Drill Press

JGarrison Knives

JGarrison Knives

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May 28, 2005
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So I have a hankering to buy something I shouldn't so I might as well spend that money on something that would be put to better use. Can you guys recommend a drill press for less and $1000. It doesn't have to be $1000 but that's the limit. It can be a table top or a stand up.

Thanks
Jeremy
 
Looking for bells n whistles, or just a solid workhorse?
 
I picked up a table mounted drill press, a Wen, and it has on the fly speed adjustment and a digital readout. It was the best 500 bucks I've spent on tools for my shop
 
I picked up a Grizzly 14” Heavy Duty Floor Drill Press (model g7944) awhile back and have been very happy with it. It’s variable speed from 140 - 3050rpm, which has been pretty useful. I did swap the chuck out for something nicer though. Runout wasn’t bad, but was definitely improved with the new chuck. The drill, a chuck, and shipping would still be under a grand. They also have a benchtop model of the same drill press (g7943).

There is also a Shop Fox 17” floor drill (w1680) that looks very similar on sale with free shipping right now. No experience with that one though.
 
www.grizzly.com

4" x 18" 3/4 HP Mill/Drill at Grizzly.com

<h1>G0781 4" x 18" 3/4 HP Mill / Drill</h1> <h2>An inexpensive, high-quality, and small bench top mill.</h2> <p>The combination of features on the G0781 4" x 18" 3/4 HP Mill / Drill makes quick work of whatever job is thrown at it.</p> <p>This powerhouse comes equipped with a high-torque 3/4 HP...
www.grizzly.com www.grizzly.com

A thousand dollar drill press, may as well be a cheap mill.
 
If looking for high-end features, look for a DVR unit. They have a lot of neat features.
Technatool/Nova range from $1300 to $2000 (and up). Woodcraft and Rockler carry them as well as many other places. The auto reverse and taping programs on the higher priced models are very useful for folder makers and building jigs and equipment.
 
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12345678910 said:
www.grizzly.com

4" x 18" 3/4 HP Mill/Drill at Grizzly.com

<h1>G0781 4" x 18" 3/4 HP Mill / Drill</h1> <h2>An inexpensive, high-quality, and small bench top mill.</h2> <p>The combination of features on the G0781 4" x 18" 3/4 HP Mill / Drill makes quick work of whatever job is thrown at it.</p> <p>This powerhouse comes equipped with a high-torque 3/4 HP...
www.grizzly.com www.grizzly.com

A thousand dollar drill press, may as well be a cheap mill.
Click to expand...
I tried several benchtop models recently with very little joy. Went ahead and paid about $200 over the benchtop drill press price and ordered another mini mill as a dedicated drill press that can be pressed into mini mill duty if required.
 
JGarrison Knives said:
So I have a hankering to buy something I shouldn't so I might as well spend that money on something that would be put to better use. Can you guys recommend a drill press for less and $1000. It doesn't have to be $1000 but that's the limit. It can be a table top or a stand up.

Thanks
Jeremy
Click to expand...
To mirror Stacy the Nova drill presses are probably the best on the market, they make a benchtop model they call the Viking that’s direct drive and completely variable speed, you can also preset favorite speeds. I have been using the floor model version for probably 5-6 years now, and it still runs like it’s brand new. I’ve never been able to get it to hit more than 10-15% load (it tells you how much you are making the motor run) it has auto start and stop functions that I leave on most of the time so I can go up to the drill press and start lowering the bit and it turns on and when the chuck returns to the top it shuts off. I use the electronic depth gauge constantly, and there are quite a few other features that are nice when you need them. Overall I’d spend a bit more than your budget to get the nova, the benchtop version is about 1200.
 
That Technatool one is really nice but might be to tall for my work area, I have very little headroom available. Might go for a less expensive Wen right now then add something like a Grizzly mill later.
 
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