Drill Press

I need a new drill press.

Have been considering Ridig Floor model ($299 @home depot)
Hitaci floor model ($269 Lowes)

Should I just get a $99 table top model and a cheapo band saw since I don't have one of those.

My thoughts on the bigger ones is that they just look better made and I'm thinking they will stay more precise. The bigger ones go down to 250RPM where the desk models only go down to 550RPM or so. Are these points important? I don't see any reason at this point that I will need the extra throw or chuck size.

I am at end if fuse stage, beginning of finish stage on RV-6 kit non pre-punch that I bought pretty much in this condition.

I use a $100 Craftsman bench model. It was a "special" model that included a vise and sanding drums. So far so good. I stack 3 scotch brite wheels on an arbor and use the drill as my deburr machine as well as a drill press. I even used it as a vertical mill once to machine a 1/4" slot in a piece of nylon. You'll need around 500 rpm when you use the fly cutter to remove the center of the inboard tank rib.
Steve
left tank

drill press speed

If you use the flycutter very much you'll appreciate the slower speed.
Otherwise, it's just space considerations.
-mike

I use a Delta 12 speed floor model drill press that ranges from 250 to 3000 RPM. 250 RPM is just about ideal for using a fly cutter. This is also an outstanding speed to use with a reamer and cutting oil to generate high quality precision bolt holes. The newer and more advanced kits seem to have little need for builder generated lightening holes, but I can assure you, I needed to cut dozens upon dozens of them for my 2000 vintage RV-6A kit. I also used it to cut almost all the instrument panel holes with outstanding results. By dropping and moving the table out of the way, the drill press does a pretty fair job buffing out the occasional part including my polished spinner. A good drill press used in the home shop will get a lifetime of use besides building your airplane. At the hangar I use a cheapie $40 Harbor Freight adjustable speed table model and you know what? It does a pretty fair job at doing what it is asked to do, but I don't dare use a flycutter with it.

Rick Galati RV-6A "Darla"

I bought the harbor freight one on sale for 29$; granted, it is a real piece of you-know-what and is made in china, but it has done everything I've asked it to do so far. The slowest speed is a little fast for the flywheel, but doable if you go VERY slowly.
I honestly haven't had to use the press much so far in the project (finishing empennage). I figure when I need to use a press a lot I'll get a "real" one.

Thomas

I have both the $99 Sears drill press and $89 Sears band saw. Both have done what I needed and find having the smaller one allows me to move things around when I need to.

I am sure the expensive ones will work great, but I am glad I took the savings and bought other tools I wouldn't have otherwise bought.

Take care,

Jim
Starting wings

FWIW...

I recently bought a Tradesman 12" benchtop drill press from Lowe's for $129. It seems to be of average quality, but it DOES go down to 250 rpms, which is one of the reasons I bought it.

12" Delta bench top

It has done everything I have asked it to do and more.

FYI, I use it w/ the deburring wheel and it works great for that. Set at the slowest speed of course. I find the drill press gives me much more room to move parts around than using a bench grinder.

Do I really need a drill press?

I am still in the tool acquisition and shop / garage preparation stage of my planned RV-8 standard build. Do I really need a drill press? If so, bench-top? Floor standing? What else? I know most people used them for cutting the lightening holes, but I believe those are pre-cut now correct?

Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

I didn't buy a drill press until I started on the fuselage and for the most part, I've gotten along fine without it. However, don't try drilling the push rod holes for the wing pushrods with a hand drill. I shoudl've used a drill press for that.

And, like I said, once the fuselage started, there were needs for a drill press. Some of the fabricated parts needed very precise hole locations that just wasn't possible in my case with a hand drill.

Floormount and name brand tools for this kid.

I'm a big fan of stand alone Name Brand machinery. For my style of working on furniture or airplanes or cars (messy), anything bench mounted takes up valuable bench space, which I invariably clutter to the max. For example, I have a table top belt sander. And every time I put it away, I hate having to fish it out and find a spot on the bench. Sometimes I hate hauling it out so much, that I resort to dressing by hand to avoid hauling out the heavy bench mounted unit and finding a place to set it down. Funny, I thought I was saving time and space when I bought it.....

My drill press is a Delta 16.5" throat floor model, speeds from 250-3000 rpm. I have done all my deburring with a scotchbrite wheel in the chuck. Great time saver. I can slow it way down, and a drill press is never in the way, and easy to slide around on the floor to get into a better position. Perfect also for jigging and drilling pushrod tubes, and the tailwheel spring.

I cut metal with a floor mounted band saw (Jet brand, 15" throat) which is mounted on a (STC brand) roller cart, so I can roll it around the shop.

The other tool which I have found invaluable is my Hitachi Mitre saw, which I bought years ago for wood trim work! I have a 60 tooth carbide blade, and I cut all kind of thick alum with it. Very clean edge, almost nothing to deburr, and very square. Just make sure you go really slow with the feed, and have the material dogged down...oh yeah, and ear protection is a must. Perfect for tubular as well as bar and angle stock. It does such a better job than my band saw for simple cross cuts. I learned this from a friend who owns a tool shop. He cuts alum on a mitre saw, and cuts alum sheets with his table saw. Makes a racket, but does a fine job of squaring up big thick sheets.

Oh, and my new favorite tool is my The Bone 'Rough Rider' Creeper. Easily rolls over tools, extension cords and even an air hose on its 5" dia wheels! It's' pricey, but I've already been thru two $50 creepers in 20 years, so this one at $120 should do me for the rest of my life.

That's my attitude toward tools-buy it once, buy it for life. I've seen friends buy junk and spend all their time messing around to keep them running. An A&P/IA friend who owns his own repair facility (and should know better) bought a chinese bench mounted band saw and bench mounted belt sander at some local discount tool show. I could not believe that he bought them, and they were useless after a week or so. Then, in an effort to save face, he spent hours jury rigging parts to make both work. False economy in my opinion. Stick with a name brand, or, buy from a store that you can take the tool back for a refund and you'll not be sorry. Just my 2 cents, and worth about what you paid for it.....