How much runout is acceptable for a drill press?

[JeepsAndGuns]

Bought a benchtop drill press for some small projects. Nothing major or super critical, but I would like for it to be true if I can without spending a lot of money.
It's a brand new harbor freight 8in. Got it on clearance for $74.
The chuck was not installed, so before I installed it, I checked the runout of the spindle and was quite surprised it was only about half a thousandth out.
I install the chuck and then chuck up a drill bit. I check just above the flutes and I have about 4.5 to 5 thousandths runout. So it appears the runout is in the chuck and not the spindle/shaft.
So is this a acceptable amount of runout for a drill press? I do not know what drill presses usually run (runout wise) and what is normal and what is not.
Should I try to get a different chuck? Would another chuck even be any better?

 

[benmychree]

Generally, you get what you pay for, likely a better chuck would have better runout results, but may coat more than the DP itself.

 

[woodchucker]

That's not bad for a small 8" unit for that price. It's not like you spent $600 and got that. And remember a drill press is not a precision machine. Drilling is for the most part not a precision operation. Which is why we drill smaller and ream, or bore for precision.

 

[pontiac428]

You can still make all sorts of useful holes with a wonky drill press. That's not a setup for a punchline, I just mean you still produce round holes with big runout. Drills flex while the point bites, it sort of self corrects at points. Worst outcome is a burr on the edge of the hole. I whipped the heck out of a HF drill press for years, and the stuff I built is doing fine.

Nowhere did I say it was ideal for drilling holes meant for threads. I'm talking from a welder and grinder perspective here.

 

[francist]

Should I try to get a different chuck? Would another chuck even be any better?

I think before you start rushing out to get another chuck or something you may want to check your runout with something a bit more precise than a drill but. They can often be far from perfect on the shank and they’re not always as straight as we might want them either. End mill, dowel pin, bit of that ground rod from inside an old printer, etc would all be things I’d trust more than a drill bit.

Not saying this will necessarily get you better results, but it’s worth trying before sinking more money into what sounds like a decent enough deal. Depending on how comfortable you are with taking the chuck on and off again you could also try clocking it at various points on the spindle to see if the deviation changes. Beware though, it could also make it worse than where you are right now!

 

[MrWhoopee]

The accuracy of a drilled hole has far more to do with the grind of the drill than runout of the chuck. Your DP sounds just fine.

 

[projectnut]

As Francist suggests I would use something other than a drill bit to check the runout. To that end I have purchased a number of different size and length dowel pins from McMaster just for that purpose. I use them to check runout on lathe chucks, drill chucks, collets, and anything else that they will fit. I get 4140 alloy in diameters from 1/4" to 1". They have a diameter tolerance of .0001" to .00003". The smaller diameters are usually 4" long or less while the larger ones (5/8" to 1") are 6" long.

 

[great white]

It can also be the taper. Try removing the chuck and re-installing it 90 degrees out.…make sure the taper and the chuck taper are surgical clean. Even a spec of dirt can cause it to have excessive runout, or at least make it worse than it needs to be….

 

[great white]

As Francist suggests I would use something other than a drill bit to check the runout. To that end I have purchased a number of different size and length dowel pins from McMaster just for that purpose. I use them to check runout on lathe chucks, drill chucks, collets, and anything else that they will fit. I get 4140 alloy in diameters from 1/4" to 1". They have a diameter tolerance of .0001" to .00003". The smaller diameters are usually 4" long or less while the larger ones (5/8" to 1") are 6" long.

I use old shock absorber rods. Not automotive, motorcycle shocks. They come apart with a few tools and the rods are precision ground and hardened.

 

[markba633csi]

You could probably find a decent deal on a new old stock Jacobs chuck for around 30$ on Ebay
Jacobs made a line of inexpensive (but decent) chucks called Mastercraft- the early ones were made in USA