Shepparch Drill Press

[Zed]

Hi there,

At the Syd WWS Carba tech had a shepparch drill press with 5 speeds, a extending head and a chuck tilting capacity so that holes could be drilled at angles. looked like a fine machine - made in Germany to EU specs. The carba tech dude said that the carba tech unit that had 12 speeds was better due to speed capabilities etc etc ad nausium.....

I'm in the market to buy one of these units - some advice please...

My questions for you lot are :

1) are 5 speeds enough for wood ? how often do you REALLy change speeds anyway ? surely so long as you have slow, medium, faster, fast, fastest this is ok ???
2) does the extendable head sound like a good idea ? it does to me...
3) does the tilting chuck come in handy or just a gimmick ?
4) is shepparch a good brand ?
5) do the adjustments wear over time and become a liability - eg will the tilt when returning to 90 deg vert wear eventually and not be a true right angle thereby compromising future work ?
6) anyone have experience with this type of drill press ?
7) whats the carba tech drill press like - is it a POS ?

See - I didnt change topics all post!

thank you in advance my droogs...

[DPB]

I was going to respond with, "a hole is a hole" - but then I know I will get an argument on that one.

[ozwinner]

I was going to respond with, "a hole is a hole" - but then I know I will get an argument on that one.

Or, if a hole was drilled in the forest, and there was no one around.................
Or a hole by any other name, would still be as deep......


Al

[DaveInOz]

Okay guys stop screwing around, its a good question so tell him the truth, the hole truth, and ......

[MikeK]

Zed,

I bought one of these (Scheppach Benchtop Radial Drill Press - SCH-RAB T16X) at the Carbatec sale last week. The advice I received from Carbatec was that it was a well made German machine and was better than the Carbatec model. I am yet to receive the machine so I have no actual experience with it, but when I do get it I will be happy to post my initial findings. My eventual decision came down to:
- quality of build: after playing with the Carbatec I thought that the build quality of the Carbatec machine was pretty low.
- number of speeds: I am almost certainly not going to notice the fact that there are 5 speeds vs 12 or 16 or whatever
- number of features: as with everything, I will probably use the features not that often, so I'm not expecting a lot of wear.
- price: they were on sale, so I got it for $314 . The Carbatec sells for $299 so how could I go past it for $14?

Regards,
Mike.

[Bob Willson]

Speeds. A really slow speed is more or less essential for some woodworking operations and for steel, if you are trying to drill a 25mm hole then the slower the better (within limits) but 5 speeds should cover the lot so long as one of them is about 50 rpm.
Power (KW) is always important too. You certainly don't want to stall the bit when you are drilling in very hard timber etc.
I have never felt the slightest need for a tilting chuck.

[Barry_White]

Hi Zed

I have had a 16 speed Pedestal Drill for about 12 months now and have drilled timber, steel, plastic, MDF, Pyneboard and aluminimum using HSS drills, Speedbores and Forstner Bits and have not changed speed from the original speed that the drill was set on when I bought it.

I gather it is running at about 750 to 1000 RPM.

[Zsteve]

I have had a 16 speed drill press for years, and have drilled all types of materials with it, and regularly change the speed to suit the size of the bit used ( then i was trained as a fitter machinist). Using the correct speed or something close too it while not strictly necessary does decrease the chances of either breaking small drill bits and or overheating them (larger bits). Although as others have found you can get away with not changing the speed if you are using a mid range speed.

regards
Stephen

[Bunyip]

Zed,

I do not have this drill, so my comments are general. However, as a design of this type of drill, the weak point is the horizontal to vertical tube assembly. Standard drills have a large chunk of cast iron here as the drill body, as a result are very rigid and absorb vibrations.

Radial head drills such as the Scheppch one, by way of design, will flex at the quill and are prone to more vibration at the quill. This will really only impact precision drilling.

Ask yourself ...How may times am I really going to use the radial head functionality? (Each time you do you will need to reset the perpendicularity of the drill bit to the table). Therefore, is this function really of value, and if so, is it worth the sacrifice?

I do not have a radial head drill, and have never had the need to use one.

[Zed]

MikeK,

I'l be very interested in getting some feedback from you when you take delivery and have had a chance to use the press. PLease let me know.

