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How important to you is your drill press? What kind of stuff do you use it for and what size would you recommend? I haven't had one up until this point and am thinking of getting one, but I would love some perspective.. is it just an occasional use tool, or do you use it for a lot of useful stuff? Could you get away will a small bench-top one, or would that just be a waste of money?

Other than a Safety planer and maybe a Robosander (which could be very useful), I'm not certain what else it would get used for...

Thanks for any input, Peter

Definitely a floor standing model. I've had both. Look at the type of depth stop too. You'll be using it a lot. I really like the threaded bar type

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I just sold my benchtop and upgraded to a floor model. Worth it for sure. I was having trouble with the limited depth of the drilling ability (distance from the main verticle support to the chuck) of the benchtop. I got my new one off of craigslist and it has been great and so worth the money. I think I paid $200 and sold my other one for $40. So $160 for the bigger boy was a good score.

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I ruined a benchtop Delta and now have a nice, robust floor standing model. Definitely, if you are going to be using it for anything other than drilling holes, get the bigger model.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

If you're going to use a Safe-T-Planer, you'll need at least an 8" drill press (distance from the piller to the quill) to get to the center of plates. Most of the bench models are smaller.

The threaded rod depth stop is _infinitely_ superior to the other type. It can take longer to set, although there are quick-set ones out there.

I use my Safe-T-Planer to rough arches on fiddles and guitars: it saves a huge amount of time, and does a resonably exact job. With a good depth stop you can also use a drill press and a stop on the table to establish rough thickness contours on the inside of the plates. With a bad depth stop you can drill right through the plates.

Free standing is my choice. Also, beware of cheap depth stops, they will bend and you will drill to far.

I went against the tide and changed from floor standing to benchtop (but then I build a rolling cart/stand for it. Same working height, a bit more storage space and since it was a Jet, the drill press head for the benchtop and floor standing model was exactly the same so space from the column to the spindle was not compromised. I agree, rod-type depth stop. And finally I have a drill press with no play or run-out in the spindle. Couldn't be happier.

Does anybody have any experience with either of these two Jet drill presses:

Jet 354166 JDP-15MF 3/4-Horsepower 15-Inch Floor Model Drill Press - http://www.amazon.com/Jet-354166-JDP-15 ... 797&sr=8-5

or

JET 354165 JDP-15M 3/4-HP 15-Inch Bench Drill Press - http://www.amazon.com/354165-JDP-15M-15 ... 797&sr=8-3

They are basically the same drill press, just one is a benchtop model..

Thanks for any input, Peter

Peter, Sorry, I do not have experience with the Jet models. However, I do have an opinion about floor vs bench top.

I have a bench top and I like it. It's a Delta (8" - I think). I use it for everything from SafetyPlanar to drum sanding (I occasional use it as a drill press).

I like it because I can carry it outside for the nasty/dusty operations. I have no dust collection, so this is a huge plus for me.

Good luck, Tony

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Tony Flippo

I have the JDP-17MF rather than the 15. They look very similar. Mine has been reliable and mainly trouble free. My only complaint is that the manually tightened set screws that hold the motor in place after tightening the belts can slip. It's disconcerting to have the bit or Safe-t-planer or whatever stop turning in the middle of an operation, due to the belts going slack.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

As per my previous post, I have the JET benchtop model. Couldn't be happier.

Another vote for the freestanding. The biggest reason is that depending on what type of fixture you're using, there might not be enough space between the chuck and the table to fit everything. Think angled holes. Here's a picture of me drilling a hole with a compound angle. Notice how much space there is between the chuck and the table:


I purchased this model from Grizzley about 10 years ago: http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-Spee ... ress/G7944

I'm relatively satisfied with it but have a few gripes:

The chuck and tapers that came with it were junk. I spent I think around $60 for a better chuck and two tapers - one to use and a spare.

The table has giant T-slots that use a 1/2" thread. Not too common with woodworking. I'd have preferred a table with plain slots rather than machine style T-slots.

Mine had a "rotating" depth stop on the shaft for the press mechanism. This newer version seems to have the threaded rod + nut type so I can't comment on whether it's any good or not.

I think if I had it to do over again I'd probably spend an extra $100 or so and go for a Delta or Jet type of woodworking press. At the time I didn't have the extra $$ though. I'm plenty satisfied with what I have though and have never considered getting rid of this one and upgrading.

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I have a bench top drill press and it works good for most things i do, but sometimes i wish i had the floor model for more distance between the drill bit and my work when useing my drill press vice. I've even cut down some drill bits that were too long to do an operation, so a floor model will be in the works for me in the near future.

Peter,

I would advise you to get a cheap bench top unit and to use it until you know what you will want in a nicer drill press. Everyone makes good points about things like threaded depth stops, depth under the chuck, quill travel etc... but eventually how you work will determine what you want. I have been using a 10" ryobi for years and it has worked fine and reliably. Over that time I have come to see what I want in an upgraded machine and for me it was more of a milling machine. I eventually settled on this (second one down, the Johansson):

http://bridgeport.askmisterscience.com/smallmills.htm

It is lacking in a few areas as compared to a big floor press but much more useful in others. I didn't pay much more than some of the nicer floor units either but it took me most of a year or so to find a clean one in my price range (and I still need to completely renovate my shop to make room for it!).

In terms of "is a drill press useful" then I would say yes, completely. You will find so much to do with it once you have gotten one.

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