If you have 150.00 to spend on a drill press what would you choose? Links or pics would be nice. I am in the market for one and Sears 10" model is backordered everywhere.
what is the best drill press for $150?
- Thread starter btackett
- Start date
I don't know what the market looks like myself but I can tell you what to look for in one. First off I'd highly recommend a floor mounted press like I've got. You can work on much larger and more awkward pieces simply by sliding the motor and spindle up or the table down. The next feature if how easy is it to vary the speed? One speed does not fit all and they can be a pain to change quickly. Mine is belt driven and offers few variances in spindle speed and requires moving the motor and spindle to the tip of the column to adjust. The best ones use what is basically a CVT transmission with a wheel on the front that controls the gear ratio. You can go from 200 to 3600rpm in about 3 seconds. Horse power is useful for drilling larger holes in tough materials quickly but for home use it's a lower consideration. A 1/2hp motor should be plenty.
Harbor Fright options are cheap for what you get but unfortunately are exactly that, cheap. They're usually clumsy copies of much better German equipments with changes to ease manufacturing made but that usually result in problems. It can be decent equipment with a little care and modification but they usually don't last and parts take months to get in. If want to go this route I'd recommend Grizzly, it's made at the same factories as the Harbor Fright stuff but parts are easier to come by. Just be prepared to have to completely dissemble and reassemble the whole thing. I had to help my old man do that with our lathe, every bolt was finger tight and several parts were in backwards or upside down.
Shop around. Sites like Northern Tool usually offer decent tools but read reviews of the specific item before making up your mind.
Harbor Fright options are cheap for what you get but unfortunately are exactly that, cheap. They're usually clumsy copies of much better German equipments with changes to ease manufacturing made but that usually result in problems. It can be decent equipment with a little care and modification but they usually don't last and parts take months to get in. If want to go this route I'd recommend Grizzly, it's made at the same factories as the Harbor Fright stuff but parts are easier to come by. Just be prepared to have to completely dissemble and reassemble the whole thing. I had to help my old man do that with our lathe, every bolt was finger tight and several parts were in backwards or upside down.
Shop around. Sites like Northern Tool usually offer decent tools but read reviews of the specific item before making up your mind.
I would buy used. Craigslist or auction, try to locate something older. I would take a Sears from the 50's over a Harbor Freight from last week any day of the week. 
However it is more likely you can wander onto an old Delta or some such and be way ahead.
This is of course assuming you have time to do that. Although even short on time I would post a WTB on craigslist before going to HF.
Drill presses unlike many things have changed almost not at all over the last 50 odd years. I picked up a 17" floor model Craftsman at a farm auction for a bit less than $150 - although that was a few years ago.
-James
However it is more likely you can wander onto an old Delta or some such and be way ahead.This is of course assuming you have time to do that. Although even short on time I would post a WTB on craigslist before going to HF.
Drill presses unlike many things have changed almost not at all over the last 50 odd years. I picked up a 17" floor model Craftsman at a farm auction for a bit less than $150 - although that was a few years ago.
-James
I went through this recently. I had a tabletop drill press, but it simply didn't have enough power to drill the steel that I was working with. I shopped and shopped, especially watching craigslist, local papers, and a retired gentleman who was liquidating his tools. I searched for months and months, including online. In the end, the only drill press that I saw in your price range that would do close to what I needed was at Tractor Supply- a Black Bull floor model for $179. Northern Tools had a good selection, but the fact is, any drill press in your price range is going to be bottom-of-the-barrel, unless you find a smoking deal on a used one. Eventually, I bought the Porter Cable that Lowe's sells, for $299- it was the best overall value, for what I needed.
Even the 20 year old drill press that the retired gentleman was selling was $400. A drill press is a precision, large, heavy tool that doesn't come cheap.
Even the 20 year old drill press that the retired gentleman was selling was $400. A drill press is a precision, large, heavy tool that doesn't come cheap.
Well I went to TSC and looked that the floor model black bull. It seemed sturdy and will probably suit my needs. I just hate buying ANY power tools from HF. 199.99 for a floor model isn't bad. I looked at the Porter Cable at Lowes and it is very nice. Just cannot justify the extra $$ no more than I use it. I read the reviews below:
http://reviews.tractorsupply.com/05...guide-work-light-16-speed-reviews/reviews.htm
I went ahead and bought it this morning and will assemble this week and try it out.
thanks for the reviews/feedback.
http://reviews.tractorsupply.com/05...guide-work-light-16-speed-reviews/reviews.htm
I went ahead and bought it this morning and will assemble this week and try it out.
thanks for the reviews/feedback.
Yea- the Black Bull is $199 at ours, too, but they often run it on sale for $179. It looks like a solid drill press, and I would have bought it if it had more power- I was looking for 1 hp.
Got the press together this morning and used it to drill some pipe and I found out something.
I should have bought a drill press 20 years ago
I should have bought a drill press 20 years ago
I found our TIG Welder was like that. I learned on stick and then 2 years later my dad brings home an air cooled Miller he "rescued" from a friend who was liquidating his company. After I got the hang of it I said "Where have you been all my life?"
If you ever get the hankering for more power you can always salvage something with a slightly bigger motor as long as the shaft size is the same.
If you ever get the hankering for more power you can always salvage something with a slightly bigger motor as long as the shaft size is the same.
Gundoctor
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Your budget is to small. $400 and up to get a good one. Also look into a Jet.
They make good drill presses. I have a lot of machines,- Lathes - Mills - etc. You can not spend to much. I have been doing this for over 50 year in my gun shop.
Dave Pidgeon
New Haven, Vermont
They make good drill presses. I have a lot of machines,- Lathes - Mills - etc. You can not spend to much. I have been doing this for over 50 year in my gun shop.
Dave Pidgeon
New Haven, Vermont
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I disagree. Not everyone can afford equipment like that, and not everyone uses one enough to justify that kind of money. There is a place for the cheaper drill presses. I'm making stabilizers using my $299 Porter Cable, and it works great for my needs. I simply am not selling enough stuff to afford twice that much in a press.