Replies

1. 
   ToolDoc | Jan 30, 2003 08:16am | #1

   Have you looked at the Harbor Freight drill presses?? there 1 hp and dont cost a arm & leg<G> I have one that I bought over 20 yrs ago when they first started peddling there goods and never had a bit of trouble with it..also are buddy here SARGE just got a RIDGID from home Depot and hes quite happy with his hopefully he will chime in with his words of wisdom..LOL but then again the Jet or the Quality Deltas would be a good choise also but at more cost..

                                        ToolDoc

2. 
   sharptools | Jan 30, 2003 05:45pm | #2

   If you're just drilling wood, and your drill bits are sharp, 1/2 hp is more than sufficient.  If you consider that it's not difficult to drill 1" holes with a forstner bit using only a 14.4V rechargeable drill, 1/2 hp is probably overkill.

   Kevin

1. 
   Pete | Jan 30, 2003 06:40pm | #3

   I am also a woodworking novice, and I am looking at purchasing a drill press.  I have been comparing a Delta to a Grizzly.  I have to add that I recently took delivery on the new Grizzly G0555 14" bandsaw, and I have no complaints with anything.  Setup was painless, fit and finish is great, and performance is perfectly acceptable.  This is the first Grizzly product I have purchased, so I do not know how the quality of this saw relates to other Grizzly products. 

   With that being said, I am curious on why the Delta 17-965 drill press is $200.00 more expensive than the comparable Grizzly G7944.  The machines have almost identical specs.  The Grizzly, I assume, is manufactured in Taiwan, and the Delta is made in the USA.  Is the $200.00 difference truly perceptible in the workmanship?  Is the difference in price acceptable to most woodworkers because you are buying American over buying a foreign drill press?

   If I take the price of the Grizzly, currently advertised at $199.00, add on the $55.00 shipping fee, and no tax, since I live in NY, the total price of the Grizzly is $254.00.  If I take the advertised price of the Delta at $399.00 and add on tax of buying the drill press locally, at 8%, of $31.92, the total price of the Delta is $430.92.

   To me this would be a no brainer, but I want to hear from those who have experienced the drill presses, or other Grizzly vs. Delta comparisons, and find out if the Grizzly is the better machine, pound per dollar...

   Edited 1/30/2003 10:42:01 AM ET by Pete

   Edited 1/30/2003 10:43:59 AM ET by Pete

1. 
   sharptools | Jan 30, 2003 10:09pm | #7

   Pete:

   I just checked Amazon, and they have the same drill press, with a free mortising attachment for $399.00, and shipping is free.

   As far as origin, I'm not sure that the drill press is US-made.  Delta has been making a large number of their tools in Taiwan for the past several years, so you may want to check first if this matters to you (it should!).

   If you want a good American-made tool and save money at the same time, check out some used equipment.  I have three Delta drill presses, all US-made that together have cost me about $200.00.  I have passed on some great deals on some very nice 1950s Craftsman drill presses that I would have loved to own, but my wife feels that three drill presses is probably enough.  Anyway, if you are willing to make the effort, there is a lot of good machinery out there just sitting idle waiting for a new owner to put it to use.

   Kevin

2. 
   JeffKurtz | Jan 31, 2003 01:22am | #8

   Pete,

   I've had a Delta 17-965 for about four years now, and have to say that it's a very nice machine.  I only have two things against it: the plastic cover, and the chuck which is a bit clumsy to use, especially with small bits.

   As to the question of Delta vs. Grizzly, just a couple points to consider:

   Delta is made in the Peoples' Republic of China.

   Grizzly is made in Taiwan.

   Grizzly's drill presses have won numerous awards, beating out much more expensive machines.

   I've never heard any complaint against a Grizzly drill press.

   Jeff

   Edited 1/30/2003 5:24:53 PM ET by Jeff K

3. 
   RANGERP75R | Jan 30, 2003 07:44pm | #4

   apprentice

      After much research I got the new Ridgid 1550. Not the old 1500. It has everything I wanted and more. I am very pleased. With that said, I would be happy to have the Grizzly, Jet or Delta. The Delta is over-priced, IMO.

      As poster stated, HP is not as critical to a DP as to say a TS, jointer, etc. If the deal is right...go for it. Just grab the spindle first and make sure you can't wiggle it excessively.

   Good luck.....

   sarge..jt

4. 
   dpw32 | Jan 30, 2003 08:52pm | #5

   Beware the chuck!!!

   Specs may be the same but metaphorically speaking, where the rubber meets the road for any drill is the chuck.  Some of the poorer quality chucks will not hold smaller size drill bits.

