What are larger drill presses used for?

[Lanse]

So what exactly can a big drill press like this do that a much smaller floor model could not? What is something like this typically used for?
Background:

> Replacing $300 beater soon
>Looking at $600-$1000 models
>This is $1,850 and gear driven, could swing the upcharge if I thought I'd use its potential added capabilities someday, since I dont wanna buy another drill press ever if I can avoid it

I generally use a lot of hole saws in mild steel (3/4-2.5" holes, and twist bits (up to 1.5"), wouldnt mind having a little extra power behind things. I'm tired of going super slow through holes, and stalling my current press out using hole saws unless I use SUPER light pressure. I'd like to use my mag drill's annular cutters as well if possible

 

[NCWayne]

Not to sound like a smart a--, but big drill presses are for drilling big holes.

Now if your looking to spend money to get something that you will use, and shouldn't have the need to replace for awhile, find yourself a milling machine.

A milling machine is really nothing but a glorified drill press, that has been beefed up to allow it to handle the side load of milling, as well as doing heavier drilling, and doing it all with precision.

Given the current market, you can often find an older mill for between $1500 and $2000. Given the kind of stuff your into, you'll wonder how you ever got along without one once you get started using it and see it's capabilities.

Below is a link to HGR Industrial Surplus, and a decent sized mill that they have for sale for $1700. They also have some good drill presses for really good prices. The downside, if you want to call it that, to many of these machines are that they are 3 phase. Fortunately between VFD's, static converters, and rotary converters, you can easily run one of them off regular 220V power, without a lot of expense or effort to hook it up.

Good luck, and enjoy whatever you wind up getting.
Poke here

 

[ObsoElitist]

it should be capable of slower speeds for larger drills without melting them and you can put a lot more pressure on them

 

[Butch(OH)]

What they do best is turn a dreaded job such as large or deep drilling and turn it into pleasurable work. You will be flat amazed at how much longer your drill bits stay sharp when both the bit and work are held ridged AND you have enough power to keep the bit cutting and pulling a heavy ship load. That is a decent looking drill press, we have a similar one at work that is badged as a Wilton. As Wayne said your best buys will be a used industrial quality press. I bought a Do-All like pictured a few years ago and paid less than $1000. Since you are used to using a flimsy under powered drill press A word of caution is in order. Clamp that work down!! When a bit binds or grabs when breaking through you do NOT want to be holding the work with your hand or a vise grip. If you must learn by feel hopefully your education will come as a close call and not a trip to the urgent care.

 

[markct]

Yup as others said big holes and big parts. I have drilled and reamed many equipment parts etc that Sat on the forklift as one corner was rest on the drillpress. Don't try that with a tiny light duty table. Also useful for large pieces is my magnetic drillpress.

 

[MikeJM]

We bought a large radial arm drill press from a school auction years ago. Morris taper 3 in the splindle, separate power feed motor, setup to power tap with depth switches to automatically reverse to motor, the table height is adjustable as well as drill head on the post. It is a very capable machine, but I'm not sure I would try to run mag drill cutters with it, I run those in the milling machine all the time. The milling machine is a bit more rigid for that type of work. I've drilled with 2" twist drills with it, once you lock a big heavy drill press like that down it won't more till you unlock it. And as Butch said clamping or the use of a vise is absolutely necessary to keep from maiming yourself. I don't know what we would do without ours.

 

[Mike(NEOhio)]

What are they used for? Larger holes and larger workpieces. Everyone here has given you good advice. I'll add that whatever you get, anchor it properly to the floor and get it good and level. If you look for a used industrial type (as I would) make sure the spindle isn't loose and the quill doesn't have any side-play.

 

[Bret4207]

I'd love a good heavy power feed drill press. Instead I still use the old "armstrong" Buffalo Forge hand crank with power feed. Slow but it works.

 

[Dusty MI]

I've got a nice floor drill press. It has 2 v-belts which you move to have different speeds. I get tired of always swapping the belts around to change speeds. A VFD sure would be nice but I'm retired and my time is not all that important.
One thing that I did to it when I first got it was to put a foot switch on it. I also have a nice vice and cross screw to hold the vice, but there are many times that what I'm drilling that can not be held in a vice.

 

[Eric in IL]

I'm just gonna throw this out there, you may want to consider a used Bridgeport (or similar) milling machine. They will drill, power feed, pretty rigid.

