dewitteridder Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 I'm trying to decide between a bench top drill press and a floor standing one. Most bench top drill presses have a quill travel of about 3 1/4". A 17" floor standing one like the steel city one has a 6" quill travel. I'm trying to decide if I'm really going to use the 6" quill travel enough to justify the extra cost of the floor standing drill press. I was wondering if other wood workers out there could chime in with their experiences with their drill presses to help me make a decision. Thank you so much for your input. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 I bought a table mounted one many years ago and regretted it as soon as I bought it. There will always be a job that comes along that will not fit on the drill press. I bought a floor mounted radial arm drill press about 5 years ago and have never looked back. The old table mounted one is still used occasionally but for metalworking duties only. Quill travel was never a concern on the new press as it is what it is. I think the quill travel on mine is 100mm (4") and if I need to drill deeper holes I just crank the table up a little or put a packer underneath the workpiece. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 So far, been using my bench top for years. No issues have come up where I needed more quill travel. Hope that helps. -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krtwood Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 I think you'll find most bench top drill presses do not have a 3" travel, more like half that and it's truly not enough. If you are going to spend the money for a higher end bench top model then you should probably bite the bullet and spend the extra money for a floor standing. Whether you need 6" of travel over 4" is a separate question and for me I don't think it'd be worth spending more for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 After thinking about this more...the only issue really I have run into was the width of a board in relation to holes drilled. The board would hit the back of the drill press support pole. Floor models can handle wider boards. -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabinfever Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 I have a Powermatic 1150, which has 6" of quill travel. I've never needed that much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 Several times a year I wish for that longer quill travel. Drilling lamps is the first thing that comes to mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 With a longer travel you need to pay closer attention to runout. Inexpensive drill presses may seem like a good deal but the further you drop the quill the worse the runout rears its ugly head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 The deepest I ever remember needing was for drilling adjuster holes through 4x4s when making horse jumps. I have an old 1150, so it wasn't a problem, but don't remember ever needing more than the 3-1/2 " for the 4x4s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dewitteridder Posted December 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 Thank you all for your responses. I really appreciate it. Have a wonderful holiday. =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabinfever Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 As soon as I said I hardly use it, I used 4" of quill travel for some turnings yesterday. Nice to have if you need it. If you can find an old Powermatic 1150, snatch it up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinF Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 I've used an old craftsman bench top press for a long time without any issues until I started expanding my skills a little and now that short quill travel isn't enough. Trying to drill a 1" through hole from both sides of a 3" block is a royal pain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.