/4 hp, 16-speed floor model (280$$ in 1990) still runs as good as the day I first tried to figure out how to keep the chuck stuck to the spindle.

It's drilled thousands (no joke) of 5/8" holes in 1/4" x 2" angle without complaint.

I'm surprised Andy didn't squelch the part about the Milwaukee *** machine. I didn't think that stuff was allowed here!

Be well.

hankj

Hank,

It is just a link and never hurts to look. They are nice pieces. I have used a much less sophisticated "mag drill" and it has saved my tail many times. Milwaukee makes some good stuff. Some is better than other, and all is overpriced!

[Paul Seaman]

Hank:

I started a post twice and the computer crashed. In the shop here is an antique Buffalo drill press cast in Buffalo NY. It is very old and very tuff I also use it as a mill with a track table this thing is old but indestructable and a freebie no less. If you wont settle for less than a new one, the JET is a nice unit, but how hard are you going to use it? The one I've seen is a bit more commercial than most would need!

Good luck,

[ASKANDY]

I have the H.F. drill press and a H.F. milling machine that gets abused regularly. No complaints...yet

The Milwaukee "*** machine" is used for drilling our holes in surface plates and jig plates so I can't say anything bad about them either. Besides, this site is not intended to be a MILLER only advertisment. If you like it...post it. Now if too many "red" guys start filling up the posts, I may have to say something

Have fun!

A-

[SoCalTA]

I have one from HF as well. I don't know how large or sophisticated yours need to be but the one from HF works well and was very inexpensive. Worth a look.

[aametalmaster]

I use a couple of the cheap Harbor Freight in my shop for special drillings 1 drill press for 1 fixture, I don't remove the drill fixture from the drill press. The cheap presses tables are not square in any means but a little dissambly and grinding makes them useable. But they seem to work pretty good. For my bigger holes I use an old Delta which I added pulleys to slow it down more. Just my thoughts..Bob

[Blondie_486]

Mschjone,

My money would be on one of the less expensive drill presses. Jet, Grizzly and many others make a decent drill press even the Clarke drill presses at TSC stores looks pretty decent.

aametalmaster is right about them not being square though. I had a Jet and the way it came it wasn't square but with a little fiddling and grinding and fitting I was able to make it square and it served my purpose well. Other than that little glitch it was a fine machine.

Another thing to keep in mind just because it says Delta on it doesn't mean it's made in the good ol U.S. of A. anymore. Delta has farmed a lot of their work out to the Asian labor market as many others have.

If you want a made in the USA precision machine then I suggest you start looking at used equipment dealers and get an older Rockwell or Rockwell/Delta machine. I've seen some of those go for a hundred bucks around Cleveland but you have to look long and hard to find those deals.

Good luck with the drill press purchase

Blondie

[GIJOE]

I have a 12" Craftsman going on about 2 years now and have never had any trouble with it. Craftsman may not be considered the top of the line by some, but if anything ever goes wrong with it, parts are easy to get. Sears web site has a complete detailed drawing of all their products. You can order any part online and it will be at your door in a couple of days.

Joe

[HAWK]

The original point and click interface was a Colt.

Quoted from GIJOE.

BIG 10-4!

[mschjone]

To all who replied. Thank you! Another fine example of why this message board is so invaluable. One can't put a price on knowledge and experience.

mschjone

[ryanjones2150]

Option probably not available in 2004.