Micro drill press

[Tiny_Daddy]

I am looking for a small non-dremel drill press for drilling holes in eyelet boards and sheet metal. Just something small and accurate, not a big floor model. Any favorites?

[TubeGeek]

I bought a Delta 10" table top drill press from Lowes for $99 for this same reason.  It works great.

[mojo]

Harbor freight as low as $40.

[sluckey]

"Delta 10" table top drill press from Lowes for $99 "

I have this also.

...Steve

[tbeck]

I have a Sears 6 inch drill press about 10 years ago (when I had a Sears charge card)
It has just less than 4 inches of clearance from the drill chuck center to the main post that the assembly is mounted on, which means that you can't drill a hole 4 inches in from any edge. It works well enough for me, but a 10 or 12 inch is more useful for some things.

[rockgardenlove]

I really recommend buying some of the Unibit/Varibits.  They're awesome, you don't even need a drill press!

[HotBluePlates]

I bought a Delta 10" table top drill press from Lowes for $99 for this same reason.  It works great.

I have the same or the next size up. Works like a drill press should.

[gehicks]

I have to disagree with that Harbor Freight thing.  I bought one and it promptly broke like the cheap plastic  toy it is.

Spend about $50 more and get a real tabletop drill press that won't break after one or two boards.

.02

Cheers,

Jerry.

[mojo]

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

gehicks, that's a good one. That's one reason I posted that was to get input on that thing. Like they say if it sounds too good to be true...

[kriswel]

rockn' the same delta.  does the trick.

kris

[madison]

I have a Sears 6 inch drill press about 10 years ago (when I had a Sears charge card)
It has just less than 4 inches of clearance from the drill chuck center to the main post that the assembly is mounted on, which means that you can't drill a hole 4 inches in from any edge. It works well enough for me, but a 10 or 12 inch is more useful for some things.

This is the peeve I have with the mini press I bought.
Not good if you wanted to sick a chassis or a wide piece of metal or wood in there.

I suppose I will have to get a bigger one eventually.
Otherwise, for the $60 spent, pretty okay.

[gldtp99]

Great topic and info---- i've been considering getting a small drill press, also---- sounds like the Delta 10" is the one to get..........gldtp99

[LooseChange]

I've got the $99 Ryobi 10" press. Home Depot has them. Solid unit.

[johnnystomp]

When you are checking out a drill press for board making, take a good look at the press mechanism. Remember you will be using the press for drilling as well as setting eyelets and turrets. JS

[EL34]

The Delta drill presses work great.
I have three Delta drill presses here of different sizes.

I like the big mofo the best.

One old small Delta was turned into a permanant lug press.
I removed the motor to make a lug press.
I also had to prop up the drill platform with a piece of oak to keep it from bending down when I pressed a lug.

[EKDENTON]

This one is a table mounted drill with a 1/2HP motor, and it occillates if you decide you need to do some contour sanding on something. Pretty good price too.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/h0625

[triode]

I am not trying to be a pompous ass, but I will say the following, having
worked in machine shops, a wood shop, a furniture making shop, and a speaker building
shop:

Buy the BEST damn tool that you possibly can with as much cash as you can
when you go to do it. You should _never_ say "what is the cheapest..." It is
always "I can eek out $482.39... what is the best damn drill press I can possibly
buy for that... let me go ask a WOODWORKING or METALWORKING forum". Go ask
someone who uses the drill press a 100 times a day, every day.

Consider this to be your warning against a $100 drill press, from the _MAN_ himself,
and I quote:

 "I also had to prop up the drill platform with a piece of oak to keep it from bending down when I pressed a lug."   -- Doug Hoffman

So, wait up.. you mean, if I am drilling something hard, like a chassis, the platform will
bend down slightly?? You know what that means?? More broken bits, more holes that are
not perfectly normal to the surface, more tube socket screws that go in at an angle and piss
me off to no end as I try to wrangle a nut on the other side as it is hitting the socket itself
(I had a friend get one of those cheap presses and saw him through this... heh).

