[zerodegreec]

I have decided its time for a proper floor drill press.

So far all I know is that I would like to keep the price reasonable (my price mark is sub $300cad but I will stretch above if worth it).

Questions I have:

Spindle: MT2 good, bad? Do I have a choice really? all I see is MT2
Spindle travel: More is better?
Motor: 3/4hp a must? or will I regret a 1/2hp later on?
Quill: what is a quill? bigger better?
Speed: how low of a speed should I look for? the slower the better for bit life?


I have a few here that I was looking at:
http://www.houseoftools.com/product.htm?pid=498133
http://busybeetools.ca/cgi-bin/pictu...&NTITEM=CT022N
http://www.houseoftools.com/product.htm?pid=479829
http://busybeetools.ca/cgi-bin/pictu...&NTITEM=CT028N


Any info would be appreciated.

[stadler]

At House of Tools, you pay only $15 more for the extra 1/4hp. Along with that you get a large base on the floor, more mass, etc. Why is it even a question?

Steve

[zerodegreec]

for one I have not heard of pioneer. I know of general. so I would rather not spend $15 more for an inferior product.

[stadler]

O.K. Well there is that point!
Sorry, I was jumping too quickly. I saw that one was general and didn't even look that close at the other to see that it wasn't. My mistake.
I agree with you on not taking a chance. I've been burned before and do not plan to be again.

[Metal1cutter]

The first thing to do when buying a drill press is pull the handle down a ways and then while holding it there grab the chuck and try to push it up. If it goes up and clunks when it hits the gear tooth and you feel it on the handle walk away from it. That press will do nothing but break drills or hurt you when the drill starts to break through the hole. The quill will drop through the nearly finished hole because there is nothing holding it back. .010" distance is too much.

Regards,

Stan-

[zerodegreec]

Nice tip! I will keep this in mind for sure. Thanks. Anything else you can advise? even the stuff you think should be obvious.

[LUCKY13]

Lets look at speed. Most drill presses don't have a slow enough speed to do some type of drilling. In the older drill presses the ones looked for are the ones with extra gearing or a transmission of sort. Of course this all depends on what where drilling. Basically the harder the material the slower the speed needs to be. The bigger the bit follows that same rule.

So Hard material, big bits, slow speed. The opposite for soft & small bits.


Power is power, the more there is the better. But its got to be controllable power (transmissions, pulleys, variable speed).


Weight, the more the better (unless you need to move it around alot , like, take it with you).


Quill, the way it feeds (quality/feel) has a lot to do with the way you feel that bit drilling. It is your control & feedback for whats going on. Plus the length it will reach/move matters ( more travel better, as long as its quality movement).


Brand names, quality, and something most forget to think about, resale value. That does not mean a unknown brand can't supply both of these functions/needs. Close inspection is all you can do. Here lately many so called name brand companies have pulled quality back to save money. IMHO Craftsman/Sears is one that has went down this road. For example I paid BIG money for there top of the line professional Tap&Die sets a few months ago. I can get better tools at the local auto parts discount stores than these tools where.


Just take your time, shop slow, look twice, leave look elsewhere, go back look some more. I guarantee each time you will see something different that you missed when you looked before.


Of course if you can get someone to let you use there drill presses it will help you understand what your looking for & need. A machine is just like a car (which is a machine) you have to drive that sucker and you will feel the way it makes you feel each time you use/touch that machine.

It is just a drill press, but I have two here that look like new that I consider unusable.

Jess

[BillTodd]

The first thing to do when buying a drill press is pull the handle down a ways and then while holding it there grab the chuck and try to push it up. If it goes up and clunks when it hits the gear tooth and you feel it on the handle walk away from it. That press will do nothing but break drills or hurt you when the drill starts to break through the hole. The quill will drop through the nearly finished hole because there is nothing holding it back. .010" distance is too much.

Regards,

Stan-

Seconded!

I've just been wacked across the fingers by a spinning piece of brass because my drill did this.

[Metal1cutter]

Seconded!

I've just been wacked across the fingers by a spinning piece of brass because my drill did this.

Sorry to hear that. Brass is especially fun because it "Hogs In."

When drilling brass you need to grind a very little on the drill point. Line the drill's axis parallel to the side surface of the wheel. Then just touch the cutting edge on the inside of the flute edge and make about a .010 to .020" flat along the flute cutting edge. This will make a small ground surface parallel of the length of the drill. Do it for both flutes. Try to make them as even as you can.

Sometimes straight fluted drills are used in brass for this reason.

