Thread: Help buying a drill press

Geoff,

Sorry mate your not really spoilt for choice but pick one that has the most number of spindle speeds and the highest HP. (16 I think is the most with 1HP). The one you pictured is probably about it.

I've got one of the Hare & Forbes 1HP 16 speed bench drills and it suit my purpose.

That's my 2c worth.

It is a Pedistal drill your after,the other shorter coloumn drills are called Bench drills.

Most of the Pedistal drills in your price range will be much the same,if you tend to be doing a lot of speed changes I would tend to go with something that has easy belt adjustment (tension).

The next critical thing I think you would need to consider (or it may be the first) is the size of the largest hole you think you will need to drill and consider getting the drill with the biggest motor.

Lastly you may even have the choice with the range available to choose Round or Square table.

Geoff, Peerless are actually based in Bendigo.

If you have to drill in large sheets consider a radial arm drill press, I have a floor standing model and the radial feature has come in handy quite a few times. On my model also the head can also be angled, another nice feature at times, as it is asier to angle the head than a large piece of MDF

This is similar to the one I have

Carba-Tec® ½HP 5 Speed Radial Arm Drill Press : CARBA-TEC

One day I will convert it use a 1hp 3phase motor with a VFD, one day.............

Originally Posted by Big Shed

Geoff, Peerless are actually based in Bendigo.

............

I have an old PEERLESS power hacksaw . Would it have been made in Bendigo ?

It is rather crude in design but works well .

Mike

Originally Posted by morrisman

I have an old PEERLESS power hacksaw . Would it have been made in Bendigo ?

It is rather crude in design but works well .

Mike

Don't know, I know today they are purely an importer.

Originally Posted by snowyskiesau

The little X2 mill really isn't up to drilling big holes so it's a good excuse to buy a drill press.

FIrst thought was of a pedatal drill but I got a number of large sheets of MDF to drill so a floor mounted, bench drill might be better.

Not really spoilt for choice of vendors in Tassie so it either a Carbatec brand or generic Chinese model such as this. There's also a company that sell a Peerless brand that looks very much the same. There's always Bunnings ot Mitre 10 but only as a last resort

Nothing local in any of the on line second hand places so new it is. Budget is less than $400. Most use will be with metal but I'd like to mount a table and fence for woodwork.

Any advice welcome at this stage.

When I was down at H&F last year I walked past a pedestal drill and then walked back in disbelief. The $300 drills have shrunk in size and now have plastic handles etc. I bought one about 25 years ago that is Chinese, and I will tell you the quality was much better back then. I would say it was because they where competing with the Taiwanese imports at the time. The $300 dollar pedestal drills of years gone now seem to sell for around $500.
Electrosteam checked the quill on mine when he was here, and commented to me about his H&F drill was not a good fit between the quill and casting.
If you do buy one new go and check it yourself as they can vary in quality in the same model. The quill fit should be on the high priority list to start with.

If you have time, what about a wanted add in the local paper? I have done this in the past and you get to pick from a few then.

Dave

Originally Posted by snowyskiesau

The little X2 mill really isn't up to drilling big holes so it's a good excuse to buy a drill press.

FIrst thought was of a pedatal drill but I got a number of large sheets of MDF to drill so a floor mounted, bench drill might be better.

Not really spoilt for choice of vendors in Tassie so it either a Carbatec brand or generic Chinese model such as this. There's also a company that sell a Peerless brand that looks very much the same. There's always Bunnings ot Mitre 10 but only as a last resort

Nothing local in any of the on line second hand places so new it is. Budget is less than $400. Most use will be with metal but I'd like to mount a table and fence for woodwork.

Any advice welcome at this stage.

I bought one like the picture from Moonah Machinery. I can't really recommend it.

First, the switch on mine is a POS and the replacement switch I bought is the same; it too has died so I need a 3rd one. Looking at alternatives there, a 2 pole switch would be a fine thing to find. Somewhere I have a box of old Bakelite light switches but I can't find them. Hey, they were good enough for Richardson drills years ago.

Second, the drive pulley on the quill is a *friction* drive. Yes, that's correct, no key, just a taper fit with a retaining nut on top to apply tension. When the nut loosens, you get interesting problems with slipping drill bits. Took me a disassembly to twig to this, thought I'd sheared a key. Hah. Chance would be a fine thing.

So, look elsewhere is my advice. Mine is sitting waiting its turn to be repaired as I have another drill press that's heaps better anyway.

The floor models (pedestal drills) have the same column diameter as the bench ones so you lose a hell of a lot of rigidity. Not sure this would matter for woodwork but it is something to consider. Better to make a custom stand for the bench model IMO, that way you can get the drill head at the height you want.

Not a lot of used machinery in Tas, I'd agree. But no point in buying something that really isn't up to hard work.

I'd suggest you get a radial arm drill too as they're great for all sorts of work; I love my Arboga. Finding one locally will be the problem.

PDW