drill press??

[Bertotti]

Does anyone make a solid powerful floor drill press that has just an on-off switch and a little run out as is humanly possible? Or am I asking too much and need to look for old drill presses instead? I see digital displays variable speed electronic controlled motors etc on new models and I do not need that stuff nor want the headache of a machine that might at some point be obsolete because its controls are no longer available.

 

[CeeJay]

Powermatic PM2800?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ChuckM]

Snip.
Or am I asking too much and need to look for old drill presses instead?

Your kind of woodwork may require a top-of-the-line drill press.

The bench-top drill press in my shop was purchased more or less when I began hobby woodworking...over 20 years ago, and any woodworking stuff bought during those days was as cheap as it could be. But not one single project that I've done over the years needed a better (or more precise) drill press...until recently. But for that one project, I was not going to buy a floor type drill press just to get the extra drilling capacity. I resolved that by detaching the drill press from its base, and mounting the body on a bench. Problem solved.

So to sum up, I would not spend money to get a fancy or high-end drill press in my shop. (Shop space is too precious for a bigger drill press, too.)

 

[Bertotti]

My benchtop drill press was cheap and sadly had so much run out I never used it after the first run. I contacted a machine shop to sort it out and they refused to even try. So 20+ years later I just want a soling machine with as little run out as possible, nothing fancy but I do prefer floor standing because I like my bench space for other stuff. I never seem to have enough but I can find a corner to shove a drill press into, and sometimes we just want for no better reason than to want.

 

[Cheese]

Well, if you're looking for the best of the best, then just purchase a Clausing. They're old school in that they don't offer digital readouts or any of the fluffy stuff but they are variable speed and are absolutely bullet proof. A 50 rpm speed on the low end and a 2000 rpm speed on the high end. That will pretty much encompass every one of your drilling needs.
https://clausing-industrial.com/drills/clausing-variable-speed-drill-presses/2272evs.html

A cheaper alternative is the Ellis drill press. Another nice drill press that may not have the well earned cache of the Clausing, but is still a variable speed drill press.
https://www.ellissaw.com/drill-press-9400/#description

Tough to top either of these options, although Delta did offer equivalents to these circa 1950-1970 and they can be had for reasonable $$.

 

[derekcohen]

Does anyone make a solid powerful floor drill press that has just an on-off switch and a little run out as is humanly possible? Or am I asking too much and need to look for old drill presses instead? I see digital displays variable speed electronic controlled motors etc on new models and I do not need that stuff nor want the headache of a machine that might at some point be obsolete because its controls are no longer available.

For 25 years I used a Taiwanese-built floor standing drill press with 16 speeds and 3/4 h.p. It was on the lower-middle range back then, basically cheapish. It was used very frequently, and did a reasonable job.

As the years went by, I became slightly but increasingly critical of its ergonomics, the single speed I gravitated to (since it was a pain to adjust this area), and the low power (which was easy to stall with larger bits in hard wood). A couple of years ago I bit the bullet and splurged on a Nova Voyager on a Black Friday deal.

Now I am not trying to sell you on this -  okay, a little   -  but this is one amazing drill press. I very much doubt that all the doodads are needed, but I love the direct drive and the ability to quickly set the ideal speed for a particular drill bit, to set a very specific depth of cut (and that this can be used for repeat cuts), the excess of power, the ergonomics, the minimal run out ... I could go on and on.  I was concerned about the computer becoming obsolete at some stage, but reassured that this motor and computer have been around with us for a couple of decades already. I also have the Nova Saturn lathe, which is really the drill on its side. If the Voyager gives me 20 years, even 15 years, it will have paid for itself. I am 71 now, but expect it will be around when I am not. Resale value? Who cares?

I guess I am saying 'don't sell yourself short'. You may hate the drill but do not exclude others as an option.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[mino]

TLDR:

If you want super precision, but do not need power, go for a simple but sturdy drill press with an "open" design using a separate motor assembly. Then plan on re-doing/replacing the precision-critical pieces either yourself or asking your local machinist.

That way you can get very high precision at reasonable cost.

Other /more for hobby use/ option is to get a sturdy and simple drill stand, improve it as/if needed by replacing the pole and having he guide bushed and put in a good drill in. That way you can get extremely precise for very little $.

I use this with a Protool/Narex drill:
[attachimg=1]

And have no precision issues yet get repeatable "blind" hole position within 0.2 mm (0.01") or so.

--------------------
If you want longevity - the 50+ years style longevity so you better be in your 20s ... then you need to go industrial where the mechanical assembly is essentially separate from the motor assembly.

BUT.
That is more a fetish for woodworking use as prices go in the 10k+ $ range and you are better off getting an old machine as metal shops are disposing of non-CNC manufacturing tools they kept as a backup.

The bulk of the cost of such industrial drill presses is in the stability of the assembly and the high forces it can cope with without the whole assembly twisting. The no-pressure precision is not necessarily higher compared to a bench top press.

