Drill Press - Recommendations

[Ron Boyes]

Hi All,

Looking for a good quality Drill Press:
Floor Stand
Heavy Duty
Radial Arm - Yes or No?
Keyless Chuck - Yes or No?
Large Square Table
Work Light

Looking at past posts there were several comments from people who have a 3/4 HP and wish they had a 1 HP - looking around the maunfacturers websites it seems that there is a lack of the 1HP versions.
I have looked at the offerings from Leda/Timbercon/Cabratec and am not that impressed, Hafco do have 1HP versions PD22 & 26 - anyone using either of these?

I have plenty of space and have allowed up to $1,000-00 for the right unit, the majority of work will be wood related and general metal work (nothing over the top).
Don't want to make the wrong decision again ( should of bought the 12" Table Saw not the 10")

Thanks for the advice
regards
ron

[BobL]

My 2c worth
Floor Stand - highly recommended, search for detailed discussion about this on this forum.

Heavy Duty - this does not mean much. Bigger dimensions and heavier Dps will generally mean more stability when working on bigger pieces or with larger bits.

Radial Arm - Unless you have immediate specific need and space I would say no. They generally have limited low or upper end speeds and with longer belts will squeal and rattle under load.

Keyless Chuck - My preference is yes.

Large Square Table - Your pref.

Work Light, good idea but most have these.

3/4 or 1HP. Also doesn't mean much. Most manufacturers label their motors without much care to exactly what they are.

BTW The Hafco drills are essentially the same as those at Timbecon or Carbatec. These are precise enough for woodwork but only intermediate for precise metal work. If you want precision with metal you should use a mill.

Cheers

[NewLou]

Gidday:)

I'd avoid Radial Arm and Keyless chucks (Tend to slip to much for my liking) n I'd look for a solid well built unit.

The shape of the table dosen't matter too much as you can kit your press up with an aftermarket extension table.

For non production run in a home shed environment something under the $500 mark would well and truely do the job.

Spend the rest of your budget on some quality standard & Brad point bit Sets.

Forstner bits will be one of the handiest additions to your kit n once you go down the path of some hole cutters & plug cutters the Drill press becomes one of the Handiest tools in the shop for all manner of pre milling duties n other odds n ends related to joinery.

Regardsless of YOUR decision have fun n keep us posted on what path you choose

Regards Lou:D

[derekcohen]

Both Bob and Lou have it right in my eyes. The only thing that I would disagree with Lou is the keyless chuck. I added on recently (about a month ago) and it has been a terrific addition.

You might also consider adding an Easy Riser lift (which I have done). See http://www.onlinetoolreviews.com/reviews/easyriser.htm

Regards from Perth

Derek

[inferno6688]

I have the Carbatec 16spd model. I am very happy with it. After comparing the DP from Timbecon, Gasweld, and Ryobi at the WWW Show (Hafco wasn't there! :mad: ) I found the Carbatec on to be most solid, and the only one were i could not move the chuck laterally with my hands. :cool:

[bsrlee]

The Jet floor standing drill - JDP-17MF with a nominal 17 inch 'swing' that the Woodman group ( Gregory Machinery, Major Woodworking Equipment etc) sell is pretty good value I think - it has an average table & the depth stop is the old style direct acting threaded rod instead of the dinky rotating collar on the handle with a tiny lock screw, so you can see if anything has shifted. (been there, had that happen) Also its a key tightening chuck, but that can be changed fairly easily.

At least that's where my money is going when I get my shed cleared out a bit more.

[tcowdroy]

Personally, I love the old machines from Richardson, Waldown, Tough etc. The Richardson might lack the mod cons like work lights etc. but it's built like a tank and will last forever. They generally have much better motors than the Taiwanese machines too and run super smooth and quiet. They look great too, assuming you like older machines. Find one with a wind up table (the non-windup ones are a pain ie. heavy to move) and you won't look back.

[Zed]

I have the delta full pedestal. cant recommend it highly enough. heapsa grunt and very accurate. 12 speeds. lovely unit. $600 odd a few yrs back.

[Andy Mac]

Hi Ron,
If you've got $1000 to spend, I'd say avoid the budget models under the $500 mark, and buy better, but doesn't seem to be many suppliers advertising decent brands...all Chaiwanese gear.
I'm looking in the H&F catalogue and there is a "Hvy-Duty" PD-26 for $749. Better still is an "industrial drilling machine" model PD-35 for $995. Its still only a 1hp motor, but weighs 136kg (the budget model is 85kg), has 3mt not 2mt, and has a few features like the table has a well for collecting cutting fluid, and the pedestal collar is double locking. Would probably take an add-on morticing kit without flexing, unlike the budget models.
There doesn't seem to be much else before leaping to geared head stuff ($2200) and radial drilling machines, which start around $10,000!!:eek:

Good luck with it.

[Waldo]

G'day Ron Boyes,

• keyed

• 16 speed

• 13mm chuck

• solid and strong table a must

• pedstal or floor - no matter

• and if you can find one, preferably with a solid steel column

• and Like Andy Mac above has said: an industrial model over the cheaper stuff

[Salty]

Like Derek, I have found the keyless chuck to be a fantastic addition and appears to have less runout than the supplied keyed chuck. I have also got an easy riser which I find great. The rest of the machine depends more on your budget than any other factor. Basically you get what you pay for - which careful research ( preferably hands on) will reveal.:D

[Bob38S]

All of the above.
Consider adding a woodworking table to the supplied worktable
For light metal work - consider an X Y vice - Have mine attached to a piece of 10mm aluminium plate which allows easy changes from the wood table to the vice

[BobL]

,
I'm looking in the H&F catalogue and there is a "Hvy-Duty" PD-26 for $749.

I looked at the H&F models and the main components of these are essentially the same as the Timbecon/Carbatec models. The PD-26 is a minor variant of the Timbecon DPF-1000 - also $749. The main differences seems to be that the H&F models claim to have slightly higher HP motors, and have larger capacity chucks which is not necessarily a good thing. OTOH the DPF-1000 has a significantly higher top speed over the PD-26.

I ended up purchasing a Timbecon DPF-750 which is one of the cheapest MT3 models around. There seems to be some swaping around of the components between models as mine has a motor from a DPF-1000 on it and was a display model so I got a hefty discount. So far it's been very good at doing the tough stuff and reasonable at doing the fine stuff, although I agree that if you want real precision go for a mill.

Really precise stuff (especially small stuff) also benefits from a low slop cross slide vice (not those sold by TC and CT) which are usually built into mills.

[gratay]

i just bought a hafco spd20 pedestal which has just been upgraded from 3/4hp to 1hp ...seems to be pretty good value for money considering they are $269 at the moment....I'm pretty happy with it