Replies

1. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Jan 05, 2010 10:04am | #1

   Which one you buy is up to you but.. I can tell you that a 3/4 HP motor is plenty sufficient for a home shop. I have had the Ridgid 15" for about 8 years with the 1/2 HP and that has been no draw-back. I am in the shop 6-8 hours a day and use it almost daily.

   A drill press is a finesse machine that turns a drill bit to produce holes. A sharp drill bit used at the proper speed is much more important than power with this machine from my experience.

   Good luck...

1. 
   gofigure57 | Jan 05, 2010 10:08am | #2

   Sarge , you just replied to 5 year old post.

1. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Jan 05, 2010 10:42am | #3

   And with no replies to a simple question in 5 years on this forum.. it's about d*amn time someone did! ha.. ha...

   The thread was just sitting there on my screen. I won't ask how it brought itself up from 5 years back as I am certainly not a computer guy. So... I'll just chalk it up to "Magic" and call it a day. :>)

1. 
   ring | Jan 05, 2010 12:11pm | #4

   So by replying you now kicked it up to our screens as well. Think he ever bought that drill press?

2. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Jan 05, 2010 07:23pm | #5

   Looks that is the case David even though I'm sure we will all heal with time. He probably is still considering what would be best! :>)

3. 
   HoustonsProblem | Jan 05, 2010 10:00pm | #6

   I like my Delta 17-959L. Good stroke length, nice depth stop, very ergonomic layout, great table. The long stroke is good on a woodworking drill and means you will spend less time moving the table up and down if you need to drill with small bits.

   Drills a perfect hole. I enjoy it thoroughly. I don't miss variable speed and prefer the stepped pulley system, because I know what speed works best for the particular bit.

   There is nothing wrong with the chuck that comes with it, but I replaced that chuck with a U.S. made Jacobsen from Enco and it is much nicer in that it spins more freely when changing bits.

   A word of caution, packaging is totally inadequate, I recommend buying one from a woodcraft or other brick and mortar so you can inspect the cardboard box prior to purchase. The cardboard box with EPS foam is not up to the job of being transported over standard truck freight, I figure you will have better luck picking up at a store.

   A few issues. The rods that support the motor are fitted to a boss in the casting that is not sufficiently long for proper bearing surface, the motor will rack or pivot up as you slide the motor to tighten the belts. This has not been a problem with drilling for me yet, I just adjust the tension shy of the point where the motor wants to rack up on the rods. In a way, this is actually a feature since it tells me the belts are tight enough. I have not had any problems with slippage. I have not drilled with any larger forstners or hole saws yet, but I will be drilling with a 3 1/4" hole saw this weekend and this should be a better test of whether there is a problem with slippage.