Replies

1. 
   Dave45 | Sep 18, 2005 05:17pm | #1

   If a benchtop tool will meet your needs (now and in the future), the Ryobi should be fine.  Many people think that Ryobi makes junk tools but I've been using their stuff for a few years now and have no complaints.

1. 
   Yogi | Sep 18, 2005 07:23pm | #2

   Dave-  Well, there you have it-  I've heard about Ryobi, but haven't personally experienced any of their tools-  Thanks for sharing-

2. 
   mudman | Sep 18, 2005 07:34pm | #3

   In general Ryobi tools are the better of the consumer grade (not profesional) tools. Often this is fine for the hobiest who will never wear out the tool anyway. For woodworking a cheep Drill Press is fine (in my opinion) whatever the run out is it is going to be fine for wwing. The power of the motor is seldom an issue. It should perform fine up to a 3/4" or larger Forestner bit. Over 1" and I guess you might have a problem. The HP rating should be shown on the motor name plate, if not look at the amperage draw and with that you can roughly correlate the HP.

   Mike

1. 
   Yogi | Sep 18, 2005 07:45pm | #4

   Mike-  Thank you-  And, I expect you're right, that it would meet my needs-  But I'd still like to get the best tool in my price and use range-  I'm pretty sure it was 5 amps-  How do we correlate the hp from that?  Much obliged-  Dave

1. 
   Segil | Sep 18, 2005 09:40pm | #5

   Yogi,

        My most used drill press is a Ryobi benchtop model (not sure what number, I'm too lazy to run downstairs to look).  But I can tell you it has a big head And a crank on top of the head which adjusts the rpm.  I bought this model because most of my boring operations do not require a lot of horsepower, and this machine is very versitile as far as adjustment to many different applications.  I use it far more than my more traditional Delta drill press because of the ease of set-up.  It is my only Ryobi tool as I do this for a living, but I highly recommend it.

1. 
   Yogi | Sep 19, 2005 06:25am | #6

   Segil-  Thanks for your reply-  While I'd like to hear from someone who's used the DP120, I was more interested in general overall satisfaction with Ryobi tools-  The DP120 is a 12" drill, 1/2" chuck, 3 1/2" throw, manual speed adjustment-  At HD it's $150- Has a 2 year warranty-  Doesn't seem unreasonable when a comparable Delta costs another $75-$100 and gets some very bad (along with some good) reviews by buyers at Amazon-  Thanks again for your reply-

3. 
   Ray | Sep 19, 2005 06:59am | #7

   I bought a 'reconditioned' one several years ago from a "travelling tool outlet" (mostly reconditioned tools and Chinese tools).  I'm a hobbyist, and have used it to drill just about everything.  Can't find any fault with it, although moving the belt up and down is a pain.  If I was making my living woodworking, I'd probably have a bigger, better drill press.

1. 
   Yogi | Sep 19, 2005 07:56am | #8

   Ray-

   <<<"...If I was making my living woodworking, I'd probably have a bigger, better drill press...">>>  With the living I make, a bigger, better drill is out of the question-  If it's dependable and capable within reasonable limits, it was probably a good buy at the price-  That's what I'm looking for-  Thank you for your your reply-

    

4. 
   TXJon | Sep 20, 2005 01:41am | #9

   I have a 10" Ryobi.  I have had it about 4 years and can honestly say it is as good now as it ever has been.  That said, it's a piece of crap.

   It has runout that is visible.  I've never measured it, but if I use a larger bit, the workpiece spins around in a little circle.  I have cleaned and reset the chuck, and it was no help.

   I can't say I've been disappointed.  I did not expect to get more than what I paid for ($99).  I do, however, regret buying the thing.  That purchase has increased the price of the "real" drill press I haven't bought yet by $100.

   I am not familiar with the specific model you mention, but at the price you gave, I would be tremendously skeptical.

   If you can afford to wait a little, and keep your eyes open, you may find a better used one in your price range.

   
   

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   Edited 9/19/2005 6:43 pm ET by TXJon

1. 
   Yogi | Sep 20, 2005 03:49am | #10

   TXJon-  I'm beginning to wonder if I want to buy ANY new drill-  I'm beginning to think they all come from the same Chinese factory with different paint jobs-  And what do I know?  Maybe there's some good stuff comes from there-  I'm sure they're nice people-  But I'm beginning to think I should maybe buy an older Delta, built by Delta-  Or an older anything, built to perform rather than sell-  Shop teacher was saying he had a newer Delta 350 for use in his class-  Student was working on a project and got alarmed when "melted plastic started running out of it"-  I assume there're are some new, quality drills out there, but I don't want to skip a couple mortgage payments to get one-  Guess I'll keep scouting for an older one that doesn't wobble-Thanks for your input-  Much obliged-