If you think you may need a mill in the future anyway, now might be the time ??

 

[MarkB_MI]

Probably the first thing to look for when buying a drill press is its MINIMUM speed. A press that can turn 150 rpm or less is capable of doing some serious work. The model you're looking at can go down to 90 rpm.

Rather than spend a couple grand on a new press, I suggest you start looking around for a used one. Decent used drill presses and milling machines can often be found on eBay and Craigslist at bargain prices, particularly three-phase models.

 

[Ultradog MN]

Power feed!!

 

[rustyfarmall]

(quoted from post at 05:51:31 06/05/15) I'm just gonna throw this out there, you may want to consider a used Bridgeport (or similar) milling machine. They will drill, power feed, pretty rigid.

If you think you may need a mill in the future anyway, now might be the time ??

I agree completely. Get a used milling machine. It will do SO much more than a drill press.

 

[petetx]

Lanse check out these people
http://www.lostcreekmachine.com/

 

[Arnold Layne]

Yeah, save your money for a milling machine, you will forget where you left your drill press. It did take some waiting and watching but I picked up a really clean, small Enco on C/L and a pretty nice, big Wells machine with a lot of features, the Enco was $800 and the Wells was on an auction, I'm just guessing because of it's size it only brought $300, but I had to add a phase converter.

 

[Dick L]

The larger the drill press the more things and larger holes you can drill.

A larger table with a deeper throat would be nice if you can swing it. For larger/longer wider stuff I use a die cart to hold the overhang. My smallest floor drill press has a bigger table than your picture. I have one drill press with a 14 inch throat with a 14 inch table. For all sizes of things and deep drilling I have a radial arm drill which is a bit expensive if you don't have the use.

 

[JRSutton]

One thing it can do is rip stuff out of a wimpy little vice more easily. : )

Make sure you factor in the price of a good drill press vice if you don't already own one.

Although I do agree with others on the milling machine idea. Opens up a whole new set of possibilities once you own one. A little tougher to move around the shop, but also a much better use of floor space.

 

[glennster]

lance, i picked up a cincinnati bickford radial drill press for 1200.00 several years ago. its big, heavy and will handle just about anything. keep your eyes open, they come up from time to time. mine weighs about 3 1/2 tons. its a 3 ph with a single phase converter on it.

 

[redtom]

As my retired tool and die maker dad would say, " the best drill press you can buy is a used Bridgeport". I've seen them sell for $1,400. Manual control, no read out. Who cares? a Bridgeport can make a keyway or hold a center when drilling out a broken bolt, or face off smaller surfaces. A drill press can't do that. And cheap china tooling or auction finds can yield what you need to chuck up in it to do the work.

 

[Dieselrider]

They come much bigger!

 

[Spook]

I used one like that when I was 18, working in a die shop. It had a 6 foot arm, a little bigger than the one pictured. I was drilling, tapping,
countersinking holes in die shoes.

 

[Spook]

(quoted from post at 20:34:47 06/05/15) As my retired tool and die maker dad would say, " the best drill press you can buy is a used Bridgeport". I've seen them sell for $1,400. Manual control, no read out. Who cares? a Bridgeport can make a keyway or hold a center when drilling out a broken bolt, or face off smaller surfaces. A drill press can't do that. And cheap china tooling or auction finds can yield what you need to chuck up in it to do the work.

I agree.

 

[Tom in NE]

Spook,

This is the biggest drill press I ever operated. An Acme. We had 3 in the Kearney, NE factory and used them to drill through forged gears. It had six stations that we put nests in to hold the gears. Each station was set up to drill part of the way and the last station had a boring bar to finish the hole. Those Acme's were remnants from the WW II war effort.
They got rid of them in the late 1980's when they went to CNC machining.
Tom

 

[Spook]

(quoted from post at 17:30:42 06/06/15) Spook,

This is the biggest drill press I ever operated. An Acme. We had 3 in the Kearney, NE factory and used them to drill through forged gears. It had six stations that we put nests in to hold the gears. Each station was set up to drill part of the way and the last station had a boring bar to finish the hole. Those Acme's were remnants from the WW II war effort.
They got rid of them in the late 1980's when they went to CNC machining.
Tom

In Detroit, we called Acme's either chucker's or bar machines. The type was called a screw machine. Not a drill press....

 

[Bob - MI]

Looks like a multi-spindle screw machine to me.