Which Drill Press - Again!

[TonyW]

I am looking to buy my first drill press (probably bench type) soon and would welcome the suggestions from the more experienced on this forum.

So far have seen the budget offerings of the DIY stores and must say not impressed by the quality and came away with the distinct impression that accuracy and repeatability would be compromised on these machines. I suppose you cannot expect too much from machines at the £100 price point.

I therefore decided to approach this by looking at specifications of various machines up to a maximum of around £200. Taking into account Chuck Travel, Max Chuck to Base, Max Chuck to Table, Power, Throat, Speed Range, Nett Weight and price. This may not have been the best idea as it has left me even more confused as to which would represent a best buy i.e. a good value for money machine.

So far I have drawn up the following shortlist:
Axminster ED16B2. This seems to be a pretty good spec with 650w power at an attractive price of £158. Have some concerns relating to the quoted weight of 82kgs!!
SIP 01376 B16-16L. Similar spec to Axminster. Weighing less at 65kgs and costing more at £190.
Record DP58B. Again similar/slightly better spec than Axminster. Much lower weight of 55kgs. Price around £230.
Draper 63221 Slightly less power 560w. Weight around 75kgs. Price around £230
Jet JDP-13. Most expensive of the bunch at £250. Power Input quoted as 370w - is this acceptable?

I am feeling drawn towards the Record probably due to a name I am most familiar with and the lighter weight. On the other hand the Axminster offering is very attractive on price but the weight seems excessive. I have read a lot of comment about the good quality of Jet products but am concerned that the seemingly low quoted power of the unit and the higher price.

So any advice and or suggestions please

Cheers
Tony

 

[OLD]

I have just purchased a old engineers drill startrite mercury, no play in the quill etc but no rack to raise table and move belt for speed change it was the accuracy i wanted, it was on ebay at half the price of the record.

 

[johnnyb]

i suspect most of the machines quoted would be similar in most respects. the record will be more expensive because of the name and the gaurantee no other reason. from my own point of view if you brought the axminster press and didnt think it was running accurately send it back. i brought a rexon floorstander from b and q £100 on offer really quite impressed with build and power. buying older tools is good but mostly a pita as they are three phase and will often sell for more than the tools you quoted. i have even milled the guides for my bandsaw on mine using a small milling vice. ps weight is usually a helpful vibration damper and 80 kgs is not ridiculous as far as machine tools go.

 

[Escudo]

Hello there Tony,

I would like to suggest you have a look at the Jet JDP - 10M. The baby brother of the 13 mentioned in your list. I am sure I only paid about £150 for mine.

It is a very well made machine, 43kg, it has more than adequate power 390w for any drilling job I have thrown at it. It is a decent size, but not to big to fit in a small shop. (840mm height) Don't worry about the table size as you can make a drill press table to improve this.

I have also used mine with some drum sanders and made a sort of bobbin type sander machine.

On the down side I don't think you can use it as a mortiser (with the appropriate attachment) I have not tried this.

All in all a good machine, well worth £150.

One final point did you know that the number 10 stands for twice the distance in inches of the spindle to column. eg 5 in case of the number 10 and 6.5 in case of the 13. A font of useless information.

Hope this helps, cheers, Tony

 

[gardenshed]

Tony,

Another one you might like to look at is the new Ryobi EDP-5530L at around £200. there's a review in F&C Jan 2008. Speed change is by lever & has digital speed readout (no changing belts on pulleys here).





.

 

[TonyW]

Thanks for your replies guys

OLD Did think about the older pro models such as Fobco, Startrite etc. but discounted this idea as not sure what I should be looking for and potential for spares not being readily available. I am pretty sure that these machines being so solidly made will probably outlast current crop of "amateur" models now being marketed.

johnnyb Like you I do suspect that machines in this price range likely to be very similar. I guess that most companies farm this work out to China/Taiwan. Sounds like you got a bargain with your Rexon and pleased to hear you are impressed with the build and power. I understand your comment about weight being a helpful vibration damper. Still think that 82kgs for a bench top unit a little excessive - at least compared to similar sized machines from other manufacturers.

Escudo Had not seen the Jet 10M anywhere - not sure if I can afford to loose 1.5" though :lol: Obviously the lower power is adequate for most drilling jobs.

gardenshed Will have a look at the Ryobi reviews.

I have not made my mind up yet and am even looking into the possibility of a floor standing unit vs my original intention of a bench top model.

Thanks again

Cheers
Tony

 

[johnnyb]

when i was looking i checked out the clarke range and thought them very poor mostly. i too was considering a bench mount but brought mine as it was cheap... doesnt seem a huge space hogger for the work i tend to do. if your using it for mortises its slightly different as you need space at both sides to keep the face edge as the datum. these machines are incredibly useful actually and i wonder how i managed without!!!! im sure any machine you choose will need a bit of fettling and shimming to get the best. im sure the chucks are suspect on many of these machines and that may be the best indicator of quality. it must be tricky to grind a morse taper incorrectly and the bearings are probably a reasonable standard but a chuck has many moving parts and is easily misaligned during assembly/manufacture. the quill is another moving part that may be suspect as it requires a decent tolerence. all these were good to acceptable on the rexon. just to reiterate axminster service is so good that if you are not happy with a product from them the next step (repair return ) is easy other companies are less obliging.

 

[brianhabby]

I know I am resurrecting an ancient thread but I am looking for similar advice.

My bench drill decided to give up the ghost at the weekend (in the middle of a job of course). It's an old Nu-tool drill and I had been thinking of replacing it for some time - now's the time it seems.

I had looked at the Axminster ED16B2 a couple of months ago when visiting their Warrington store and it seemed like an ideal machine for me so off I go to their website and low and behold it is out of stock for three weeks. This led me to start looking elsewhere and I came across this D19 from Chester Machine Tools.

The specs on both machines looks almost identical and at £266.40 is a bit cheaper than the Axi one at £291.00.

Has anyone any experience of either machine they would care to share or have any other suggestions in a similar price bracket?

regards

Brian

 

[Glynne]

Possibly a bit smaller than some on your list but I was bought a Zipper Drill Press (Austrian) and it is superb.
I was quite happy with my existing Draper press but as I had a "big" birthday my son insisted on a new one.
The engineering and precision is spot one so I would add this to your list as well.

Glynne

 

[Jacob]

Nu tool. £50 on ebay. Seems first rate - accurate, well made. Probably not as durable as the posher ones but then for woodwork it's not going to get thrashed.

There's one here. I'd guess from the presence of the plastic safety shield that it's hardly been used. They get knocked off very easily.

 

[Aden30mm]

I've had a Rexon for many years now and it has been faultless for both metal and wood working applications.

Rgs

Aden

 

[brianhabby]

Well, I've finally made a firm decision - I bought the Chester one, the Axminster one is still out of stock. I drove over today to check it out before purchasing, well worth the visit, loads of goodies

I was attended to by a very helpful guy called Paul. They had several in stock and when I asked if they have any ex-demo ones he said he would go have a quick word with his boss. He came back with a price of £215 inc. VAT - and that was for a brand new machine, so to say I am pleased would be an understatement - £76 cheaper than the Axminster

The drill is currently in the back of the car waiting for another pair of hands to help me lift it into the workshop. I'll let you know how I get on with it.

regards

Brian