Danielb
Established Member
Been looking at the Axminster Pillar Drills but have no idea which would be the best to get.
Can any one off some advice?
Can any one off some advice?
Pillar Drill
- Thread starter Danielb
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9fingers
Established Member
Bit difficult to judge without knowing what you want to do with it.
To be honest unless there is a good reason to be buying new, I would always favour buying used solid cast iron.
There is not much to go wrong or wear on a properly designed drill that can't be fixed by simple jobs like fitting a new bearing or two.
A wide speed range as offered by geared head machines is really useful or a similar benefit can be obtained by buying a dual voltage, 3 phase machine and running it on an inverter to get speed control that way.
Bob
To be honest unless there is a good reason to be buying new, I would always favour buying used solid cast iron.
There is not much to go wrong or wear on a properly designed drill that can't be fixed by simple jobs like fitting a new bearing or two.
A wide speed range as offered by geared head machines is really useful or a similar benefit can be obtained by buying a dual voltage, 3 phase machine and running it on an inverter to get speed control that way.
Bob
Danielb
Established Member
Drill holes for dowels and screws.
spannermonkey
Established Member
I picked mine up 2nd hand for about a tenner its a great piece of kit and well made, It is a great condition too I bought it from a pro cabinet maker who has arthritic hands and has to retire, I use it for my model engineering too.
9fingers
Established Member
Danielb":3dvra2hp said:
OK speed range is not too important if you are not going to be swinging 2" forstner bits!
look for adequate distance between the drilling centre and the column and if you are end drilling for dowels, one where you can swing the head round away from the table to get the workpiece propped on the floor. Mount it in the end of a bench so you can do this.
hth
Bob
RogerP
Established Member
Just a couple of observations.
Even cheap drill presses work okay for basic tasks but for me the big drawback of the cheaper ones is the limited spindle travel of 50mm. I frequently need to drill deeper than 50mm.
The cheaper 12 speed models are often quite noisy compared with basic 5 speed ones.
Even cheap drill presses work okay for basic tasks but for me the big drawback of the cheaper ones is the limited spindle travel of 50mm. I frequently need to drill deeper than 50mm.
The cheaper 12 speed models are often quite noisy compared with basic 5 speed ones.
jimi43
Established Member
That's really strange...I was just photographing my little vintage jeweller's drill next to my old Axminster pillar drill for size comparison when I came upon your thread.
I picked this one up for £40 but I think I got a major bargain there!
I can't say that I would pay the new price at Axminster as even this older one..which is better built...would benefit from a bit better engineering but you can get these secondhand on Fleabay fairly cheaply as you have to be local to bid really.
If you are patient..you will find one near you...you just have to be lucky.
If I had not got this for a song I would have hung out for a Startrite...as others have said..they are built like brick poo houses and are going to outlast you. If you haven't got the space...I would go for a 13mm bench standing one but again..try to get a good secondhand one.
Hope this helps
Jim
I picked this one up for £40 but I think I got a major bargain there!
I can't say that I would pay the new price at Axminster as even this older one..which is better built...would benefit from a bit better engineering but you can get these secondhand on Fleabay fairly cheaply as you have to be local to bid really.
If you are patient..you will find one near you...you just have to be lucky.
If I had not got this for a song I would have hung out for a Startrite...as others have said..they are built like brick poo houses and are going to outlast you. If you haven't got the space...I would go for a 13mm bench standing one but again..try to get a good secondhand one.
Hope this helps
Jim
misterfish
Established Member
Whoops - finger trouble
misterfish
Established Member
Have a look at http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/meddings-pacera-b ... 0545437193 - it's not too far from you. It'd need a bit of a clean up but could be good value for money.
Misterfish
Misterfish
jimi43
Established Member
misterfish":1iyhgzyr said:
Excellent choice!
I would go see it running first though...if you are that close you are up for collecting it should you win. Check for play in the shaft/quill and that the motor runs smoothly with no bearing noise.
If you win...I suggest you stand it up the other way before you use it though! :mrgreen:
Jim
misterfish
Established Member
Also - it will be heavy, so help in moving it whill be useful!
Misterfish
Misterfish
Danielb
Established Member
Cheers for the help but i don't have a car yet 
None of the ones you can buy good?
None of the ones you can buy good?
RogerP
Established Member
Danielb":1gljlks0 said:Cheers for the help but i don't have a car yet
None of the ones you can buy good?
Yes, of course they are, I'm sure something like this http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-axminster-wd16b-pillar-drill-prod725428/ will more than adequate for woodworking.
They don't have the inherent quality of some of the stuff that's been suggested but I've been using a similar one for years without problem. At least it's instantly available and delivered to your door - free
Danielb
Established Member
Thanks Roger, i think I'll go for the floor standing option.
