How many of you own/use a drill press?

[HowardH]

mine is going to my father's garage this weekend.  Can't remember the last time I turned it on.  Taking up valuable space. 

 

[obdoor]

I'm all about being mobile. Which benchtop drill press would you recommend for drilling cabinet doors for blum euro hinges?

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I'm all about being mobile. Which benchtop drill press would you recommend for drilling cabinet doors for blum euro hinges?

I would rather use a dedicated machine for that, it does everything and used one's are not too spendy.

 

[tiralie]

I'm all about being mobile. Which benchtop drill press would you recommend for drilling cabinet doors for blum euro hinges?

I think the best deal right now is the CMT Hinge boring kit.
You can hardly buy a  Blum Ecodrill Hinge Jig for the same price.
Tim

 

[jmbfestool]

http://toolmonger.com/2007/12/26/make-a-lathe-out-of-your-drill-press/

 

[nickao]

I own a dill press, several. I couldn't live without them.  

I like the CMT stuff.  I use a hinge borer in the shop(it's been awhile) even though I have a drill press.

 

[semenza]

Like many I have a typical floor model drill press. Most of the time it stands idle.  It sees use  a few times a year for forstner bits and other line boring / drilling type jobs.  It is handy to have when I need to drill some steel for something. The occasional sanding drum job too.  Drill press is one of those tools that can actually do a lot things if used in conjunction with jigs, etc.  But as specialty tools enter the shop the tasks it is good for get reduced. EX.- I don't use it for hinge boring because I have an ECO drill, If I get a spindle sander that task goes away, etc.

Some people use a drill press all the time because of what the make and or having fewer specialty tools. Even though mine doesn't get much use ... when I want/ need it I  am glad I have it. I could get by without it but it would be a nuisance to have to create the occasional jig for a task that the DP can easily do with minimal set up. It wouldn't be anywere near the top of my list of woodworking tools but it would definitely be on the list.

If I was really short on space and didn't use the DP much, I would either get rid of it or replace it with a large size bench top. I could use more shop space but so far I have been able to rearrange things to keep the DP because it has such a small footprint.

Seth

 

[leakyroof]

I own 2 Deltas. One is a full cast iron everything bench model from the early 1950's, and it sits next to the 20inch variable speed model which I bought a few years ago . I tend to use the floor model way more since turning a dial is far easier than moving a v-belt around a pulley set to change speeds [embarassed] [embarassed] [embarassed]

 

[Kevin D.]

Like many I have a typical floor model drill press. Most of the time it stands idle.  It sees use  a few times a year for forstner bits and other line boring / drilling type jobs.  It is handy to have when I need to drill some steel for something. The occasional sanding drum job too.  Drill press is one of those tools that can actually do a lot things if used in conjunction with jigs, etc.  But as specialty tools enter the shop the tasks it is good for get reduced. EX.- I don't use it for hinge boring because I have an ECO drill, If I get a spindle sander that task goes away, etc.

Some people use a drill press all the time because of what the make and or having fewer specialty tools. Even though mine doesn't get much use ... when I want/ need it I  am glad I have it. I could get by without it but it would be a nuisance to have to create the occasional jig for a task that the DP can easily do with minimal set up. It wouldn't be anywere near the top of my list of woodworking tools but it would definitely be on the list.

If I was really short on space and didn't use the DP much, I would either get rid of it or replace it with a large size bench top. I could use more shop space but so far I have been able to rearrange things to keep the DP because it has such a small footprint.

Seth

Those comments reflect my own DP feelings except I dedicate aspace in my small shop for mine. Hard toreplace a a real DP imo for what it can do.

 

[greg mann]

I really don't see where a floor model takes up more space than a bench top. For me, the bench top surface is prime real estate, which I want to have fully available quickly (and that is somewhat contradictory for me as I am basically a slob). If I have a bench top drill press, and I did for a while, I wind up with drill press related tools on or under the bench and disrupting workflow on the bench itself. When I had an opportinity to pick up a good floor machine at a nice price I jumped on it and got rid of the bench model. It made my bench for more usefull and a side benefit was that I was more compelled to put DP related tools away as there was less horizontal space at hand to just set things down. I have been in the metalcutting field my entire working life so I am probably biased toward the utility of a DP for more than just Wworking but I do believe they are great to have around and probably could be utilized very effectively for more tasks than we generally use them for. We love our cordless drills but the DP has the ability to bring more accuracy and less risk of error to a lot of tasks. 

 

[semenza]

I really don't see where a floor model takes up more space than a bench top. For me, the bench top surface is prime real estate, which I want to have fully available quickly (and that is somewhat contradictory for me as I am basically a slob). If I have a bench top drill press, and I did for a while, I wind up with drill press related tools on or under the bench and disrupting workflow on the bench itself. When I had an opportinity to pick up a good floor machine at a nice price I jumped on it and got rid of the bench model. It made my bench for more usefull and a side benefit was that I was more compelled to put DP related tools away as there was less horizontal space at hand to just set things down. I have been in the metalcutting field my entire working life so I am probably biased toward the utility of a DP for more than just Wworking but I do believe they are great to have around and probably could be utilized very effectively for more tasks than we generally use them for. We love our cordless drills but the DP has the ability to bring more accuracy and less risk of error to a lot of tasks. 

My thinking is that the benchtop can be placed on a dedicated cabinet for storage of whatever. Not so much that it would be on a bench.  So the foot print would be similar to a floor model, but a storage cabinet is gained.  I agree that a benchtop on a bench would be in the way frequently. That could make a difference in a small / tight shop.

Another option would be to park a roll away cabinet under the table of a floor model.  Hmmmm, that sounds like a project I should do  ???

Seth

 

[nickao]

That's exactly what I have. A roll away tool cabinet right under my drill press floor model.  

I got lucky, a certain craftsman red tool cabinet that is not as deep as a regular tool cabinet fit perfectly. It is filled with all my bits and drill press accessories.

 

[sancho57]

I have a floor model. Its a old Rockwell Delta (Green). I only used used once in the last year or so.

But, Its one of those tools that I keep b/c when I need it, I definitely need it.

When I need to drill precision holes and or counter sink holes, No other tool can do it accurately.