Seriously though, ask any woodworker, metalworker, auto mechanic, etc... you know
why those guys pay $24.87 for a wrench??!? Because when they put a 10' cheater pipe
on it it does not break. You are going to use your drill press as a press... you are going to
press a LOT of turrets? You need more than the $100 model, trust me.

Just my $0.02, and hey, I don't know Jack Schidt. Or his brother.

[johnnystomp]

"I am not trying to be a pompous ass"...

If you are , I guess I might be too. I used to do a lot of fabrication in the motorcycle business. I found out real fast it pays to get quality tools, and not necessarily in the long run. That's what my Snap-On man told me anyway. I just replaced a belt on my Atlas press...I had it 30 years without doing a thing to it. I thought it kind of funny that my belt broke so close in time to this post.

The Atlas isn't made any longer, nor was it in production when I bought it 30 years ago.
The only bad memory I have of it is the day one of my Lumbar disks squirted out to one side of my spine when I was carrying it across the shop and slipped of balance.
Oh yea, it weights allot.
I have a small turret vise mounted in it...It can crank all the way to a full 360 degrees and about 6" crosswise. Great for light milling It's all an over kill for board making, but you get the point.

PS: I put a pipe on an old Snap-On a day ago replacing a clutch on a Volvo with 200,000+ miles on it, and it was probably a first time replacement. What does that tell you???

[EKDENTON]

An arbor press is a good alternative for pressing the turrets onto the board. You can get a 1/2 ton for about $50, and save the drill press for lighter stuff like drilling holes.

[tbeck]

If you're gonna do lots of turrets, an arbor press is a good investment.

[Tiny_Daddy]

I have tried asking machinists, etc. but the drill press is not a priority with these guys and seems to be on the same level of consideration as the shop vacuum cleaner. They are way more concerned about that next 30" mill or crankshaft grinder. It seems if they need a super-accurate drilled hole they do not use a drill press. So thanks for all the input and I may head over to Lowes this Sunday. And maybe also get a press for pressing.

[EL34]

I use my drill presses alot, it's worth having at least one.

I don't think you have to spend $500.
Get a Delta at Lowes. The quality is fine.

If you use it so much, you need a better or bigger one, get a another press.
Use the old one for a lug press like I did or sell it to your neighbor.

[TubeGeek]

I have no bending or flexing problems with my delta.  It works just great.

[Janitore]

Lowe's is having thier Employee's 20% off Christmas sale Dec. 5th through Dec. 11th.  This is for Employee's only so get your relative or buddy that works there or favorite Lowe's employee to get you the additional 20% off (they normally get 10% off year round).  Let them buy it for you, but with cash money, you don't want them to get fired!  One drawback though, if it breaks under warranty your reciept will have the employee's name on it making the return/repair questionable if the original purchaser doesn't return it.

Just a thought.  I'm getting mine on Friday the 8th. when I go to work, oh, uhh, I mean shopping...

[Janitore]

Since were discussing presses and such, what's the size of the threaded rod used for the Turret lug installation tool? and what angle is it ground to in order to get the correct flare on the lug?  Does anyone use anything else for this pupose?

Thanks.

[punkykatt]

I used a 3/8" bolt, drilled a 1/8" hole dead center in the end about 1/2" deep.  Took another 3/8" bolt cut the head off, put it in a hand drill, turned on the bench grinder and while having the drill on I put a point on the end similar to a center punch. Your done,  works like a charm.  Punky 8-)

[Gregory]

I have a large floor model drill press. Its all the way on the other side of the shop and not well suited for small work.
Shadows from the drill head and my head are no help.

So I ground a center punch like this.

I can use a SMALL hammer right at my well lit desk.
The center pin works as a third hand.

Haven't used it alot yet, but the 100 or so I have done have been perfect.

A guy could still use it in a press.