which drill press?

[FALKEN]

wsup,

I remember reading about a good like $40 drill press that was a good match for DIY projects. I dont remember what or where it was. ??

[jpw23]

You get what you pay for....I would not buy a 40.00 drill press, would probably break very soon. Check into higher end consumer models at your local Lowes or Home Depot.....just my .02.

[Anfontan]

Originally Posted by jpw23

You get what you pay for....I would not buy a 40.00 drill press, would probably break very soon. Check into higher end consumer models at your local Lowes or Home Depot.....just my .02.

I would second that opinion, a drill that cheap won't be accurate for any length of time! Save for better quality..

[FALKEN]

alright. thanks

[Alden_Sloe]

Originally Posted by FALKEN

I remember reading about a good like $40 drill press that was a good match for DIY projects. I dont remember what or where it was. ??

I don't think you'll find one new for $40 that's worth taking home. You might get lucky on Craigslist. In this price range you're talking about a funky set-up that you strap you're drill motor (hand drill) into and unless it's designed specifically for your drill they don't really work. At best they're good for very simple "barnyard" projects.

The cheapest drill press at Enco is on sale for $89. It's a bench press, not a floor standing model which if it has the capacity for what you want is fine.

Enco 125-1072

The next step up is $220. You might get by fine with the cheaper one. It all depends on how much you intend to use it and for what. Buying the drill press is only the start. You'll need at a minimum a good vise. Personally I'd put the money into this piece of equipment rather than the more expensive drill press. Of course if you can afford both then yes, you do get what you pay for.

If you're planing on doing specifically small high precision work then look into a machine designed for model making. Micro-Mark is one place to start They make a couple of modes in the $150-$200 range that you can add on an X-Y table later to give you locational accuracy approaching a milling machine. If you have the room and can afford it you can get a small mill for a little over $500.

[Light]

At this point, there if very little difference between models. Most machine tools are being made in just a couple of factories in Asia. The only real difference is that some manufactures do a better job of quality control (they send their own QC guys over there to oversee things). Delta usually does a good job of this, but so does Grizzly (for the most part). I've actually got a cheap benchtop Craftsman in my home shop which is better than you would expect, but I've had it for years so I can't really speak to their current production.


You might also try looking for a used tool. You can sometimes find really good deals that way.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[Alden_Sloe]

Originally Posted by Light

Delta usually does a good job of this, but so does Grizzly (for the most part). I've actually got a cheap benchtop Craftsman in my home shop which is better than you would expect,

Grizzly is pretty good. Craftsman power tools are rebadged versions of other major brands. Sometimes it's a Skill, sometimes Black & Decker, etc. The problem is it can be hard to know exactly who actually made the thing which makes service more difficult and expensive.

Harbor Freight is hit an miss. If there's one near you you can go in a check it out and if it looks decent you'll save a fair deal on shipping. Ditto for the other places that have retail locations near by (Tool Town?). Check on the return/warranty service policy. Some places may handle it through the store and others may make you ship it back to the manufacturer or authorized service center. If the motor quits a month after you have it you don't want to be paying shipping on something this big and heavy. That is one area where Sears seems to be pretty good.

[andyhix]

I tend to think that a DP is the one tool that you can get away with going a little cheaper. I got mine at Tractor Supply Co. I don't know the brand name off hand, nor what I paid for it, but it was cheaper than anything else out there (including HF at the time), and has served me well for a few years.

[WCMastering]

I bought my drill press for like $60 at Harbor Freight. There is a location by my house and it's awesome. I've bought what would have cost me thousands of dollars in tools for a few hundred bucks. Yes, it is cheaper quality, but it all has worked like a champ.

[Slowjett]

I bought 2 drill presses for 60 dollars new. I use them everyday. They are tradesman brand. They work great and have had no problems. I drill metal with them (horseshoes) and I find the bits to be much more of an issue.

