Sears 10" Drill Press for Knifemaking

R

rupsty

Joined
Mar 14, 2013
Messages
42
Greetings,

I need a drill press. I will making holes in metal as much as 1/4 inch thick but no more. Will this drill press work well?

http://www.osh.com/eng/product/craftsman_10_drill_press/6873905

Also, any recommendation on bits?

Btw - I have searched the forum for any more insights but haven't found any on this particular machine.

Thank you!

Correction: It's a craftsman, not a sears!
 
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At that price I'd go with the Harbor Freight 12 speed benchtop model. I have one and it works fine and they run about $130. Get some cobalt bits from usaknifemaker.com, they will last a long long time with proper feeding.
 
Check Craigslist before you buy a brand new drill press....................... You can get some great deals and spend the cash you save on drills and so on.

Besides the old ones are often made better then the new ones with real cast iron instead of aluminum and plastic.

Syn
 
synthesist said:
Check Craigslist before you buy a brand new drill press....................... You can get some great deals and spend the cash you save on drills and so on.

Besides the old ones are often made better then the new ones with real cast iron instead of aluminum and plastic.

Syn
Click to expand...

What he said.
 
I love finding drill presses at garage sales too. Even the small ones can be setup dedicated style with chamfer bits, or bore brushes for cleaning out tubes.
 
Matt Markell said:
At that price I'd go with the Harbor Freight 12 speed benchtop model. I have one and it works fine and they run about $130. Get some cobalt bits from usaknifemaker.com, they will last a long long time with proper feeding.
Click to expand...

I got one of these and for the money you really cant beat it.

But then again you get what you pay for. In my case the table is a nightmare from hell that will only go down a few inches before it locks up for some reason. also the chuck tends to fall off for no reason.
 
JZknives said:
I got one of these and for the money you really cant beat it.

But then again you get what you pay for. In my case the table is a nightmare from hell that will only go down a few inches before it locks up for some reason. also the chuck tends to fall off for no reason.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have heard there is a pretty good bit of QC variance in the HF models. I haven't had either of those problems but for instance, the nut that holds the one of the pulleys onto the spindle is for some reason left hand threaded so occasionally when it's under a lot of torque the nut will loosen and I'll have to stop and tighten it.... Now that I think about it I should just get some threadlocker and put it on there.

For the money, I'm pretty happy with it and have drilled probably a few thousand of holes with it.
 
Matt Markell said:
Yeah, I have heard there is a pretty good bit of QC variance in the HF models. I haven't had either of those problems but for instance, the nut that holds the one of the pulleys onto the spindle is for some reason left hand threaded so occasionally when it's under a lot of torque the nut will loosen and I'll have to stop and tighten it.... Now that I think about it I should just get some threadlocker and put it on there.

For the money, I'm pretty happy with it and have drilled probably a few thousand of holes with it.
Click to expand...
ya the drill itself is pretty solid , but its everything else thats bad haha. I tried lubing the gears that elevate the table and it seemed to work then it got locked up again. weird little thing
 
synthesist said:
Check Craigslist before you buy a brand new drill press....................... You can get some great deals and spend the cash you save on drills and so on.
Besides the old ones are often made better then the new ones with real cast iron instead of aluminum and plastic.
Click to expand...

That's true
There are 10 advertised in my area right now
 
thanks everyone. very helpful. i'll probably go with the craftsman simply because i can pick it up in person and return it easily if there are problems.
 
I would Have to agree with heckling Craigslist. ... You can get a lot more for your money than buying new. Good luck either way.
 
My Grizzlly tabletop cost me around that much when I started out. It has a full size 4" diameter pipe in the back, bigger motor, a bigger table and a much bigger base on it.
 
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