Looking for a Bench drill

[RickN]

Hi all, I'm looking on buying a bench drill, I was looking at the axminster trade range.
However as most of them are out of stock and have been for some time, I'm a bit stuck.
Which has left me looking for an alternative at around the 350 quid mark and would value your input and experiences.

This caught my eye http://www.recordpower.co.uk/product/he ... h6DAvnnUVE
as I've heard good things about record, but haven't had any experience with them ideally I'm looking for induction motor and accuracy, paint colour and brand are optional

Regards Rick

 

[Heath Robinson]

I have recently been looking at these, and eventually came to the conclusion that my best be was patience and eBay.
Older drills that have bigger motors and are better built come up easily within your budget - a friend got a Warco (really high quality machine) that came with mortising gear and a cross vice, for under £100, so had another £200 of his budget left for new forstner bits and other toys!
My drill was a little over £100, and I'm not yet sure of it's make (no plate and it's been painted), but it's very heavy duty, there's absolutely no runout on the spindle, and it has a 1hp induction motor, and is built like a tank!
I'd wholeheartedly suggest keeping a patient eye out, and going to have a look before bidding/buying.
Many people told me to look for older startrite or progress drills, which are really well made and accurate, but don't have induction motors, or a table lifting rack and pinion, so I'd avoid anything that old.
Hope that helps!

 

[RogerP]

Good old British drills, providing they've not been abused (schools etc), and don't need loads of works are great - if you can find one! Unfortunately when I was in the market for one there were none about within sensible travelling distance. I did go to see a couple but they both needed too much work so I gave up and bought new. I wanted to do woodwork - not machinery restoration.

Record stuff, although Asian imports like so much these days, does seem to be a grade above the usual Chinese/Taiwanese offerings.

Good luck!

 

[RickN]

Thanks for that , just looked at the carriage charge on the record 59 quid.... that makes the Axi version better value as they do free delivery... Just lost a sale there Record power ...

 

[JonnyW]

I was given a 16 speed Clarke bench top drill press as a birthday present. I love the thing, but there could be improvements - but hey, I probably say that about all my kit.

She's a heavy beast, but easy to set up and to change speeds. I bought the vice grips for the thing, but for the life of me I can't figure out how they attach to the table!

If that drill press is anything like my Record dust extractor, it'll be spot on. It does have the hole in the centre of the table if you want to do straight through drilling, where my Clarke doesn't - so you have to place a sacrificial piece of wood underneath the piece you are drilling.

I also made a table for the thing to sit on and put castors on the thing - fully lockable at the front. I'm so glad I did as I can move the drill out the road and park it when it's not in use, or move the thing into the middle of the garage when I'm using it. I think fixed drills take up a lot of room and you have to think about possibly large lengths of material being placed on the table, so you need a bit of room either side (sorry if I'm babbling the obvious). So I would consider making yourself a movable table to fix it on - you'll be very glad you did.

Jonny

 

[Eric The Viking]

I bought the vice grips for the thing, but for the life of me I can't figure out how they attach to the table!

Do you mean this sort of thing?:

If your Clarke is like mine (mine DOES have a central hole in the table though!), it has big slots on the table. What's missing is a thick flat washer to go underneath, between the nut and the underside of the table.

I found the load bearing washers for the back shocks of an old Vauxhall Astra estate were perfect ("wot I 'ad in the odd washers box wot fitted"), and those washers have a dished rim so they slide easily on the webs of the table underneath and don't jam (much).

The clamps are a poor design though, as it's almost impossible to hold something tight and at the same time not have it jump sideways when you tighten the clamp. I have only one, and it reaches way too far (on mine) so it's always fouling the pillar, or part of the workpiece or something, and the ringed nut underneath catches the support arm for the table.. OK-ish for steel, rubbish for wood (always farting about with some sort of protective block too). It's mostly relegated to holding a sacrificial block of wood still.

E.

 

[JonnyW]

Thanks for that Eric. The vice I bought was an accessory for the thing http://www.tool-net.co.uk/p-366432/clarke-cdv30c-3-76mm.html?gclid=COfo4p6K08gCFUcUwwod_n8IzA

In principle the vice is excellent, as I have used the thing unfixed to the table for very light drilling. However, the slots on each side of the vice don't line up with the two T tracks in the drill table - they do when you turn the thing side on so the slots run at right angles to the T groves, however, this has the vice grips facing outwards from the drill press, which is absolutely not damned use if you're drilling something longer than 10". I've tried turning the press table at right angles, but it's not ideal.

I must admit though, my drill press table is the square type and not the round table with the T tracks running outwards from the centre hole. The vice I'd imagine, would fit that type of table. So I've probably just bought the wrong vice. It certainly wasn't stated in the on-line description that it would only fit certain types of Clarke drill presses - it states that it's suitable for all current models of Clarke drill presses - which is incorrect.

