Drill press

[Greg M]

Lumping all of the Chinese Drill Presses together and assuming they are all the same is not going to work very well.

Every single China made drill press that I've read reviews on has both very good reviews and very bad reviews, including those at HF.  Are there any sub $1k drill presses that aren't made in China?

There are those that think almost anything from HF is junk.  That's not been my experience.  I've bought some things from there that I've been very pleased with and some that had to be returned.

 

[Birdhunter]

I just checked Amazon for used drill presses. The feature a Powermatic for less than $1200usd. They had a Delta for less than $800usd. There were Jet machines for $900usd. Why buy junk when you could get good used stuff.

 

[jacko9]

I bought a HF drill press and the chuck falls out from time to time because the taper was cut wrong.  I only payed $99 dollars for it but, it is mostly useless.

Jack

 

[Greg M]

Went ahead and bought the 17", regular price is $430 and I got it for $292.  Between here and other sites I have an idea of what to look for.  The quill is only 1 thousands out.  With a bit set back in the chuck it's about 3.5 thousands out.  Drilled a 3/4" hole through a 2x4 and drove a dowel through it.  It came out almost perfectly perpendicular.

I figured if the drill didn't check out then I could return it.  However, it looks to be pretty good and at less than $300 for a full sized 17" drill press that's pretty good.  I've been looking at used ones and the larger ones that aren't overpriced are rust buckets.  Sure this one isn't as pretty as the Powermatic that I looked at but it's also $1k less and drills just fine.

 

[Hurricane Whisperer]

Actually, I find a drill press to be one of the most used tools in the shop.

A drill press makes all of your other work better.  You will use it to make jigs and fixtures as much as working on the work itself.

If you want to keep cost down, then go for a belt change model as it will do good work but is usually cheaper and pretty fool proof.  It is only a minor inconvenience to change speeds.

The most important part of the press is the table and a long spindle stroke.  Delta models typically have nice big wood working tables with a decent stroke.  The table on mine is great for wood working, however, I wish it were a little thicker for occasional metal work.  It can get some vibration doing metals.

A lousy drill press is useless.  O good one is a very practical machine.

 

[Hergy]

I couldn't agree more. My DP is probably my favorite tool and I have made very few projects that I have not involved my drill press. I have a Delta floor model. Make or buy a table and I would highly reccomend a laser (about $20-$30). A laser makes setup a breeze. You'll wonder how you ever got along without it.