[TXFred]

I hope that this is not too far off topic. If it is, mods, please delete or move this thread.

Like many mini mill owners, I bought the mill because I was limited for space, and it was "a mill and a drill press all in one."

As we all learn, in stock form it's barely adequate at either job. And once converted to CNC, it's no longer usable as a drill press.

So I'm in the market for a drill press to take up that last few square feet of floorspace in my garage. And I'd like to know what others have and how they like them.

I'm leaning towards a floor press rather than a benchtop. I have more floorspace than bench space, and I'd like to have something that's not size limited.

I'm currently eyeing the Porter Cable that's available at Lowes. Shop PORTER-CABLE 15" Floor Drill Press with Laser Guide and Light at Lowes.com

Is this a good drill press? What other options are worth considering?

Cheers,
Frederic

[DIYaholic]

TXFred,

Sorry, I don't have any answers for you. I too, am in the market for a floor drill press. I will be watching this thread as the "experts" offer their input and suggestions. Hope the outcome of this search does not drain the bank account too much!
Good luck with you search for the perfect drill press.

Randy,

[chipslinger69]

I have this one in the HF version. G7946 5 Speed Floor Radial Drill Press It has proved to be a very robust press. I removed one of the table extension arms to get the table close to the column and mounted a 6" XY vise to it for virtually unlimited possibilities. I have even been known to chuck a 1/2" 2 flute end mill in it and do some heavy hogging out of 12L14.

[jbeuckm]

I think this is perfectly on-topic since most folks here fab at least parts for their machines. I have been suffering from my off-brand benchtop for too long and will be very interested in the testimonials here.

[underthetire]

Let's face it, all the common household type drill presses are pretty much the same, even the deltas and such are just like the hf ones, so might as well save some money. If you want a good drill press, look used at the old rock fords and such. They can be had used for not a ton of money, and parts are usually still available. Jmo

[slashmaster]

And once converted to CNC, it's no longer usable as a drill press.

That's not true! Just have a crank on the other side of the stepper motor for the Z axis and you can still move the head up and down without having to boot up a computer. Save your money and your floor space!

[cornbinder23]

That's not true! Just have a crank on the other side of the stepper motor for the Z axis and you can still move the head up and down without having to boot up a computer. Save your money and your floor space!

Unless your mill is in an enclosure then it is still a PIA with the stepper crank handle

JTCUSTOMS

[slashmaster]

Unless your mill is in an enclosure then it is still a PIA with the stepper crank handle

JTCUSTOMS

Whats PIA stand for?

[doorknob]

Whats PIA stand for?

pain in the...

[slashmaster]

pain in the...

Lol, I thought he was talking about a piece of equipment.

[Rally]

Get a cheap HD(Heavy Duty) Drill press all of them will work just fine. I have 2 of them in my fab shop I had them for over 10 years.

[rwestbr]

I bought this very same drill press Fred, I have no complaints with the quality or price. I love mine and use it frequently....All so if you do not like it you can easily return it to LOWES.

Rob

[DIYaholic]

When comparing the Porter Cable Drill Press (@ 1hp), to the Grizzly Radial Drill Press (@ 1/2hp), what would you think the maximum diameter hole could be drilled by each? I'm assuming, foolish me , that maximum depth of hole would be the maximum spindle travel, please enlighten me if I am way off base. I really don't plan on any mega fabrication, I just like the added versatility of the Radial Drill Press. I'm willing to sacrifice some torque for the additional usefullness of the radial.
Insights from you folks with greater experience is greatly appreciated. Thanks, in advance, for your input.

Randy,

[TXFred]

The radial does look quite versatile. As for the motor, the better way to look at electric motors is to check out the amp ratings. The Porter Cable is an 8 amp motor, which translates to about 1HP. The Grizzly is a 5 amp motor, so it's more like 5/8 than 1/2 HP. Already, it's looking better.

And it looks like you could swap motors easily enough if it's underpowered. So if you find that it's underpowered, you have a recourse.

Also remember that for a big drill bit, you're going to want slow spindle speeds. That means that you will be changing the drive belts to the lowest gear. That means lots of torque delivered to the spindle. So you likely won't have a problem.

