drill presses

[johndeeregreg]

would like to upgrade the drill press in our shop but don't know where to find a good one or who makes a good one. would be used to drill anything from 1/16 hole in sheet metal up to 1+ holes through thick steel and am limited to single phase. don't want to spend an arm and a leg but willing to spend money on a quality unit that will last my lifetime and then some, the run of the mill units from fleet farm or Menards that use a tiny belt don't interest me, we already have one of those, and though it currently could use new belts it still takes way to long to drill a hole.

 

[RusselAZ]

Keep your eye on facebook market place or craiglist's tools. They have some good ones that show up. Get one with at least a 58 ths chuck or one that has a taper capability. And, three phase electronic convertors are reasonably priced.

 

[Ultradog MN]

How much do you want to spend?
Drilling a 1 hole in thick steel isn't going to get done with a belt drive drill press from Menards. They just cant be run slow enough.
You will need a gear head drill. Something that will drill around 150 rpm or preferably even less.
And you wil likely Not find one of those that run on single phase.
However, you can buy a VFD (variable phase drive) that will convert 220 single phase to 220 3 phase. They are pretty much plug and play now days and you should be able to buy a new one capable of powering up to a 2 HP machine for under $300.
Do not make the mistake of buying a drill press that requires 440/480 volts because now you will need to deal with a transformer as well as the phase converter.
A lot of folks can't get over the 3 phase barrier but if you do it will open up a lot of options for used industrial machinery and in your case a Real drill press that will drill fifty 1 holes into heavy steel without breaking a sweat.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Hate to say it if you are in a hurry to get one then plan to break open that piggy bank for it. If you want to shop around a while you can find one for less. I shopped for 20 years for the air compressor I wanted in the size I wanted. Now I'm very happy with it for my money. Would have cost me close to 5,000 for it new today. I spent 400.00 on it. I get 175PSI for tire work on semis with a larger volume like around 15or so SCFM. It will with a 1 inch impact tighten disc gang nuts with no problem and other large bolts. And you can even see the tire raise when flat on an 18.4-30 without having to wait to see if it is going up. Auctions sometimes have some radial drill presses on them. They would do what you want though tooling for Morse tapered bits is going to get costly for big holes. And for the little holes you will need a chuck small enough to hold those bits and have a quill to fit the Morse taper. All also not cheap.

 

[wp6529]

Forget the drill press, unless you happen to have a huge shop they are a waste of space for a very limited function machine. Find yourself a good mill instead, a Bridgeport or one of its clones. Takes only a bit more shop space and is vastly more functional. I have never had a drill press in my shop, only a mill or two, and never missed it.

 

[M-MAN]

I agree with UD. You're going to have to hunt used industrial equipment. Preferably with the tooling. I've only seen a couple of the old gear drive drill presses and they were in a cotton mill machine shop. They were furnished by the military during WW2 and left there after the war. They used to make all kinds of stuff for the war effort. I've seen the bigger one drill 4 inch holes in heavy iron blanks like they were nothing. They had bits even bigger.

You aren't going to get speed though. Those things are slow. On the lowest speed you can barely see the drill turn.

 

[Handyman]

Look for a mill-drill, I have drilled holes up to 1 1/4 inch with mine. the table lets you clamp your material down and then move it to center the drill bit to your hole. with a little learning there are many things you can do that a drill press will not do.

 

[timcasbolt]

(quoted from post at 06:46:45 11/20/23) Forget the drill press, unless you happen to have a huge shop they are a waste of space for a very limited function machine. Find yourself a good mill instead, a Bridgeport or one of its clones. Takes only a bit more shop space and is vastly more functional. I have never had a drill press in my shop, only a mill or two, and never missed it.

ompletely agree.

 

[Hemmjo]

You are not really limited to single phase. I wish I had known about phase converters earlier in life. If you find a nice used drill press with 3-phase don't pass it up if it fits your needs

You can get a VFD (variable frequency drive with a phase converter) to power your drill press. I got a good deal on a lathe with a 3 phase motor. Was looking for a single replacement motor. Someone suggested I look into a VFD. It was less money than a new motor, in addition I get variable speeds, reverse, slow start, quick stop where the motor acts as a brake instead of just coasting to a stop.

