Recommendation? Thoughts on drill press

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Retired_In_Place

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Sep 6, 2019
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Looking for a bench mounted drill press and was set on a Jet J-2350. When I inquired with my local tool shop about shipping estimates (don’t want it shipped to my home), the salesman offered me this Palmgren model, https://www.palmgren.com/product/334/Bench-Model-Drill-Presses , for the same general cost ($700). The Palmgren is on site, and I believe a display model, while the Jet will take two weeks. Seeking opinions before I make an impulsive decision, one way or the other.

Btw, I have checked used in the area and only found a Jet JDP-20MF for just under $700, but think that is more drill than I need and would have a hell of a time moving that into my basement.
 
Maybe provide a link to the Jet you are interested in. I looked up the J2350 and it is a 3hp 28" geared head drill press. I will say the Palmgren seems pretty decent. The castings look heavier than you will see in most benchtop machines and it has a very useable speed range. It also has a morse taper spindle which I consider a must-have on a drill press. I believe you would be hard pressed to find a better new drill press for that price with those features; whether you need all those features...well, only you can answer that.

Bob
 
Bob Ohlemann said:
Maybe provide a link to the Jet you are interested in. I looked up the J2350 and it is a 3hp 28" geared head drill press. I will say the Palmgren seems pretty decent. The castings look heavier than you will see in most benchtop machines and it has a very useable speed range. It also has a morse taper spindle which I consider a must-have on a drill press. I believe you would be hard pressed to find a better new drill press for that price with those features; whether you need all those features...well, only you can answer that.

Bob
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Sorry. Old age is kicking in. It’s the 2530. My biggest concern with the Palmgren is the 1/2 hp motor vs the 3/4 on the Jet.

https://www.jettools.com/us/en/p/j-2530-15-bench-model-drill-press-115v-1ph/354401
 
One huge advantage of buying display drill presses is that you can check the runout. Can't do that if it's in the box.
 
scott kozub said:
One huge advantage of buying display drill presses is that you can check the runout. Can't do that if it's in the box.
Click to expand...

Agreed, and one of the two reasons I am even considering it. The other being it can be picked up today with no shipping anxiety.

That said, if I go with the Jet, it would probably be ordered through Home Depot, shipped to store. Any shipping damage and I can just walk away. Any issues within 90 days and I just bring it back. Takes a lot of the worry off as well. HD also has the lowest online price at this time.
 
i have 3 of the $89 home depot drill presses. all of them work fine for knife making. just food for thought. the only place i have found where they fall short is spindle travel, which is about 3 1/2" , not deep enough for drilling out hidden tangs holes in handle material. i do the rest by hand.
 
Retired_In_Place said:
Sorry. Old age is kicking in. It’s the 2530. My biggest concern with the Palmgren is the 1/2 hp motor vs the 3/4 on the Jet.

https://www.jettools.com/us/en/p/j-2530-15-bench-model-drill-press-115v-1ph/354401
Click to expand...

The Jet does draw 9 amps versus the 7 amps of the Palmgren however, the Palmgren is geared lower to achieve a slower spindle speed. It's probably not going to be a big difference overall except that 130rpm could be very useful if you want to drill larger holes in steel (i.e. lightening holes in tangs). The Palmgren specs say spindle runout is .0005". That is about as good as you could hope for in a drill press of this size regardless of price. Historically, Palmgren tools have been pretty high quality. They are a brand designed to sell to industry rather than consumers which is why most people have never heard of them.

I have four drill presses in my shop; one is a large floorstanding Craftsman, two are good quality Craftsman 12" bench models and my newest is a Wen 12" bench model. Between the four, all my drill press needs are covered. If I were going to have just one, that Palmgren would certainly be in the running. In fact, I'm going to bookmark your link for it...just in case.

It really comes down to your budget and philosophy on buying tools. Knifemaking can become very expensive and if you have a lot of other tools on your list to buy, perhaps it makes sense to go with a less expensive drill press. If the money is less a factor than the quality of the tools, the Palmgren is probably the right choice.

Bob
 
I just traded my harbor freight drill press for a Grizzly heavy duty bench top model...they’re on sale right now. With the harbor freight I had to drill pilot holes like 1/8” first then go to a 1/4”...it still bound up. Cuts like butter on the Grizzly. No need for pilot holes, no getting stuck, awesome drill. Can’t say enough good about it. Cuts drilling time by more than half.
 
Bob Ohlemann said:
The Jet does draw 9 amps versus the 7 amps of the Palmgren however, the Palmgren is geared lower to achieve a slower spindle speed. It's probably not going to be a big difference overall except that 130rpm could be very useful if you want to drill larger holes in steel (i.e. lightening holes in tangs). The Palmgren specs say spindle runout is .0005". That is about as good as you could hope for in a drill press of this size regardless of price. Historically, Palmgren tools have been pretty high quality. They are a brand designed to sell to industry rather than consumers which is why most people have never heard of them.

I have four drill presses in my shop; one is a large floorstanding Craftsman, two are good quality Craftsman 12" bench models and my newest is a Wen 12" bench model. Between the four, all my drill press needs are covered. If I were going to have just one, that Palmgren would certainly be in the running. In fact, I'm going to bookmark your link for it...just in case.

It really comes down to your budget and philosophy on buying tools. Knifemaking can become very expensive and if you have a lot of other tools on your list to buy, perhaps it makes sense to go with a less expensive drill press. If the money is less a factor than the quality of the tools, the Palmgren is probably the right choice.

Bob
Click to expand...

Probably going to take a look at the Palmgren on Monday. The run out specs are impressive....if accurate.

My spending attitude towards anything is I want to spend as little as possible but get what I paid for, if not more, and have no buyers remorse a year later. I tend to over analyze though.
 
dirtyphil said:
I just traded my harbor freight drill press for a Grizzly heavy duty bench top model...they’re on sale right now. With the harbor freight I had to drill pilot holes like 1/8” first then go to a 1/4”...it still bound up. Cuts like butter on the Grizzly. No need for pilot holes, no getting stuck, awesome drill. Can’t say enough good about it. Cuts drilling time by more than half.
Click to expand...

Grizzly’s sale ended this week. I saw the Grizzly heavy duty the last night of the sale and was very tempted but wanted to sleep on it (not realizing the summer long sale was ending that night). The next morning I saw the sale ended and my pride won’t let me pay full price. I reached out to them to see if they would still offer the sale price but no go. I was told they will have another sale come Christmas. I try not to make impulsive decisions with money, hence this thread, and it bit me in the ass that time.
 
So far all mentioned are ok, but keep in mind you want the three pulley, not the two.

The low speed is the most important, 150 to 200 rpm will get used, not 3500 rpm.
 
A bench-mounted press is generally a bad idea. They don't save you floor space, you lose the ability to work on tall objects, and you have to come up with some kind of base.

Unless you get a wheeled base, the bench vise will always be in your way.
 
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