   One way I tend to look at tool purchases is by posing this question:  Ten years from now will that extra $100 mean very much?  Put that against the prospect fo having to live with a poor quality tool.

   Regards

   Dave

1. 
   apprentice | Jan 30, 2003 09:58pm | #6

   Thanks for all of your helpful responses.  So you know what I'm looking at:  it's a Jet that appears to be nearly identical to the Jet JDP-14J (1/2" chuck, 1/2 HP engine, 14-in swing), which sells for around $299, but it's a model that Jet hasn't sold since 1999 (although it's new in the box and the Jet warranty would still cover it).  A wholesale club here is selling it for $199.  I think there's a Harbor Freight 14" 3/4 HP DP for about that price (and thus my questions about 1/2 HP being sufficient--probably watched Home Improvement too many time--"more power, more power") however, I have heard good and bad about their equipment.  I own a Jet contractor's saw that I am very, very happy with.  However, I am haunted by memories of my father (who is a bit on the cheap side, bless his heart) saving money on the front end by buying off-brand tools and having to deal with the consequences:  a table saw fence that isn't always square, a jointer that just doesn't quite square up, etc.  I will take a good look at the Ridgid, Harbor Freight and Grizzly models, but, for the price, I am inclined to go with the Jet.

   Thanks again.

5. 
   Trees2dust | Jan 31, 2003 04:36am | #9

   Apprentice,

   One important DP parameter that often gets overlooked is the slop between quill and housing.  Check for slop by wiggling the quill back and forth while lowering the quill.  You shouldn't feel any slop.  I compromised when I bought a Harbor Freight DP for $200 (it's only a little bit of slop, it won't matter, and it's cheap... and it's got a 1 HP motor!) 5 years later and I still hate that machine.  You can upgrade HP but there's nothing you can do about poor machining, and the slop will drive you nuts every time you try to do accurate work.

   So, HP should be at the bottom of your check list.  Check: quill fit, quill travel, quill lock (very nice to have), smooth running (the HF vibrated like crazy!), rigidity of head/column/table, then HP (beware of Sears HP).  If the Jet meets these criteria, don't worry about the HP.  1/2HP is plenty, and you can always upgrade the motor.

   Dave already mentioned the chuck.  That was the first thing that went bad on my Harbor Freight drill press.  Get one with a good chuck or plan on replacing it with a Jacobs.

   I second Kevin's comment about old vintage drill presses.  My current one was built ca. WWII, made by Atlas. 1/2HP, 4-5" quill travel, Jacobs chuck, quill lock, runs very smoothly, bought for $125... sweet machine.

   Good luck in your search,

   Rick

6. 
   sailalex | Jan 31, 2003 03:27pm | #10

    I bought the Harbor Freight drill press on sale for $39.99 about a year ago (they are normally about $70)and for the occasional user, it works fine. I echo the comments about the chuck, but you can buy a better chuck and still have a great deal.

1. 
   mitch | Jan 31, 2003 07:21pm | #11

   i've had a delta 17-900 (or is it a 17-965? i'll have to check) for about three or four years.  should i take up yachting someday and need something heavy to hang on the end of a chain for mooring purposes, it will finally have a use for which it's well suited.  however, if it is your intent to accurately bore holes, i'd recommend that you purchase something else.  for details, check my review on amazon- which is, btw, an excellent place to look for info on such things.

   m

1. 
   apprentice | Jan 31, 2003 07:58pm | #12

   Thanks for the great info.  Now, about band saws . . . well, that's a few months down the road and another post.

1. 
   GeeSeaWhy | Jan 31, 2003 09:09pm | #13

   One factor that has not been mentioned so far is distance from the support column to the drill head. Depending on the sort of work you do, you might want to consider that. With my (Delta) bench model, I can find ways to deal with vertical distance problems but if I need a hole to be more than about 5in from the nearest edge, I'm SOL.

   Graeme

2. 
   AlanTurner | Jan 31, 2003 10:44pm | #14

   I have owned a Delta 15-655 (which Delta now can't find in their spec sheets, at least to match mine) since aobut 1980 or so.  It has worked fine.  Only now I need the first replacement part, which is the bolt that tightens the table to the column.  I put a longer handle on this for ease of use, and probably got too much torque on it.  I can feel the threads giving way, and am hoping it is the bolt, and not the threaded handle, which I trashed/wore out.  I think 1/2 hp is enough.  I use it for a mortiser, as well as a drill.  And I regularly drill angled holes with 1 3/8: forstner bits through 8/4 hardwoods.

7. 
   kathy456 | Mar 17, 2018 12:51am | #15

   Jet is always a great brand. Easy to use and powerful machine.