Drill Press Score!

Status
Not open for further replies.

Kentucky Boy

Member
Messages
611
Reaction score
4
Location
Bowling Green, KY
My brother was able to buy this Craftsman drill press for only $100. It is brand new. I bought it for $150. Pretty nice deal I think. I bought a harbor freight drill press a few months ago and immediately returned it because it was a hunk of garbage. Pretty happy with this new tool.
 

Attachments

  • 45E6B940-0802-4BA2-9899-ADA55DAFF355.jpg
    45E6B940-0802-4BA2-9899-ADA55DAFF355.jpg
    411.5 KB · Views: 27

JTSpeedDemon

2019 Build Off Winner!
Messages
4,026
Reaction score
147
Location
Texas
Ohhh, jealous........
:drool5:

---------- Post added at 03:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:04 PM ----------

Someday my dad and I hope to have a full or at least partial machine shop.
 

Kartorbust

Well-known member
Messages
3,897
Reaction score
188
Location
Utica, NE
Just need an XY vise for the table on it. Those make drilling holes in metal and wood so much easier.
 

itsid

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,564
Reaction score
115
Location
Ruhrpott [Germany]
good from far....

but for a hundred bucks I think it'll serve some purpose.

The problem (from what various youtubers said about it)
is it's neither powerfull nor accurate enough for some enthusiast hobbyist
But the occasional hole is certainly drillable with it
if nicely marked and center punched..
But don't forget to predrill correctly, or it's deflection will bite you for sure.

I can't recall what brandname exactly was tested.. but that's a chinese cheap drill anyways
(available with at least four different brandnames in germany that's why I played with the idea myself and took notes when I saw them on yt being tested)
So differences are more often than not limited to colour and stickers.

I have decided to not even give it a try...
and while I don't need a drillpress too often which makes me the "targeted customer"
I'd rather spend another hundred bucks and get a much stiffer used one instead...

but that's just me perhaps ;)

'sid

PS an xy table mounted to that thing is wasted money for sure!
even a decent quality machinist vise is way overkill for that thing
 

Kentucky Boy

Member
Messages
611
Reaction score
4
Location
Bowling Green, KY
good from far....

but for a hundred bucks I think it'll serve some purpose.

The problem (from what various youtubers said about it)
is it's neither powerfull nor accurate enough for some enthusiast hobbyist
But the occasional hole is certainly drillable with it
if nicely marked and center punched..
But don't forget to predrill correctly, or it's deflection will bite you for sure.

I can't recall what brandname exactly was tested.. but that's a chinese cheap drill anyways
(available with at least four different brandnames in germany that's why I played with the idea myself and took notes when I saw them on yt being tested)
So differences are more often than not limited to colour and stickers.

I have decided to not even give it a try...
and while I don't need a drillpress too often which makes me the "targeted customer"
I'd rather spend another hundred bucks and get a much stiffer used one instead...

but that's just me perhaps ;)

'sid

PS an xy table mounted to that thing is wasted money for sure!
even a decent quality machinist vise is way overkill for that thing


Ok I’ll just go throw it in the trash. Sorry I bought it. Geeeeezzzzz.
 

Kartorbust

Well-known member
Messages
3,897
Reaction score
188
Location
Utica, NE
I would keep it. It might not be a high end drill press like a Jet, Delta, Grizzly, WEN, etc. But it's still better than trying to eyeball a hole straight with a hand drill. Your mileage may vary. I've used cheap drill presses and I've used commercial drill press that allow you to adjust the speed with a dial, not a jackshaft setup...so much nicer. I would use this one until the motor gives up the ghost and when that happens if you have the cash I'd buy https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly-12-Speed-Heavy-Duty-Benchtop-Drill-Press/G7943

140RPM to 3050RPM adjustment. Slow enough for metal work, fast enough for wood work.
 

Tpdingo

Member
Messages
903
Reaction score
1
Location
Bellmore, NY
Just like the best camera is the one you have on you, the best drill press is the one in your shop! Doesn't matter if you have a Hilti hand drill, your cheap drill press will still drill straighter (and probably cleaner) holes 99% of the time.

EDIT: I just checked the picture and my neighbor has the exact same drill press. I don't know what itsid is smoking, but that drill press is pretty nice. Yeah it may not be a 3000$ press, but I mean it drills straight holes, it feels good in the hand, and I used it for a few hours to make a project and it didn't sweat a beat nor gave me any issues what so ever.
 

itsid

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,564
Reaction score
115
Location
Ruhrpott [Germany]
It sure is better than eyeballing a hole no doubts there..
And it's even better than a hand drill in a stand I'd imagine..

Maybe I'm mistaking and it's indeed a great tool (and not at all the thing it reminds me of)
but it awfully looks like it *shrugs*

And that was unfortunately cheaping out on the spindle bearings
(and the belt drive but the problem I was amazed to see was the spindle bearings)
so the actual chuck had up to 1/8" of play after just a few poked holes...
And if your hole is 1/8" off you might be disappointed in the end, no?

