I need a bigger drill press

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latech15

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Pineville, Louisiana.
I have a little benchtop model and it is a pain in my rear. I had some trouble with the acryllic I was drilling getting too hot last night. I have to drill a little and put a shim under the blank to go the rest of the way through the blank. It won't allow me to raise the bit outto clean out the chips and let it cool down because it only has 2 inches of travel.

I would really like to get some old iron and rebuild it. I want at least 4 inches of travel and at least 1 hp. Anybody got one of these laying around that they want to get rid of? What model would you recommend? Rockwell, walker turner????????
 
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Delta is a good bet, Rockwell bought Delta for a while as with Walker Turner. I have an old Walker Turner floor press and it's a great press. However, bearings are non-standard on W/T presses and will require $$ work to install standard bearings. There are also some nice Craftsman drills from the 40's and 50's that are pretty nice too. Oh, and IMHO, 1hp is nice, but 1/2 or 3/4 will be just fine unless you are spinning huge forstner bits..
 
Doesn't matter the drill press, heat will still be a problem when drilling acrylics. Keep the bit and acrylic cool and lubricated with water and a bit of liquid soap added in a squirt bottle. Granted, the short stroke can be a pain at times but I haven't found anything yet my bench top couldn't handle when it comes to pens.
 
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I got this one a year ago (Delta DP350) and it is great! Lots of room, variable speed!
 
Originally posted by kent4Him
<br />I like my 1hp but wish I had electronic VS. Changing belts on mine is far worse than my mini lathe.
Click to expand...

Again, like the bandsaw problems you are having, what is the brand? Some are easier than others. My Grizzly only requires about two minutes to change belt speeds. I like the set-up. In fact, 90% of my drilling is done at relatively slow speed and the need to change is seldom. Considering the price difference between belt versus elec. variable speed for machines that do the same thing, I'll go with changing belts.
 
I got mine at a woodworker show, and paid $250. It uses one of those expanding pulley things to change the speed. I really like it... quiet, powerful, smooth, and compact!
 
I use the HF bench top and while the short stroke is a little of a nuisance, haven't had much real problems with it... just can drill my pepper mills on DP, but is better to on lathe anyway.

Lowe's has a Delta Floor model that I like real well.. it's on my "Someday" list.
 
I got sick and tired of my HF bench top, so I splurged big time. Most expensive tool purchase I have made so far. I got the Steel City 17" Drill press. 6" of travel, I haven't gotten to use it for pens yet but on my current flat work projects it has been a god send. You may not want to drill 6" but you may want to setup your table a certain way and then drill different pieces with different bits but keeping your fence and other reference points the same that extra bit of travel gives you so much more room to work. You can see my drill press here http://www.briskibusiness.com/woodworking/inprogress.aspx . 460 or so, then i got a 75$ rebate (ended March 30th).
 
I second te Delta DP-350 bench top VS. That little DP has taken everything I've thrown at it. In fact I just bought a 2nd one for (gloat alert) $50 that is in like new condition that a fella who is moving out of the country needed to get rid of.
 
Something that is often overlooked in getting a full size DP: Look for the three pulley systems as they do have a very low speed (around 200 RPM)as opposed to the two pulley systems that go down to around 500 RPM. Not necessary for pens but for forstner bits or making large diameter holes, the three pulley will have its advantages. And if you decide to re-sale it down the road, the three pulley DP will have better or quicker re-sale potentials.
 
The heat problem is because I can't back the bit allt he way out of the blank to clear the chips and let it cool. I have to move the table out if the way. Stack boards up on the foot until I can get the blank under the bit, drill to the bottom of my capacity. Raise the bitback up, with the blank still on it and slide more plywood underneath the blank and drill some more. I have to repeat that process until I get through the blank. Because I can only back the bit out a small amount because of the lack of capacity the blank gets hot.

I I really want to find an old model to rebuild. I would love to find a boice crane model with the foot press. I often find times when I need to hold the piece with both hands.

And I would like to use the DP for frilling 35MM cup hinge holes with. Mine just laughs and quits spinning when I bring a cabinet door to it. I have to dril those with my hand drill.
 
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