# Drill Press (Central Machinery)



## The_Apprentice (Jan 30, 2018)

So, I need a drill press eventually. Already have a project in mind I'd need one for. I am looking for something cheap to play around with, and as I have yet to own anything from Central Machinery, thought I'd get this thing to toy with at Harbor Freight:

https://www.harborfreight.com/8-in-5-speed-bench-drill-press-62520.html

Reviews for the most part seems to be good, but I"m not expecting production quality of course. Just checking for those who may have used this in the past, what they have to say about it.


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## dlane (Jan 30, 2018)

Didn’t see the low speed rpm but I think it is going to be a little fast for metal, looked at HF flyer on sale $54.99
I don’t have that one , mine goes down to 110 rpm


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## The_Apprentice (Jan 30, 2018)

dlane said:


> \ looked at HF flyer on sale $54.99



I think you may be getting confused with the Central Machinery Portable Blower in the ad?


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## mikey (Jan 30, 2018)

The chuck on that machine is a B16 taper (European standard, similar to MT2 but shorter) so finding chucks might be interesting. The quill travel is only 2" so drilling anything deeper than that is a no-go. It has only 2/5HP so you can drill soft stuff with small drills but pushing even a 3/8" drill into steel is going to be a challenge. 

My opinion - keep looking. See if you can find a benchtop drill press on CL. These are the same as a floor standing drill press but with a shorter column. Better yet, buy a full sized drill press and be done with it.


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## dlane (Jan 30, 2018)

No blower on that page #7 it’s a super coupon special in a 67 page booklet I get once a month, not sure Canada gets it


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## The_Apprentice (Jan 30, 2018)

I was looking at the on-line flyer. I guess they only print some things on paper. I suppose I can stop by HF later this week and just pick up a coupon book in store 

Sadly, we don't have Harbor Freight in Canada. Busy Bee is pretty much our version, of it. But they are not very widespread, except in industrial regions.


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## MikeInOr (Jan 30, 2018)

No No No... No!

I had one of the HF 8" bench top models and it would not drill a 1/2" hole in a 2x4.  I gave it away to someone I didn't like!  For drilling anything in metal this is a complete waste of money!  It doesn't even use real belts... the belts are half the height of a regular belt and slip if you sneeze on them.  My 18v Dewalt hand drill has *CONSIDERABLY *more torque than the HF 8" DP.

I know is is a big jump up in price but I would not buy a smaller than a 13" bench top drill press from harbor freight if you expect it to have any practical use for metal working.
https://www.harborfreight.com/13-in-16-speed-bench-drill-press-61786.html

Those tiny drill presses might work for a jeweler drilling soft metal or a hobbyist drilling holes in 1/8" fiber board characters they cut out with their scroll saw... but not metal.

I own a HF 13" floor standing drill press which does a decent job for wood working.  I have a 30 year old HF 16" drill press that they no longer sell and it does a great job for drilling all sorts of metal.  I have a 12" Walker turner bench top that someone put a floor standing height column on that beats both my HF units in smoothness, accuracy/runout and joy of use.

ALL Harbor freight drill presses I have seen (including mine) have loose spindles and the bearings make a racket when running due to the loose specs... but the bigger drill presses do drill a decent hole and are a suitable alternative to those that can not afford american iron for hobby use.


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## dlane (Jan 30, 2018)

This is what I’m useing now , not as good as a walker turner though it has intermediate pulleys for slow speed
It was a CL find I think I payed $80.00 for it , had to put a real chuck on it


It is a Taiwan made central machine, I like the low speed


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## ttabbal (Jan 30, 2018)

I have what looks to be an earlier model of the HF mini drill press from another store. It's ok, mostly. The table flexes like crazy, it's not powerful enough, and doesn't spin slow enough, even with the belts on the lowest speed setting. Drilling holes > 1/4" in steel is an exercise in stupidity. I can get it done, but it sucks and takes 10x longer than it should. And the holes don't look great due to chatter. 

It was stupid cheap at the time, and it's been ok enough that I haven't rushed to replace it. However, if I were to do it again, I'd get something better. I'm trying to convince myself to get a mill to replace it, but I'll probably break down and get a decent used drill press. Even then, I'll likely have to find a way to slow it down, most of the local units are made for wood and run too fast for metal.


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## projectnut (Jan 30, 2018)

See if you can find something like this:




Several years ago I bought the next larger model from a machine shop that was closing.  Over the years someone covered the original nameplate with a tag from some Chinese machine.  The company conducting the sale had no idea what they were selling.  They didn't even get an offer for the thing.   When everything else was gone I asked what they wanted for the machine.

I was told I could have it for 1/2 the scrap price if I would haul it away.  At that time mixed metal scrap was going for about $30.00 - $40.00 a ton, and the machine weighed 750 lbs.  I pulled some cash out of my pocket and a five and a few ones landed on the floor.  The boss told me that was more than enough.

