# Newbie with Drill Press Question



## Olympus (Jan 21, 2009)

This is my first post here. I thought I would get some background on the little cheapy drill press I bought. I've tried doing an internet search for product reviews and stuff but have come up short. The dp that I bought is a Pro-Tech and I bought it for $60 at a place called Worldwide Liquidators. I do very light duty jobs and I needed a press. This one seems to do the job. I just bought it last night and I haven't gotten a chance to use it yet. It's a shiny blue color. Does anyone know anything about these little presses? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


----------



## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

I think I saw those over at Lowes a few years ago. My memory could be rusty, but I think the House Brand for Lowes, now called, uh... Task Force I think, used to be called Pro Tech. I think they are simply rebranded Skil tools...

If it's the DP I think it is, you got a decent enough little benchtop DP, not much power, but very little runout so it will poke straight holes not ovals... 

$60.00 is a fair deal, but if you wanna get mad....








Mine cost me $75.00. And yeah I know I got a deal...

Honestly, I don't know that I will ever take full advantage of the full floor height. And I could use the floor space for a little cabinet. I think I will build a little cabinet to go around the bottom of this, and roll out of the way when not needed...

But I digress... Sorry...

Add a proper drill press table to that thing, and it will suddenly become MUCH more useful in your shop...


----------



## Olympus (Jan 21, 2009)

Thanks for the info. My press looks exactly like the one in this picture except it's bright blue instead of green and it has a different switch. It's still located in the same spot and has the cord going in and the cord coming out exactly the same.

http://www.ridgerocktools.com/Images_U/9272007104629AM10304.jpg


----------



## steve mackay (Oct 5, 2008)

While apartment living in the ARMY I put up with corded, hand-held accuracy for twenty years. Bought the casa and moved up to one of those DP "stands" to hold the hand-held. THEN (cue angels singing) got a 8" bench top for $80 in a pawn shop. OH MY ! Darn thing is like a TS. It'll do a WHOLE LOT more than you think it will !Figured out how to clamp down the whole rig and swivil the bussiness end out over the edge of the bench for "floor model" operation. I keep trolling for that floor model for $75 ! Then I'll be smarter and better looking !


----------



## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

Yeah, I've seen that same DP on Craigslist locally here...

Pretty sure Lowes had something to do with it... Not a bad DP per se... Just throw a decent DP table at it. I don't recall for sure, but that looks like a multispeed 1/2 HP model. I would guess at least 5 speeds, possibly more... There will be guys that will say that small benchtop stuff isn't any good, ignore them. In a lot of ways those benchtop machines are better to have, especially if you have a small workshop. 

I don't have a pic online for it, but I added a Grizzly H7827 DP table to mine on the cheap... Right now they are going for $32.95 + S&H, which if you have looked at DP tables is a bargain. You can't make one that cheap... At least not unless you already have T-track, T bolts, star knobs, Melamine board, hold downs, studs etc... laying around your shop...

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Drill-Press-Table/H7827

I bought mine second hand from the guy that bought it from Grizzly, he didn't like it, said the fence got in the way of the elevation arms. I think it's the LONG arms on his Hitachi DP though... Haven't had a problem with it on my DP...

Like I said above, if that is the DP I think it is, it'll poke straight holes, the table is tiltable from 0 to ?? degrees. I am pretty sure greater than 45 but don't recall the limit...

Another thing besides a table you will want is some sort of dust collection hook up for it. I haven't figured that part out well yet. So I can't help much other than tell you to do some searches here, BT3Central, Rockler, Peachtree etc... for drill press dust collection.


----------



## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

steve mackay said:


> While apartment living in the ARMY I put up with corded, hand-held accuracy for twenty years. Bought the casa and moved up to one of those DP "stands" to hold the hand-held. THEN (cue angels singing) got a 8" bench top for $80 in a pawn shop. OH MY ! Darn thing is like a TS. It'll do a WHOLE LOT more than you think it will !Figured out how to clamp down the whole rig and swivil the bussiness end out over the edge of the bench for "floor model" operation. I keep trolling for that floor model for $75 ! Then I'll be smarter and better looking !


LOL... I did the stand thing, as well as TRYING to get straight holes holding a handheld drill manually.... 

As far as the $75.00 floor model, that was luck of the draw on CL... Yeah it's a gloat, I get so few I'll take 'em where I can...

In a lot of ways, the additional size of the floor model is annoying. It just sucks up space. A benchtop on a rolling cabinet, like you said with the head swung over to hang over the side would be MUCH more space efficient... And honestly, how often am I going to cut mortises or dowel holes in the ends of 5' long lumber?


----------



## Olympus (Jan 21, 2009)

Well I hope it's going to work out. I'm going to drill some holes tonight and see how it works. It is a variable speed and I think it has 5 speeds. The table tilts 45 degrees both sides. I need to figure out how to get the belt moved up the pulley's so I can get it set to the fastest speed which it says works best for wood. Right now, it will only see one type of use. I make pistol grips and I needed a small simple dp to drill the holes for the grip screws. I just needed something that would drill a perfectly straight hole. The wood is only about 1/4 thick so I'm not worried about the little thing not having enough power. I don't have the space for a floor model and even if I did, I would never use it to its full potential. This size is hopefully going to work just fine. One thing about it though, I did turn it on last night and let it run for a while and the little thing doesn't have any vibrations or rattles. It sounds smoother than a sewing machine, even when working the arms up and down.

I think I will have to buy some type of clamp to hold my grips down on the table though. Because I'll be drilling on a slightly rounded surface, I'm afraid the wood is going to want to slide to one side of the other.


----------



## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

Like I stated above, you are going to want a proper drill press table. The tables built into the DP are designed for metalworking, and are poorly suited to woodworking tasks...
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Drill-Press-Table/H7827

Hold down clamps are your next need for keeping small parts in place.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Hold-Down-Clamp-for-T-Slot-Track/H0879

If you notice there are stop blocks, and a fence on the DP table, simply line it up, lock those in place, drop in your work piece, clamp it to keep it from moving, and make your hole, unclamp, clamp next one, make hole and so on...

If you have a slot cutting router bit, you CAN build your own DP table out of MDF and hardboard. I've seen some really nice ones out there... Honestly, the aluminum T track puts up with way more abuse...


----------



## Olympus (Jan 21, 2009)

AHHH HEELLLLPPP! 

I just about messed up a set of fully finished grips today with this drill press. I already had 17/64th holes drilled in them and I had been waiting for the press so I could go back and drill 9/32 countersinking holes about 2mm down for the screwhead. I got the piece clamped on the table and put the 17/64th bit in and positioned the piece so the bit would slide in the existing hole. Then I secured the table. I changed bits to the bigger 9/32 and fired it up and pulled the handle down thinking that it would still be centered with the previous hole. It WASN'T! I ovaled a hole before I noticed it. 

I took the piece off and examined everything closer. I noticed several things. First thing is that I noticed was that the bit wasn't vertically level. It is canted off to a side a little. I took a small level and placed it against the bit and sure enough. The bit is inside the chuck perfectly so that's not the issue. Second thing I noticed is that when I pull the handle, the bit doesn't move straight down. It slants down to one side when I pull the handle. Third thing I noticed is that once the bit was tightened in the chuck, the shaft has about 1/8 inch or more play in it when the shaft is extended. With the shaft all the way up, there is no play at all in the bit. But if I pull the handle down, I can wiggle the bit the 1/8 in a complete cirle. 

What should I do? Is any of this fixable by me? Should I just take it back to the store or what? I'm really frustrated with this!

This is exactly the model that I have: http://www.toolsnow.com/browse.cfm/4,128.html


----------



## Olympus (Jan 21, 2009)

I've figured out that the drill press is a relabeled Cummins 5-speed press. There is no such thing as Pro-Tech like mine but apparently they just relabled a Cummins drill press.


----------



## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

Go over to Wood Magazine's website, to the videos section, power tools tips & techniques and finally drill press tips & techniques.


----------



## Olympus (Jan 21, 2009)

Well the video was alright. But it didn't really help with my problem of play in the spindle.


----------



## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

You do have play in that spindle? If you can, take it back and test the next one before you get out of the store...


----------



## Olympus (Jan 21, 2009)

Yes, it's play in the spindle. When it's all the way up in the housing, there is no play and everything is really tight. But when you lower the spindle you get the play. And obviously the longer the spindle gets, the amount of travel increases at the tip of the bit. I even went out and bought some actual countersinking bits last night thinking that they might be easier to use, but it still didn't work. I ovaled out another hole. Anyway, the press is in the back of the car and it will be getting returned this morning. I'll be sure and check the next one out thoroughly.


----------



## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

Yeah, that's not right... That was one of the things I checked when I bought my DP, I chucked a known good round object (turned steel knob a friend of mine made on his metal lathe, 4" long) and checked to see if there was any runout, none perceptible, but honestly, I don't have a runout gague / dial indicator...


----------



## Olympus (Jan 21, 2009)

Unfortunately, in my efforts to save a buck, I bought it from a liquidator that only offers store credit or exchanges....no cash refunds. :furious:

They had several other models that I looked at, but they were all out of stock and I would have had to take a floor model. I ended out settling for the floor model of the exact same one I had bought. I checked it over really good though and it didn't have the play that the last one had. I'm hoping that I just had a defect. I've got another 90 days to return this one. If this one ends up like the last, I'll give it some time and see if the store gets more in stock before I return this one. They have a bigger Delta that a benchtop and it's a little more money but I'm sure Delta will be better made than this relabeled Cummins. So I may go that route if this one ends up not working either. I'll give it a go this afternoon when I get home from work.


----------

