drill press advice

[Don B]

Does one need a high end drill press for scratch gun and stock building? Will a table top Delta suffice, or will I wish I had gotten something better down the road?

Don

 

[Roy]

:hmm: No, yes, yes :grin: :v

 

[Stophel]

I have an ordinary table top Craftsman drill press. Used it for years with no complaints. I see no need to have anything any larger. Bigger is not necessarily better. Except maybe with bandsaws...

 

[Roy]

I use an old table top Atlas, for gun building its more than enough. But I do more than build mls and sometimes a bigger drill press would be more handy.

 

[davy]

Its up to you and your needs .. a table top model will do for many gun building choirs .. a floor model is even better (but takes more up room). I have used both for various jobs, and I like the versatility of the floor model cuz it gives you more range of jobs to do! :hatsoff:

Davy

 

[bob1961]

as long as it drills at a 90% to the rest it will work fer anything ya need in m/l building....i'm waiting to pick up a bench top delta myself fer a 100.00 bucks new :v ..............bob

 

[Vaino]

I've got a 30 yr. old Craftsman floor model w/ 8 speeds that makes it very versatile....besides drilling I also file screw heads and polish various items. The floor model came in handy when I had to ctsk the breech end of 42" bbl seeing I didn't have a long bed lathe. Most of the drills used are smaller dia. so higher speeds are appropriate and some "cheap" models run too slow. The lack of a crank and rack for table heigth adjustment on mine is a serious drawback in a floor model. I mounted a re-inforced 2'x4'x3/4" plywood table which is very convenient for drilling pin, lock bolt and tang holes....Fred

 

[J.D.]

I use a 20 + year old Enco floor model, made in Tiawan, with 16 speeds and an adjustable height table that rotates and swivels to 90 degrees, that has served me well for all these years.

A two axis vise mounted to the table makes this rig more adapatable and much easier to work with than the standard drill press vise.

And the best part is, I probably have less $300 tied up in the whole works.

IMHO, a similar floor model will probably do anything you could want, and last the rest of your life with decent care and plenty of oil.

It does seem to take up more room though.
J.D.

 

[F.G. Ford]

I have worked with and sold drill presses for many years.
Table top drills are OK, but floor models are better.
If you are drilling something long and heavy, like a barrel or stock, you can ballance the opposite end on your work bench.
You can use it to inlet your lock.
Drill speed is not really a concern as most of them turn way too fast. For steel you would really prefer a lower speed, especially for larger drill bits.
A floor model is also a little more handy for tapping threads, and drilling your tang bolt.
1/2 hp is OK, 3/4 hp is better for larger drill bits.
A floor model with a table that raises or lowers with a rack and pinion handle/gear is great.
I hope this helps.
Best Regards
Old Ford

 

[Jim-Iowa]

I don't have a high end press.
I do have two Benchtop presses.
One a 12 speed form OIT(Omaha Industrial Tools).
This press has served me well for 15 yrs.
The other a small 6 speed (El Cheapo GMC).
This one was bought for $59 to make repairs to the first press.
Both are adequate.
One point mentioned is that a floor model takes more space. I'm not sure I agree?
By the time you mount a benchtop on the bench or make a stand for it, It takes up just as much space. If and when I replace ether drill I will buy a floor model.

 

[rebel727]

I've got an old ToolKraft table top that's at least 50 years old but still going strong.

 

[Many Klatch]

This is an old story but true. Someone told Hershel House that you couldn't build a gun without a drill press. Well he had never used one, he just chucked a drill bit into his electric hand drill and measured the angle by eye.

He bought a drill press for show though. My buddy was in Hershel's shop and noticed that his drill press didn't have a motor. He had picked it up at a garage sale, just so he could say he had one.

I have a small cheapo drill press that I have used for years, I reckon that I never will measure up to Hershel House

Many Klatch

 

[sidelock]

I think good bits are more important than the press as long as the chuck runs true and the speed is right. Just MHO. good luck. :thumbsup:

 

[J.D.]

I reckon that I never will measure up to Hershel House

Many Klatch

I will never be as good eyeballing those holes as Hershel.

I even use the drill press for threading screws. The blank is chucked in a vee block in the cross slide vise, and down pressure on the spindle used to keep the die square with the screw.

Yep the drill press is a very versatile machine.

J.D.

 

[grey8833]

Ditto (several times) what J.D. said. Bench top is fine for nearly everything, but bigger is better!

Mike F

 

[Shelby Skinner]

In his video on building muzzleloaders you can see him build a gun with a hand held drill.

A drill press is a nice thing to have and I have one but they aren't a necessity to build a gun. If they were they would have never ever made KY rifles 200-300 years ago.

Lets face it, the biggest hole you are likely to drill is for a 10-32 bolt.

 

[Zonie]

Although I now have a little inexpensive Chinese drill press, I built my first 7 rifles using a electric hand drill.

I will admit that I used some visual aids like a tri-square set up next to the stock to help me get the drill going in the right direction. :hmm:
zonie

 

[TANSTAAFL]

IMHO, go with the best one can afford, the initial cheap price is long forgotten when using a tool, and fecal matter hits the rotating discs.

 

[Stophel]

I can (and have) built guns without using the drill press at all. It is NOT a necessity by any means. It is NICE to be able to drill the tenon pin holes with the drill press nice and straight, but you can do it the Hershel House way just fine.

I would have a much harder time lock building without a drill press, though...

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

I would have a much harder time lock building without a drill press, though...

Amen to that, locks would be a struggle without the drill press! I have had an inexpensive table top drill press for over twenty years and for the use I put it to it works fine within its limitations. It has had a lot of use and is still tight. My Dad has promised me his pre-War Delta floor mount drill press when he decides he no longer needs it. I figure the "cheapo" will do until then.