I'm in the market for a benchtop drill press, ten inch is what I think I want. I have looked at Sears, Harbor Freight, Lowes, Home Depot, etc. etc..

What is a good bang for the buck? I don't see drilling any metal thicker then 1/4 -3/8 and wood at 1 1/2" I would also like something that ran fairly true for brass trimming.

The hp and amp ratings give me pause. I understand there meaning, but not in this application, I've never owned a drill press.

Depends on how much you want to spend. Here is a review of some of them, Reasonable price. Probably all made in China anyway.

Gives you a starting point of what to look for if they fill your needs.

Our Test to Find the Best Drill Press

10 Best Drill Press Reviews (Updated 2017) Benchtop & Floor

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Still Running Against the Wind

I understand you might only want a Bench Top Model at present, but if you have the room I would strongly urge you to at least consider a Floor Model. They are much more versatile and allow for larger pieces to be worked on. Up until 6 years ago I had both types and finally got rid of the Bench Top Model because of lack of use. They are good for small drilling jobs and small drills, but usually lack power, versatility and capability. Just a suggestion of course.......

It's been a while since I've purchased one (mine is almost 25 years old) and so if you can stay away from machines made in China and at least find one made in Taiwan they are much better quality. Sorry I can not help on specific brands or models but I have been out of the market for one a long time.

Once you get a power tool or machine that you never owned before, all of a sudden you will wonder how you lived without one and will find new uses and projects for it. That is why I made the suggestion I did. Now when I purchase a tool or machine I try hard to anticipate any future jobs I may have even if I don't have the immediate need now.

I have perhaps the cheapest Chinese (I think) tabletop drill press ever made, and have used it for many years without any problems. But I don't do much in the way of precision work with it, mainly just making holes in thinner medal and wood. However there are limits to what you can handle with such a small unit, and for that reason I would recommend getting a floor drill press if you have the money and a place to put it. Fortunately, I live about a block away from my brother-in-law who does have a very high quality floor press, so if I need any level of precision, or need to handle a large workpiece (not often) I just walk over to his house.

Better to check the auctions in the area, and the classifieds / Craigslist for older iron, American-made. Often you can get a good user, or even a near-mint, for very short bucks.
To get a good taste of this old arn, take an evening to cruise around on the owwm.org site--full of as-is and fully restored American iron. Often, the most you'll need is a couple of bucks worth of new bearings and some rust removal process. Happy hunting!

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de minimus non curat lex

I had a floor model that was a pain. Sold it and bought a Sears bench top. $150+-. Have had it for 10 years drilling everything from top quality stainless pipe to 1/8" plywood. Wouldn't trade it for anything. A quality drill is important but quality bits are just as important.

I own an old Delta bench top drill press, which has a chuck that open to 9/16". It is one of the heaviest duty bench models I've ever seen. It works fine, is belt drive. My wife picked it up about 30 yrs. ago at a garage sale for $50, sorry, not for sale. It's all cast iron and good quality steel.

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Certified NRA rifle instructor

I had a floor mt'd Delta drill press at one time. Nice machine. I originally got it as I thought about the possible need to drill something large,,I'd have the right tool for the job.
Well I never seemed to run accross anything that big that needed to be drill-pressed. Besides, I could have never gotten anything that big down into the basement where the drill press was to get it drilled anyway.
It took up space and got little use.

Sold it, got a small 3/8 chuck bench top and it's all I could ask for. I just use it for what I call bird house projects, nothing where super accuracy is needed.

I have a bench mounted mill/drill for the sight mounting, ect and it does fine.

I have a South Bend that is about 50 years old. Quality lasts a long time.

I bought a Ryobi 10" about 20 years ago, ran great and true for all these years. I built a new shop about 7 years ago and bought a Powermatic floor drill press, works great, but I still have the Ryobi set up in the corner and I still use it from time to time because it's handier to use than the big one.

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Minimize the variables

I recently bought a Wen 10" from HD. It assembled easily and drills holes where the laser marks. Have not had occasion to use it a lot yet, but it looks like a good purchase at this point.

I own a cheap $100 Chinese special. The slowest speed is too fast for trimming brass but works good for deburring case mouths and removing the crimp from primer pockets. After 5 minutes of continuous use the motor gets hot. I position a floor fan to cool me and the motor.

When drilling steel, even with quality drill bits, the table and drill head are "pushed out of square" by the force on the drill bit. You get what you pay for when it comes to precision or quality.

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S&WHF 366

Get one with a 1/2 chuck. Needing stepped down bits is a pain. Get some link belt and replace the belts with link belt. I don't have anything in my shop that runs regular belts anymore. Runs smoother and less slippage. I never take mine out of the slowest speed setting. More bits are burned up by to high of spindle speed (and material work hardened) than anything else. Get a cross feed vise for the table. It will help you hit the right spot and help prevent the whirling blades of injury. Set it up too attach to table using wing nuts for simple removal. Another thing to have is a set of vise grips that bolt to table.. Get a table than you can turn.

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I have a heavy Sprunger bench model that has served me well until I discovered that the shaft and press table were out of plumb by about 1.5 degrees. To test, bring a straight steel rod with you, lock it into the chuck, then use a machinists square to see if it meets the table at 90 degrees. It must be 90 degrees or nothing. That is, don't buy it.