Cheers

[AlexS]

Likewise Mike, a review would be much appreciated. TIA

[MikeK]

Guys & Gals,

I took delivery of my new Scheppach drill press last weekend. This post is just my initial thoughts and observations because I really haven't spent much time with it (i will follow up with a more detailed response if I get the feedback that you want it). I haven't done a review before, so if I've missed anything or you want further details, pls let me know. Also, I took delivery of the floor standing model as opposed to the bench-top model I purchased (thanks to a snafu in the ordering process and the good folks at Carbatec for doing good and smoothing the problem). For what it's worth, here it is:

1. Packaging - Well packed in its major component forms with bolts etc in sealed plastic bags. Gave me an initial feeling of confidence.

2. Weight - Specs say 68kg and it feels every bit of that. The components are individually steel or cast iron, so they all have a very solid feel about them. The drill head component is very heavy so it's probably best to get some help when you get to the stage of positioning it.

3. Ease of set-up - Very easy (even with my 3yr old "helping" me !)

4. Instruction manual - Not bad, but there's some translation issues (not many) and some of the instructions could be a bit clearer. The pictures are, in general, reasonably clear. The only real issue for me with the instructions was that when it came time to attach the chuck to the spindle, the manual doesn't indicate how far you need to position it.

5. Performance - Haven't really flogged it yet, but it was very quiet, the drill bit and the table were as perpendicular as my square and it was very stable with little feel of vibration.

6. Problems - No key issues, just annoyances.

6.1 - The belt cover is long and the catch is not strong enough to keep it from opening during operation. This could be resolved by the addition of a latch.
6.2 - There are 5 "bolts" (3 long and 2 short) that stop swiveling parts from swiveling during operation (these are actually bolts with a swivel handle on each one that allows some leverage on the bolt). The reality is that 4 long and 1 short are required. So, I'll go down to my local h/w supplier to pick up a long one

7. Overall - so far, very happy. It's a well built, solid machine that appears to work very well.

Anyway, as I stated before, let me know if you want any further info, clarifications or an update as I get more use from it.

Regards,
Mike.

[AlexS]

Thanks very much for that review Mike. Very helpful.

[mangions]

Hi Mike,

I am considering buying the Scheppach RAB T16X Pillar Drill. Have seen a few negative reviews about the T13X. I have seen no reviews about the T16X.

It looks that you have had this machine for quite some time now. I would be grateful if you could let me have your views about this machine.

Thanks.

Guys & Gals,

I took delivery of my new Scheppach drill press last weekend. This post is just my initial thoughts and observations because I really haven't spent much time with it (i will follow up with a more detailed response if I get the feedback that you want it). I haven't done a review before, so if I've missed anything or you want further details, pls let me know. Also, I took delivery of the floor standing model as opposed to the bench-top model I purchased (thanks to a snafu in the ordering process and the good folks at Carbatec for doing good and smoothing the problem). For what it's worth, here it is:

1. Packaging - Well packed in its major component forms with bolts etc in sealed plastic bags. Gave me an initial feeling of confidence.

2. Weight - Specs say 68kg and it feels every bit of that. The components are individually steel or cast iron, so they all have a very solid feel about them. The drill head component is very heavy so it's probably best to get some help when you get to the stage of positioning it.

3. Ease of set-up - Very easy (even with my 3yr old "helping" me !)

4. Instruction manual - Not bad, but there's some translation issues (not many) and some of the instructions could be a bit clearer. The pictures are, in general, reasonably clear. The only real issue for me with the instructions was that when it came time to attach the chuck to the spindle, the manual doesn't indicate how far you need to position it.

5. Performance - Haven't really flogged it yet, but it was very quiet, the drill bit and the table were as perpendicular as my square and it was very stable with little feel of vibration.

6. Problems - No key issues, just annoyances.

6.1 - The belt cover is long and the catch is not strong enough to keep it from opening during operation. This could be resolved by the addition of a latch.
6.2 - There are 5 "bolts" (3 long and 2 short) that stop swiveling parts from swiveling during operation (these are actually bolts with a swivel handle on each one that allows some leverage on the bolt). The reality is that 4 long and 1 short are required. So, I'll go down to my local h/w supplier to pick up a long one

7. Overall - so far, very happy. It's a well built, solid machine that appears to work very well.

Anyway, as I stated before, let me know if you want any further info, clarifications or an update as I get more use from it.

Regards,
Mike.