Drill press

[Tim_N]

I am wondering about how worthwhile having a drill press actually is ? I have been doing a fair bit of pen turning, am planning on doing more bowls and other turning. Plus I have been given permission by the boss to convert our small single car garage into a small workshop so I can start making bigger pieces for the house.
Is it worth getting a medium duty kind of press ?

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk

[jhovel]

Any drilling job which needs to be accurately square and parallel is only really possible on a decent drill press. They are worth every penny.
Using it as a bobbinsander which stays square, sa a makeshift overhead router for the odd otherwise impossible job etc etc

Cheers,
Joe

[Tim_N]

I am looking at a Hafco Pedestal Drill ... just one of the smaller ones as I am never going to be doing really heavy stuff and if I am drilling metal (which I doubt) its only going to be thin stuff. Machinery House are having a sale and I signed up for emails etc and I get $50 off a purchase which would bring one of the on sale drill presses down to $280 which I am thinking is a pretty good deal for a brand new machine. https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/D140 It has 80mm spindle travel, 1hp motor, 16speed etc etc ... I am fairly sure I would get decent use and longevity out of it. Just want confirmation from more experienced woodworkers !! (Although its always easy to spend other peoples money

[BobL]

For someone with a lathe, the only machine I would get before a drill press is a bandsaw.
Same even for someone without a lathe.

[Tim_N]

Thanks Bob, I picked up a bandsaw at the same time I picked up the lathe, therefore by your rationale the only reasonable thing to do is buy a drill press. Can I quote you to the boss ?

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk

[Robson Valley]

Post #2 sums it up for me.
Being able to drill holes in predictable directions is magic.

Possibly you call them bobbin sanders, we call them drum sanders regardless of size.
I cut, carve and shape abalone shell inlay for my wood carvings.
I sand broad flat or curved areas of my carvings. I can grind copper and steel with stones.
I can hog the void waste wood out of a dish with a 25mm Forstner bit.

I'm running a dinky little 4-speed Ryobi with about 8"/20cm reach between
the drill chuck axis and the tower.
If I had to do it all over again, I would spend more money ($100/Ryobi)
to get a drill that allowed me to work on broader, flatter/larger wood.

The one you have selected looks great. I miss the really low speeds for metal.
Somehow, you need to make the table a whole lot bigger.

[Christos]

Personally I think the drill press is very handy. I use it to drill the holes in the pen blanks.

The bandsaw is the machine that I use the most so it is good that you already have one.

Mine is a pedestal drill press but not bolted to the floor as I have moved it on those rare occasions but do have couple of weights on the bottom.

[Grommett]

I put a bolt in the chuck and use it as a pen press.

[BobL]

Thanks Bob, I picked up a bandsaw at the same time I picked up the lathe, therefore by your rationale the only reasonable thing to do is buy a drill press. Can I quote you to the boss ?

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk

Be my guest, and while you are at it maybe remove the "Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk" from your posts, I know it annoys a few members.

[Simplicity]

I could not live life in my shed with out my drill press.
It is not used all the time but when I do need it ,I'm glad for its company .
It's like an old friend you don't here from them for ages.
But when you do it's just like the last time.
Worst case it makes a great coffee holder stand.

[Tim_N]

Thanks for the tip Bob, I never really noticed the "sent from ... " stuff. I will make sure to untick the annoying little box.
I have just had email confirmation of my order for the Hafco drill press I linked to above, picking it up on the 12th, while the boss is in NZ with the kids. It will be a nice surprise for her when she gets back :$ !

[doug3030]

I am looking at a Hafco Pedestal Drill ... just one of the smaller ones as I am never going to be doing really heavy stuff and if I am drilling metal (which I doubt) its only going to be thin stuff.

I bought my drill press just for woodworking too, but it is surprising how much metalwork I seem to be finding to do just in support of my woodwork projects.

Cheers

Doug

[Upsy]

Hey,

I am in the same situation. Looking for a pedestal DP for wood work and the occasional metal work.

I was actually looking at the D147 or D148 from HM. or maybe something totally different ?

Any advice ?

thx

[Tim_N]

Hey,

I am in the same situation. Looking for a pedestal DP for wood work and the occasional metal work.

I was actually looking at the D147 or D148 from HM. or maybe something totally different ?

Any advice ?

thx

I can let you know how the little one I am looking at works out in a couple of weeks !!



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Upsy]

Sounds good !

by the little one you mean the bench top or the D147 ?