It’s not ideal, but it’s temporary relief while I’m building the new house. Works well on non humid days. Plus it was cheap. Used em in a shop in a shop I worked at in Kansas and they helped. It’s what gave me the idea to try one
I picked up an old camelback belt driven drill press a few years back, very rigid, nice slow spindle speeds & power feed with depth stop. I would recommend one if you do a lot of large holes in steel. It doesn't quite get up to appropriate RPM for smaller drills or AL.
I don't know how you feel about vintage equipment but I have a 20" camelback drill press from ~1917 made by Silver Mfg. Co. that is a fantastic machine. #3 Morse taper, functional power feed that will drill a 1" hole in a thick steel plate and not even grunt. Weighs 750 lbs. Got it from Craigslist, drive was converted to a 3/4 HP electric motor, has a back gear, came with a big vise and a 3/4" chuck. Turnkey, all for $250. The only thing I did was paint it and get a new v-belt. Wouldn't trade it for anything new.
I don't know how you feel about vintage equipment but I have a 20" camelback drill press from ~1917 made by Silver Mfg. Co. that is a fantastic machine. #3 Morse taper, functional power feed that will drill a 1" hole in a thick steel plate and not even grunt. Weighs 750 lbs. Got it from Craigslist, drive was converted to a 3/4 HP electric motor, has a back gear, came with a big vise and a 3/4" chuck. Turnkey, all for $250. The only thing I did was paint it and get a new v-belt. Wouldn't trade it for anything new.
Something you may want to consider is if the press is a 5 speed or a 9 speed. A 9 speed has an additional pulley and a second v-belt. A 5 speed won't go slow enough and may burn up bits if you try to use a drill larger than 1/2".
Something you may want to consider is if the press is a 5 speed or a 9 speed. A 9 speed has an additional pulley and a second v-belt. A 5 speed won't go slow enough and may burn up bits if you try to use a drill larger than 1/2".
Good way to go
I fabricated my own double reduction on one drill press many years ago. Lowest speed is 70 RPM iirc.
Truth be told I rarely use it as I prefer the power of my Bridgeport clone or mag drill.
Here is a pic of a 12 speed press that is for sale locally on Craigslist for $150. You can see the pulley setup that slows it down to a manageable speed for larger drills. Has an MT2.