Rainbows Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 So I have the oppurtunity to get a drill press for relatively cheap. However I also already own one and I'm not sure which is better for blacksmithing needs. I'm gonna have to use an Ask the audience lifeline for this. Maybe I just want to be able to blame a stranger on the internet incase it all goes wrong.Current drill is grade A taiwanesium. Its a cheap Nu Tool drill witha 1/4 HP motor and 13mm jacobs chuck. It isn't bad, espeacially considering it was £10 but when using it for long periods the motor gets warmer than I would like and I have to go off and do something else while it cools down and the other problem is the table tends to flex easily. The 520 and 900 RPMs suit most of my needs. I haven't used the image uploader in a while but I think I got an image of it at the bottom of the post.The drill on offer, for £20 + fuel and time to reach it, is a drill in a drill press holder. I usually consider such set ups only good for DIY carpentry however it is a Wolf drill with a morse taper socket, 1" capacity, 380 RPM and the motor amperage is 5.75A vs my 2.4A which through the power of P=IV I assume means over double the power of my drill press. Image also available for it. I have never heard anything but songs of praise for the Wolf brand apart from the fact that they would break your arm before they break themselves. So what do you guys think? I inherently distrust drill holder presses but this one seems like it might have a higher specification than my current set up. I never really use the top 3 speeds on my current drill but going straight down to 380 RPM might be a bit much. I don't think I have ever needed a 1" capacity but I suppose when you need it you need it so it might be good to have for the future. If anyone has expierence on using that particular Wolf drill I would be glad to hear how they found it worked out. Also I expect someone would say buy it and keep both but this is all for a hobby and space is the scarcest thing I have to use on this hobby (money being second and so far I think I have spent as much money on this hobby as some homeowners spend on a diy drill). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Can you afford the 20? If so get it if for nothing else than one good strong hand drill. I have a hand drill clamped into a set up similar to that one I call my Po boy mag drill. I can't afford and haven't seen a Mag Drill for affordable at a garage/yard/boot sale or I'd have one of those too.Not having a Mag Drill when I was putting a brake on my Little Giant I used what I have. I had this little garage sale $10.00 item and needed to drill and tap a hole for the brake pivot.AND this is how I did it. Once the hole was drilled I chucked up the tap and hand turned it so the threads are aligned as perfectly as I could get them. So, what do YOU think? Is that worth it to YOU?Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRS Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 (edited) If overheating is the only problem I would stick with what you have. You probably will run into the same problem with the other drill press.Maybe add a fan to yours?Edit: Frosty has a point, got a similar that saved me from hand drilling- but since you limit yourself to one drill press only I would keep what you have Edited May 7, 2015 by KRS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 normaly I would go with the press, but the 1" and the adapter are hevy built. Is it veriable speed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainbows Posted May 7, 2015 Author Share Posted May 7, 2015 As far as I can tell it is single speed. I might indeed buy it as a hand drill and put the stand on ebay or long term storage. I think the stand is a bit bigger thans Frostys so it might be awkward to clamp to stuff. Also does anyone know how it would be attached to DC electrics? It has a standard UK mains plug and I am just trying to work out where you would get 250V DC from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Neither drills are bad, but I'd be looking for something bigger myself. A nice floor model Bridgeport Mill would do nicely. LOL Seriously around me I've seen any number of large drill presses sell reasonably inexpensively. If I had more room I'd have bought one of several older floor model light industrial drill presses. A lot depends greatly on what you need though. I have a small cheapy like in your 1st pict that a customer gave me when they were downsizing and moving out of their house. I took it mostly so I can give it to someone else who needs one and save it from the trash. I have a slightly larger table top Delta that uses the same head unit as their floor model one that I picked up with a damaged table cheap, then replaced the table later. I almost never use it unless I have a need for a "portable" drill press for some reason. My import bench top Mill gets the most use of my stationary drills. It runs heavier bits in metal a lot better than either of the other drills. Again a used find when a guy I knew upgraded to a full sized mill. Next drill press I get if it's not a mill, will have power down feed. I'm thinking one of the older belt driven industrial units converted to electricity. Down side is going to be finding a place big enough to put it, but if I locate one cheap enough, it's coming home with me and I'll deal with the storage problem later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainbows Posted May 7, 2015 Author Share Posted May 7, 2015 I think a pretty old pedestal drill went for something in the region of £80 locally. Never saw it close but based off the images I think it had a auto feed and a form of backear for tapping but alas you can source or make bargain price - high quality tools but getting the land to put them on is an entirely different matter.Think I will buy it, see how well it works and decide which to keep after testing. I was checking through ebay and the drill model without the stand went recently for £50. Its a win win win situation whether I use it as a drill press, hand drill or sell it! I don't think they make drills of that calibre any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 Buy it, keep em both. I am amazed you never needed to drill bigger holes. It is not a big leap down to 380 rpms at all. Next thing you know you will have drilled hundreds of holes with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 I've often wanted my drill press to go slower; seldom faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 Agread, TP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainbows Posted May 10, 2015 Author Share Posted May 10, 2015 Conclusion: Oh my god it is big Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 A true beast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainbows Posted May 10, 2015 Author Share Posted May 10, 2015 Turns out I now have a new pedestal drill instead of bench drill. Not put it to action yet but I expect this is going to replace the old drill. A good £20 spent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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