In those cases the assembly is so expensive and indestructible in normal use that it makes sense for the engine unit being standalone and the chuck system the same. It is assumed the engine unit will be worn out couple times over the economical life of the machine while the original manufacturer may be long gone.

Lastly, such machines are often made-to-measure and the bulk of the cost comes from per-order manufacturing with included design assessment etc. The manufacturers have a couple standard strength classes and the precision is "configurable" depending on the need (and budget).

 

[Steve1]

I see digital displays variable speed electronic controlled motors etc on new models and I do not need that stuff.....

You sure you don't need it?  3/6" twist drill or 4" hole saw are going to want vastly different speeds.

Sure, you can do speed control via moving belts on pulleys, but that is such a pain.    Electronic control is so much easier.

 

[mino]

You sure you don't need it?  3/6" twist drill or 4" hole saw are going to want vastly different speeds.

Sure, you can do speed control via moving belts on pulleys, but that is such a pain.    Electronic control is so much easier.

This!

That was why I went with power-drill-in-a-stand over the cheaper belt-driven presses. You want torque for the hole saw scenario and you want speed for the small holes.
That and the easy upgradability. Should there ever be the need, I can just put in bushings and use a precision-made pole in place of the stock one.

Changing belts is fine for manufacturing, but is a total pain in small shop use. To a point we have ours just set on the lowest speed. The 15 mins belt change is not worth the 10 minutes we *do* lose when making a few small holes on it.

 

[ChuckM]

Snip.

Changing belts is fine for manufacturing, but is a total pain in small shop use. To a point we have ours just set on the lowest speed. The 15 mins belt change is not worth the 10 minutes we *do* lose when making a few small holes on it.

How often do you guys change the speed? But I agree if it is electronic, one would probably change it more often.

I know there're drill speed charts that some people follow to the dot, but I have never done that. From a practical point of view, is that really necessary for woodworkers (who are not machinists)? I change mine may be once every few years, and have not observed ANY negative effects on my cheap, old drill press or on the quality of holes. I never had a case where a hole bored were too loose for a rod or dowel -- one possible sign of run-out.

I believe I set the speed to the second lowest (?), if not, the third lowest at all times, and use it with twist bits, Fornster bits, etc. That's also how the two woodworking schools (one for adults, one for high school kids) I know have set theirs.

Last week, I did have to change the speed on my DP (for using a 1" tenon cutter), and it took under 1 minute because I had to read the pulley diagram on the machine (under 30 seconds if I had done that more often [tongue]).

Anyway, no matter how great a DP is, make sure you get a quality set of drill bits to match it.

 

[twistsol]

If you have the space for it, look for an old shopsmith. They can be had for a couple hundred dollars and the ones with the two bearing quill have almost no runout.

The drill press is actually one of the best features, variable speed via a dial although the low end is a bit high at 700 rpm. Parts are still available after 70 years, the double columns keep the table from rotating out of position and the table is large by drill press standards.

As a bonus you get a decent 16" lathe, 12" disc sander, and a marginal table saw.

 

[mino]

How often do you guys change the speed? But I agree if it is electronic, one would probably change it more often.

I know there're drill speed charts that some people follow to the dot, but I have never done that. From a practical point of view, is that really necessary for woodworkers (who are not machinists)? I change mine may be once every few years, and have not observed ANY negative effects on my cheap, old drill press or on the quality of holes. I never had a case where a hole bored were too loose for a rod or dowel -- one possible sign of run-out.

I believe I set the speed to the second lowest (?), if not, the third lowest at all times, and use it with twist bits, Fornster bits, etc. That's also how the two woodworking schools (one for adults, one for high school kids) I know have set theirs.

Last week, I did have to change the speed on my DP (for using a 1" tenon cutter), and it took under 1 minute because I had to read the pulley diagram on the machine (under 30 seconds if I had done that more often [tongue]).

Anyway, no matter how great a DP is, make sure you get a quality set of drill bits to match it.

On the DP we have - literally, never.
It was set to the lowest speed (about 400 rpm) when we got it 5 yrs ago and was never changed since. When you are making a couple tens of holes it is just not worth the hassle.

But you do have a point - it is a very old 3-phase machine from the 60s. Changing the speed requires more fiddling than on a new one as it does not have a quick-change setup. One has to un-tension the assembly, move the belt, correctly re-tension. In multiple-people shared shop that would not be fun making sure everyone would know how to do that correctly. So the current "lazy to change speed" situation actually works well for us.

On the drill stand mentioned, pretty much always.
It is just a trigger-dial + simple gearbox switch.

Even changing gears is quite common to get the higher 3000 rpm speed for metal, really small holes and even using it for some "routing" with a grinding bit in.

Then /hail TTS/ using the low gearbox speed with dial set to get about 100 rpm or so is popular for hole saw use. The drill struggles a bit and ends up "pulsing" as the electronics detects the speed drops. But is still great to avoid melting the cut when working with plastics etc.
If it was a DP without an easy/electronic speed change, we would likely stick to an even lower 200 rpm fixed speed to complement the 400 rpm one the old DP as that one does not have such a low setting.

