Good drill press suggestions

T

Tkrocky

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Sep 6, 2013
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Hey guys, I need a new drill press. A good variable speed one with minimal runout is what I'm looking for. Bench top or freestanding would both work. I have been using an ancient one that has a ton of run out and I have to start it going with my hand! I like the ryobi one from lowes for around 300. Any suggestions or experience would be appreciated


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I've had a cheap harbor freight drill press for years. It's done what I've needed pretty well. I'm looking at getting a bench top mill drill now, I wish I'd have just spent the extra on one to begin with. Being able to slot guards and be more precise is what I'm looking for.
 
I bought a brand new free standing Delt several years ago and . . . for the home shop / light industrial use it is great.
I chose the Delta because it had the largest (read stiffest / most rigid) column. In a drill press used on steel fabrication this is a good thing. Not as important for those drilling wood.

The Delta Model: 17-965

Before that I had (and still have) a very old Grizzly bench top that still works and that I use for tiny work.

On the Delta
I like the depth stop.
I like the quill lock.
The table is plenty beefy.
As I recall the quill is a bit bigger than on some of the others I looked at in the same price range ($300 to $500).
Free freight back then (boy those were the good ol' days). Guy brought it right to my driveway with a lift gate and I'm up in the hills.
I put on larger thread on handle knobs from Grangers supply but that's just getting fancy.

Big, robust belts and pulleys. Plenty of speed ranges; and I do use them all in steel AND wood fabrication.
One benefit to a floor standing is it makes an excellent out feed support for my bandsaw. I can crank the table up to the same height as the bandsaw table and away we go.

PS: Jet can make some good home shop / light industrial machine tools as well. I have a good size metal lathe by them.
 
harbor freight . . . I wish I'd have just spent the extra on [a real] one to begin with.
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Every time I hear the the words "harbor freight" I begin to hiss uncontrollably and look for a large silver cross to hold up to protect myself from evil. Think Professor Abraham Van Helsing battling Dracula.
 
Keep an eye out for local classifieds and auctions. Occasionally you'll find a decent floor press or industrial unit that's in relatively good shape. I've got a couple bench top drills (ryobi and some equivalent to harbor freight/northern tool) and they do OK for putting holes in things, though 95% of my drilling is done with a knee mill anymore.
 
I agree with the others that your best bet is to watch the local Craigslist ads for older models. The new table top machines are all made in the same Chinese factory and are poorly made. I did start with a 8" Harbor Freight that I think I paid $60 bucks for. It got me through the first year until I found an JDP-15M" Jet that I really like ($250 off Craigslist) . The HF is still going, but it is only used to punch sewing holes in leather.
 
I recently got a nice Jet from Enco with their occasional sweet discount (25% off plus free shipping). It's a decent machine. Make sure you get one with a rock-solid depth stop. Some brands (e.g. Ridgid) have a friction-clamp depth stop that slips.
 
So would you guys recome Just going big right of with a mill, like the grizzly g0704? I was looking at that one. I would like to get a mill eventually anyways


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The best drill press is an old mill.

I swear, if someone gave me a drill press I wouldn't use it. A crappy, clapped out, no good milling machine is a 10X better drill press than a drill press.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
The best drill press is an old mill.

I swear, if someone gave me a drill press I wouldn't use it. A crappy, clapped out, no good milling machine is a 10X better drill press than a drill press.
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Nathan, I know you know of what you speak, if one was looking for new, what machine would you recommend--under 1k.
 
I just got this WEN 12" variable speed, it is solid man. Way better than the other models and for under $300 I don't think you can beat it. The other variable speeds that dont require you to change the belt pulleys are over $1k from what I remember. This guys has really impressed me if you can find it in stock.... I waited months because it was sold out everywhere.

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Butch, I am interested in acquiring a mini mill so I can cut slots in my guards with more precision. What brand of mini mill do you have and what do you recommend? I will not use it for much else than drilling and cutting slots in guards. Thanks for any advice you can give. Larry
 
Nathan and Butch are dead right. I spent a lot of time buying and refurbishing an old craftsman press, which came out very nice.
I never use it since I bought an HF mini mill off cragislist for 120 bucks. That was a great deal of course, but they can be found fairly regularly for 3-400.

It's a far better drill press, and it's a mill. Get the mill, you won't be sorry. Get the drill press, and one day you will also get the mill and then kick yourself.
 
Wowbagger said:
Every time I hear the the words "harbor freight" I begin to hiss uncontrollably and look for a large silver cross to hold up to protect myself from evil. Think Professor Abraham Van Helsing battling Dracula.
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That is funny and I feel the same way. lol :D
 
Pittknife said:
I just got this WEN 12" variable speed, it is solid man. Way better than the other models and for under $300 I don't think you can beat it. The other variable speeds that dont require you to change the belt pulleys are over $1k from what I remember. This guys has really impressed me if you can find it in stock.... I waited months because it was sold out everywhere.

17464BC3-0C03-49CB-9574-3D3B3380979C_zpswkx9rwqx.jpg
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I've got this one as well. I agree it works well. I got mine from Amazon.com
 
I have a Chinese drill press that my father in law gave me. I would prefer a mini mill, but with proper setup (Chuck squared and table squared) and use of quality, shorter bits, it is doing the job well.

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Don Hanson III said:
I have two mills and would not use either for holes. Much prefer a drill press for drilling holes.
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Same here, I wouldn't use the mini mill from HF for drilling holes. I spent a ton of time getting rid of the runout on the mini and the way it goes down is not very smooth. I use my g0704 though.
 
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