Drill press questions

[Wolfdog91]

So needing a drill press to do some small stuff on these pawn shop beater gun projects I do for craps and giggles ( it's usually some old beat up .22lr or something they have on the rack for $150 or a bubbaed to hell mil surp something another nothing is really cry about if I messed up) mainly stuff like drill and taps for scope mounts drilling stocks for sling studs. Not anything on the caliber most of y'all do lol. With that being said what should I be looking for in a drill press set up for that type of stuff ? Dont have an indoor shop or anything just my car port .

 

[Riesel]

A good 3 to 5 amp drill press will suit your needs. Can find at big box hardware store or harbor freight,
Bolt it down to a good solid work bench. Next, look for holders, clamps, etc that will hold your projects
firmly and in the correct position that you need. Having something spinning as fast as the drill bit is
NOT AT ALL acceptable and will cut you up but good. The holders of your project are actually more important
than the drill press itself. my .02 cents

 

[majohnson]

Instead of spending money on a drill press, why not look at a used mill. You will have a bigger table, better control over locating your work piece. Using an inexpensive VFD you have different options of powering it along with the advantage of forward & reverse for power tapping.

 

[JSH]

A cheap drill press will enable you to do $300 worth of damage to the $150 beater.
Grizzly should have a mill that will serve you well for not much $.

 

[Bottom Fodder]

An indexing vise would be a big plus

 

[jackieschmidt]

Drilling holes for stock swivels, yes for a simple drill press.

Drilling and tapping an action for scope mounts…….No.

 

[TaperPin]

I agree with Riesel - work holding is as important as the drill press.

One of the most common drill presses out there is a “12 speed with 5/8” capacity”. It’s made by everyone and you will see them come up for sale every week in every town for $50 to $250. 40 years old or new, the design hasn’t changed much.

You want to find one with as little runout as possible, which is hard to judge because the inexpensive chucks these are sold with are really terrible. I bought two for $50 and kept the best one. An inexpensive “precision” drill chuck is well worth it for $100 or so and cuts way down on runout. A good used Jacobs Super chuck is another good option for about the same price.

Now that you have a machine with little runout, work holding is a harder thing to describe. The table won’t align with the spindle very well - these just aren’t sold as precision tools. A flat steel plate is the next thing I’d suggest - 1/2” or 5/8” and 16” square or so - Blanchard ground plates aren’t overly expensive, but any plate is better than no plate. This gets drilled and tapped and shimmed and bolted to the drill’s table so it’s perpendicular to the spindle.

One of the cheap milling vices off Amazon or eBay are well worth it. 5” is large enough to take care of a lot of normal drill press things - it’s big and needs that 16” square table. I have a 4” and 6”, but a single 5” is an ok compromise.

We could write a book on drill press setup, but that’s my setup and everything I’ve mentioned has been under $400 - you can get it all for a little less if you enjoy bargain shopping, or an extra $200 to $400 if you want everything new.

If your budget was $200 I’d say the used drill press and the new milling vice would be my first purchases.

(to use a drill press to drill and tap accurate holes you’d need a drill guide made for the purpose, but it still won’t be as usable as even an inexpensive mill.)

 

[dontpanic]

Buying a minimally instead of a drill press will greatly broaden your capabilities. I bought mine years ago and still find new uses for it. It also is way better for drilling holes than your a erage drill press.

Grizzley has a solid offering. I bought the Microlux be used it is compatible with the tooling used by larger mills(R-8). Don't buy the Harbor Freight on, it has plastic gears.

 

[itchyTF]

The OP said he only has a car port so might not have space for a mill.

 

[Riesel]

The OP said he only has a car port so might not have space for a mill.

Maybe putting a 1200.00 milling machine on a Carport is here today, gone tomorrow in some places
Just looked up your location, probably fairly safe

 

[JSH]

I still won’t advise a drill press. A quality machine shop drill press must be way over and above what an average home shop press is? I bought a brand new drill press several years back, I thought I was moving up, NOT. Raise and lower the table, then spend the next hour trying to get it in line with the last hole. It is sufficient to drill/cut/bore/gouge out a hole in various materials with little regard for any precision.
Oh sure I could build jigs and apparatuses to hold work pretty true. But I bought the damn thing to finish and do projects not make another half dozen.
I suppose the “learning” experience may be worth something trying to get all the axis’ set back every time ya move the table.

Not meant as an argumentative post, just a hands on been there don’t that got the T shirt.

 

[ebb]

If you are going to get a drill press get an industrial drill press. I have 2 of the "big box store" drill presses and they are junk. A good used industrial press that you had to do some work on will at least get you a good unit in the end. Mine will never be anything but a problem. I find myself drilling holes on the milling machine so I don't have to deal with the crap drill presses.

 

[jdh47]

A mill drill would work. Used ones come up from time to time on Craigslist.

 

[jds holler]

I just bought one of the Harbor Freight types yesterday for our little wood shop at church. Just putting it together took my joy out of the purchase. Compared to anything of a comparable size that was made fifty years ago, it is junk. This one will be "good enough" for what we need, but my old Craftsman at home will always be my go to.

Soooo I'd recommend looking for an old one that is rebuildable if needed, and worth rebuilding. There are thousands of them in the garages and basements of this world that belonged to old fellas who no longer reside on this earth.

Until you find one, you might be able to get by with one of the little bench top types, which are also junk, but only cost $69.95. I've got one of those which I actually use quite a bit for little jobs and small bit holes. jd

 

[Rwfish]

A bench top mill with a good vise will easily do what you want without worries about accuracy / rigidity when dealing with harder metals. They’ll cost a bit more but will easily pay for itself. If you do go the drill press route, get a good X / Y vise to help with precise adjustments.. Being in a carport you will definitely be cautious of corrosion either way.

 

[AlNyhus]

I've got a decent quality older Craftsman drill press at home....works well.enough after I tightened the quill up and put a decent chuck in it. Works ok for basic stuff but that's about it.

 

[WSnyder]

Same as Al. I had a Craftsman that was purchased about 20-25 years or so ago. It was decent and I also put a good chuck on it. I gave it to a friend after I found a barely used large Clausing variable speed out of a prototype shop about 10 or so years ago. The Clausing is definitely more capable. Once you get a mill those drill presses don’t get used much

 

[DShortt]

Oh, my. You asked for advice on equipment on a public forum.

I've learned to NEVER do that.

IF you've made a your mind that you want a drill press then do your own research then make your choice. Just make sure a drill press is what you REALLY want and need.

If not, determine what you REALLY want and need and start researching that.

 

[paperpuncher]

Mr Wolfdog it sounds to me like you are already too for gone. Forget the drill press and just go get yourself a milling machine.You know you want to. We all know you’ll probably wind up there sooner or later and life is too short for baby steps

 

[itchyTF]

@Wolfdog91
If your carport is open to the elements, hose down your mill/drill press after using.