# My First Drill Press (Help me choose)



## Locodcdude (Oct 24, 2010)

Okay, Today I'm looking at the forum, and I've had an epiffany. I want to cut M&T joints. Just a drill press and a chisel. That and drill presses come in handy A LOT! Today I'm browsing Grizzly tools and found that the Drill press I've been watching is on sale! From $100 down to $90. 5 Speed Baby Drill press. It seems nice.. Or I save a little bit more, and I buy the same one in a floor model that has 12 speeds. It is also on sale now too.. I'm only 18, so I can upgrade later down the road, but I was wondering if I should spend the money now and buy the drill press that will last me (Hopefully) a life time, or buy this little one, and MAYBE upgrade later down the road in a few years. Here's the ones I'm talking about.
















I do have room for either drill press, but all of my tools are benchtop.


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## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

The only downside of a floor unit is the space, but if you've got room no reason to keep buying bench top tools.


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## Locodcdude (Oct 24, 2010)

Well the only downside to buying the big model for me is price. Freight difference is 13 for baby and 74 for floor model. I'm leaning toward the little one for now, but We'll see what other's have to say as well.
Thank you for your advice!


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

I have both a bench top drill press and a floor unit and they both get used on a regular basis. I use the benchtop for smaller items and the floor model for drilling larger pieces. If you've got the room and the funds for the larger unit, I would go with that one. It most likely has a larger drill capacity whereas a benchtop model can sometimes hinder the size of a piece that you can work on.


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## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

What I meant to say is _physically_ the only downside is space consumption, otherwise all the mechanical advantages go to the floor model. Being 18 is all the more reason to buy the upgrade now if you can swing it. You'll likely encounter the difference in price many times in your life, hate to see you regret not buying enough DP to suit needs. You'll reap the benefit from it for years.


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## gus (Oct 31, 2010)

+1 on the larger unit. especially if you have the room.


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## xphnmn (Dec 7, 2009)

Locodude, I have two experiences/observations for you. I got into woodworking about a year ago (I'm 69 years old) and after a tablesaw and jointer, my next purchase was a drill press. I bought a benchtop Craftsman model and now wish I had bought a floor model. The benchtop model is adequate but has limitations on stock that it can be used on. Specifically only short pieces of wood can be end grain drilled. It is possible to reverse mount the base over the edge of a bench or table but that doesn't seem safe to me so now I wish I had bought a floor model so I could just either swing the table out of the way or lower it very far for longer stock. The other observation is that since you are a very young man, spend the extra money and buy the best and most useful equipment you can afford. It will give you better service and satisfaction over the many years you are likely to use it.


Edited to add another comment. In my experiences over the years (not necessarily just woodworking, but things in general) it's best to avoid the temptation to buy anything that is "multi-purpose". I've found through experience that most things that attempt to do more than one thing, generally are a compromise and don't do any single thing as well as a machine/tool designed specifically to do one thing very well. There are exceptions but not many.


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## Locodcdude (Oct 24, 2010)

Hey guys, I was out in the shop just looking around. I have 1 possible spot for the floor drill press. There's the old trailer toilet in the way that was in use back in the home building days in my dad's era. After I remodeled a bit, it's in the middle of the floor. Not sure what the old man wants to do with it, but all I know is, I've worked around it for about 4 years..


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## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

You are located in Pennsylvania. 

Grizzly has a warehouse at 1203 Lycoming Mall Circle,
Muncy, PA 17756.

Maybe you can save the shipping charges by picking up your new floor style drill press in person.


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## Locodcdude (Oct 24, 2010)

Thank you for the good notes guys, I've figured out how to get this darn RV stall outa here, so I will have the room for some new toys for sure! The Grizzly facility is about 2 and a half hours from my town, good to know, but also probably would cost me that much in gas to get out there.


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## dodgeboy77 (Mar 18, 2009)

I am going to join in suggesting the floor model. They don't really take up much floor space and it's one less thing on your work bench. I doubt that you would regret the purchase.

Incidentally, even though I'm about the same distance as you are from the Grizzly store in Muncy, I did make the trip a couple years ago when I purchased a jointer from them. Aside from saving the shipping charges, it was great to visit what I would call a giant toy store for guys. I spent well over an hour just looking around at all the goodies.

Bill


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## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

Locodcdude said:


> The Grizzly facility is about 2 and a half hours from my town, good to know, but also probably would cost me that much in gas to get out there.


If you go, leave your credit cards and checkbook at home and take only enough to pay for the drill press. It is real easy to go crazy once you see all the power toys (er tools) available.


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## Locodcdude (Oct 24, 2010)

Hahahaa ^ Oh believe me, I would be in my GLORY if I want there. I would end up putting everything on the "Pay later" option and have it all dropped off at the house. 
Aside from that, Shipping may not be bad, considering they bring it to my door step all packaged nicely, But if I happen to be out in the area for any reason like a college visit, visiting relatives, or maybe I "Accidentally" (Wink wink) get lost on the way home from school..


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## dodgeboy77 (Mar 18, 2009)

<<But if I happen to be out in the area for any reason like a college visit....>>

You need to visit Lycoming College!


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

I have a baby drill press that is Shop Fox and is similar to this one. Get the floor standing model. The lack of drilling depth combined with the short depth capability results in it being a pain the @$$. I can't even drill through a half of a pen blank in one pass. It sucks. I can't wait to upgrade. Just my two cents. You'll save money in the long run getting one you'll be happy with for a long time.


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## Locodcdude (Oct 24, 2010)

Thank's for the great input everyone! I'm probably going to save up and get the floor standing model maybe by mid summer. In the mean time I'll see if I can find one that a friend has that's getting rid of and maybe use that for a while to limp me through a couple years or so. I like the little one, but like everyone says, I'll end up upgrading sooner than later because of limitations.


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## OTR366 (Apr 12, 2011)

Have you considered a radial arm drill press? I just bought the Shop Fox W1669 (same as Grizzly G7945) and am very happy. Years ago I had a floor model and very rarely did I use it for large material, mostly mortises. With the radial it is a benchtop DP but can extend past the bench to handle large material should I need it.

Below is a link to radial-arm drill presses

http://www.finewoodworking.com/ToolGuide/ToolGuideArticle.aspx?id=28854


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## Locodcdude (Oct 24, 2010)

I actually wasn't sure what the features of it we're for, and wasn't too interested in it at first sight. Watching this video has opened up a world of possibilities with it that I didn't realize we're limited with a standard drill press. Still looking at them though, keeping my eye out.


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## Hammered Toes (Mar 16, 2011)

OTR366 said:


> Have you considered a radial arm drill press? I just bought the Shop Fox W1669 (same as Grizzly G7945) and am very happy. Years ago I had a floor model and very rarely did I use it for large material, mostly mortises. With the radial it is a benchtop DP but can extend past the bench to handle large material should I need it.
> 
> Below is a link to radial-arm drill presses
> 
> http://www.finewoodworking.com/ToolGuide/ToolGuideArticle.aspx?id=28854


I too have a Craftsman 5/8 chuck radial arm drill press that I bought in 1992 and have used it extensively at both metal and woodworking jobs. If it ever goes to heaven, I will buy another radial arm.


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## dodgeboy77 (Mar 18, 2009)

Locodcdude,

Have you given any thought to a used or vintage DP? Good deals can be found and some of the older American made iron is good stuff and often needs little more than having the belts and bearings refreshed. You can take a look at OWWM and see what those guys do with the old Delta's, etc.

Bill


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## xphnmn (Dec 7, 2009)

dodgeboy77 said:


> Locodcdude,
> 
> Have you given any thought to a used or vintage DP? Good deals can be found and some of the older American made iron is good stuff and often needs little more than having the belts and bearings refreshed. You can take a look at OWWM and see what those guys do with the old Delta's, etc.
> 
> Bill


 
Ahhhhh, but the smell and gleam of a brand new machine!


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## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

My vote is for a floor model. You could actually look at the HF drill press. I have the 20" and it is identical to the grizzly and both made in China. almost 6 years and never a problem. If you do I would go with the floor model because I know someone that had problems with a bench top model. It could have been model specific but just passing on info.


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

You will want a model with good quill travel. Bench top drill presses very rarely have over 3". Many floor models have less than 3.5"...

If you are okay with saving up a little bit to get the drill press that you will likely never outgrow, throw your money into savings and save up for something like the Grizzly G7948, 12 speeds, 20" depth, 4-3/4" quill travel... and the table had built in T tracks for adding a fence and hold downs. What's not to like other than it isn't American Iron?

If you have to get a bench top drill press, you might want to look at the H0626 (Shop Fox sold through Grizzly). Decent specs. Still pricier than what you wanted to spend though...

Another good one is the Ryobi DP121L 12" bench top model, NOT the 10" DP102L. They typically run about $170 and seem to have a pretty good feature set and reputation... Steer clear of the 10". That one is a dud from what I hear...


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

*Grizzly's on sale*

You've got the summer to lock one up! :thumbsup:

http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2011/SpringFlyer/6


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## Locodcdude (Oct 24, 2010)

Hey Bill,
YES! I am always keeping my eye out for vintage tools. I was once told by a gentleman on this forum "Never pass up a deal on good ole 'merican iron"
By this I think he meant, I see old tools, I should prolly buy them. So yes I am keeping my eyes out for good deals out there. My friend says he's got a planer, so maybe we'll work something out.


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## xphnmn (Dec 7, 2009)

Locodcdude said:


> Hey Bill,
> YES! I am always keeping my eye out for vintage tools. I was once told by a gentleman on this forum "Never pass up a deal on good ole 'merican iron"
> By this I think he meant, I see old tools, I should prolly buy them. So yes I am keeping my eyes out for good deals out there. My friend says he's got a planer, so maybe we'll work something out.


 
You should keep in mind that just because it's old and American made doesn't mean it's a great tool. There is alot of American made junk out there too. Many of the big chain stores contracted tool manufacturers to make stuff for them and private label it that wasn't always up to snuff. If you stick to well known tool manufacturer brands though, you should be OK. Also, if it's very old, parts may be hard if not impossible to find no matter who made it.


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## dodgeboy77 (Mar 18, 2009)

A agree with xphnmn in that you have to be careful with the old stuff. As far as DP's are concerned, the guys over at OWWM love them old Deltas. Parts aren't much of a problem and there are a lot of them out there.

I was thinking about old vs. new and recent developments in features on newer tools. Table saws have newer, safer guard systems (riving knives for example) better dust collection, fences, plus the development of hybrid saws. Planers are smaller and cheaper than the older generations, etc.

Two tools that haven't changed much would be drill presses and jointers. New models may have more accessible, safer, on/off switches but not too many differences other than that. One exception with the drill presses would be that older models often didn't have a geared elevation system for the table, which is a big plus. 

What do you guys think about old vs. new and features?

Bill


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## xphnmn (Dec 7, 2009)

dodgeboy77 said:


> A agree with xphnmn in that you have to be careful with the old stuff. As far as DP's are concerned, the guys over at OWWM love them old Deltas. Parts aren't much of a problem and there are a lot of them out there.
> 
> I was thinking about old vs. new and recent developments in features on newer tools. Table saws have newer, safer guard systems (riving knives for example) better dust collection, fences, plus the development of hybrid saws. Planers are smaller and cheaper than the older generations, etc.
> 
> ...


 
Bill, there's no doubt that some of the old machines were really great machines in their day but today the parts issue will always be a problem and you bring up a very valid point about the safety enhancements on new machines. There will always be folks that collect older hardware and restore it for fun but mostly I'll take the newer stuff without exception for a working shop.


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## Locodcdude (Oct 24, 2010)

I'll keep my eye out for a good machine that's used. Benchtop machines, I have a lot of them.. I notice the limitations I have with them when I build bigger projects. The drill press mainly would be used for mortises. I'm getting into some mission style furniture, and I am gonna need an easier way to make those mortises, other than spending hours chiseling it out.
Another option would be to get a hollow chisel mortiser for less than the price of a floor drill press.
Anyone have a hollow chisel mortiser? Yah like it?


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## Woodworkingkid (Jan 8, 2011)

what i did is i got a 12 inch craftsmen which is basicaly half way between a floor model and a bench top model. it has worked realy well so far and is on sale for 205 right now. the other thing i did is make a 25 inch tall stand for it.so far i realy like it. it also has digital depth reading which works great and a light that works ok.

i will let you know about the mortiser because i am getting one within a couple weeks form woodcraft probley the delta they sell so i will let you know how it works


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