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Drill Press?

7K views 39 replies 20 participants last post by  jvsapp 
#1 ·
Hey Fellas,

I recently bought a drill press from Harbor Freight and it has broken down after the first use. Do you have a brand you recommend? I am looking at either a bench top drill press or floor drill press. I have read up on Delta's, craftsman, etc...let me know your thoughts. Thanks.
 
#3 · (Edited)
timothale is right, a good used one will work just fine for you. A floor model gives you more versatility, but a bench top model will do almost as much, takes up less space, and is quite a bit cheaper. I have a Delta bench top that I am happy with. Craftsman, Grizzly, Jet, Rigid, and Dewalt all make good units, too. Buy as good a quality unit as you can afford. Good luck.

Does the motor not work, or what? If the motor doesn't work, look for a reset button. If not, by all means send it back to Harbor Freight. They will take care of you.
 
#4 ·
define broken? belt? or metal? i have had a 8" delta for about 10 years now and very happy with it. i like using it for everything from drilling, and mild milling, to using it as a buffer to buff out my stainless. now i just need to find a band for my craftsman bandsaw that is 30 years old. mad in USA can't beat the quality.
 
#5 ·
re: drill press

I have an inexpensive drill press that I bought from Northern Hydraulics and it has served me well for the past 12 years. There are a few upgrades that you should do when you buy one of these low end units. First, take the belts that come with it down to your friendly parts store and buy a good set. On mine it looked like they just sliced their belts from a piece of hose. The other thing I did was to fab a lever for the tension adjustment. Now I can hold pressure on the motor base as I tighten the adjustment screw. As for bench vs. floor models, I have never had a reason to drop the table more than 8" or so. When a friend bought his, he got a bench model and built a neat cabinet with a drawer to mount it on. Now every things in one place, bits etc. in the drawer nd vices, clamps, etc. in the cabinet. On the top of the cabinet he made a tray that catches the chips. Liked it so much that I built one for myself.
 
#6 ·
drill press

Thanks for the replies! I'd like to see a picture of the drill press cabinet.

The adjustment screw on the drill press is stripped. The plastic handle used to turn the screw just spins around the threaded bolt without movement.

When drilling steel, the motor does not have enough power to keep the drill spinning on 1/8" and 1/2" thick steel. It just seizes. I want my money back from HF!!!
 
#10 ·
re: drill press

Take the adjustment bolt out and weld a piece of strap to it on edge. Then replace the belts with ones from the parts store. You'll be amazed at the difference it makes. On the other hand, these are hobby quality drills. They won't preform as well as one costing 5 or 6 hundred bucks. One other thing, make sure the set screws on the head are tight. Check them after drilling a few holes, Loc-tight them if they won't stay tight. Also, pick up a step drill bit. When you're drilling larger holes in sheet metal you won't get those damn triangular holes.

I'll see what I can do about the cabinet pics.

Now you can paint flames on it 'cause you just hot rodded your drill press!!!
 
#12 ·
re: drill press

When you feel the bit start to go thru, let up on the pressure. Temper-mental little cuss, isn't it.

Another thing that will help is to have some kind of stop or holding device. Something as simple as a 1/2" bolt nutted in one of the slots in the table will help you keep your finger tips. A piece of 1/2" strap an inch or so wide with a hole in it bolted to the table and over the edge of your work piece also works. A while back I found a hold down clamp at a farm store. It looks like a pair of vice grips but has a lug on one jaw so it can be bolted down to your table. If all else fails, a good old fashion C-clamp works too.

Buying a drill press is like buying an air compressor, They're really handy but you damn near have to buy some other tool to go along with it.
 
#14 ·
I've got a Craftsman floor model (1HP, 15", 12 speed with a 5/8" chuck) that I caught on sale several years ago. I've got no complaints about it so far but I don't use it that much. I'd recommend it for somebody else to buy. I really like Dewalt tools too.

Danny
 
#16 ·
Woodoworking drill presses don't go slow enough

One thing to look for in a drill press is how slow it will go. To get proper surface speed in mild steel 500 - 600 RPM is about right. For a 3/4" drill 200 -250 RPM is needed. Hole saws 50 - 100 RPM. Most cheap drill presses are for woodworkers and have minimum speed of about 500. Getting at least 3 speeds in the 100 to 400 RPM range will really help.

Another thing to check is the play in the quill. Extend the quill all the way down and see if you can shake the chuck. If the quill moves side to side in the housing the drill will chatter in the cut and won't make a clean hole.

Hope this helps.
 
#18 ·
I've been in the Delta power tool plant in Tupelo, MS... the parts are all imported, the workers do some assembly work and then they put the finished product in a box labeled "made in the USA". It was better when it was Rockwell... the stuff was actually made here. I used to do some work on their machine tools when they had a plant in Syracuse, NY (many years ago).
 
#19 ·
I've been in the Delta power tool plant in Tupelo, MS... the parts are all imported, the workers do some assembly work and then they put the finished product in a box labeled "made in the USA". It was better when it was Rockwell... the stuff was actually made here. I used to do some work on their machine tools when they had a plant in Syracuse, NY (many years ago).
I worked at Rockwell in Bellefontaine Ohio in the late 70's / early 80's. It was the Power Tool division. Small lathes, bandsaws, drill presses. Back when it was made in the USofA and it had some quality to it :thumbup:
 
#25 ·
jvsapp said:
define broken? belt? or metal? i have had a 8" delta for about 10 years now and very happy with it. i like using it for everything from drilling, and mild milling, to using it as a buffer to buff out my stainless. now i just need to find a band for my craftsman bandsaw that is 30 years old. mad in USA can't beat the quality.
There are companies that will make bandsaw blades to order, whatever length and width is needed.
I have bought them through a Snap On dealer before, very reasonably priced and very good quality.
 
#26 ·
35WINDOW said:
I know it's made in China or Japan (well, I know now), but I bought a new Jet floor model and have been very happy with it-absolutely no issues-

Some Jet tools are made in China and some are made in Japan and the Jap stuff is usually top-notch just like their cars. The Chinese "tools" (that should be spelled JUNK) are worthless, most anyway. I have a Chinese JET 9" bench lath that is JUNK and I mean JUNK!! but I know of several Jet tools that are real top quality and they are made in Japan. "Made in Japan" these days means quality but sometimes the term is still used to imply junk when in fact the Japs have worked hard to shed that label they earned so many years ago and they now take pride in what they produce, it is also reflected in the price since there are no more "Cheap" Jap goods.
 
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