Ryobi Drill Press

Hammerfall,
I don't have any experience with Ryobi, but a friend who is the worlds biggest machinehead has got nothing good to say about them. In the same basic price range he recommends Delta. He believes there is a big difference in quality between the two. I just picked up a Delta here on Cape from WoodWorkers Warehouse cheap. They are going out of business so if there is a store in the New Bedford, Fairhaven, Dartmouth area you might want to check it out. If that doesn't work try www.right-tools.com. They have real good prices on Delta and others. I think they are in Acton Ma. I bopught a chopsaw from them this summer and it was delivered to my door within 24 hrs and cheaper than anybody else online or at the stores.

Rick
 
thanks a lot, there is one in new bedford, i just might go check it out today. I need to grab some handles for the tools for doing silver wire inlay. might be a few other things to look at too. thanks again. and if anyone else has comments let me know
 
I agree with Rick's friend. Being a machinist by trade, I feel this way - If its not American made, its probably junk with few exceptions. Nowadays if you want to get the job done you may be forced to buy something made somewhere in the Orient. The real trick is knowing what degree of junkiness a particular offshore brand may be. Some are better than others. Typically, if you buy Delta, Wilton, or Grizzly, you are getting machines made in China (nowadays). These four companies are at the very least willing to provide you with quality customer care shoudl you experience problems with your purchase.

Harbor Freight and its imitators (Craftsman too, we can't leave them out) tend to carry the scum of the cheapo tools, the 4x6 bandsaw being the exception.
 
so what you're saying is something like a grizzly drill press would be a decent drill press? and stay away from harborfreight and crapsman at all costs?
 
Well I'm not saying Grizzly is a good drill press, but I AM saying that they are a better choice than the other offshore brands. Grizzly once was the pariah concerning machinery. Their dedication to the customer's needs have resulted in a better product. In a perfect world, we'd all be buying $2000 Clausings, but in reality a Grizzly or a Wilton is a decent choice.

Disclaimer: I will add this, however --- There are many peopel, myself included, that buy the cheapo little drill presses and leave them set up in a certain configuration or bit, and use them just for one particular operation. This is fine unless you need more precision. Typically, I find myself drilling undersize and reaming to size on my folders anyway. The multiple drillpress ploy only adds to your productivity, not necessarily to your precision. I have been known to toss a couple of these little drills away because they were just crap and I got fed up.
 
Dang I just can't say enough about this subject! :D

There was one more thing I wanted to add. Ideally, we would all be looking for American-made drills from Post-WWII to now. The brands to look for are Delta, Delta-Rockwell, Rockwell (I know, I know), Walker-Turner, and Clausing. If you are lucky, you can find one of these machines in good shape, and for a reasonable price. Just beware the Rockwell drills are pricey even in poor condition, as many people buy them and recondition them.
 
I recently bought the 15" Ridgid drill press (they only make one) and I think it's one of the best values in cheaper drill presses. Ridgid was recently aquired by Ryobi, but if you buy any Ridgid tool before the end of the year, it comes with a lifetime warranty. Plus it's backed by Home Depot. Not bad for something made in China. In 2004, the warranty becomes Ryobi's, which is 3 years IIRC. Oh yeah it was also rated a Best Buy by American Woodworker, if anyone cares.

Delta, Jet, and Wilton are made in Taiwan (last I checked); Grizzly and Craftsman are made in China. I've heard more than one horror story about a Craftsman drill press breaking down and Sears not repairing them because the owner did not buy an extended warranty. For knifemaking you should get a model that goes down to 200-300 rpm, so you can go slow on the tough stuff. Delta seems to be the best of the imports.

I got my Ridgid DP1550 for $225, a good price considering what you get. It's also easy to get if there's a Home Depot nearby, and lefty-friendly, too. For $175 more I could have bought the Delta 17-965 (the best of the floorstanding imports) but it just wasn't worth it.
 
Crafstman has different tools made by different comapnies. Some of their power tools are made by Dewalt, and whole time I worked at sears, never had one of these returned, while other ones in same line, not produced by Dewalt, were returned all the time.

Porlbme with my story is i can't remember what in the model number signifies it's made by B&D/Dewalt. I think it was that it started with a 9, but I won't swear to that. Ask at your local Sears, they may know.