I corrected mine by making a second table top out of wood and adding two strips of Gorilla tape to one side to bring the table to exactly 90 degrees to the shaft.

Or take a stiff wire and bend it so it has 2 opposing 90s. Chuck one leg in the drill chuck. Then adjust table height so other end of wire just touches near outside edge of table, then turn the chuck by hand it should just touch table all the way around. Or if you have a dial indicator mount a rod in chuck, come off it at 90 and mount dial near table edge and turn chuck and check. You can shim the table or the drill head where it attaches to column.

A drill press with a good vise is a huge help tapping small holes. Drill hole, remove bit, chuck up tap. Press down slightly on tap and turn chuck by hand using the key for a handle on chuck. Perfect alignment and control goes a long ways to avoid stuck or snapped taps.

I'll mimic what Chief38 said. I replaced my bench top with a floor model Delta about 10 or so years back. Far more versatile, and the Delta has variable speed vs having to change belt/pulley placement of the cheaper bench top. It also has a standard #2 Morse taper so I can use regular key chucks, quick chucks or drills with tapered shanks.

Rather than buy new, consider watching Craigslist or ebay and buying used. You can save a lot of money that way. Just be make sure that it's a 120 volt single phase (or 220 volt single phase if you are set up for that) vs a 220 volt 3 phase. I also highly recommend a vice that has machine screw adjustments left to right and front to back (X and Y axis) to make it easier to line up your drill.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

A lot of good deals can be found on your local Craigslist. Personally I'd rather have an older model that I can rebuild if needed, than the new stuff. Of course a commercial quality unit would work also. The styling on Craftsman drill presses from the sixties are just cool. Although parts aren't readily available for these, with a little creativity, rebuilding is definitely possible. Then you've got an heirloom, that will outlast you.

I own a Craftsman that I've had for around 20 years. It's really a "convertible". I have it mounted on an old kitchen cabinet unit, but Sears still makes the press stand.

The Drill Press I own was purchased almost 25 years ago by my Dad as a Birthday gift to me. It was sold by MSC (Manhattan Supply Company) and was manufactured in Taiwan. American made Drill Presses are a thing of the past with the exception of a few very very expensive factory production models costing many thousands of dollars. It's a 1/2 HP Floor model ( anchored to the floor - see 4 bolts in picture ) and has 16 speeds ranging from a low of 200 rpm up 3630 rpm (very quiet too). The orange painted magnet is what the current speed is set for so I don't have to look at the belt positions to remember what speed it's on.

It came with a pretty descent Taiwanese chuck ranging from 0 - 5/8" but I replaced it with a much better NOS # 14N Jacobs (USA) Super Chuck also 0 - 5/8". Believe it or not, the run out is only 0.0015" measured with both a Federal and Mitutoyo Dial gauge. That is amazing for ANY DP and almost unheard of from an imported one! Guess I really lucked out.

When I installed the NOS Super Chuck I did put on a NOS American Made Jacobs Arbor that had no scratches and had never been mounted before which probably attributes to the trueness.

I also have a #18N Jacobs Chuck (1/8" - 3/4" range) and a Jacobs #0 which is strictly for very small drills from 0 up to 1/4".

The DP Vise is a Starrett and this set up probably fills 98% of my drilling needs. I also have an extensive bolt down kit I put together over the years which allows fro proper holding of work to be drilled - including uneven and odd shapes - mostly hand made kit but some Starrett pieces too.

The bench model I sold 6 years ago was a Sears Craftsman and quite honestly was a cheap Chinese import that was not worth using for much. It had unacceptable run-out, made a racket and was in one word - horrible - hence it's no longer in my shop.

I don't remember what my Dad paid for theMCS DP 25 years ago but I would guess somewheres in the $400 $450 range. Even though it was made in Taiwan I consider it a pretty good quality machine especially compared to what is for sale in the stores today. If you can find a Taiwan made machine now (even mildly used) it should be heads and tails above a Chinese made one.

The Drill Sets are from front to back Center Drills, Number, Fractional and Letter.

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Just want to mention something important if and when anyone buys a used Drill Press........

When looking at a used DP try and determine if it has been used to do things OTHER than to drill holes. By that I mean used as a Drum Sander, Milling Machine, Router, Polisher or any mode that presses forcefully 90º perpendicular to the Quill. A DP is NOT intended to have force put side to side on it and will destroy the Bearings. This in turn will give excessive run-out and will produce terrible accuracy when drilling precise holes. If those types of attachments are included with a used machine I'd suspect it was abused - just a heads up!

Just buy a blue Dillon and everything will be good with the World!

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Still Running Against the Wind

Now THAT'S Funny! If one had the burning desire, a simple DP could be made out of one......

Thanks for all the suggestions. Now I just have to decided.

These things work pretty good if You dont need a large one.

Look hard at the floor models; I've had this Craftsman for 42 years and its moved with me across the US.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

I think mine may be about the same age and model. It was my Dad's and I've had it for years. Works like new.

Ha. I'm glad we don't use it to store things.

They do look to be the same. I had to replace the belt two years ago and that's been it.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065