Benchtop Drill Press

[Sailor]

My next tool purchase will be a benchtop drill press. A search of the internet and reading several bb's leads me toward a HF model 44846-1vga. The most important factor being the hp of the motor.

The shop where I do my woodworking has 1/3-hp dp. It will not drill hardwood with a Forstner bit of 1-inch and will stall while drilling pine. I tried to make some wheels of white pine (3/4") using a 1-3/4 hole saw and the drill stalled even with very light pressure (slow feed).

Will stepping up to a 1/2 hp drill make a significant difference in performing these tasks?

A 3/4 hp drill is out of the question; the cheapest one I could find is a Grizzly for $300.

[LCHIEN]

Drill RPMs vs HP vs Torque

Well, 1/2 HP is .5 and 1/3 HP is .33 so you are only gaining .17 HP or about 50% increase in torque.
If it stalled easily with .33 HP, then it won't help a lot with .5 HP
If you have a Craftsman and it says 1/3 HP (developed) then its really more like 1/6th HP.

Also if your drill is set to a high RPM, then you will lose torque:
Drilling RPMs are very important, at lower drill RPM speed you have proportionally more torque.
For a 1" forstner, you probably should be going no faster than 500-600 RPM, maybe slower, I haven't looked at my tables. Not 3000 RPM.

Going from 3000 RPM to 600 RPM will give you 500% increase in torque as well as cutting better.
Going from 1500 RPM to 600 RPM will give you 250% increase.

Clearly changing drill RPM is cheaper and faster (also less likely to burn) way to increase torque. Many people forget they can change the RPMs.

With my 1/2 HP drill, I can't stall the motor with that size fortner and a slow speed (300-600RPM); the chuck slips well before I can stall the motor.

There are lots of factors to take into account when shopping for a new DP, rather than just power, anyway.
Speeds, ease of changing speed, swing, quill travel etc. (so says a man on his third drill press, anyway)

Hole saws are tricky to use, they don't have any path to clear the cut so the cut fills with cuttings and you don't cut anymore. Try clearing very frequently or better yet, use this trick: Use a 1/2" drill, forstner or even a twist drill to cut a hole on the waste side (outer if you are making wheels) so that this relief hole just intersects the kerf of the hole saw but does not go past the kerf. As you drill the hole saw then the cuttings will fall into this hole and clear the cut, making it so much easier.

[Pappy]

I have the Ryobi DP120 and it has done everything that I have needed it to do.

[Tom Slick]

I have a 44836-1vga and it works pretty well for anything I need it to do. it is not a powerhouse but it will drill clean holes.

[steve-u]

Unfortuneatly it is very hard to compare motor capacity from one brand to another or even in brands sometimes. Comparing amp rating would also be something to do. If you really want something beefier HF sells the ITEM 38142-7VGA which claims 3/4 HP and 125lbs as a benchtop for regular price of $195 though often on sale for down to $149 which could be a great deal if you have a HF nearby particualry if you also score a 15 percent off coupon while it is on sale. I have not used that model myself but most HF drill presses are pretty well regarded.

Steve

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=38142

[leehljp]

On a different note, you mentioned Forstner bits - in addition to the power that you are asking about, you need to consider the speed. Most bench tops are 4 to 5 speeds and they do not go slow enough if you are using 2 inch and larger bits. I think, IIRC, that for up to 2 inches, 500/700 RPM or there about is OK, but for larger ones, you need to be able to go down to 250 to 300 RPM. For this you will need to look for at least a 10 speed.

[eezlock]

benchtop drill press

I have the Wilton 10" #99170 for over 2 years and it handles everything I throw at it with no problem. A good solid machine a big step up from the little
junker machine that I first bought from Northern Tools. eezlock

[gwyneth]

I've got the littlest Delta model--8" quill, not made anymore, not big enough for mortise attachment. I want to say it's 1/8HP but it may be 1/5.

It has never had too little power--does the hole saw, does hardwood (handled two stacked white oak 4/4), does big forstners.

I'd check out your pulleys and belt because if my puny Delta has enough power, yours shouldn't be that far behind.