Need recommendations on a good drill press

S

Steve L

Joined
Apr 23, 2001
Messages
16
Hello : I need some recommendations on a good drill press to purchase. I'd like to stay with American made stuff, but as of yet, I have not had the good fortune of finding a nice old one.

Are any of the imports worthy of Purchase? Can they drill a true hole? Do they last for more than a year.? If so, which imports are good?


Thanks in advance.
 
i dont know if any of the small presses are made in the u.s.a. these days. i and a lot of others have reasonalble use from the small bench top models from www.harborfrieght.com. these run $40-$50. for fixed blade needs there fine for folders wait and see what others makers have to say. good luck!
 
I think the hand crank drill presses made by Champion around 1900 are excellent. They are underappreciated in todays market. They are built like tanks and most are still in excellent condition. They are reasonably priced on eBay. They are not hard work to use. Really! They can do stuff electric drill presses at the same size cant. You can drill monsterous holes with the hand crank that would get real dangerous with the electric. They are fairly plentyful too. The unmarked ones are usually Champions too becuase Champion had the big contracts with Sears back then. I got a great no name off eBay for $40. For some reason most people dont even consider these treasures as usualable tools. They work better just not as fast thats all.
 
Most of the 'name brand' presses are imports too. The best advice I can give is to inspect the prospective unit before purchase. Check the runout and spindle play (up and down). This will ensure you drill good holes and don't have a propensity to break bits.

Brett
 
I've got a Delta 12" benchtop model that my Dad gave me for Christmas. It works quite well, has very little play in the spindle, has a table that is straight and 90 degrees true to the head. I am able to drill and ream holes that are fairly tight and accurate for my pivot pins (much to my surprise and amazement).
 
I have a nice 3/4hp 16 speed Delta floor model. Works great and has been for 6 years. No sign of it having any problems.

<A HREF="http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4292475489"><IMG SRC="http://www.imagestation.com/images/album/link/this_album_button.gif" BORDER="0"></A>
 
I have a Craftsman benchtop drill press and it has been going strong for almost 15 years.I only make fixed blades at this time.Hope this helps,Dave.:)
 
Very happy with a couple of Ryobi 10 inch presses from Home Depot at $99. each. Better than a lot of imports, big motor. The best improvement I made to these was adding a light and replacing the key chuck with a good finger tight chuck from ENCO.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top