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I find myself using the drill press more and more these days and I'm thinking about bying a new one and I'm looking for reviews or suggestions. Right now I have an old Craftsmans that has some runout to it that's beginning to get on my nerves when it comes to doing precission drilling. I'm going to go out and drop the chuck and make sure it's not the chuck that is the problem. But I was thinking about the Jet 17" so far as the table is a nice size and it will tilt 180 degrees and I can check it out at Woodcraft tomorrow and they are on sale now. I'd be interested in hearing any thoughts on that or maybe a little less expensive comparable models.

Chris, I have heard really good things about the Steel City 17" drill press. It has a 6" quill stroke with very small run-out (cant remember the name is it tolerance?), a large table with 90 degree tilt each way. I will be picking up one of these when the time comes, they are around $500.

http://www.steelcitytoolworks.com/produ ... tool=20520

The only thing I have seen as something you have to get used to, but it's probably not a huge deal for most of woodworking...is the belt on the Jet is wider than my older Craftsman, so it was more difficult for changing speeds. With metalworking, changing speeds seems to happen more than woodworking, but if you're using larger bits or sanding drums etc. frequently it may be a big deal for you. Again, it's probably all in what you're used to using.

That said, I have an older Craftsman that has a ton of runout and it drives me nuts. I want to take it apart and see what it is, but in the mean time I keep looking for a decent used OLD drill press.

Good luck.

Darrin

Chris
before you commit to a drill press check out mill drills. Yes they are a bit more but that can do so much more.

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Hey Chris,

I don't know what it is like down there but up here you can get an older bridgeport almost for free if you can get it out of someone's house. I don't know if you have the room but someday that is my plan.

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

I don't think there are too many down here as it's not exactly very industrial and most bridgeports are 3 phase which might lead to another problem. I'd really like to get a nice little CNC someday. But wouldn't we all?:D

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I want your shop tools!
How is the drill?
John the mill drill is a step up from my mini mill and I don't think there is enough head room for some of my uses.

Look for as strong a drill as you can afford. The addition of a true X Y table can open you up for some serious fabrication . The rikon is a great unit. A radial drill is also a handy device if you have the space
john

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Now THAT is one very nice setup...work table, slots, hold downs, supplemental table for the drill vise, shelves for all the drilling tools. Nice work!

As mentioned elsewhere, do carefully check out the runout on the quill. Extend it fully and check for lateral movement. If you are getting one off the floor, that will be the first thing you check. It's the "money" part of the unit and if it's not close tolerance, you will be fighting accuracy all it's life. Don't ask how I know this. Avoid having an unseen unit shipped to you. And get the biggest capacity throat you can afford. There will always be something that just doesn't quite fit that you will need to drill a hole in the center of.

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Hank Mauel

I have the 17" Steel City press and have been very happy with it. The split head design, quill lock and 6" quill stroke are great features. I picked up a 5/8" Golden Goose chuck on sale (very good quality!) and installed it, but there was nothing wrong with the stock 1/2" one.

Fillipo, how do you like the keyless chuck on the Rikon? Does it hold a safety planer with no issues?

I'm still using a delta 12" benchtop model I have had for years. It just won't die. That would give me an excuse to buy a radial drill press. I always liked the idea of being able to drill at angles without using the table to do so and much further reach capacity.

Isn't it amazing how you plan and plan for a set up like that and then find SO many more ways to do it/needs of the work AFTER it's built?

But it's still a nice looking set up and anyone starting out would do well to study it and use it as a primer for building their own.

And the caveat about the dangers of the innocuous looking drill press are well founded. Even at a slow 300 rpm, a spinning piece of wood, not to mention a piece of metal, is a finger eater on a par with a table saw! And things can, and do, get launched across the shop, unless you're in the way to stop them...not the best for bodily comfort.

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Hank Mauel

I second what Hank said about checking the runout on any machine you're considering buying, and, if you're buying new, only buy the actual machine you checked the runout on. Runout can vary a lot from machine to machine - the way they manufacture these, tolerances aren't very tight on that, so it's a bit of a crap shoot. My Jet drill press is pretty nice, but it has more runout than I'd like, which can be an issue sometimes. If I'd known then what I know now about that, I definitely would have gone about the purchase differently.

Another thing I'd kind of like would be variable speed (without having to change the belts around). I also find the depth setting to be frustratingly slow - which it had a speed nut type of thing.

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

I've got a 14" Grizzly and wouldn't recommend it but I did put on a Jacobs chuck and it made a significant improvement

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Here's the one I'm going to be checking out. I called Woodcraft and they have one on the floor that they just setup this week. They said it was a new model? So I'll check out the runout on it and decide.
http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/206361 ... -17DX.aspx
Seems like a nice drill with a nice size table with inserts and built in lazar. A 1hp motor would have been nice. But runout is my #1 concern. The runout on my drill seems to be coming from the pulleys or those bearings. If I turn it by hand it's only about .002" but if it bump the pulley or run it then it jumps to .010"-.015"

In a word...YES!

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Hank Mauel

That looks like basically the new and improved model of what I have. If the runout is good, I think you'll be quite happy with it.

What I meant to say above was, "I also find the depth setting to be frustratingly slow - wish it had a speed nut type of thing." It looks like this new model has the same depth setting mechanism as mine. If it had a quicker way to set the drilling depth, that would be a big plus IMO.

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

Well I bit the bullet and bought it and now I have to find a neighbor to give me a hand getting it out of the back of my truck and into the shop. I checked it out at low speed for runout and then at 3600rpm with a 1/8" bit that had something like a 90 degree point. If there was any runout it's pretty hard to see. Looked as good as my mini mill.
That's the same type of depth stop that's on my craftsman. I think I'll be happy with it, the insert in the table and the laser are nice options. I also like the V belts. It was pretty easy to change the speed.
Time to put the 15" Craftsman with laser on Craig's List I guess.
Thanks for the advice everyone.
Well that's my Christmas gift this year.

Happy Drilling!

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Hank Mauel

I wanted to add a question to this post. In past discussions of drill presses I have seen mention of Quill Locks and the benefits when using a safety planer or sanding drum. Is this feature commonly available? I am under the impression that it is more rare these days.

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Greg Hatcher
North Carolina

I have a PM with variable drive. Love it. But I got it for a deal. Whatever you do get, get one with a laser. I bet that jet 17 will be just fine. All my tools are jet except the drill press.

Mike

I can only speak for the four I've had, but the quill locks seem more common on the ones without a positive depth stop (the ones with the half wing nut that you tighten). Having said that, my Steel City Press with positive depth stop has an excellent quill lock.

The only thing I don't like about it so far is the MDF table insert is lower then the table which defeats the purpose. And I have to drill and tap a hole and move the chuck key holder to the right side of the machine. I guess it would be alright if I was left handed.

I have one on my press and always seem to forget about it Mike. What do you find it most useful for? Rough alignment or? I'm sure I could learn to find it useful if I got in the habit of using it.