I'm still leaning towards the Porter Cable. I like the lasers, the lamp, the 4" of spindle travel and the big motor. In addition, the table has gutters and a NPT tapped hole, allowing for either coolant or a simple catch can.

Downsides are that there's only 45 degrees of table tilt, and the head doesn't articulate at all.

The Grizzly is almost a yard long front to back, so it is too big for my one car garage shop.

Frederic

[pete from TN]

I got the Grizzly drill press ordered. We got that more expensive one with the very large table and man I gotta say that is the best drill press I have ever used.... It is heavy duty, quiet as hell, smooth, and that large table is just perfect. You can setup jigs and all sorts of stuff much easier on it and it seemed like it was ground flat with some tee slots in it if I recall. It was like $600.00 but it was worth it.... We even had a powermatic machine in there and everyone used the grizzly all the time. The only thing I did not like was the downfeed stop. IT works fine but if you are drilling a bunch of holes to depth it had a tendency to loosen the locking nut somehow. Probably a really easy fix but we never did, just crank it down good when you set it and it seemed to work okay. had a light inside the head if I remember and the base is quite wide and heavy and stable. The crank hande is easy to crank to lift that heavy table but it gets kinda close to the edge of the table so if you are not holding your hand on it right you can nick your knuckles on the table edge if you are not careful. Other than that, smooth, quiet, powerful, stable, and very usable drill press... that is all.

Peace

Pete

[DIYaholic]

TXFred,
Thanks for the quick and informative reply.
I'm leaning towards the radial. Luckily my basement shop has enough space to allow me to add to my machine/tool/toy collection. Like I said, I don't anticipate any real heavy duty fabrication. I want to use it to help me fabricate an 80/20 3-axis CNC Router. There will be a need to drill some 1/4" CRS and the like, which the radial will have no problem with. I just like knowing that the versatility is there should I need it. Should I require more torque, than switching out the motor would be a viable option.
Again, thanks for the ino.

Randy,

[gd.marsh]

I have the Harbor Freight 39955 which is their heavy duty 20" press. It's served me well & especially when I need to drill holes in the end of a large piece. By turning the table 90 deg. & clamping the part to it I can achieve decent accuracy with that machine. I've also used a Tapmatic tapping head on it & it handles that very well also. I bought mine when on sale & also used a 20% coupon so the price was considerably less than advertised.

HOWEVER, with all that said .. my favorite drill press is my round column mill/drill G1006/G1007 type. Very expensive as a drill press only, but of course I've done lots of milling with this machine .. probably a little less once my CNC Mill is finished .. But, I plan on keeping the Round Column. It's smooth, powerful, & extremely accurate for drilling (especially with the DRO on it) even if some day I were to pick up a knee mill for manual work .. I'd probably keep the old round column for drilling!
They can be had fairly cheap these days as the 45 class machines seem to be taking over the niche in the market they have filled for years.

[mmprestine]

I have wanted and tried several times to buy a larger drill press and I finally got a good deal. Last Oct. I tried to buy this one from HF on sale at $449.99 but they were out of stock so I got a rain check. On the newyears day I was there with my 25% off coupon and they had them in stock, so with the rain check and 25% off I got a good deal at $354 out the door.

After setting it up I wanted a large vise for it so I ordered this Gibraltar from Enco with the free shipping. Very nice vise and now I have a huge drill press table and huge vise.

[doorknob]

I also have the Harbor Freight 39955 (like the 2 posters ahead of me), and agree with their assessments. I also bought it by combining a coupon and a sale price to get an extremely reasonable out-the-door price. The only difficulty that I've had with it so far was that the first time that I attempted to change the drive belt pulley choice it was difficult to make the change. Now that I've done it once, I expect that future belt adjustments will be easier.

[DIYaholic]

mmprestine,

Well, we know what your VICE is; Miller Lite. I personally prefer a Michelob Light. However, I don't "crack one open" until AFTER the work is done. It's not really safe to partake while running power tools/machinery and it's waaay to easy to accidently knock it over and waste all the good stuff inside! :nono:
Glad you like your drill press and your vices! :cheers: