knife maker's drill press

C

court jester

Joined
Apr 22, 2004
Messages
55
Hi, can any tell me what size and make of drill press best serves them when making knives (how much HP). What festures to look for? I am considering Jet (KBC Tools)or Ridgid (Home Depot with lifetime warranty). Thank you for your help.
 
I just have a cheapo 99$ drill press....i dont do anything fancy with it other than drilling holes in annealed steel. It drills straight holes, so suits my needs well. When it kicks the bucket, ill be lookign for something more long lasting. It was the first piece of machinery I bought, and had no idea how long i'd be up to this!
 
I have a Delta 3/4 hp bench drill press that I purchased 13 yrs ago. I have never had a single problem with it. It is a little under powered when I try to drill a 1/2" through 1" or thicker steel but it will still do it. Over the last eight years I have used it at least 10 hours a week manufacturing small parts I used to sell as part of a small side business.

I have several JET power tools and I like all of them and have not had any real big problems with them. My metal lathe had a chuck that was out of round and JET replaced it without any hassles.

If you buy an HF product and it breaks after 31 days you are screwed. Don't ask me how I know that.
 
Look for variable speed. I got a 12 speed benchtop model from HF and replaced the standard 1/2" chuck with a nice keyless chuck that will hold bits from 1/32" up to 5/8". It can be adjusted to turn from around 200 rpm to up to 3600. I am really happy with it so far.The keyless chuck feature is a real timesaver too. I use it mostly for drilling steel.

I also got a small HF 5 speed with a keyless chuck that I use for wood and sheathmaking. It runs a little faster but that's ok for wood. Since I don't use cutting fluid on that one it stays mostly clean and I don't have problems messing up my materials.
 
I have a Delta 12" benchtop drill press. It has been great, has worked very well for three years or so. It was worth the money I spent on it. I think it is more accurate than a HF.

I wouldn't think you'd need the biggest floor model drill press for making knives. Most of what we do is generally 1/2" diameter or less, so HP is not a big issue. Most are 1/2 hp or larger.

What ever you buy, go to enco and buy a Rohm keyless chuck. Buy it when it's on sale, they seem to always have them on sale. Then replace the one that comes on the press, big time saver. The Rohm chucks are high quality.
 
I recently bought a Grizzly that is a 12 speed and I would swear by it. It was well worth the money. I have always wanted/needed a drill press. Not just for knife making. :)
 
I've got two, one I do most of my drilling on straight knives is a cheapo harbor frieght type I got at Hudsons Salvage cheap. It wobbles a little bit and at slowest speed is too fast but I always drill pin holes and such a bit oversize for pin clearance.

For folders or precise work I use my mill, perfectly flat and able to slow it way down.

If you plan on folders I'd go with as good a drill as you can get, for basic straight blade work you can get by with a pretty cheap drill.
 
I got a floor standing Taiwanese 3/4-1 hp 16 speed model around 1980 and it's still going. It developed a wobble when the chuck came off a couple of times using it for things it wasn't intended for(lateral stress), so I replaced the chuck with a keyless from Grizzly and it was/is like a new drill press.

You can get the same thing today from Harbor Freight for $170.00 or so, and that's not too far from what I paid back then.

If it wobbles a bit, go the route I did and get the keyless chuck from Grizzly. Very accurate chucks!
 
I use (and abuse) my Craftsman table top model. I have it C-clamped to my work bench. It cost me about $120.00 on sale. I've been using it for 4 years now for everything from the obvious hole drilling to drum sanding and polishing. Hasn't let me down.
 
I have two el'cheapO's I think they were $50.00 or less each
and one they call a
Vertical Mill ,, an Enco nee mill 1 1/2" hp with DRO :D
I still use one of the little ones for light work and my leather work..can't beat them for that..:thumbup:
 
I started out with a 5speed Taiwan special, the kids bought me another, a friend brought a belt drive Cincinatti(100 yrs old) another friend brought me a 4 station Turner Turret, and i the meantime I accumulated 6 hand powered post drill press. That runs the gammet of drills acquired over the space of 7 yrs.
The Turner turret is the best, even being over 70 yrs old. Tho a coupleof the hand crank ones work well too. bruce
 
David Schott said:
I just have a cheapo 99$ drill press....i dont do anything fancy with it other than drilling holes in annealed steel. It drills straight holes, so suits my needs well. When it kicks the bucket, ill be lookign for something more long lasting. It was the first piece of machinery I bought, and had no idea how long i'd be up to this!
Click to expand...
Should I stick with the cobalt bits for high carbon steel? Is there a general length of these bits for the drill press? I notice some of the smaller ones go wayyy up in the chuck. Also, my couple decade old drill press is one speed and it’s like 3100 rpm, and when I try and drill into the steel, it stalls or something (the motor keeps trying to spin the bit, but the bit is stationary on the steel). I’m reading it’s best to slow the speed down so I’m getting the 8” WEN. For speed control. What speed do you guys use/recommend?
 
Last edited:
Mike Hull said:
I got a floor standing Taiwanese 3/4-1 hp 16 speed model around 1980 and it's still going. It developed a wobble when the chuck came off a couple of times using it for things it wasn't intended for(lateral stress), so I replaced the chuck with a keyless from Grizzly and it was/is like a new drill press.

You can get the same thing today from Harbor Freight for $170.00 or so, and that's not too far from what I paid back then.

If it wobbles a bit, go the route I did and get the keyless chuck from Grizzly. Very accurate chucks
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
This thread is from 2006-it’s likely that you may not be getting answers from those who originally posted... Sometimes I forget, but it’s ALWAYS a good thing to remember to check when the posts were made. I’m fairly certain a moderator will be along before long to close this thread. Check out Stacey’s recent thread on stuff for newer members that has suggestions on how to best get the help you’re looking for. And welcome to BF.

Jeremy
 
gudspelr said:
This thread is from 2006-it’s likely that you may not be getting answers from those who originally posted... Sometimes I forget, but it’s ALWAYS a good thing to remember to check when the posts were made. I’m fairly certain a moderator will be along before long to close this thread. Check out Stacey’s recent thread on stuff for newer members that has suggestions on how to best get the help you’re looking for. And welcome to BF.

Jeremy
Click to expand...
Man this forum has me feeling stewpid. Took me an hour to figure out how to create a post/thread. I’m not finding the “Stacey recent thread for newer members”. I’ll continue to look. Thanks Much!
-Clay
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top