And the half horse is actually a bit on the low end as well
that's why they call it half a horse and not 370 watts
(so you're not comparing it to the 500W hand drill you got for 20 bucks)
and the ill fitted pulleys (as I remember one having issues with) didn't help with that either.

that's why I said predrilling...
if you know the limitations and know how to work around them
it's certainly better than not having any drill press at all.

but alright alright that came out very negative I admit..
sorry 'bout that.
Chances are those videos have not been craftsman at all but clones of one
I can't tell for sure (too long ago by now)
It's even possible those videos have been showing some monday editions
of a usually good product... who knows

All I can say is
I was eager for getting a similar drill press
since I've seen some -what I assume now have been paid- reviews on yt..
and it had an okay size and looked sturdy enough for the holes I wanted to drill
and I then, after some more youtubing,
stumbled upon some clearly non paid mentionings of similar drill presses
and those then changed my mind ..

Ah well... 2cts; ready to be ignored ;)

'sid
 

Tpdingo

Member
Messages
903
Reaction score
1
Location
Bellmore, NY
It sure is better than eyeballing a hole no doubts there..
And it's even better than a hand drill in a stand I'd imagine..

Maybe I'm mistaking and it's indeed a great tool (and not at all the thing it reminds me of)
but it awfully looks like it *shrugs*

And that was unfortunately cheaping out on the spindle bearings
(and the belt drive but the problem I was amazed to see was the spindle bearings)
so the actual chuck had up to 1/8" of play after just a few poked holes...
And if your hole is 1/8" off you might be disappointed in the end, no?

And the half horse is actually a bit on the low end as well
that's why they call it half a horse and not 370 watts
(so you're not comparing it to the 500W hand drill you got for 20 bucks)
and the ill fitted pulleys (as I remember one having issues with) didn't help with that either.

that's why I said predrilling...
if you know the limitations and know how to work around them
it's certainly better than not having any drill press at all.

but alright alright that came out very negative I admit..
sorry 'bout that.
Chances are those videos have not been craftsman at all but clones of one
I can't tell for sure (too long ago by now)
It's even possible those videos have been showing some monday editions
of a usually good product... who knows

All I can say is
I was eager for getting a similar drill press
since I've seen some -what I assume now have been paid- reviews on yt..
and it had an okay size and looked sturdy enough for the holes I wanted to drill
and I then, after some more youtubing,
stumbled upon some clearly non paid mentionings of similar drill presses
and those then changed my mind ..

Ah well... 2cts; ready to be ignored ;)

'sid
Clearly it's not the same model given if it had 1/8" play, I would have noticed it by now and 2) it's a 3/4hp motor not a 1/2. It's a drill press, I can't tell them apart for anything outside a brand name. How differently can you contruct a vertically standing spinning Chuck with a motor in the back and some belts on top and a handle on the right side? My neighbor has had his for about 6mo now and he does construction work on his house every weekend. If that thing was drilling holes off, I would have heard it loud and clear by now.
 

Denny

Canned Monster
Messages
8,240
Reaction score
4,456
Location
Mayberry, Indiana
With every drill press I've owned the tables needed some kind of shimming or something needed to be done to ensure their accuracy out of the box.

Denny
 

Tpdingo

Member
Messages
903
Reaction score
1
Location
Bellmore, NY
My neighbors must be a slightly different unit then but I know it's 3/4hp and it will push 3/4hp when if needs to. I've seen him drill some half inch holes in 1/4" plate steel it works.

Is it possible the slightly higher end 3/4hp press has upgraded bearing. Or something?
 

itsid

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,564
Reaction score
115
Location
Ruhrpott [Germany]
maybe..
there are (as far as I know) three options
for the spindle shaft to run in..
cheap ball bearings (chinese crap.. don't even think about buying one)
deep groove ball bearings (mostly meant for woodworking home gamer stuff [and what I assume this is])
and tapered bearings for some more heavy duty pecking.

the thing is, ball bearings (even deep groove ones)
wear fast if you put too much lateral load on the bearing
(lateral on the bearing means vertical on the drill spindle; the way it's supposed to move, right)

thus tapered bearings are the ideal solution,
high quality deep groove ball bearings are a slightly cheaper (not by much)
viable alternative for home gamers with the occasional hole to drill...

And that's where the generic chinese stuff cuts corners..
a 7buck SKF or a 70ct chinesesium bearing (both deep groove)
makes a ton of a difference in accuracy of the hole
after just a few machine hours.

sure all work on day one, most on day four and five..
and all eventually fail,
the question is, do they fail after a week, a month, a year or a decade?
are you prepared for a failed bearing after a few machine hours?

Don't get me wrong I'm a huge fan of cheap tools
for everything I need maybe once or twice..
and if I used it more and it eventually breaks I get the higher quality version.

But if I'm smelling a repair on day two for a new tool, I pass;
I'd rather buy a broken quality tool and restore it
(similar amount of work, similar monetary invest.. much better quality result)


'sid
 

Kentucky Boy

Member
Messages
611
Reaction score
4
Location
Bowling Green, KY
I agree about the type of bearings used. My son over tightened his front wheel the other day. I loosened it before we even drove it again. That bearing flew apart on the first ride through the yard after he over tightened it. The lateral load killed it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top