I do think with all drill presses, that a custom table top with an adjustable fence on a T track and possibly another two runs of T track to take (my damned vice), is certainly the way ahead. I loved what David (Kingfisher) did with his drill press. I may buy next year, Steve Maskery's DVD to see what he did.

Jonny

 

[AJB Temple]

I have had this dilemma too. I don't find the Axminster trade series drills to be all that well made, but they are quite cheap.

In my workshop I have a refurbished FOBCO. This was bought off eBay and is exceptionally well engineered and cost under £200. Light years away from the Chinese made stuff. I picked it up in person to check it ran true. They do come up on eBay quite often, usually needing refurbishment. I am thinking of buying another actually to do up. Drills are quite simple things.

Edit> I have been watching one on eBay that is in working condition and complete with manual etc and a decent chuck, and see that it has just gone for £174. These are industrial quality tools. My brother has a Meddings floor pillar drill that he picked up for £80 off eBay. He is an engineer so he does actually know what he is doing, unlike me, but that is a top notch drill too.

I think most people should ignore my advice and buy new. I see an elegance in the quality of casting and so on of older machinery. But you take a bot of a risk and the other downside is it is always extremely heavy!

 

[Eric The Viking]

Thanks for that Eric. The vice I bought was an accessory for the thing http://www.tool-net.co.uk/p-366432/clarke-cdv30c-3-76mm.html?gclid=COfo4p6K08gCFUcUwwod_n8IzA

I was suckered into getting one of those too, when I got the drill press (somebody's VAT free day caused a rush of blood to the brain).

It's the cheapest and nastiest thing imagineable. You absolutely have to clamp everything in the exact centre otherwise the sliding jaw goes squiffy and jams. And I totally agree about the slots - useless (no better on mine). And with a big hole in the bottom you can't easily drill small things that need to be referenced off the bottom face...

I must admit though, my drill press table is the square type and not the round table with the T tracks running outwards from the centre hole. The vice I'd imagine, would fit that type of table. So I've probably just bought the wrong vice. It certainly wasn't stated in the on-line description that it would only fit certain types of Clarke drill presses - it states that it's suitable for all current models of Clarke drill presses - which is incorrect.

In my experience, they just want your dosh. I daren't think what the ex-factory price is, FOB China, in units of 1,000.

20p?

I do think with all drill presses, that a custom table top with an adjustable fence on a T track and possibly another two runs of T track to take (my damned vice), is certainly the way ahead. I loved what David (Kingfisher) did with his drill press. I may buy next year, Steve Maskery's DVD to see what he did.

Steve's is jolly good. Don't remember Kingfisher's one but will google when I get a moment.

I have a design in Sketchup I've been playing with for a few years. It's not right yet and still needs work. I haven't bothered, mainly because I presently don't have enough room round the drill to fit a woodworking table.

Mine's on the 2nd floor of the house, in whqt was proably a box room, right next to a cupboard (needs must at the moment). I have to take the handles off and swing the table over every time I open the door!

In my defence, it stays dry up there and I use it for small electronic things quite a lot. The scope, and all the electronics kit is in the same room. Down below, I've got a drill chuck add-on for the bench morticer that serves for things like repetitive dowelling. It's not ideal but it is handy, especially for Forstners.

My Clark really is cheap and nasty though. I've never cleaned the original grease off the column, but it's still got rust spots, despite never getting even slightly damp. It's the finish I think - the column is really rough. It's also never run quietly - I think one of the three sets of pulleys is eccentric. Still I've finally after about 15 years, got the runout to acceptable, so it serves. The best thing about it, and the reason I chose it, is that you can get a good, slow speed from it - 180RPM. Good for big drills in metals.

One tip: I've found mine is much quieter, and has a lot less vibration, if I run it with the belts at the absolute minimum tension necessary. I almost never use the tensioner clamps now - gravity and friction usually keep the motor assembly in the right place. If it slips I will tighten it up, but if you think about it you need most torque with big drills at slow speeds, and then the mechanical advantage (little to big pulleys) is huge, so it nulls out usually.

Also,If yours is like mine, the gearbox lid rattles horribly: a few bits of split plastic hose glued onto the bottom half stops that too.

 

[JonnyW]

I know what you're saying about the Clarke Eric and I agree. The refinement just isn't there. I've not had much issues with mine and it's yet to rust, although I did smear it in ACF-50 when I got it.

I did have an issue with the hood that covers the belts; I think it may have been dunted during transport, as when I started it up the rear belt was rubbing pretty badly on the housing. A little expert banging and hammering in all the wrong places, soon sorted that out.

Found a lovely table on the tinterweb. Uses the pricey Kreg track/hold down system, but very easy to make and most importantly it looks very functional.

http://www.redneckdiy.com/build-a-drill-press-table/

Jonny