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Drill Press Info
I'm looking to add a drill press to my home shop and would like one to handle most mild steel up to a 1/4" thick. I use a neighbor's small bench top model which seems fine for most woodworking but a little lightweight for slow heavy work. I have the room for a floor model but I won't rule out a bench top. Any idea's on hp, number of pulley's, or brands? Thanks, Tom.
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I bought my drill press though Harbor Freight a few year back for about $99 through the "Insiders Club" special sale. They are more than that now but it is fine for what you are wanting to do and the price is right! This pretty much looks like the exact same drill press I have.
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I bought my 12" Delta Benchtop on Amazon dot com for, I think, $179 and free shipping. Kinda hard to top Delta for that price. So far, its done everything I need, including drilling through steel.
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k9, Whatever you buy I would make sure that you can get the RPMs LOW enough. My floor model doesn't turn below about 200 rpm and that is way too fast for any drilling over 1/2 inch. If you always drill smaller holes it doesn't matter but a 3/4 inch bit will just chatter.
Dave
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Thanks for the info, looking for a machine that will go slower than 200 rpm's changes my search a little but thats why I asked:]
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Don't shy away from a company like "Jet" just because it's imported. No it's not a Delta or whatever. As a machinist I've used their equipment and found it to be usable and quite functional yet inexpensive.
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I'll second on the Jet. I've machined on Jet mills, own a jet lathe, and also own one of the grizzley imported mini mills which I converted to CNC. Once I finish building my house, I'm going to look for a big blown bridgeport CNC and update it, but I just don't have the space now.
The finish all in all on the Jet is not bad, and it does the job great. As far as imports go, the Jet is much better quality than my grizzly or harbor freight equipment. Still not as nice as something like a bridgeport, but for my hobby machining, it's way overkill.
The benchtop and mini mills cost more than a typical drill press, but you can definitly get the slow RPM's if you need them, and the setup and accuracy is nice. The quality of my work went up 100x when I started using machine tools. It's getting even better as I learn to be a "real" machinist. So much to learn!
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I was into Grizzly in Bellingham Wa a few weeks back. Certainly their equipment is as good as the JET product if not better. The new CNC machines are of similar quality to the older Bridgeports and a lot cheaper.
I have the opposite question to Huckmeat, plenty of space no bucks.
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I should qualify my grizzley equipment - I bought the smaller end of their mill series, and while the quality was OK on it, my Jet lathe (mid size) was nicer.
I've put 3000+ hours on my mini mill (CNC makes it very easy to do that!) and I can't complain. I've had to replace the brushes several times, and it's probably time for a new motor, but if I compare all the cash I have in it ($600 for the CNC stuff and $500 in the mill) then I've got only a few cents per hour use... Even when I get bigger equipment, I'll still probably keep it. Easy to run, easy to clean, and easy to setup. I've built jigs for it for doing things like electronic chassis backplates and the like. At times I was making 50 backplates per night after I got home from my real job.
That said, when I do have the space, (and recover buck-wise from building a house!) I wouldn't hesitate to buy grizzly again.
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Huck- how did you convert to CNC? Very interested!! I too have more space than money right now, but I have 2 FADALs (yuck), 1 50 taper Okuma (nice), and a brand new Mori-Seki (best of the best) at work!
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