Delta 17-950L

[ryan.s]

I don't own this drill press and probably will not get one unless Lowes blows them out on clearance but just wanted to say I really like the table on it. It's the first drill press I've seen where I don't think I would need to build an auxillery table for it. Even comes with t-tracks built right in.

Just wanted to see what you guys thought of it. If anyone has first hand experience then that would be even better. I would say this is the tool I'm eyeing at the moment. I'll probably think about it for a while and if the price is right I'll end up getting one. I guess I don't need another drill press but I definitely do need a new tool to lust over.

Here's a link from amazon for all of you to enjoy http://www.amazon.com/Delta-17-950L-...3854865&sr=1-2

[Slik Geek]

I have an earlier Delta drill press that appears to have the same top cover. My only issue with the drill press is that the corners of that top cover are always "biting me". As one bends over, concentrating on the business end of the drill bit, the forehead tends to smack the cover at the surprisingly sharp corner.

My wife can usually tell when I've been using the drill press frequently - I have a small cut on one side of my forehead!

I taped foam onto the two corners (looks ugly), and that seemed to help.

Maybe I just have a big head, or a clumsy one! Anybody else have the same experience? Other clever ideas to reduce injuries?

I'm guessing that others complained about this too, as their new design has a somewhat rounded top cover (17-959L for example).

[Pappy]

I like the looks of the table but I never saw the point in a laser system on a DP. Seems to be a fancy gadget added on to drive up the price.

[Slik Geek]

I like the looks of the table but I never saw the point in a laser system on a DP.

I installed the laser from Woodcraft onto my Delta. I wouldn't say that it is a "must have", but it sure comes in handy when I'm clamping something in place to drill. With the laser, I don't have play the iterative game of positioning, checking position by lowering the bit, re-position, lower to check, etc. I just turn on the laser, position the work, and drill.

When doing multiple hole, hand-held work, I can go faster because I just position the work and drill - no tweaking of position as the drill approaches the work.

[Tundra_Man]

I picked up this Drill press in late December, so I have a couple of months run-time on it. This was an upgrade to my trusty old Ryobi 10" bench top drill press. I really liked that drill press and hesitated at the thought of replacing it, but I was starting to run into its throat depth limitations and then Lowes had a 10% off sale, so I took the plunge. So far, I'm very happy with it.

The table is great. Very large and lots of flat spots on the bottom to make clamping easier. It tilts both right/left and forward/back, although I rarely ever use this feature.

The motor runs very smooth. It seems to have plenty of power, as I've yet to stall it. I would occasionally stall my Ryobi if I got too agressive. The Delta is much quieter than the Ryobi, mainly because the metal lid on the Ryobi would rattle very loudly. It would drive me nuts so I finally resorted to leaving the lid open, which then exposed my hair to the pulleys and was less than desirable.

The delta has a replaceable throat plate made out of MDF. My Ryobi has a couple of small divots in the steel table where I didn't have the hole centered under the bit and drilled into it.

The laser guide on the Delta is great. Like Slick Geek says, it's not a "must have" but once you get used to having it you wouldn't want to give it up. Between the laser and the improved clamping abilities, my holes are now dead-on.

It comes with a work light. Those can be added to any drill press, but it's an additional feature that you don't have to go out and buy later. My old work light got relocated to my spindle sander.

It's extremly heavy (over 200 lbs IIRC.) Lowes loaded it for me. I managed to muscle it out of my truck onto a hand cart, then get it up the four steps into my house by myself. Then, thankfully a friend showed up to help me move it into the basement. I was able to assemble it by myself. Lifting the motor assembly onto the pillar was a little heavy, but easier than lifting my bandsaw onto it's stand. Then again, I lift weights regularly so I'm used to this type of activity.

The belt changes are a little iffy, as the tensioning mechanism doesn't allow quite enough slack to make the belts easy to move between pulleys. Not terrible, but could be a little better. The Ryobi was easier to move belts between pulleys, but harder to tension as it didn't have a lever like the Delta does so I had to resort to a screwdriver. The Delta also has 12 speeds versus five, although in all honesty the five speeds were adequate for what I've needed.

The depth gauge is the circular type on the quill handle, rather than the "pillar" style on the left side. Sorry, I'm not familiar with the official terms. I know some people really don't like the circular type. Myself, that's what the Ryobi had and I was used to, so I don't mind.

Overall, I'm glad I made the switch. The current Amazon price is the same as Lowes regular price. Watch for one of those "$XX off tool purchases" promotions that they do and you should be able to score a lower price. I just missed a $30 off promotion, but then Lowes had the 10% sale which made the deal comparable, even with sales tax. I think I wound up paying about $350 out the door, plus I didn't have to wait to satisfy my tool lust.

[LCHIEN]

I love the laser cross-sights on m DPs - yes, I have two.
I also love the center quill handle depth stop - Delta is the one of the few I know who does that (I guess as Terry says some Ryobi DPs have that too.. Its easy to set even with one hand turning the wheel you can flick the locking lever and set it one-handed. Its also solid and not spongy like some of the pillar-style ones where the stop is just bent steel. I also find my DP stop with the pillar style wants to creep even with the locking nuts.

I like the table on that DP. Too bad its $350! A nice DP.