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Needing a good floor drill

Jskyking

Well Known Member
My old Delta drill press is developing a wobbly chuck. I bought it second hand and it may be time to buy another one. I’m not interested in a HF model, but don’t want to spend a ton either. Any ideas for a good press in the $500-$800 range that have yielded good results?
 
Drill press

I purchased a Jet J-2500 several years ago, it was a refurb on Ebay. They are selling for about $800 now. Not the cheapest but a very good tool that will last forever in a home shop
 
WEN 4214

Unless you have some burning need for a floor model (I have 4 and have never needed the extra height), the WEN (bench) Model 4214 (less than $300) is about as good as it gets - in that price range.

HFS
 
My old Delta drill press is developing a wobbly chuck. I bought it second hand and it may be time to buy another one. I’m not interested in a HF model, but don’t want to spend a ton either. Any ideas for a good press in the $500-$800 range that have yielded good results?

Is there some reason you don't want to just repair it?
 
I removed the chuck this afternoon and wire brushed then cleaned inside the spindle - remounted the chuck, still has a very slight wobble. It’s unnoticeable when drilling flat aluminum plate, round stock like control rods, it’s difficult to keep the bit from running even after center punching and using v-blocks.
Belts are nearly new, so it’s probably in the bearings or the v- belt wheels.
 
The longer I live/more I do, the more I appreciate my older tools. Most of the newer affordable stuff is sh!t; hobby grade may be a more PC term. Many times it's engineered to make it through a single project. Ex; the cheap two cycle yard tools are engineered to go a season. That's eight hours of run time. Sometimes you get lucky. No need for anyone to post defending their choice of purchase.

Anything new that's comparable to the 30 year old (or older), US made stuff will cost outrageous money. If it can be fixed, you should. Hope you do.
 
I removed the chuck this afternoon and wire brushed then cleaned inside the spindle - remounted the chuck, still has a very slight wobble. It’s unnoticeable when drilling flat aluminum plate, round stock like control rods, it’s difficult to keep the bit from running even after center punching and using v-blocks.
Belts are nearly new, so it’s probably in the bearings or the v- belt wheels.
Post a picture of the data plate, I bet you will get some help. There are a lot of sources for the parts, but usually salvagers. Bearings are always available. Try this site for parts lists.

EDIT: Oops, bearings are special. Rebuilder and parts.
 
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I have a Grizzly mill/drill on a stand. It was not cheap but the ability to move the table and the stability is really nice. It is not a great mill but is a very good drill. It allowed me to do some things much better on my -7 than I could have otherwise. I have a cheap floor drill that never gets used.
 
another vote for bearing replacement here. I had a modern drill press start wobbling after a year. Crappy machining on the quill bore in my case. Replaced with a 70 year old rockwell that is built like a tank. Got it for $110 on craiglist. I really like old tools. Just can't find that quality today without spending BIG $'s
 
Great insight. I’m gonna remove the main spindle next week and take a look at the main bearings. Hopefully, I will find the root cause.jt
 
I have a Grizzly mill/drill on a stand...

I just bought one of those. Pretty impressed with it so far. Swept the table and found X/Y is perpendicular. But Z/Y is just slightly out. Probably need to shim it. But, haven't gotten around to figuring out how yet. Its precise enough for what I've done with it so far.
 
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