Bench Top Drill Presses Not To Buy

i’ve a ryobi 12” benchtop that is adequate but by no means special or above average. it only cost me $40 on clearance and sometimes i wish i still had the ryobi 10” that preceded it or the c-man 8” which preceded the 10”. it’s not a terrible DP, it’s just not anything that i’d pay retail for. i’d imagine a delta would be better. maybe when i drive to my parents home in fla., i’ll bring back dad’s old split head delta bench top and CL the ryobi 12”.

-- there's a solution to every problem.......you just have to be willing to find it.

Can’t say, as I don’t own one. Might be easier to identify the good ones.

In my research of benchtop drill presses, Shop Fox performed strong in a comparison done by a woodworking magazine a few years back to half a dozen or so other benchtop presses.

I believe it had 3/4 h.p. and has a built-in spindle sander capability in the table-top.
I think they are sold at Grizzly. The Shop Fox got the editors choice.

Any particular reason to eliminate older or vintage drill presses from consideration? My Craigslist is full of decent Taiwan benchtop drill presses from the ‘70s and ‘80s that are inexpensive and well built. And then the occasional Delta, Craftsman 150, or Walker Turner vintage model for about the same price. All of these are beefy, cast iron presses that are fairly simple to maintain. Compared to a new Ryobi or Porter Cable drill press, they’re better built, heavier, and typically have a better motor.

-- ian | "You can't stop what's coming. It ain't all waiting on you. That's vanity."

I still use my 1993 Craftsman 1/3hp 8” DP (*bought it new), and the only complaint I have is that I wish I had a bigger one. Oh, the chuck key is about worn out so I have to be careful how I use it, but it too still works…

-- HorizontalMike -- "Woodpeckers understand..."

Any particular reason to eliminate older or vintage drill presses from consideration? My Craigslist is full of decent Taiwan benchtop drill presses from the ‘70s and ‘80s that are inexpensive and well built. And then the occasional Delta, Craftsman 150, or Walker Turner vintage model for about the same price. All of these are beefy, cast iron presses that are fairly simple to maintain. Compared to a new Ryobi or Porter Cable drill press, they’re better built, heavier, and typically have a better motor.

Mate last week I picked up a 10” CM DP for $50 on kijij. It was an hour drive to Wasega beach but it was only $20 in gas and a nice drive. Buddy was asking $75 I offered $50 cause of the gas and immediate p/u. I have to say i was hesitant, I had been searching Kijiji and CL for a solid 2 weeks and nothing decent under $100.
So I picked it up, brought it home, set her up. There was rust on the beds, but just surface rust, quick hit with the R/O and 220 grit and sparkling. The rest of the machine is totally mint. Moral of the story is, be patient and vigilant. As for the drill, I had a month worth of projects backed up and its been running hot since I got it, no it’s not the craziest DP you can get, however it’s my first DP and for $50 it will let me figure out what it is I need in a Drill press that i will pay several hundred for, only thing I would say is don’t go smaller then 10”, 12” is preferable, 8” is a joke.

What size “benchtop” DP are you looking for? Anything without its own stand sits on a bench : )
They even make radial DPs that sit on benchtops.

-- I'm absolutely positive that I couldn't be more uncertain!

Why are ya so hooked on bench tools?
A good,old floor model can be had for the same $ if ya have the room.
I bought a C’man from the ‘50s (KingSeely) for about $150.00. They are out there if ya wanna search.
Bill

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My first DP was a small 8” Griz. It was under powered, and vibrated more than I liked. I think it’s more a matter of the size than a quality issue. My current DP is a 13” benchtop HF 38142 that I like much better.

-- Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....

Don’t bother with the Scheppach RAB13. There’s a lot of movement in the quill and the depth stop is pathetic.

The current Craftsman 12” DP is one to avoid. Its actually pretty well made, but not very powerful. Only 4.8 amps. Fine for light duty, but not much else.

I noticed that to, when I was price checking CM tools, seems there new models are all very under powered. Like you said the current 12” is only 4.8amps mine is a 10” with 6amps. So my thinking is if your buying CM buy an older model.

I guess I will consider older drill presses as well, depending on what I can find – a lot of older quality is standing the test of time as some of you are saying. I’m looking (short-term?) for a bench top model since it will get infrequent use (I think), and I have very limited floor space, and small budget allocated. Although I’ve trained myself over the years to use a variable speed corded drill to drill holes very straight and fast, perhaps I am underestimating how much I will end up switching more of my drilling over to a drill press?

-- Perfection is the difference between too much and not enough.

I appreciated your perspective there, jimig11, thanks.

Also, looks like I should up my budget a bit to get a bit more power and size up slightly too.

-- Perfection is the difference between too much and not enough.

I have a Duracraft that I paid $15 for at a garage sale years ago. It was made in 1978 and has been a great drillpress.

-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm

I didn’t read the whole thread, but quite simply, the best deal on a drill press bar none is the pc 15” at Lowe’s. Get a mover’s coupon, or try to find a local lowe’s that will accept a HF 20% off coupon and you’re golden.

I’d not get a benchtop press to save space, because it doesn’t.
A floor model takes up about as much floor space as a 5 gallon bucket.

For benchtops, avoid anything with a 1/3HP motor, which is most, unless you spend as much as a floor press would cost.

-- He who dies with the most tools... dies with the emptiest wallet.