Geared head drill press?

[BrooklynBravest]

Heres what im working with to give you some perspective.... If I had the space I would realistically just have 2-3 drills set up at different speeds at all times

3 phase is out. As is having a wide milling table.

The gear head also allows me to push the drill back a good 6 inches to the wall.

Torn what to do here, I want to pull the trigger on something tomorrow.

Power down feed is especially nice to have for drilling thicker plate so your not cranking on the handle. If you need to make large holes to a precise size you would use a boring head which will perform best with power feed. Once you've used power feed you wouldn't want to be without it. At any rate that's up to you to decide, but having a good heavy table is probably the most important thing. Whether your using a vise, a fence or hold down clamps it all starts with a rigid base that you can easily clamp to such as tee slots.

I would definitely love to have it, and would find reasons to use it but do you think i will regret not having it when I mostly drill 1/4" steel and 1/8" tubing? I can't see ever using a boring head if I can just use annular cutters. The difference to get power down feed is basically over $1000, increasing the cost of the drill by 50%. I don't want to make a purchase I regret, but ultimately either tool is going to pay for itself.

I am just fed up with changing belts. As a one man assembly line it really gets old.

[Mac's Crew]

I get small work space...I get no 3 phase... but if I had the need and the space I would get a radial arm drill.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[thegary]

This is the one I was referring to. But for drilling anything over the size of the table i see it being a huge pain. Though it does have power quill feed.

$2795 with $25 shipping until tomorrow.
Attachment 1710944



So you're saying if I wanted to actually do some light manual milling with $2200 one I was looking at, it would be possible with an add on table? Would the actual column mount of the table even be rigid enough to handle that?

I think I am fairly sold on the original one without the power feed, as nice as it would be to have I don't see myself using it too often for the added cost.

This one, to keep reference accurate ($2145 with $25 shipping until tomorrow)

Attachment 1710943

Yes it could do some light milling but would not be near as good as the combo mill drill. The bottom line is if the $2145 drill press will do the job then get it. I agree with others that an old american made gearhead drill press would be the best but good luck finding one. You could look for 2 years and not find one that is what you want. I believe you will be satisfied with the grizzly and not have to put up with a machine that is hard to use while looking for a needle in a hay stack.

I have never seen a used gearhead drill press for sale used. They have been around a long time . I used one 45 years ago on the first job I ever had. the problem is that they are a good machine in high demand in a variety of fields. I would venture to say if you found one that you would pay $4-5K for it.

[MinnesotaDave]

I get small work space...I get no 3 phase... but if I had the need and the space I would get a radial arm drill.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Oh heck yeah! I'd definitely get a radial arm drill if one came up near me...and was cheap enough for a penny pincher like me

[thegary]

I get small work space...I get no 3 phase... but if I had the need and the space I would get a radial arm drill.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

If I had room I would have one too. My shop is 4 times the size of Brooklynsbravest and I do not have room for a radial drill. They are dirt cheap I could have purchased several for under $5K but it does me no good because if things are crowded you cant use it anyway. Then come the problem of moving it. Even a small one with a 4' arm weigh 3-4,000 lbs.

[thegary]

Heres what im working with to give you some perspective.... If I had the space I would realistically just have 2-3 drills set up at different speeds at all times

3 phase is out. As is having a wide milling table.

The gear head also allows me to push the drill back a good 6 inches to the wall.

Torn what to do here, I want to pull the trigger on something tomorrow.





I would definitely love to have it, and would find reasons to use it but do you think i will regret not having it when I mostly drill 1/4" steel and 1/8" tubing? I can't see ever using a boring head if I can just use annular cutters. The difference to get power down feed is basically over $1000, increasing the cost of the drill by 50%. I don't want to make a purchase I regret, but ultimately either tool is going to pay for itself.

I am just fed up with changing belts. As a one man assembly line it really gets old.

Very nice little shop . You got a lot into a small space. I wish my shop was that clean!

PS; you should be able to recoup 3-$400 for your old drill press too.

[BrooklynBravest]

Very nice little shop . You got a lot into a small space. I wish my shop was that clean!

PS; you should be able to recoup 3-$400 for your old drill press too.

Already sold to my powdercoater for $300 Gave him a break on it otherwise i would go for $400.

Truthfully that drill press and my air compressor are both very dependable tools for being harbor freight items.

and when its this small you can't afford to have dirty... You won't be able to open the door lol.

Anyway i think im gonna pull the trigger. Thank you guys as usual for the great advice. Now I have to add an outlet for this thing...

[M J D]

Heres what im working with to give you some perspective.... If I had the space I would realistically just have 2-3 drills set up at different speeds at all times

3 phase is out. As is having a wide milling table.

The gear head also allows me to push the drill back a good 6 inches to the wall.

Torn what to do here, I want to pull the trigger on something tomorrow.





I would definitely love to have it, and would find reasons to use it but do you think i will regret not having it when I mostly drill 1/4" steel and 1/8" tubing? I can't see ever using a boring head if I can just use annular cutters. The difference to get power down feed is basically over $1000, increasing the cost of the drill by 50%. I don't want to make a purchase I regret, but ultimately either tool is going to pay for itself.

I am just fed up with changing belts. As a one man assembly line it really gets old.

