I need a Drill Press

[golfish]

Hey guys, happy holidays to all...

I've been searching CL and another site called offerup, I'm looking for a bench top or stand alone that's at least a 10". It seems that when I good DP comes up for sale its gone in a heart beat. I've read good things about the Delta's and there's a guy close that has a new one for sale (200.00) I can't even find a Delta in a store anywhere, all their local dealers are out of stock on all of them.

I kind of like the Jet model JDP-12 and the Porter Cable 660DP that Lowes has. What's your thought on the Porter Cable? I have some air tools and a grinder from them, they have been good tools.

Please comment on the drill press you have experience with. This will be a shop tool used for mostly metal fabrication.

If anybody has a decent drill press laying around and wants to trade for a couple Anza Knives please PM me.

[TimRB]

I haven't checked such things for years, but that Porter Cable 660DP looks exactly like my Delta, which looks exactly like a zillion other Taiwanese drill presses. Probably a single manufacturer in Taiwan has built half the drill presses in the world. Anyway, you'll love having a drill press.

Tim

[Victor Cachat]

If at all possible, check the quill before you take one home.

I got one of the Harbor Freight DPs and the darned thing can be used for arm massages when it is drilling with a larger bit.

You can take the chuck in your hand and wiggle it back and forth.

My mini mill's quill doesn't budge and the DPs I looked at at places that sell better equipment hardly move at all.

[golfish]

I haven't checked such things for years, but that Porter Cable 660DP looks exactly like my Delta, which looks exactly like a zillion other Taiwanese drill presses. Probably a single manufacturer in Taiwan has built half the drill presses in the world. Anyway, you'll love having a drill press.

Tim

lol, I talked to a guy at Rockler woodworking this morning. He pretty much said the same. The more you spend the higher the tolerances are and the longer the warranty but most all of them are made in Tai. Its a tool I will use for a few days and then maybe not for a months.

I guess I'll keep looking for an old Craftsman for under a 100.00

[golfish]

Well !!! here it is, 150 pounds of USA made drill press. I should be careful of what I wish for My 12 year old so had to get a couple friends to help us lift this beast up on the work bench.

Its a Craftsman (King Seely) made in the early 50's.

[golfish]

I thought you guys might get a kick out of this original owners manual and parts list. Now if I could just find some parts

[Victor Cachat]

Well !!! here it is, 150 pounds of USA made drill press. I should be careful of what I wish for My 12 year old so had to get a couple friends to help us lift this beast up on the work bench.

Its a Craftsman (King Seely) made in the early 50's.

My Dad had the floor standing model of that DP.
It would have been great if it had all the parts and the variable speed function worked.

I wish I had looked for parts and kept it.

[capo602002]

These are great old drill presses. Visit the Vintage Machinery web site - join their forum and most likely you will be able to get any thing you might need for it. Enjoy

[golfish]

So far, the old DP seems like its still in good shape. I'm thinking about getting a cross drill\ XY axis vise for it. What do you guys think of the one linked below? I know, not made in USA, but it seems like none of this stuff is made in USA anymore. I don't think I'll use it to MILL lowers. I don't want to ruin a good DP by putting too much side load on it. I figure a router and easy jig will be used for milling.

What say you?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HD-5-Cross-Drill-Press-Vise-X-Y-Clamp-Machine-Slide-Metal-Milling-2-Way-New-/171583104463?pt=Clamps_Vises&hash=item27f32665cf

[CGT80]

The vise will make it much nicer to use the drill press. I have an import bench top mill in my garage, and the milling table with a 4-5" vise mounted to it is great for drilling holes, and for machining small parts. Using my little HF drill press sucks compared to my dad's old Cman or the mill (which has a 1.5 hp motor and weighs 600 pounds with the stand/table). My dad's drill press doesn't have a good vise though, but it has good power and is fairly solid for such an old machine.

OP, check out the Garage Journal forum if you haven't already. I joined over there, this year. Those guys love old tools like your drill press and the old Cman bench grinders or the newer tools like my USA made baldor bench grinder. Anything you want to know related to garages, tools, or wrenching/fabricating is over there.

Congrats on the nice old drill press!

[golfish]

OP, check out the Garage Journal forum if you haven't already. I joined over there, this year. Those guys love old tools like your drill press and the old Cman bench grinders or the newer tools like my USA made baldor bench grinder. Anything you want to know related to garages, tools, or wrenching/fabricating is over there.

I'll check them out. I could sure use another bench grinder for polishing. The one I have mounted to my main work bench is a WorkSmith, its more of a vibrator then a grinder ..The next one I get will have its own stand for sure

I guess I'll start looking for an old grinder

[CGT80]

I'll check them out. I could sure use another bench grinder for polishing. The one I have mounted to my main work bench is a WorkSmith, its more of a vibrator then a grinder ..The next one I get will have its own stand for sure

I guess I'll start looking for an old grinder

I have my grandfathers old 6" bench grinder, and I think the brand is Sun. My baldor is a 1/2hp 7" 3 phase that I run from a variable frequency drive. Neither is bolted to the 1/2" plywood bench, and they don't move while running. We had an older black and decker that we used for wire wheeling clipper blades before we sharpen them. That thing was more of a vibrator also. It made a hell of a racket inside our cleaning/wire wheeling vacuum cabinet. My dad put his 1/3rd hp baldor buffer in there with two wire wheels, and it is a huge difference.

That 1/2hp baldor I have would run $400-$700 without a stand. I got it for free as it was left in a building I had to clean out and rehab. I thought it was broken, and then realized it was three phase. I hung on to it anyway, and learned a vfd will power 3 phase equipment from single phase 120v or 240v like what my garage has. The vfd was $120, but it was worth it for such a nice grinder. If you find a good enough deal, 3 phase equipment can be used.