drill presses

[glennster]

i picked up a cincinati bickford radial drill press several years ago. i think i paid 1200 for it. has a #4 morse taper and came with a lot of bits . also has a phase converter to run single phase . its a beast. weighs around 7500 pounds but it will drill holes !!!

 

[wp6529]

It's a case where you don't realize how much utility you will get until you have the machine, and if you aren't looking for a mill in pristine condition able to hold tight tolerances you can get a very serviceable mill up to any farm fab and repair work quite cheap.

 

[Ultradog MN]

Some interesting replies here.
And I ain't saying any of you are wrong.
However, a drill press with a morse taper (MT) can put more torque to the bit than any type of collet used in a knee mill.
A drill press with a MT tap holder will tap holes like nobodys business.
A 3 phase drill press can instantly reverse while tapping.
Changing the tool in a MT drill press is much quicker than than loosening or changing the collet in a mill or in a chuck..
A drill press will drill big holes in steel day in, day out for years and not wear it out.
A drill press with power feed lets you adjust your speed/feed for optimum drilling performance.
A drill press is simpler to learn to use, quicker to set up and drills bigger holes faster.
I have an old knee mill. I like it and I use it for all the many things a drill press won't do.
But there is no way I would ever be without my drill press.

 

[wp6529]

You seem to have a fairly industrial gear head drill press, rather a "lite" version of a mill-drill. Somewhat unusual and likely more $ than a moderately worn Bridgeport.

You can also get R8 to MT adapters readily if you want to run some big MT drill bit in the mill and get solid drive to it. A Bridgeport or clone in back gear has a whole lot of torque available.

Again a key point is shop space which unless you are lucky is always in short supply. I'd rather fill 8 sq. ft. with a Bridgeport than 6 sq. ft. with a drill press and I don't have room for both.

Back when I had a larger shop I had three mills and still no drill press

 

[Ultradog MN]

[i:654c4848f0]You can also get R8 to MT adapters
readily if you want to run some big MT
drill bit in the mill and get solid drive
to it.[/i:654c4848f0]

An R8 - or any other type of collet in a
mill is still subject to the gripping
power of the taper. That may be a good
fail safe but that adapter can still spin
in the collet, the collet spin in the
spindle or both.
The tang plus taper on a MT drill will
keep it from slipping untill you twist the
tang off or bust the gears in the head.
That's why I think an MT drill can put
more torque to the bit.
PS,
A bridgeport in 8 sq feet?
My vintage knee mill is a bit smaller than
Bridgeport but measuring the envelope -
handle to handle on the table and rear of
machine to front of the handle, it needs
about 11.5 squ feet and more yet to fully
function.
The envelope of the drill in the photo is
4.3 squ feet.
Shop space is precious to all of us but I
don't begrudge this thing's presence
here.

 

[wp6529]

The R8 to MT adapters are not used with a collet. MT drill into adapter, adapter into R8 mill spindle. The R8 doesnt have a drive tang per se, but the taper and drawbar make for a pretty solid drive if properly cleaned and tightened.

I guess the Bridgeport footprint is closer to 12 sq. Ft., but in a 300 sq. Ft. Shop every bit of space counts including that under and behind the mill. My old shop was 1,200 sq. Ft.

 

[buickanddeere]

Look around for a vertical ( auto spell ) mill instead . They go for startling low prices if they are three phase.
So much that can be done with just a few tools and some ingenuity .
So low cost, simple and reliable to use a VFD to make real three phase power from single phase .

This post was edited by buickanddeere on 11/23/2023 at 10:48 am.

 

[timcasbolt]

(quoted from post at 13:45:31 11/22/23)
Look around for a vehicle mill instead . They go for startling low prices if they are three phase.
So much that can be done with just a few tools and some ingenuity .
So low cost, simple and reliable to use a VFD to make real three phase power from single phase .

've never heard of a vehicle mill. Does it require license plates and an annual inspection?

 

[Blackhole49]

If you have the space, this mill was free and cost me $50 to convert to single phase from 3 phase. It will drill anything you can clamp under it.

 

[Hemmjo]

Well I am certainly envious!!!!

 

[wp6529]

It's one of those thing where once you have it you realize how much more you can do with it. The "I have to find a replacement for this old part" becomes "I can just make a replacement for this old part". Or take a $25 Harbor Freight pipe wrench and in 30min transform it into a heavy duty pin spanner to wrench open 4" bore hydraulic cylinders.

This post was edited by wp6529 on 11/22/2023 at 01:24 pm.

 

[Hdonly]

I put a bigger 3 phase motor on my old drill press with a VFD.https://youtu.be/amWPpApY2nM