Drill press recommendation

Hi all,

The time has come for me to buy a drill press and I'm not sure what I need, there are tons of used offerings here in L.A. so I'd like to choose a decent brand.

Uses will be for proto aluminum front panels, cutting holes in MDF panels for small speaker projects etc.  I think I will start with a bench top, I don't have the space for a floor stander right now.

I see plenty of used Craftsman of various vintages.

Thanks,
Ruairi

The cheap chinese ones does work decently for those kind of tasks, I have one, paid about $100 maybe, I don't remember exactly, few years ago. A friend has exactly the same and doing much heavier work in his shop, for about 20 years and it's working like a charm. The only problem I found is the mandrel (or how you call the piece to hold the bit) and I got one for $15 the other day and that's it. I also turned a new tower because I needed a bigger one, just in height, because I got a chuck which took most of the space and a 1/2" bit in it's standard height wouldn't get inside, but you are asking for a small one so that wouldn't be a problem.

This is the one I'm talking about.


This is a cheap option, good enough for most DIY works, if you can afford a better one go for it. I found it quite useful, I know there are better things out there, I've used many of those, and I wish I have a better one, but not thinking in changing it, the mandrel was the only thing I wasn't happy about and after quite some time looking for it I got one. I hope this is clear, not a final recommendation, but a decent option and I think for the price works decently.

JS

ruairioflaherty said:

Hi all,

The time has come for me to buy a drill press and I'm not sure what I need, there are tons of used offerings here in L.A. so I'd like to choose a decent brand.

Uses will be for proto aluminum front panels, cutting holes in MDF panels for small speaker projects etc.  I think I will start with a bench top, I don't have the space for a floor stander right now.

I see plenty of used Craftsman of various vintages.

Thanks,
Ruairi

Click to expand...

You did not specify your price range, but it looks like since you make some face plates it would be a good time to invest into CNC, so you could at the same time engrave them--any benchtop working with Mach3 would be a good and easy place to start...

In any case, even if you don't need a CNC and looking for a bench top I'd rather invest into drill/mill. They are so much more useful for not much of a price difference...

Best, M

Thanks Gents,

I appreciate the input.  My price range is really only up to maybe $200 but here in L.A. between Craigslist and yard sales there are lots of used drill presses for offer.

Mark - for proto panels I am happy with just drilling, for finished project I would go to Front Panel Express or something similar.  I'd rather not go down the CNC rabbit hole!  I am deep in too many others right now (this week it's speakers and crossovers).

I have to admit I don't know what you mean when you say drill/mill. I should be ashamed, my father was a toolmaker all his life, time to give him a call.

Cheers,
Ruairi

I would agree that a cheap Chinese bench top would work great. 

We have a cheap craftsman at work.  The runout on it is crazy.  I hate using it.  Craftsman isn't what it once was.

I think I got mine at HF for ~$60 on sale.

I use mine for drilling Self etch pcbs among other General purpose things like you mention with great results.

-Vetsen

I do fine with a cheap Chinese bench top one. I use it for drilling everything. Guitar pedal chassis, steel 19" chassis.. etched boards, front panels..sometimes a hand held one is more practical though.

I've had good luck with Hitachi tools. I had a Hitachi bench top drill press that I liked. I sold it to get a bigger one that I now don't use.

A drill/mill is kind of halfway (or a quarter way) between a drill press and a mill like a Bridgeport. Something like this http://www.grizzly.com/products/Mill-Drill/G0463

I have stopped using a drill press for drilling holes in panels. I didn't find any more accuracy over a hand drill. On thick material it is a big help. On thin material I don't think it matters. Using a hand drill is much faster. I just learned how to mark and lay things out. You have to do that anyway.  A hand drill that goes slow and has a lot of torque is what you want.

My wife gave me this one for Father's Day this year.  It's done a great job.  I have used it for drilling panels, and aluminum alloy enclosures with a uni-bit.  I also added the Harbor Freight 6" cross-slide vice for more accuracy.

http://local.sears.com/Drill-Press-with-Laser-and-LED-Light/p-00934985000P?st=1888#!/

You can see how I mark and lay out panels in this thread. http://groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=57079.0  If you can use CAD software you can print out a template and mark from there. I can't so I do it by hand.

Great info all round guys, thank you.

I messed with the tabs and I post a answer for this in the AD/DA topic, reposting here so...

I got one of this and does a great job, once holes are marked you can nail the holes where you want, even in really bad conditions, much easier than the simple ones, where you need to move the piece or the table. It needed a couple of tweaks to make it more rigid and stable, nothing fancy, a couple of teflon rings so screws could be more tight and still roll easy, help to the handles or they get loose, as well as a couple of screws on the rails, it doesn't work with the precision of a mill, but it works to do some not round holes in aluminum, with the proper bit, for 19" front panels that may be useful, 3 or 4 passes and you have it done. Also if you need a bunch of hole in a line you add a rail at the side and roll the panel over it, then only use the corresponding axis to get ir right on the spot, with the other axis fixed as it has some screws to do so. I find it pretty useful. I've only spent about $200 (which is 1/10th of a proper mill here) in the whole rig, probably less than in bits, which are quite expensive for the good ones, and lucky me we do some really good ones here in the country, I got some from Italy and Germany and aren't as good as locals for a mile, not to talk about the ones from China. There you should expend some bucks but you probably have many already, you would need some with the proper shape to do oval holes.



JS

Hi,

a keyless chuck can be a real time saver if you are as absent minded as I seem to be.

Good layout and a sharp centre punch should keep things within .25mm with a little practice.

Drilling thin stock without it snatching is sometimes tricky.  A set of drills ground the same way as for brass can save you a lot of trouble and perhaps blood.

Take care and use clamps!

John

My drilling of thin steel was so much better after changing the chuck, with the bit much more centered and stiff it was really smooth, a 27Ga like 2mm aluminum, sharp bits are a must of course. For the key, I have it in a perfored block of wood with all my bits so it doesn't miss, I have many laying around in my workshop but I don't remember the last time I have to look for one that wasn't the one in the block. A good trick is to add a chain from the tower of the drill, a big hole, and some wight inside so the key is not hanging but sticked to the tower. I didn't find the need since I rarely have trouble with it, at least at my drill press, but still in my head to do.

JS

I use the short length drill bits. They have less drill and less shank so they are much stiffer. It made a huge difference for me.
http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-drill-bits/=uo6aig