I figure that it is about time to get a good drill press. Well, actually I bought one last week, but returned it.
It was the Ryobi benchtop model DP121L, from BORG. It looked real nice, was not really expensive, but the quality was utter rubbish.
It had the lasers which were very ineffective. If I set the lasers for one piece of wood and then moved onto a different thickness of wood, I would have to reset the lasers.....useless.
The lift mechanism for the table, from what I can tell, all are about the same, but this one just didn't work right. I had to tighten the collar down a lot more than I felt comfortable, just to get it where the table would not wobble on the rack. And then I would have to loosen it just to get the table out of the way.
It had a depth gauge on the (part with the three handles...) hub. I thought it was pretty neat until the handes fell off in the middle of drilling...... Plus the markings on it were printed on a sticker which kept trying to come off.
And for the life of me, I could not get the bit not to wobble. I even used a brand new $20 1/2" bit and it wobbled. At first I thought the bit might be bent, so I took it back, but replacement was same. I took off the chuck and the arbor and reinstalled them five times. The wobble was the same each and every time. I even used a marker to find the ...wobbliest... part on the bit each time, and each time it was at a different spot, so I know for sure it was not a bent bit. Come to think of it, I probably should have tried this on the chuck....Oh well.
But one thing I did like about this DP is that it had the infinite speed thing and a digital readout of the RPMs.
I used it for two days and took it back and now I am looking for a better quality press. I need a benchtop model because of my lack of space. I don't mind paying a bit more, maybe up to $300, but I know quality=$. I have been throwing around the idea of getting a floor DP and finding a shorter column, or even (gag) cutting the full size column. I come to you all because I know the best advertisement is word of mouth and hands-on experience. Please help me!
It was the Ryobi benchtop model DP121L, from BORG. It looked real nice, was not really expensive, but the quality was utter rubbish.
It had the lasers which were very ineffective. If I set the lasers for one piece of wood and then moved onto a different thickness of wood, I would have to reset the lasers.....useless.
The lift mechanism for the table, from what I can tell, all are about the same, but this one just didn't work right. I had to tighten the collar down a lot more than I felt comfortable, just to get it where the table would not wobble on the rack. And then I would have to loosen it just to get the table out of the way.
It had a depth gauge on the (part with the three handles...) hub. I thought it was pretty neat until the handes fell off in the middle of drilling...... Plus the markings on it were printed on a sticker which kept trying to come off.
And for the life of me, I could not get the bit not to wobble. I even used a brand new $20 1/2" bit and it wobbled. At first I thought the bit might be bent, so I took it back, but replacement was same. I took off the chuck and the arbor and reinstalled them five times. The wobble was the same each and every time. I even used a marker to find the ...wobbliest... part on the bit each time, and each time it was at a different spot, so I know for sure it was not a bent bit. Come to think of it, I probably should have tried this on the chuck....Oh well.
But one thing I did like about this DP is that it had the infinite speed thing and a digital readout of the RPMs.
I used it for two days and took it back and now I am looking for a better quality press. I need a benchtop model because of my lack of space. I don't mind paying a bit more, maybe up to $300, but I know quality=$. I have been throwing around the idea of getting a floor DP and finding a shorter column, or even (gag) cutting the full size column. I come to you all because I know the best advertisement is word of mouth and hands-on experience. Please help me!
LCHIEN
Loring in Katy, TX USA
**one and only purchaser of a BT3C official thong** 
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