Why do I need a drill press?

An advantage of having a separate drill press is if you have a job set up in your mill (some jobs can be set up for a few days in mine), you need to drill some quick holes that take more accuracy than a hand drill in another job.
 
Do I need a drill press? No, but it is very handy to have. I normally use mine for countersinking/deburing holes. I keep a countersink in the chuck almost all the time. I can't remember the last time I actually used it to drill a hole. I put a foot switch on it for more convenient operation.
 
Dan_S said:
One thing I haven't seen anyone mention, is that a drill presses has a much larger spindle to table distance. A BP size machine maxes out at 18". My 17" floor model jet DP goes up to 29-1/8" , and its over 36" if I swing the table out of the way and set the work on the base. All that extra capacity lets you do stuff like Keith Fenner is doing at the beginning of this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UObRO4eQJZo

if you are using a BP style machine you have to start doing stuff like clamping to the table edge, and then rotating the turret & extending the ram.

Another thing to consider is what you are drilling. I do a lot of woodworking, and I don't want sawdust anywhere close to oiled machine ways.

The other main benefit of a drill press, is that the bearings are cheap, and easy to replace, so if you abuse them it's not as big of a worry.
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A drill press good enough for cheesy work ,neither clean nor accurate,
can be found for25$ , and probably could be traded in (as I did for 10$ more)
A real dirty but accurate one; don't get in the habit of abusing your mill for
work that doesn't need one. ........BLJHB.
 
I bought a floor standing drill press for my very first piece of new machine shop equipment back in 1973. I still have it and use it all the time so I figure it was a great investment for the $129 I paid for it. It's a 12-speed, 1/2hp model and it was some of the first Taiwan tools sold in our area. All I've ever done is change the belts a few times, it still has the same spindle bearings, chuck and motor.
 
Yikes if I didn't have my drill press...I wouldn't have a mill.

David
 
Why do I need a drill press?


The answer is very simple. You don't have one. Nuf said. :roflmao:
 
Bamban said:
A friend who is a machinist insisted that I buy a floor standing model drill press for my garage shop. I have a Bridgeport, what is the compelling reason why I need to buy a drill press?

Thank you.
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A good drill press is good to have you have a # 2
Or # 3 MT in a good drill press the bigger ones will have a # 4 MT & you can buy some good drill bits with the #2 MT & #3 MT . You can use
Some MT sleeves . And get you a drift pin to fit the
Quil . A good vice and some table clamps .
Some good C- Clamps . With the table that will tilt
Left to right at any degree from zero to ninety degrees . And the table will swing completely around out of the way and now you have four foot or more to the base which also has T- slots to clamp big work
In . Such as a engine block . Man a drill press is
Endless to what you can do in one very fast .
You can drill bigger holes quicker in a drill press
Just make sure you don't buy one to small .
And make sure you get one with a slow RPM
Below 40 would be good 30 even better .
Geared head is better than belts .
You can drill circles around a Bridgeport mill
And you don't tie up your milling machine with a bunch of drilling .
I could go on and on .
 
I have a tapping head for my drill press which I use fairly often. My mill is CNC, so having a drill press for quick and simple use for drilling and deburring is a must as far as I'm concerned.
 
I have 4 and wouldn't mind have a 4 gang press and a turret model too. My biggest is a 20" Rockwell delta w, walker Turner power feed . Enco 12 speed, walker Turner bench model w ship wheel . Also Milwaukee magnet drill , about the most used one of all. One isn't enough but a dozen may be. Yes I too have tapping heads , even used for polishing the bores on small engines with honing stones.
 
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