Was mainly hand power tools I think, not anything bench mounted, but that could be wrong too.
 
a couple of weeks ago I went to a tool sale. It was held in a barn and was one of those traveling tool stores. The pricing was amazing! I was exited about buying a drill press, 8" bench grinder, set of 12 files, set of 20 clamps and an engraver for 90 bucks. All the tools were made by a company called Cummings. I was looking forward to getting home and trying all this stuff out. The third time I turned on the grinder it didn't start rotating it made a high pitched noise and started smoking. I through it across the shop and haven't touched it yet. The files were crap, I should have looked at them more closely. The engraver works well for marking center lines and such, hey it only cost 4 bucks. The drill press has fife speeds and seems to work very well. It was 39 bucks. The clamps are great and come in a nice wood box. I would not recommend doing this. Its basically junk and next to impossible to get anything fixed or a refund. Simple thing like clamps and things might be OK. Please learn from my mistake.
 
HammerHead; You should have been peaking at your Xmas present from your parents. Now I will have to call them and you will only get coal (hard). Mike we will make it work, even if I have to weld it into a block.;) ;)
rjudoka: Dude you have to come over and pay Hammerhead and me a visit and we can make up some damascus. Have you heard about NECKA???
 
Indian George,
Thanks for the invite. I am way far away from making damascus, hell I am still trying to grind a straight line. It would be cool to come by and check out your shop. I'll get in touch next time I'm heading in your direction.

Rick
 
rick its well worth getting in touch with as resourceful a man as IG. since i met him i can't count the people i've met, techniques i've learned, or the ammount of skill i've gained and i guess along with a pretty good friend. and best thing is i can count on one hand all the bad habbits i've learned, thats a mere fraction of IG's he'd need all the hands and feet in NECKA to count his habbits. Just kidding IG
 
Back to the original question...

Just yesterday a fellow knifemaker stopped over and we were cussing and discussing knives and the subject came up about carbide bits. He said, "don't buy any carbide bits from so and so, they break too easy and don't last long". I chuckled a bit and told him that it wasn't the bits, it is that Ryobi drill press he has. He didn't believe me until I got him to walk over to mine. I grabbed the chuck and could wiggle it from side to side. You get what you pay for.

When you first start out, ANY drill press is an advantage of NO drill press. For an entry level drill press its OK. Just don't expect it to do everything you want and don't expect it to be the last drill press you will ever buy.

I just bought a 40 year old drill press that is built like a tank and has no side play whatsoever. The Ryobi will be garage sale fodder later next year once I get this other drill press from 600 miles away.

Craig
 
Originally posted by HammerFall
rick its well worth getting in touch with as resourceful a man as IG. since i met him i can't count the people i've met, techniques i've learned, or the ammount of skill i've gained and i guess along with a pretty good friend. and best thing is i can count on one hand all the bad habbits i've learned, thats a mere fraction of IG's he'd need all the hands and feet in NECKA to count his habbits. Just kidding IG
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HammerHead I am still not getting you anything for Xmas, no matter how much you brown nose me.:p :p
Rick, the first thing I teach a new student is to make Cable Damascus and making it into a knife. Right HammerHead.
 
yeah and its pretty easy to make with a little heat and some patience (still learning the patience part) and it makes a beautiful knife. so far mine has held a pretty nice edgetoo.
 
I can only tell you about the Deltas that I have a bench top model that I have ABUSED for over 10 years. I have used a mill table on it, drilled 1" plate on it, over taxed the thing on almost a daily basis. It is still working and drilling fairly precise holes. I can't complain at all!
 
I've used and abused an 8" Delta benchtop for many years even used it with large diameter forstner bits for a couple of months. Recently it has developed a small amount of run out, not for precision work anymore but can still drill a pretty clean hole
 
I have a Delta Benchtop Drill Press that is a dandy to use.

I got the variable speed model - let's me go down to 500 rpm, up to 3100 rpm. I figure it will last as long as I need it, until I get a mill/press.

I do abuse it, and so far, it has held up well.


Re: Ryobi

I was tempted terribly by a Ryobi press before getting the Delta - mostly because of the price difference (and the Ryobi is on sale almost every other weekend...:rolleyes: ). Anyway, after buying the Delta and using it for a few months, I came across a Ryobi display model (same as what I wanted before) and was able to inspect it. There is a huge difference in quality. The Ryobi looks and feels like a toy, and the Delta, like a tool. Can't put it any better than that.

The Delta cost me $170 from amazon.com with free shipping.

Dan
 
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