Not much will help if the drill press has slop from the handle to the spindle quill.

Please be safe,

Stanley Dornfeld www.quad-i.com

[budP]

I've just been wacked across the fingers by a spinning piece of brass because my drill did this.

Never Never drill in a press without the piece being drilled is secured by either clamping or a vice. SAFETY FIRST

budP

[BillTodd]

Sorry to hear that. Brass is especially fun because it "Hogs In."

When drilling brass you need to grind a very little on the drill point. Line the drill's axis parallel to the side surface of the wheel. Then just touch the cutting edge on the inside of the flute edge and make about a .010 to .020" flat along the flute cutting edge. This will make a small ground surface parallel of the length of the drill. Do it for both flutes. Try to make them as even as you can.

Sometimes straight fluted drills are used in brass for this reason.

Not much will help if the drill press has slop from the handle to the spindle quill.

Please be safe,

Stanley Dornfeld www.quad-i.com

Thanks Stan, good tip for drilling brass.

There's no damage done

Never Never drill in a press without the piece being drilled is secured by either clamping or a vice. SAFETY FIRST

Yeah I know, I know, Bud. But a little physical reminder is needed every now and then

As it happens I was sort of clamping the bloody thing in the vice, but it was a 20mm diameter x 2mm brass piece hard to hold and only a 3.2mm drill, so I thought "I'll just hold that down with a finger..." Snatch...Ouch...

So then I screwed the thing to a piece of wood, and clamped that in the vice

Odd thing is I was explaining the dangers to my nephew just the other day, "That drill has a 2hp motor... 2hp is enough to power you along the road at 30mph on a moped... do you want to be thrown around the workshop at 30 mph?..."

Why do we never listen to our own words?

[zerodegreec]

what do you guys think about a cross slide vise? They look like they could turn a good drill press into a half ass mill for light duty work. Since the press is not designed to take lateral force I think that it may damage it. If you keep the work reasonable would you think its wise to use an end mill with a slide vice and drill press?

[BillTodd]

what do you guys think about a cross slide vise? They look like they could turn a good drill press into a half ass mill for light duty work. Since the press is not designed to take lateral force I think that it may damage it. If you keep the work reasonable would you think its wise to use an end mill with a slide vice and drill press?

I have a cheap XY vice (now part of a home-brew T&C grinder), I used to use it with an old pillar drill, and found it really very useful (e.g. for light slot drilling etc.) . I tried milling, but it doesn't really work, it is possible to take light cuts with a small tool in aluminium - if you're desperate. Most often the chuck will not hold the end mill tight enough, or if a taper fit, the chuck will come off because of the side load.

[Metal1cutter]

what do you guys think about a cross slide vise? They look like they could turn a good drill press into a half ass mill for light duty work. Since the press is not designed to take lateral force I think that it may damage it. If you keep the work reasonable would you think its wise to use an end mill with a slide vice and drill press?

You probably won't damage it. It will just make less than wonderful finishes.

The slide may come in handy for locating holes if it has dials on it.

Regards,

Stan-

[martinw]

what do you guys think about a cross slide vise? They look like they could turn a good drill press into a half ass mill for light duty work. Since the press is not designed to take lateral force I think that it may damage it. If you keep the work reasonable would you think its wise to use an end mill with a slide vice and drill press?

Dear zerodegreec,

There is a saying, "you can drill on a mill, but you cannot mill on a drill".

I am sure there are a lot of people who will report otherwise, but my drill press is a low cost machine bought twenty years ago from a Taiwanese manufacturer. There is a lot of weight on it and the pillar is mighty impressive, but my efforts at milling have been an absolute disaster.

Other stuff...

1) Another thing you need to consider, (and this has nothing to do with milling), is to check how rigid the table is. If it flexes at right angles to the pillar ,(no matter how little), you will not enjoy using it. Look for a nice long sleeve that fixes the table to the pillar.

2) Check how easy it is to lock the table at different angles.

3) Get the largest table you can. It is a bit miserable dealing with long work-pieces otherwise. My preference is for a rectangular one, rather than a circular. That is a personal preference however.

Good luck,

Best wishes,

Martin

[martinw]

Dear zerodegreec,

A couple of other things,

1) If you buy an import drill press, you will be doing yourself a favour by replacing the chuck with a Jacobs.

http://www.jacobschuck.com/

They are about the best you can get, and you will never regret the modest cost.

2) Always have a place to put the chuck key before you turn on the machine. You will risk the cost of some expensive dental work if you do not.

Best wishes,

Martin