I paid less than $10.00, loaded it in the truck and took it home.  What a pleasant surprise when I started disassembling it to move it to the shop.  I peeled the nameplate and property tag off to keep from destroying them and found the Jet nameplate underneath.  It was a 1987 model JDP125VS-3 made in Taiwan.  I contacted the company to let them know they had made a mistake, and asked if they wanted me to return the machine.  They said they had no use for it and I should enjoy my new piece of equipment.

I still have it in the shop.  It now has a 1 1/2 hp 220V single phase motor.  The speeds are from 150 to 2000, and it can drill a 1 1/4" hole through steel without even working hard.  I doubt I'll ever find another deal like that.


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## Nogoingback (Jan 30, 2018)

Have you looked at Craigslist?  You can do better.


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## The_Apprentice (Jan 30, 2018)

MikeInOr said:


> No No No... No!
> 
> I gave it away to someone I didn't like!



LOL! Thanks for giving me a good laugh in this thread. I had assumed since CM makes mini-lathes for cutting into METAL, that their drill-presses would also be metal-friendly. So that's a flawed assumption right there...

Seems the KING knock-off I was looking at before hand, has a little more power on their motor, but nothing major to brag about either. I guess I will check out some local used versions. In any case, I am in no rush.


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## Ulma Doctor (Jan 30, 2018)

Hold out for a nice old drill if you can.
i got a dead Rockwell 14" table dp that needed a motor, 30 years ago.
after putting a replacement Dayton 115vac, 3/4 hp, 1740rpm single phase motor, it has served well without incident all these years.
IMO-you'd be better off with an old good used drill that needs a little TLC, than a cheap piece of junk on a whim


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## Mystery1 (Jan 30, 2018)

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-power-tool/st-catharines/king-13-bench-top-drill-press/1329380357

Craigslist is a bit of waste of time in this area, what is there is overpriced.

If you buy used (or new for that matter) make very very sure that the spindle housing does not move sideways in the head casting. Chuck   thick drill and see if the tip moves when you push sideways. Do this with spindle all the way up and all the way down.


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## kd4gij (Jan 30, 2018)

I got a floor model drill press from HF about 15 years ago. It came with a drip coolant bottle that sucked but I put a 16n chuck on it and it has dun every thing I needed it to do as well as any thing out there.


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## The_Apprentice (Jan 30, 2018)

Out of curiosity, I checked out Princess Auto, just to see what their Power Fist junk was going for. Told myself I would not buy that brand name before, since their Chinese lathes have the poorest of all HP power.

So I am actually surprised this drill press has 1/2 HP...

https://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/10-in-bench-top-drill-press/A-p8654337e

Well, it's on Sale and an option...but I will check more reviews.

I am curious to know what is a decent rpm for drilling into metals? Just a rule of thumb as I am new to this and the thought of having a press that is TOO FAST did not occur to me.


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## MikeInOr (Jan 31, 2018)

The_Apprentice said:


> LOL! Thanks for giving me a good laugh in this thread. I had assumed since CM makes mini-lathes for cutting into METAL, that their drill-presses would also be metal-friendly. So that's a flawed assumption right there...
> 
> Seems the KING knock-off I was looking at before hand, has a little more power on their motor, but nothing major to brag about either. I guess I will check out some local used versions. In any case, I am in no rush.



I am glad I could give you a chuckle.  Good deals on CraigsList or Kijiji is a matter of not having to make an immediate purchase, knowing what is what (know what you are looking for), having the money available when the deal comes along and patients.  I have gotten many good deals off craigslist, it only took me 30 years to find a good deal on a mill that suited my purposes and was affordable.  Then a week later I bought a 13" south bend lathe that was posted on here by a fellow member and was too good of a deal to pass up.

Drill presses aren't really precision machines like a mill.  I have gotten 30 years of really good use out of my larger HF drill press.  Don't rule out Taiwanese or Chinese drill presses waiting for the $80 industrial drill press to fall in your lap.

Anyone remember those HF drill presses with those awful cast Chinesium spindle handles?




Ugh!!!  Makes my back squirm just thinking about them!


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## Mystery1 (Jan 31, 2018)

The_Apprentice said:


> Out of curiosity, I checked out Princess Auto, just to see what their Power Fist junk was going for. Told myself I would not buy that brand name before, since their Chinese lathes have the poorest of all HP power.
> 
> So I am actually surprised this drill press has 1/2 HP...
> 
> ...


You don't need a lot of hp in a drill press unless you are drilling large holes. So it depends on what you think you might be doing.
Feeds and speeds for drills: http://www.vikingdrill.com/viking-Drill-FeedandSpeed.php

Too high an RPM is not good for drills, results in heat, , esp in stainless. Not feeding quickly enough also generates too much heat, ruining the bit. Stainless also work hardens making your problems worse.


