Drill Press Suggestions

Hi Chuck,

Re: that 1940's Delta Craig's list ad....
Although I really like that age of machine for the "look", I also see that "arc of shame" across the table....that's the string of holes drilled into the table when the user didn't know or care about where the drill bit would end up after drilling thru the work.

To me, it shows a huge lack of respect for the equipment and would make me wonder what else was abused on it.

Like @mikey said above for the right price I would get it expecting to do some work on it.
I would definitely look into Ralph J.'s (@rrjohnso2000) suggested source above.

-brino

Good catch on the "arc of shame", my monitor didn't show that level of detail. Thank you for pointing that out, I assume it probably wasn't gingerly moved about when re arranging either and who knows what else.

I have gotten in touch with Ralph, he's on it and will be getting with me tomorrow.

chuck
 
I personally think the DP220 would be fine for your needs but I think the price is a bit high. There are lots of DP220's out there so parts wouldn't be a problem. The motor looks a like it has some sort of homemade mount, not sure what that is all about. It looks like someone welded angle iron to a resilient mount motor. I'm guessing it's probably a re-purposed furnace fan motor.

4 speeds are fine for woodworking (it's only 4 speed not 5) and most smaller scale metal working. The "arc of shame" isn't a show stopper since you will want to add a wood sacrificial table anyway. For about half the asking price I think it is a better value than the typical new import stuff in that price range. If it had a better motor and a nicer table the asking price would be ok.

EDIT:
I also suspect (but I'm not sure) that the motor pulley may not be correct. Delta pulley spacing doesn't match the steps size or spacing of the "Congress" or "Chicago Diecast" pulleys you typically find new today.
 
Last edited:
Indychuck, I'm in west Lafayette and saw two great drillpresss at Purdues surplus store today.

I should have got some pics. They are a very good deal. A smaller one at $50 and a larger one( buffalo )at $100. If you want I could go back tomorrow.

They will hold something for five days. I would be happy to front the cash if you want one and can come pick it up.

I would jump on both personally if I didn't already own a bench and a small sensitive.

Just let me know

Many thanks to rrjohnson! Ralph was able to secure a nice press for me. Here are some before photos of the sensitive press. I've got some TLC work to do but I think it's going to serve me quite well. You can see my helpers in one of the photos :)

I will need to lean on any of you that are familiar with this specific press, as you can see in the photos, there is no belt and a couple other items that are in need of replacement. If any of you have this press, know of someone that has this press or know where I can find some literature on it, that would be very appreciative. A good place for replacement parts will also help me out.
 
Just wondering why anyone would suggest a sensitive drill press to drill some wood under 2 in wood dowels ? It's wood , it moves every time the humidity changes. Any drill press that will drill a straight hole deep enough should work fine.
Thanks ron
 
Yes, it might be more than you need for your flagpoles but one day, when you need to drill a larger piece of steel then you'll be set.

I think the suggested drill presses were offered more for what I would potentially use it for in the future rather than pigeon holing myself with a one-dimensional machine.
 
Congrats on your "new" drill press. That was awesome of Ralph to do that for you. Once you get it running, I hope it meets your present and future needs.

I'm afraid that this might just be the beginning for you. Now that you've exposed yourself to the influence of this group you may just get sucked into the hobby machinist thing. If you ever hear yourself say, "Hmm, I can make that", buddy, you're done!
 
Back
Top