Drill press specs??

[barebackjack]

I just found a sweet deal on a drill press at an estate sale, the fella said hed hold it for me while I check out some stuff.....from you guys.

Its a table-top press, 1/3 horse, with 2 inches of spindle travel.

Is this enough travel for most gun building uses?
I would imagine 1/3 horse power would be plenty for drilling wood, and the occasional flash hole?

Thanks guys

Boone

 

[Norskie]

What's the slowest spindle speed setting? Some of the smaller units don't go slow enough for reliable drilling in steel and brass.
On the other hand, any drill press is better than no drill press. If nothing else they are excellent for tapping holes straight. (Unplug the motor before trying this trick and no, I won't tell you how I know this.) :redface:

 

[rmonday2]

Does the table move up and down with a locking system? If so, does it appear to be opperable?

2" of travel will do 90 + % of the jobs done in gun smithing.

You can mount a small vice from Harbor Freight and be right up town IMO!

It's hard to beat a sweet deal especialy if you dont have a drillpress at all! :thumbsup:

 

[rmonday2]

:hmm: He must have left to go pick up that press!

 

[barebackjack]

Sorry, had to go finish lubin' the combine.

He says its five speeds from around 550 to 3000.......im guessing RPM's????
It has adjustable stop, and the table tilts up to 45 degrees.
The table on it does have a good foot of travel.

Thanks

 

[George F.]

Drill presses...mmm Well Drill presses are catorgized by the distance from the vertical post to the center of the drilling arbor 8" 12" 16" and so on.Spindle travel is important, you want to know how far you can drill a hole. Table size is another factor to consider. Some "home" models are small around 8" square, The closer you get to comerical or industrial grade the better the equipment.Spindle speed is also important. How slow can you go, more or less. The bigger the hole the slower you have to go. Also the age. The older equipment I think was made better, but age wears bearings.. So that's my @ cents... hope this helped...George F.

 

[Norskie]

Buy dat sucker!

 

[Vaino]

My drill press is a floor mounted Craftsman w/ the follwing specs which I've rarely found lacking.
Spindle speeds {8}...380-8550 rpm
1/2 HP
4.5" travel
The lower spindle speeds are for drilling and the higher speeds for filing and polishing.
1/2 HP has never stalled w/ any job.
IMO, 2" travel is insufficient ....I do the tang holes in the drill press and 2" travel would be very "unhandy".
A nice feature is a crank for vertically adjusting the table. To increase the table size, I've installed a 2'x4' piece of 3/4" thick plywood w/ a 2x4 frame underneath for stiffness. I don't think this same drill press is that expensive today for this much versatility......Fred

 

[TANSTAAFL]

I have the same floor model eight speed Craftsman Commercial drill press, I bought it back in the 70's.

It has been a great unit, love the higher 8500 rpm speed, as it allows one to use as a stationary router, (light cuts, I don't force load it) make up fences & fixtures, and you can see exactly what is going on.

First one I saw was when working on offshore oil platform in Alaska. With that thin puny looking 1/4" drive belt, I thought no way, but it was roughneck and roustabout proof, (some of them can destroy large ball bearings with a feather) so that was what convinced me to drop the $ for it.

 

[Darkhorse]

I think with only 2" of travel your gonna wish you'd spent a little more money.
For instance; You start your holes with a center drill which is a lot shorter than a drill. Then you find you can't get your drill bit into the chuck because it hits your work. Now your forced to lower the table and your real lucky if all lines up perfect when you clamp it back. And everything being perfect is the main reason for a drill press to start with. Because you can drill anything with a hand drill you can with a drill press. You just don't have the precision.
So the bottom line is; In the process of building an entire rifle 2" of travel will leave you cussin.
Mine is a Delta 1/3 HP with I think 4" of travel. I still have to be careful and check lengths and travel when making my setups.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Uh, I think you replied to the wrong post(er)?

 

[MSW]

the 1/3 horsepower will see you through what needs done, but i'd be hesitant about the short length of spindle travel... you might find this a great source of frustration down the road. what's the thickest thing you're ever going to put a hole through?

if, however, there is a substantial cost-efficiency advantage, then you might want to 'live with it' and simply put up with the short travel.

you should also consider making or buying an alignment device as described by Alexander in The Gunsmith of Grenville County... think of a sharp rod attached to the table. fidget the rod around so that it lines up with a bit in the chuck. now you can see where the hole will begin and end. cool, no?

also think about buying a drill doctor... i used to put the dull drill bits in an old coffee can. like, the drill bit fairy was gonna show up some night and sharpen them for me? but, 'fess up, everyone, don't we all have a secret stash of coffee can stuff that would embarrass us if it were to come into the light of day?

enough rambling... back to feed... here comes

(ta da) GRAIN MAN... look, comming down the path, it's the vet, no- it's the accountant, no- it's GRAIN MAN... strange visitor from another barnyard...

 

[Herb]

Two inches of spindle travel will do most things. I have a Master Mechanic (Ace Hardware) model, made in Taiwan, 1/4 HP, 2" travel, 620-3100 rpm. Built about 30 rifles with that. But sometimes you need a hole deeper than 2". So I had to start the hole, then raise the table. Finally got a Black & Decker 4" throw 1/4HP 620-3100 rpm. But the 2" will do 90 percent, as somebody else here said, and you can make it drill deeper. And you do need that drill vise from Harbor Freight.

 

[Zonie]

Just a little comment about the line at the top of each post that says "In responce to" , please take the name with a grain of salt.

The computer automatically places the name of the last person who posted into this line unless the person making the new post goes up and clicks on the "Reply" button in the post of the person to whom his/her comments are being made. :shocked2:

Over the years I have seen some people take this "In Responce to " name personally and become quite irate with the poster when it is the computer that should be blamed. :hmm:

zonie

 

[Herb]

Boone, been a long time since I greased a combine. It was probably in McHenry County North Dakota, up north of Towner, about a month before President Kennedy was assassinated. We were trying to combine big bluestem and Indiangrass for seed. I heard about Kennedy when I came into Towner that afternoon.