Ronn W Posted April 28, 2016 Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 I could use some direction base on your guys experiences. I am shopping for a new drill press. So far I have looked at the Jet JDP-17. I like the variable speed feature and love the size of the table. My concern about this drill press is the unique depth stop arrangement which appears to be not so straight forward and maybe more awkward than others. What do you all think of it? The other one that I have looked at is the Rikon 30-236. I understand that it has a very good track record for runout. I have also learned from my local Woodcraft helpful person that they are discontinuing this model ($750) in favor of the 30-217 ($900 - arrgh!). Any body have any experience with the 20-236? What other manufacturer's should I be looking at in the this price range? I am pretty sure that I want a floor mounted machine. All suggestions or comments would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miles11we Posted April 28, 2016 Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 Used? I mean at least near me you can get some monsters for those prices with wayyy better build quality, power etc. You would just want to make a table more suited for woodworking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted April 28, 2016 Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 Ronn, I'm going to say this in a whisper so others can't hear, or they'll be throwing crap at me, but I bought mine at HF. With their frequent sales and a 20% off coupon I think it came to a couple of hundred and I've had it for a couple of years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleedinblue Posted April 28, 2016 Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 Ban hammer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted April 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 K Cooper: T hanks for your reply. I am not familiar with HF so I will visit them. I assume that you are talking about a central machine drill press. Which model? Any problems? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted April 28, 2016 Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 I have had the Jet JDP-17 for over a year. Based off my review and usage of it, several forum members have purchased this drill press. I still stand by the fact that it's a badass drill press. Here's a link to the review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minorhero Posted April 28, 2016 Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 Drill presses have probably changed less in technology then any other woodworkingmachine over the last 100 years. They are also pretty dead simple machines. When it comes to floor model drill presses i think it might be harder to find an actual bad model then a good one. They are also great to buy used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted April 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 Tom C: Thanks fro responding. What do you think of the travel stop adjustment. Is it as awkward as it looks?? Additional comment: I went to Woodcraft and played with the travel stop on the Jet 17" VS drill press I suppose I could get used to reach my fingers between the spokes of the downfeed handles but something else was wrong. it was difficult/impossible to turn the rings to set the depth. They would stick and in some cases refuse to move. I called Jet and they sad they would contact the store to see what the problem is. But, for now, I am unimpressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted April 28, 2016 Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 For woodworking I find two challenges on the Drill Press offerings; slow enough speeds and vertical slop in the quill. Like router bits, hand saws and so many other cutting tools, proper geometry and use yield a drastic improvement in performance. Twist drills need proper speeds to clear chips as designed. Frostner and other large bits need reliable power at lower speeds to give good results. Popping a bit in at whatever speed the machine last happened to be setup for is generally OK but, far from optimal. I can handle a high end limit around 2500RPM but, a machine that can't go slower than a few hundred RPM's doesn't do much for me in the shop. For some reason we have lost the art of engaging a pinion to a spindle. If you lower the quill a couple inches, grab the chuck and lift up and down on many machines I see today the slop is in the 1/16" range. This doesn't really allow you to drill to depth confidently no matter what system of stops the machine uses. I wish you luck on your search as I am anxiously awaiting the tool makers to present us with a decent woodworking drill press at a reasonable price. Should a good drill press really cost more than a PM2000 tablesaw? Are they that involved to manufacture? . . . . Oooops . . . . . . . rant-off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted April 29, 2016 Report Share Posted April 29, 2016 I did not find a model number unless it's the 86pj I see on the label. It is a 16 speed floor DP and yes, it is a CM. Only problem and it's only an inconvenience is that the speed adjustment consist of two belts and three sets of pulleys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted May 1, 2016 Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 On 4/28/2016 at 3:32 PM, Ronn W said: Tom C: Thanks fro responding. What do you think of the travel stop adjustment. Is it as awkward as it looks?? Additional comment: I went to Woodcraft and played with the travel stop on the Jet 17" VS drill press I suppose I could get used to reach my fingers between the spokes of the downfeed handles but something else was wrong. it was difficult/impossible to turn the rings to set the depth. They would stick and in some cases refuse to move. I called Jet and they sad they would contact the store to see what the problem is. But, for now, I am unimpressed. Sorry for the late reply, I have had no issue with the depth stop on mine. Once you figure out how it works, it's simple. I do like that you can also lock the quill at a certain point to reduce travel needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodTC Posted May 3, 2016 Report Share Posted May 3, 2016 There are a lot of positive reviews on Deltas, see here for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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