-josh

[Alden_Sloe]

You really need to qualify what it is you want to do with the drill press. How much precision do you need, what size holes will you be drilling, what materials will you be working with. If you plan to drill holes larger than 3/8" in steel then you need a fairly ridged machine. The throat depth will determine how big an object you can get under the press. If you're doing a lot of small holes, especially in plastic or fiberglass you need high RPM (smaller the drill the faster it needs to spin). The percision of the bearings and chuck are also more important for small tight tolerance work. If you're changing sizes and materials a lot in the same project look at how difficult it is to change speeds (typically a belt) and how much fine control you have over it. A bench model, if it works for you will be cheaper and more stable.

In general though I agree that you don't need to spend a lot on a drill press. Put the savings into better tooling. But on the other hand don't buy less than you need.

[apl]

Originally Posted by FALKEN

wsup,

I remember reading about a good like $40 drill press that was a good match for DIY projects. I dont remember what or where it was. ??

Me? Harbor Freight on sale.

[FALKEN]

yes that was it harbor freight.

I am looking to do gear faceplates that have the holes all lined up, as opposed to my last piece that I did by hand and its not lined up at all. for the next one, and any future ones, I want it to be straight. I can draw with a pencil where its going and line up the drill press, right? I guess I could just order faceplates already done but I'm not the design or CAD type and never really get the hang of that software...

[apl]

It's a lot easier to keep a hole where you want it with a drill press.

[Alden_Sloe]

A drill press is a nice tool to have but if all you're after is getting a few holes in the right place just buy a center punch instead. In fact, you should buy one even if you have a drill press. You can get away without center punching the hole locations on a drill press but only if you use a center drill first. A regular drill bit will "walk" and flex if it's not c'drill or c'punched first.

-Bernie

[Corndog]

As a wood worker I bought a Ridgid 16".I have a Skil 9" you can have for shipping cost if you want it, PM me.

[stevieb]

What is this? A Home Recording or Home INPROVEMENT forum?

[Dr ZEE]

I'd say center punch is an absolute MUST HAVE piece of gear for a true knite of home recording.

[FALKEN]

ok great. Can u point me to a center press? U search like mouser and there are several thousand to choose from........not sure what im looking for exactly.

[apl]

Originally Posted by FALKEN

ok great. Can u point me to a center press? U search like mouser and there are several thousand to choose from........not sure what im looking for exactly.

A center punch (not press) is just a pointy thing you put on the exact spot you want to drill and then bonk it to make a little hole. Then when you drill, the bit can follow that hole.

Here's a bunch (along with a few things that aren't center punches). The automatic ones are cool. You push them down and they self-bonk.

[FALKEN]

gotcha. thanks!!

where do you get the ones that do xlrs and stuff?

[apl]

Originally Posted by FALKEN

gotcha. thanks!!

where do you get the ones that do xlrs and stuff?

OK, went back and read you're wanting to do faceplates. Well, drilling large holes, like big enough for an XLR connector in sheet metal is hard and borderline dangerous. It's much easier to punch the holes, but that takes special equipment. That's probably what you saw in the electrical supplies catalog.

[Alden_Sloe]

Definitely start with a manual center punch. If you want one of the automatic types then make sure you buy a good one (you get what you pay for). The cheap ones don't work or crap out quickly. Even with a good one there's times you'll want a plain old manual center punch and they're cheap.

For larger holes what you need is a sheet metal drill. When you try to use a regular drill on larger diameter holes it always ends up out of round (triangular). What the sheet metal drills do is, after starting in the center to locate they cut at the outside tip of the tool so when it pops through it makes the outside edge leaving a thin "washer" rather than a standard dril which pops through and then tries to expand the hole out to the final size.

If you only have a couple of holes buying the correct sheet metal drill for each size is the way to go. You might get by with a few standard size sheet metal drills and then filling in with a step drill. I've had mixed results with step drills. You could buy one and see. Sometimes it's just the thing and not a huge investment.

You can do the same thing with a center cutting (two flute) end mill. You could use an end mill in a drill press, definitely not with a hand drill. Really though an end mill is designed for a milling machine because there's no self centering function.