It puts a lot of good used industrial equipment into your pool of possibilities.

 

[Jim.ME]

Look at a Mag Drill. I have a Milwaukee Variable speed reversible that has the Morse taper so I can use a chuck or annular cutters with MT adapters as well as MT drill bits. And it can be used to tap holes. I picked it up used.

 

[Kansas4010]

Hemmjo could you tell me what kind you bought. I'm not an electrical type of person and haven't heard of phase converters. I also bought a lathe like you and it sounds like something I would be interested in doing. I typed it in and came up with a vast array of models that frankly I don't know what I would need. Thank you.

 

[wp6529]

You want a VFD - Variable Frequency Drive, and one that accepts single phase power input. Also note that lathes have a lot of rotating mass so you will want a VFD that supports an external braking resistor and you'll want the resistor as well. Avoid the cheap China VFDs as support and reliability are questionable. Drives Warehouse has quality drives and a decent site to search for what you need.

 

[Steve in IL]

If you take some of the model names, products suggested below, and put them into searchtempest.com, you will find a lot of options.

 

[ihplowboy]

Look for an Excello 602 mill or a Bridgeport.
It can also mill a slot, or bore a hole larger.
I put a single phase motor on mine 1.5 hp

 

[timcasbolt]

(quoted from post at 08:34:13 11/20/23) You want a VFD - Variable Frequency Drive, and one that accepts single phase power input. Also note that lathes have a lot of rotating mass so you will want a VFD that supports an external braking resistor and you'll want the resistor as well. Avoid the cheap China VFDs as support and reliability are questionable. Drives Warehouse has quality drives and a decent site to search for what you need.

agree with this if you are only planning to have one 3 phase tool. I have a Bridgeport, band saw and surface grinder, so I went with a rotary phase convertor. My weapon of choice is a Cedarberg. Highly recommended. The static phase convertors cost you a third of your power and don't last very long. Some people build their own, but I'm not sparky enough for that.

 

[wp6529]

An RPC is good for many applications. An RPC is really a static converter with an idler motor added to smooth the output and somewhat generate a third leg.

Don't overlook the advantages of a VFD though:

- Single phase input, less wiring to run and also easier resale later to others without three phase power.

- Soft start, rather nice in a home/homestead environment where you don't have big power feeders and the significant other doesn't care for the lights blinking when you start machines in the shop.

- Dynamic braking, just a nice convenience to have the lathe or mill come to a stop faster without having to manually apply a brake. Slightly faster tool changes and measurements add up to real time savings over time.

- Variable speed, another nicety to be able to adjust the speed without having to stop and change gears. You will find the gear settings that will do the job 95% of the time with just motor speed adjustments. Yes you loose some torque at less than rated motor speed but you also rarely are pushing anything hard enough to need it unless you are a production shop.

- RPCs have idle power consumption and you tend to leave them on while you are in the shop so you have three phase power to start a machine whenever. Over time this can add up to wasted power cost if you don't run the machines that much vs. VFDs that only consume any real power when operating the motor.

 

[504]

Evaluation (check spelling) brand mag drills and saws are some of the best on the market and the price is right. I would recommend keeping the press and getting a mag drill for the big stuff

 

[johndeeregreg]

something like this? https://stcloud.craigslist.org/tls/d/saint-cloud-hp-drill-mill-press-volt/7689555516.html
Untitled URL Link

 

[Hemmjo]

I had no idea about VFD's either. I discovered them on a forum, I think it was the Practical Machinist, but I do not remember for sure. I got a TECO N3, made in Taiwan. It has been working fine for about 15 years. You need size the VFD to match the motor you are using. I have a 1HP Leeson motor on my 11 Logan lathe.

TECO N3

Leeson 3ph 1 HP motor

 

[ss55]

A used Bridgeport type mill or radial arm drill will last several lifetimes of farm repairs. If necessary replace the industrial motor with a single phase that matches your electrical wiring capacities. Check rotation speed a maximum speed reduction and maybe change the pulley ratios to suit your needs. A radial arm drill with only a half horse power motor might still cut way more that any consumer grade drill press spinning at its 600 minimum rpm.