Ref "speed charts", I had it as a task to print and hang one since I installed the drill stand in the shop ... never got around to it.  [embarassed]

 

[Bob D.]

My most often used DP is 30+ years old and it has never taken more than 2 minutes to change the belt on the step pulleys to a different speed. It is not difficult at all but not precise in that you have to choose between the 12 available speeds and many times end up with a lower speed than you would like to be working at.

I do plan to upgrade to the NOVA Voyager DP some day, hopefully in the next year. I have had the NOVA DVR XP lathe for over 10 years with no problems. I also upgraded my bandsaw to use the same type motor from Striatech who makes the motor in the Voyager and NOVA lathes. The bandsaw has been fantastic since making that change and worth every penny to replace the stock motor.

 

[Cheese]

I actually agree with Derek that the Nova Voyager (Nova Vulcan for metal working) is the best deal out there. If I were to replace my 40 year old Delta I'd order up a Vulcan. You get a lot of bang for your buck.
https://www.teknatool.com/products/drill-presses/vulcan/

Another no-frills option if you don't want electronics on a drill press is an older Powermatic 1200 HD. They offered a variable speed model using the Reeves drive system. They also offered a foot switch for reversing the drill when tapping threads.  [cool]

Delta and Rockwell also offered variable speed Reeves drive drill presses from the 60's through the 90's that you could probably pick up for chump change. Unless, you really feel the need to purchase that $5500 Clausing. [smile]

 

[rvieceli]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member]

I routinely see 20 inch Clausings go for under 1500 to 2000 on a lot of auction sites.

Arboga and Solberga also make wonderful drill presses. All gear driven. They come up for auction as well, just not all the time.
https://exactmachinetoolsales.com/arboga-machine-tools/
https://www.normanmachinetool.com/?...pe=&product_cat=drills&product_brand=solberga

Ron

 

[Bob D.]

Vulcan is NLA as far as I can see unfortunately. There are however only a few parts that differ from the Voyager. Not cheap of course but they may be available from NOVA. These parts upgrade the quill to a #3MT/ER32 collet from the standard #2MT on the Voyager. That and a firmware upgrade gets you most of the way to a Vulcan which expands the settings for drilling and includes some milling operations plus the better quill with less runout.

 

[mike_aa]

I actually agree with Derek that the Nova Voyager (Nova Vulcan for metal working) is the best deal out there. If I were to replace my 40 year old Delta I'd order up a Vulcan. You get a lot of bang for your buck.
https://www.teknatool.com/products/drill-presses/vulcan/

[member=44099]Cheese[/member], I was intrigued by the Vulcan Model since it looked like it had the ability to do light milling tasks.  I wouldn't need that function often, but for the occasional hobby use in brass or aluminum it would have been helpful.  Alas, it now appears to be discontinued.

Mike A.

 

[Bertotti]

Thanks, everyone. I am not sold on any drill press yet. I haven't actually used a drill press in over 30 years. It would make some drilling easier and more accurate than by hand but so far it hasn't been an issue and I wonder if it actually makes sense for me to chase one. I might be patient and see what pops up used. I am apparently in no big rush.

 

[Cypren]

Vulcan is NLA as far as I can see unfortunately. There are however only a few parts that differ from the Voyager. Not cheap of course but they may be available from NOVA. These parts upgrade the quill to a #3MT/ER32 collet from the standard #2MT on the Voyager. That and a firmware upgrade gets you most of the way to a Vulcan which expands the settings for drilling and includes some milling operations plus the better quill with less runout.

If I remember correctly, the Vulcan also had double-row V-groove bearings in the spindle that were rated for higher sideways thrust load, which is rather important for milling operations.

I thought about picking up a Vulcan when the few engineering sample units they produced were being sold off through eBay for $1300. At the time, decided it was too risky if the model was being killed off before full production and didn’t take the chance. A year and a half later, I bought a Voyager for $1700 and was kicking myself the whole time for passing up the Vulcan.

 

[ChuckM]

Thanks, everyone. I am not sold on any drill press yet. I haven't actually used a drill press in over 30 years. It would make some drilling easier and more accurate than by hand but so far it hasn't been an issue and I wonder if it actually makes sense for me to chase one. I might be patient and see what pops up used. I am apparently in no big rush.

Although I don't see how a top-end drill press will improve my work, I think a drill press is an essential piece of machinery in a woodworking shop.  Angled drilling, for instance, is tough to do with accuracy using a drill -- corded or cordless. Even harder is compound angled drilling, humanely impossible to do so consistently freehand.

Another example for which a DP is indispensable is when drilling to exact depth -- try boring a hole for a magnet to be glued flush with the surface using just a drill. Or repetitive drilling on identical positions among pieces.

Of course, if you don't do any drilling that is considered challenging, a DP may not be a priority.