Adequate Hobbyist Drill Press?

[matthewsx]

While I’m on the topic, I picked up the only Drill Press Vise they had in stock at HF (when I found they didn’t have the floor-stand drill press in my first post above) and find the flats end well before the stationary vise surface. So, I can’t support any workpiece with parallels (without stacking the across the gap). It’s a $20 hunk of scrap, but somewhat functional.

A quick look at Amazon shows other low profile drill press vises with a gap before the stationary jaw. What’s that about? I guess one can support a workpiece with a slab of wood cut to just under dimension, but flatness isn’t too good…

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These are fine for most uses, I have one and use it often.

 

[Ultradog MN]

One thing to remember about chucks is if you have an accident with one that causes it to have a lot of run out it may not be the chuck that was damaged but but the arbor.
I bought a 1/2" Albrecht keyless at an auction a couple of years ago.
I put it in the drill press and it had too much run out - about 6 thou.
I took the chuck apart for cleaning and inspection and could see nothing wrong with it.
So I knocked the arbor out of it and tested that with the dial indicator.
There was the problem.
So I ordered a new arbor from McMaster and put the chuck on that.
It reduced the run out to about a thou which I can live with.
It was a cheap repair for a good chuck.

 

[stupoty]

One thing to remember about chucks is if you have an accident with one that causes it to have a lot of run out it may not be the chuck that was damaged but but the arbor.
I bought a 1/2" Albrecht keyless at an auction a couple of years ago.
I put it in the drill press and it had too much run out - about 6 thou.
I took the chuck apart for cleaning and inspection and could see nothing wrong with it.
So I knocked the arbor out of it and tested that with the dial indicator.
There was the problem.
So I ordered a new arbor from McMaster and put the chuck on that.
It reduced the run out to about a thou which I can live with.
It was a cheap repair for a good chuck.

I had one where there was a burr on the jacobs taper on the end of it made the runout massive, was easily sorted.

I got a new old stock small chuck for 6mm and less drills , has super low run out. and the arbor wasn't loads of dosh.

Stu

 

[jwmay]

While I’m on the topic, I picked up the only Drill Press Vise they had in stock at HF (when I found they didn’t have the floor-stand drill press in my first post above) and find the flats end well before the stationary vise surface. So, I can’t support any workpiece with parallels (without stacking the across the gap). It’s a $20 hunk of scrap, but somewhat functional.

I wondered that myself. You could make a thicker static jaw cap. I’ve used mine for plenty of milling. They are tougher than people give them credit for. Lol

 

[MaverickNH]

I was happy to find I could square up my workpiece in the $20 HF vise on the $215 Wen benchtop drill press. A 6” angle against a chucked drill bit aligned just fine after tweaking the table rotation just a little. Sure beats a Ryobi hand drill…

 

[verbotenwhisky]

I was happy to find I could square up my workpiece in the $20 HF vise on the $215 Wen benchtop drill press. A 6” angle against a chucked drill bit aligned just fine after tweaking the table rotation just a little. Sure beats a Ryobi hand drill…

We the willing, lead by the unknowing,
have been doing so much with so little for so long,
That we are now completely qualified to do anything with nothing.

Anyone can do anything with the cheapest of equipment, it just required a resolve that most do not ever acquire.

 

[MaverickNH]

We the willing, lead by the unknowing,
have been doing so much with so little for so long,
That we are now completely qualified to do anything with nothing.

Anyone can do anything with the cheapest of equipment, it just required a resolve that most do not ever acquire.

Thinking of my other pastime, Ham Radio, I started out with a 2m/70cm 4W handheld with whip antenna and now have a 500W HF rig costing 20-times more and a 43ft vertical in the backyard.

My Mini-Mill and Mini-Lathe are fun, so far. I dunno where I’d put a PM-1130 11x30 Lathe and PM-833 Mill - ask me in a few years where I found the room!

 

[verbotenwhisky]

Thinking of my other pastime, Ham Radio, I started out with a 2m/70cm 4W handheld with whip antenna and now have a 500W HF rig costing 20-times more and a 43ft vertical in the backyard.

My Mini-Mill and Mini-Lathe are fun, so far. I dunno where I’d put a PM-1130 11x30 Lathe and PM-833 Mill - ask me in a few years where I found the room!

The comment was intended as a tribute, I have owned mills in the past but I am in a 18' x20' garage now so I started playing with a drill press and turned it into a mill; and for what it was I accomplished quit a bit on it and enjoyed tinkering. With the drill press I could get reasonable accuracy but it required far more effort and time than the same activity on my PM 940, and I recognized this because I had owned mills in the past.

Enjoy what you do, with what you have, when the time comes to move up you'll figure it out....

Be safe out there...

 

[455dan]

I am partial to the Porter Cable Floor model, it has stood up well and has very little run out (less than .001") using a precision chuck or ER32 collets.


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View attachment 468359

Run out on a 1/2" precision rod (+/- 0.002/ft) was a bit high on this benchtop drill press 3in from the chuck at +/- 0.005 (the unit has a 3-1/2" plunge maximum). The manual describes a process to "adjust the angular play of the spindle" - that sounds like it's worth a try.

I checked the local HF today and they have both the display unit and the next model up right next to each other and for the extra $200 there are some major differences.

The spindle case column casting is just over an inch taller. All the castings are larger and heavier. The stroke is shown as the same but when I compared them side to side the $399 unit had at least 1/2" longer stroke. Column is a larger diameter as well. Motor is 1 hp. Specs say the sale $209 unit is about 130lb. The bigger press is 182 lb.
I grabbed both chucks and really couldn't feel any difference or discernable play in either. My old HF desk top even with the adjustment pushed to the limit has obvious play. before even chucking up some drill stock.

update
I checked to see if i could buy the demo answer still NO and none can be ordered either... so I took the tag from the larger 16 speed $399 drill press and asked if I would get a discount using the inside track club.
They said no extra discount and then made the comment that the larger press also has been "changed" to a close out as well. So I asked what would happen if I were to pay and order in the larger press and it were to be discounted like the smaller floor unit and they said they would match the sales price for a few weeks after it arrives.

I figured hard to go to wrong so payed for it and will await an email. I did compare specs and even at $400 it seems to be a better unit than what is available locally on CL plus it has a warranty or return if it is a dud.

17 in. 16 Speed Drill Press

Amazing deals on this 17In 16 Speed Drill Press at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[MikeInOr]

I think you made a very wise choice. Even if the discount doesn't pan out I think you will not find yourself wishing you had a larger DP down the road. Like I said at the top of this thread somewhere I have had the ancestor of this 17" 16 speed drill press for about 30 years now and it has never let me down. I think some people get way too hung up in runout, etc. It drills holes. It drills the hole where you put the dimple with the center punch. Mine does its job very well even though I have never measured the runout on the quill.