Subject: Need drill press advice

From: [email-masked] (Awrobinson)
Date: 28 Mar 1997 22:34:25 GMT

As an aspiring wood worker, I'm in the market for 
a drill press. My budget is about $200. Based on posts 
I've seen on this group, the three brands I've been 
considering are Delta, Jet, and Grizzley. 

The Delta 12 inch bench top would be the default 
choice. It is readily available locally and through 
catalogs, and the cost appears to be in the $170 
to $190 range. Because of some comments I've seen 
in this forum about problems with Delta quality, 
I've been looking into the other two brands.

Grizzley has a 14 inch bench top model with all 
the features of a much larger model: 5/8 inch 
chuck, 12 speeds, etc. The price is right at $190. 
Again, based on comments here, the quality is 
somewhat suspect. The feel I've gotten about
Grizzley products is a qualified endorsement. 
Still, the price was right so I ordered one. 
However, Grizzley called back and said the 
cheapest method of shipping would cost $65. 
$65! That's more than a third of the price of the 
drill press. Woodworkers Supply shipped me a 
Delta Contracter saw last year for about $11. 
I canceled that order.

So then I called Jet and asked about their models. 
Jet seems to be pretty doggone proud of their drill 
presses. The ONLY one for under $200 was the 8 
inch. Plus I've had trouble find vendors of Jet 
equipment.  

The questions I have are  pretty general. Anyone 
have any advice on how to proceed? The intended 
use of the drill press is for a hobby woodworking: 
jigs, boxes, small furniture, maybe the occasional 
piece of larger furniture. Is an 8 inch drill press 
large enough for that? Is the quality of the Jet 
that much better than Delta? Can Grizzley stay 
in business with shipping costs that high?

Many thanks in advance...

Andrew Robinson
---
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of America Online

---

From: [email-masked] (stev)
Date: 29 Mar 1997 07:02:03 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, 
[email-masked] says...
>considering are Delta, Jet, and Grizzley. 

$200 will get a good used press, with more capacity than
what youll get otherwise. Look around before you buy new.

stev

-- 
Send any Email to [email-masked]
The auto reply address is a fake.
************************************
Spammers READ:
Dont waste your time sending unwanted solicitations
to my address. There is no way I will buy anything
you have to offer.

---

From: Frank Howell <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 29 Mar 1997 04:27:17 -0800

> Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of America Online

I you have a Price Club or Costco in your area, look there for drill
presses. They don't always carry them , but when they do they have good
prices. I bought the Delta 14" bench top for $200 at a Costco. Another
choice is to buy used. I have seen the 12" Delta for a $100 in my area a
number of times.

Frank Howell

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: 29 Mar 1997 22:32:46 GMT

>considering are Delta, Jet, and Grizzley. 

Donning Nomex:
Do not rule out Sears on this one.  I chose their 15" over the Delta.  For about the same price my has a built in work light and in my opinion more value.  Spend the extra $$ and get a floor mount. 
You can still put it over a bench and the floor space it takes up is about that of a magizine.

Bernie Swanson  
Bernie Swanson
Bellevue, WA

---

From: [email-masked] (#10 Ox)
Date: Tue, 01 Apr 1997 15:28:11 GMT

On 28 Mar 1997 22:34:25 GMT "[email-masked] (Awrobinson)" posted to
"rec.woodworking" on the subject "Need drill press advice" :

Someone's .sig in this very n.g. to the effect of:  buy quality and wince
once, don't and wince all the time.  Get a 14" minimum throat (7"
clearance) for other than model making.  I have the 14" delta and it is
good and powerful but has unacceptable side play in the bearings/guides,
and have I mentioned the wobbly pulleys and bad Morris Taper?, As far as
true precision work.  My machinist pal dis recommends the whole product
line.  If highest precision is not required, they have a fairly good price
to quality ratio.  I would look at the tilt/sliding head bench models, if
you must have a bench press.  Frankly, I have not had much use for the
vertical capacity of my floor model, and this could be well acheived with a
bench model by mounting it high and square to the floor for such special
use.  A pain, but possible.  I have never regretted buying quality
products, nor paying more for extra capacity:  I wish now that I had gotten
an 8" jointer, a 12" table saw, a Corvette.....  <G>  TS

"There are no lies in chess"  Smith
--"Sufficiently advanced cluelessness is indistiguishable from malice"
--"Truly, wealth, which men spend all their lives in acquiring, is a
--valueless thing at the last."  Haggard
--"This...is...from......Matilda...."  Leon
--"There are no lies in chess"
[email-masked]   http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/2110
--...I get the uneasy feeling that Bill Gates now controls the horizontal and the vertical...
   Craig Sauls via n.g.