On that thinner wall stuff, probably not that big a deal. If you were drilling 3/4" or thicker stuff the manual feed would get old fast. If you set your drill press up for annular cutter use, it's a set it and forget it thing for speeds on a given size cutter. On that tubing it should take less than a minute to punch a 5/8" or so hole thru both sides of the tubing using an annular cutter. With some creative fixturing you would be able to punch out a lot of holes in very little time.

[BrooklynBravest]

Well... I hit the button.

Always forget about tax and lift gate fee.

$2400 total.

[Welder Dave]

You will be pleased with it.

[Mac's Crew]

You will like any improvement.. as and a new shiney toy too.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[M J D]

I'm sure it will work out good for you. That's a good size motor so you shouldn't have any issue with enough power.

[davec]

That looks like a nice press up front there. I was reading your other thread about it too. What brand/type/size is it? i could really use a press...

[psacustomcreations]

Congrats on the purchase of the geared head drill. Once you get it in, post a review. I have been looking at the exact same two drills for where I work. Saving money by getting the one you bought should make it easier to convince them to buy one.

[BrooklynBravest]

That looks like a nice press up front there. I was reading your other thread about it too. What brand/type/size is it? i could really use a press...

Its a harbor freight that I modified to accept an air over hydraulic jack. Added the swag off-road finger brake to and then I designed a stack of insertable dies i CNC cut into it to make it a useable brake. I can get very tight bends now.

Currently in process of adding a foot pedal now that my compressor can actually keep up with it. It needs like 8-9 CFM to be usable.

Congrats on the purchase of the geared head drill. Once you get it in, post a review. I have been looking at the exact same two drills for where I work. Saving money by getting the one you bought should make it easier to convince them to buy one.

ill make sure to do a full unboxing. There is very little out there that I could find for reviews/content on it.

I think it's rare someone buys one of these for semi-personal use so you don't get much media content on them.

[BrooklynBravest]

Any recommendations for a good quality keyless chuck?

In the past i have used $50ish ones from amazon and the bit always slips so i went back to keyed. Is this just nature of the beast with keyless chucks or was it a trash chuck?

Found a Weldon to R8 adapter as well.

[Mac's Crew]

Precision and price range... Jacob's chucks are ok... Albrech is superior but you are paying for it up front too. Both can be purchased with the proper taper for your machine.

I prefer Albrech but wasn't forced to pay for them out of pocket. Working as the shop machinist then getting laid off and having them given to you that way sucks but.. it is cheaper...

1/2, 3/8, and the microchuck were donated to my cause that way.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[BrooklynBravest]

The drill comes with an R8 to MT3 spindle adapter as well.

I don’t need anything crazy, but Is slippage common on keyless chucks?

[Mac's Crew]

Speeds and feeds... how sharp is the bit... ect... anything can slip ... I wouldn't tap in a keyless chuck but I will in my Jacob's chucks that are keyed.

I have the opportunity to step out to almost any drill size at work... at home 5/8 is the largest common size I use. If I need larger than that I can get it done, but have to determine the best way for the equipment I have. Sometimes a hole saw is the way... it all depends on the situation of course.

Accupro is another decent choice for keyless... I forgot about them in my prior post partner at work uses them at home.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[jbacc]

I have a few keyless chucks both Albrecht and Jacobs for my drill press and my Bridgeport mill. For light drilling they are great but when I am drilling large holes and pushing the drills hard, invariably, I need a strap clamp to release the drill bit from the chuck. In the end, I find I use the keyed chucks more often.

That's just my $.02.

Congrats on the new press..

[Oldendum]

From what I know of keyless chucks, they were designed for speed and precision, but not heavy-duty use. The have a tendency to self-tighten which can cause damage. Not suited for use with a big hole saw or oversized drills.

Rohm makes some economical chucks.

I'd like to have a radial drill.

[Welder Dave]

I worked in a shop that had a smaller Cincinnati Bickford Super Service Radial drill. It was a productive drill. Most functions were by push button and it had a quick change chuck where you didn't have to stop to change from a centering head to the drill bit. The operator just pushed up and the tool came out. I'd run a smaller radial but that one was cool. They set up large V blocks to drill smaller vessels up to about 5' diameter. I have a book on the history of Bucyrus Erie and there is a pic. of a Carlton Radial arm drill with a 12' arm and 26" column. Just like above the operator has to stand on the piece being drilled. They also had gear cutters up to 24' diameter and 4' face width!

[Oldendum]

Carlton was the premium drill back in the day. And Cinci-Bickford was right up there.

[Munkul]

We still have two pretty decent sized radial arm drills at work. Both No.5 morse taper, one is an Asquith and the other a Kitchen & Wade.

The Asquith is getting a bit long in the tooth, still a good machine but the controls are worn heavily from use. The K&W is solid but just had a full new set of electrical controls - the mechanical contactors had given up.
The K&W is a beautifully made machine, simple, elegant and powerful.

At one point before annular cutters came on the scene, those two drills pretty much drilled every steelwork hole in the entire factory.

[Welder Dave]

I saw a Carlton at a used machinery dealer and he said the same that Carlton was the cream of the crop. I think a lot of those old machines were extremely well built. That's one of the sad things that is gone. Kearney & Trekker used to be the largest factory for producing milling machines in the world.