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## projectnut (Jan 31, 2018)

MikeInOr said:


> I am glad I could give you a chuckle.  Good deals on CraigsList or Kijiji is a matter of not having to make an immediate purchase, knowing what is what (know what you are looking for), having the money available when the deal comes along and patients.  I have gotten many good deals off craigslist, it only took me 30 years to find a good deal on a mill that suited my purposes and was affordable.  Then a week later I bought a 13" south bend lathe that was posted on here by a fellow member and was too good of a deal to pass up.
> 
> Drill presses aren't really precision machines like a mill.  I have gotten 30 years of really good use out of my larger HF drill press.  Don't rule out Taiwanese or Chinese drill presses waiting for the $80 industrial drill press to fall in your lap.
> 
> ...



You don't have to remember them.  They're still on the market.  Menards sells one with that type of handle.

It's a Rikon 8" bench top model, and sells for $118.00.

https://www.menards.com/main/tools-...3-c-10086.htm?tid=3932420402747999388&ipos=12

You may have to wait a few days to get it delivered to your local store.  It looks like it's an online item only


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## Robert LaLonde (Jan 31, 2018)

The_Apprentice said:


> So, I need a drill press eventually. Already have a project in mind I'd need one for. I am looking for something cheap to play around with, and as I have yet to own anything from Central Machinery, thought I'd get this thing to toy with at Harbor Freight:
> 
> https://www.harborfreight.com/8-in-5-speed-bench-drill-press-62520.html
> 
> Reviews for the most part seems to be good, but I"m not expecting production quality of course. Just checking for those who may have used this in the past, what they have to say about it.




I would step up to the next bigger one.  Sells for 159 or so, but sometimes can be had for as low as $119 with a coupon or on sale.  The little one is ok if you only ever drill small holes and you are happy with the stock drill chuck, but its got what is called a BG16 chuck taper.  In otehr words you can't swap to a better chuck down the road, and you can't use other tooling down the rod like something in MT collet or install a tapping head, or anything.

I have 4 drill presses.  One similar to the one you are looking at.  Two different size benchtops.  A 12 speed and a 16 speed and a floor model.  I haven't used the little 5 speed in years.  It sits in a corner gathering dust.   I may move it from the shop to the garage so my wife and son have somethign handy to make small holes with.

ON THE OTHER HAND.  If all you have is enough money to buy the little one and you have a job that needs to done right now that is within its capability, you can usually get some of your money back out of them when you buy a bigger one.

I have this one https://www.harborfreight.com/10-in-12-Speed-Bench-Drill-Press-63471.html and this one https://www.harborfreight.com/13-in-16-speed-bench-drill-press-61786.html both with tapping heads mounted in them.  They are adequate for that job.


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## The_Apprentice (Jan 31, 2018)

This has been quite an informative thread.

Seems if I go the drill-press route, the 10"s are the way to go for metal from what I've seen from reviews so far. That said, I was debating this year to also get a chinese mill and give them a try. I have been told many people use them for drilling too, which makes me debate on maybe just skipping the drill press for now and jumping right to the mill instead.

Decisions... decisions!


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## Dave Paine (Jan 31, 2018)

I have a floor standing drill press, a 2010 Powermatic designed or at least marketed for wood workers.  This is a decent drill press, but still the table has some flex, nothing like the bench style drill press models.    I ended up using a clamp in expansion mode to minimize the flexing.

A year ago I purchased a light knee mill.   Now I rarely use the drill press, other than with a sanding mop of wire wheel.   I do most of my drilling these days on the milling machine, metal or wood.  I have considered selling my drill press.  

There was a thread some months ago about milling machine vs drill press.    A mix of opinions, which is normal.    This is not a right or wrong issue, rather the typical personal preference.  Some folks have several drill presses.


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## kd4gij (Jan 31, 2018)

The_Apprentice said:


> This has been quite an informative thread.
> 
> Seems if I go the drill-press route, the 10"s are the way to go for metal from what I've seen from reviews so far. That said, I was debating this year to also get a chinese mill and give them a try. I have been told many people use them for drilling too, which makes me debate on maybe just skipping the drill press for now and jumping right to the mill instead.
> 
> Decisions... decisions!





 I have a floor drill press and a bench top mill. The drill press still gets it's share of use.


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## MikeInOr (Jan 31, 2018)

In my experience a 10" drill press is too small.  I would reccomend a 13" as a minimum.

I decided to start with a drill press while I was looking for a good deal on a mill... it only took me 30 years to find a mill.  If skipping a drill press means buying a nicer mill I would put the money towards the nicer mill.


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## Mystery1 (Feb 3, 2018)

I had a chance to spend some time today looking at the HF drill presses. The small ones are useless, the spindle housing moves excessively in the main casting. Even the $399 one moved! There is no easy fix for this so keep looking elsewhere.


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## The_Apprentice (Feb 6, 2018)

Now that I think of it, I was in a large HF store today and I don't remember seeing a single drill press. Maybe I missed them somehow... In any case, no worries, I am going to skip on drill presses.


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