Any recommendations for a small drill press?

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Matthew Lau
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Joined: Sat Feb 18, 2012 2:03 am

Any recommendations for a small drill press?

Post by Matthew Lau »

As postpartum is starting to settle for my wife, I've started to get back into guitar building/woodworking .

I'm thinking of gradually getting some tools off Facebook market place.

Do you have any recommendations for a good small drill press?
I'm not sure if I should go the Ryobi route, or an older small walker turner.

I had a walker turner that was about 15" but gave it to my friend...it was super heavy with no platform lift.

Ideally. I'd like a drill press that is good enough to do accurate work, but can be put away when I'm not using it to make space for baby stuff.
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Bob Gramann
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Re: Any recommendations for a small drill press?

Post by Bob Gramann »

Long ago, I had the small Ryobi drill press. I broke off the table pressing frets. Replacement parts were available. I fixed it, sold it, and got a beefier press. Now, I have the Nova Voyager floor model. It’s too big for you, probably, but it’s a great tool. It’s tight and the variable speed feature is wonderful. They make a bench model. You probably won’t like the price.
Jarno Verhoeven
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Joined: Mon Nov 06, 2023 1:06 pm

Re: Any recommendations for a small drill press?

Post by Jarno Verhoeven »

I have a tiny Proxxon pillar drill (TBM220), bought it for drilling PCB's, super accurate, which is the reason I still use it for pilot holes. Unsuitable for anything over 3mm (1/8") and even that is making it work hard, it will not do 3mm in steel. But, it's got collet chucks, and those are extremely accurate.
Main drill press is a Bosch PBD40, it works, it's got bells and whistles, but it is not particularly stable, and the wheel is wildly un-ergonomical if you have to drill a number of holes (cramps).
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Jim McConkey
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Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2012 4:00 pm
Location: Way north of Baltimore, MD

Re: Any recommendations for a small drill press?

Post by Jim McConkey »

I went the cheap route and got an inexpensive Wen table top drill press. Far more power than anything I used to own, with variable speed and laser crosshairs even, at a price which didn't break the bank. I am not fond of Chinese equipment, mostly because of the quality, but I have found it to be much better than expected and have never had an issue with any Wen tool.
MIMForum Staff - Way North of Baltimore
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