Secondary drill press, Ryobi or....this one?

jonnymac44

jonnymac44

Joined
Sep 27, 2007
Messages
7,680
I have a really old Atlas floor standing drill press that I have tuned up and have running pretty well. It's got plenty of power and does most of my heavy jobs without any trouble, but I waste a lot of time changing bits back and forth all day between drill bits, countersinks, chucking reamers, kydex rivet press dies, etc. I'm looking to add a secondary drill press to my shop to help streamline things.

I plan on making the second press a benchtop model that I will set up right next to the big one. As usual, money is an issue....knife making is not cheap!:D A neighbor and buddy of mine suggested the Ryobi 12 inch model. He has one and is happy with it. He likes all the features, like the laser, the light, variable speed up to 3,000 rpm, digital readout, etc. I read some reviews online and most seem to think it's a solid performing machine for the price, which is around $180, but the fit and finish is lacking and some parts are cheaply made.

I found this model at Amazon, for about $20 more. The features and specs seem to be almost identical, so I figure it's built on the same platform or pretty close, but this one from Powertec just looks like it's built better than the Ryobi. Anybody have any experience or input on this one or the Ryobi?

Here is the link to the Powertec:
http://www.amazon.com/POWERTEC-Vari...=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B003BAZAXS

Thanks!
 
Doing a quick search, there are several places in your local area that sell Shop Fox brand woodworking tools. I would, if it were my money, spend some time looking at them. They are basically the same as the Grizzly brand, except sold in local shops in lieu of mail order. They have a great little drill press for around $225.00. It's bench top, real heavy, 12 speeds, and has a oscillating spindle sander function.

I've spent a good deal of time trying to find a drill press and that is the one I've settled on when I get around to getting one.

Here is a link to the product page:

http://www.woodstockint.com/3-4-HP-Benchtop-Oscillating-Drill-Press/W1668/
 
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I have a ryobi and it sucks. The table is not very rigid, I had to reinforce it and build a support for it. The chuck will not hold a drill that is smaller that 1/16, some that I use are .046. I have no use for the laser since I dill a lot of small holes.

I have 2 delta machines that are much better made, heavier and have better chucks.

I would do your research, and watch craigs list for a good used machine.

You only cry once when you buy the best!
 
Chuck Gedraitis Knives said:
I have a ryobi and it sucks. The table is not very rigid, I had to reinforce it and build a support for it. The chuck will not hold a drill that is smaller that 1/16, some that I use are .046. I have no use for the laser since I dill a lot of small holes.

I have 2 delta machines that are much better made, heavier and have better chucks.

I would do your research, and watch craigs list for a good used machine.

You only cry once when you buy the best!
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Oops, I just bought the Ryobi last night and thought I was going to like it. Now I ante so sure, I will give you all an update after I give it a try. I hope I like it better than you do Chuck. It would be nice if the darn chuck would go to zero, or close anyway. I might have to bring it back. I got a couple of old Atlases that are pretty nice, boy do they run smooth.
 
Mark, my old Atlas is a trooper! It was pretty beat up when it came to me, but it is one hell of a good old machine. I added the power twist drive belt and that helped a lot with some of the vibration, but the power twists are supposed to be run pretty tight according to the directions and I worry sometimes that there is too much tension on the old drive shaft on the vintage Packard motor. So far all is good though.
 
jonnymac44 said:
Mark, my old Atlas is a trooper! It was pretty beat up when it came to me, but it is one hell of a good old machine. I added the power twist drive belt and that helped a lot with some of the vibration, but the power twists are supposed to be run pretty tight according to the directions and I worry sometimes that there is too much tension on the old drive shaft on the vintage Packard motor. So far all is good though.
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Yep, they're goodn's
 
I know alot of knife/folder makers that have more then one of the small ryobi's set up for production and are very happy with them for the price. I know I was impressed with how little run out these machines had. If I remember right Ed Caffery has atleast one in his shop.
 
I see the value in the light, but the laser and the led speed readout are for me, fluff.

The casting looks the same as every other drill press I've seen.

Maybe you can get a lower price, or higher quality at the same price if you can skip the gimmicky features ?
 
I use one of the $99 ryobi presses just for chamfering deburring holes. Works fine on the slowest speed.
 
I put My Ryobi together this morning and have this to say about it. I found it to be pretty good for what I spent.

They must have gotten complaints about the chucks they were supplying because the chuck on mine, unlike Chucks goes to zero. It's still not the best chuck in the world and I may replace it with a real Jacobs chuck. This one has a little bit of run-out.

The table does seem too flimsy to drill much steel on it. I bought it for scales, non ferrous metal guards and bolsters and leather work so that won't be a problem for me. One thing I am disappointed in is the surface finish of the blanchard grind on the work table, it's way rougher than it ought to be.

The lasers do not line up with the point of the drill right out of the box but it's easy enough to fix.

It seems like they could have supplied a bulb for it but I guess thats a small thing.

The stroke in the quill, at only three inches, is shorter than I would have liked.

All in all, I think it's a good enough value, if it saves me from having to run up and down the stairs all the time it'll be worth it.

I had three gift certificates for the store I got it at and only had to pay thirty bucks out of pocket so that makes it even better. I think I will keep it.
 
A word about newer Jacobs chucks....I ordered and returned two expensive keyless Jacobs chucks for my mill. Both had the flats on the jaw face misground and wouldn't hold anythng on center. I won't buy Jacobs again. I got an Albrecht keyless and it's flawless. Just my experience.
 
Thanks blackcatt,
I won't totally condemn Jacobs on your experience, but it's always nice to have input when making decisions bout tools. I'll remember this.
 
blackcatt said:
A word about newer Jacobs chucks....I ordered and returned two expensive keyless Jacobs chucks for my mill. Both had the flats on the jaw face misground and wouldn't hold anythng on center. I won't buy Jacobs again. I got an Albrecht keyless and it's flawless. Just my experience.
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Wow, I'm sorry to hear that. You'd think you could count on them.
 
Ok, It sounds like some guys have gotten the great deal on the Ryobi and have been happy with it, but reviews insist out there in the marketplace that it is not a well built machine and is sloppy, especially in the chuck department. I really want a machine that drills straight and true. After researching, I have two more machines to add to the mix. A five speed Delta 12 inch press with manual belt changing, and a Jet 12 model with full variable speed for a fair amount more.

I'm trying to get a feel for these machines from anybody who has used either of them. Often times online reviews only show up when a customer is unhappy and you never hear aout all of the positive experiences. Anybody have any experience with either of these machines?? This was supposed to be a budget minded purchase, but I'll gladly go up to the $340 cost of the Jet model if it's worth it.

Let me know what you guys think.....Thanks!

http://www.amazon.com/DELTA-DP300L-12-Inch-TwinLaser-Crosshair/dp/B000IZC28U/ref=pd_cp_hi_1 Delta Machine

http://www.amazon.com/Jet-JDP-12-12...TF8&coliid=I1HJOI2AZK54JT&colid=22UUEZ5V3M6AV Jet Machine
 
Cool! Thanks for pointing that one out, for some reason I hadn't even seen this model yet, and it's better deal than the Jet. I will give this one a hard look for sure.

JB51 said:
I was looking for a drill press last month. I bought the smaller ryobi and it had a lot of run out so I took it back. After doing some research online I decided on the Delta dp-350, there are some bad reviews about the variable speed pulley coming loose but it was fixed in 2006.

So far it has no problems. Here is the link http://www.amazon.com/DELTA-DP350-S...ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1307369599&sr=1-1
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