Drill Press Recommendations

[passtheducky]

I have that Ryobi or an earlier model. It seems decent.

Can someone point to a reference for what type of vise is most appropriate for our use case? Context: no machinist skills whatsoever.

 

[Harry Klippton]

This kind of vise

 

[jwin615]

I have that Ryobi or an earlier model. It seems decent.

Can someone point to a reference for what type of vise is most appropriate for our use case? Context: no machinist skills whatsoever.

A cross slide has some benefit of you plan to clamp it. A little more moolah though but easier to reposition vs moving the whole vise

Getting a vise with plastic or rubber protector pads is good. Or adding them later. There are magnetic ones on Amazon and Ali express.
I bought a cheap neoprene mouse pad and cut a few pieces out.

Keep in mind you'll lose some capacity with those. I'd avoid any vise smaller than 6 inches.

 

[Erik S]

A cross slide has some benefit of you plan to clamp it. A little more moolah though but easier to reposition vs moving the whole vise

Getting a vise with plastic or rubber protector pads is good. Or adding them later. There are magnetic ones on Amazon and Ali express.
I bought a cheap neoprene mouse pad and cut a few pieces out.

Keep in mind you'll lose some capacity with those. I'd avoid any vise smaller than 6 inches.

I was just wondering if anyone used one of those for pedal drilling. I do my drilling on a mill with a X-Y controls, but if I was using a press I’d definitely consider some kind of xy table or vise.

 

[KR Sound]

I was able to score mine from an estate sale for $100. It looks like crap on the outside, but the motor is great and a couple of new belts make it run like a dream.

 

[Harry Klippton]

If I were buying a new drill press, I would be buying one with a better height adjustment than the one I have now. It's annoying to change and I need to change it like a thousand times all the time

 

[DailyDovetails]

I like this style of vise. I never clamp it down. What I do is center punch and then line the bit up with the punch mark as it is coming down. This lets you get the bit perfectly lines up and perpendicular. I think the clamp can make it really hard to line the bit up perfectly with the center punch. You have to use the right speeds and feed smoothly. I also have an XY slide table that I can use but this gets 99% of use. I also think a center punch and safety glasses are mandatory drill press accessories.

 

[jwin615]

I was able to score mine from an estate sale for $100. It looks like crap on the outside, but the motor is great and a couple of new belts make it run like a dream.


View attachment 62753

I passed on a similar deal. Kicked myself since.

 

[jwin615]

If I were buying a new drill press, I would be buying one with a better height adjustment than the one I have now. It's annoying to change and I need to change it like a thousand times all the time
View attachment 62754

Agree. Crank adjustment is way easier. If one isn't using a light or laser on the press, wiring power through a footswitch is nice as well as a good safety check(so when your flannel that you forgot to take off gets caught in the spindle and is turning your wrist into a pretzel, you can instantly kill power).

 

[passtheducky]

Ah a cross slide vise looks like the thing I needed that I didn’t know the name for. I fear how many years of machinist videos I will now get every time I open you tube.

 

[jwin615]

Ah a cross slide vise looks like the thing I needed that I didn’t know the name for. I fear how many years of machinist videos I will now get every time I open you tube.

I have a feeling that it's one of those things where cheapest probably isn't the same. TPI on the sleds is a key spec there.
Just open YouTube in a private tab for those.