BT DP suggestions

[BrazosJake]

Looking for a decent benchtop drill press for under $200. Suggestions? Of course, if there's a decent floor-standing model available in that price range, I'm all ears.

One that can take a mortising attachment would be nice.

Thanks!

[tommyt654]

You might try checking your local Lowes they have been marking down their Delta 16 1/2 inch floor D/P this month to around $200.

[Knottscott]

I went through this search about a year ago to upgrade my small 8" Grizzly. Looked at the usual suspects...Ryobi, Craftsman, Delta, Grizzly, Hitachi, HF, etc., and ended up with the HF 38142 13" DP for $144 on sale. They're return policy is very good so I saw little risk involved.

The HF has surpassed my expectations by a wide margin and has been darn impressive, though has no bells and whistles. It has good power, good quill travel, very low runout, very low vibration, is stable, smooth, and quiet. Granted, HF's quality control isn't state of the art so other 38142 models might not perform as well, but mine's been great and I think is worth a look if you have a store near you.

[Ed62]

If I'm not mistaken Harbor Freight has a 10" table top model that you can get on sale for around $40.00 from time to time. It has pretty good reviews. I have the Craftsman 10", and I think it's just about the same drill press. It goes for close to $100.00 on sale. It all depends on your needs.

Ed

[catta12]

The Delta DP300L is a 12" that might work for you. I have one and have been happy with it. I also bought the Delta mortise attachment for it and it works fine other than being slower to setup and use than a dedicated machine.

[poolhound]

I have a Ryobi DP 121L. It can usually be had at HD for around $170. I really like the variable speed option and the digital readout. This makes it much more likely that you will actually change speeds when needed without having to deal with moving belts.

[dbhost]

That Ryobi 12" is a good one from the reviews I have read... As is that HF mentioned above...

I got a floor model because it was a screaming deal on Craigslist. You might check there...

[Black wallnut]

I have a Ryobi DP 121L. It can usually be had at HD for around $170. I really like the variable speed option and the digital readout. This makes it much more likely that you will actually change speeds when needed without having to deal with moving belts.

Ditto! You might also like to read my poll in Tool talk about DP mortising attachments. It's a workable alternative but there are drawbacks. If there is any way you can make the cash availabe for a dedicated mortiser you'll be happy you did.

[dbhost]

Sorry, LOML was rushing me out the door earlier... (at home not feeling well today, she wants to make a soup...)

Anyway, What I was trying to say earlier is...

The Ryobi DP121L is well regarded by even those that don't like Ryobi... It has a reputation for having good capacity for a benchtop DP, dead on accuracy, and reliability.

Had I not run into the deal I did on the floor model DP I did, I was on my way to Home Depot to pick up that particular DP... And in some ways, that model would be preferred. Particularly since the floor model gobbles up floor space, a bencthop can be put on a shop built cabinet and used for storage as well...

[cobob]

Isn't it ShopFox has a lg benchtop that is also an oscillating spindle sander for about 200. It's next on my wish list.

[TheChief]

I'm a big fan of the Sears Repair Center/Outlet stores. We have one nearby where I've pretty consistently found good items for 50-60% off retail. The 12" benchtop digital DP I picked up a few months back wasn't quite that good a deal (only about 40% off), but recently they had two or three of the Craftsman Pro 17" floor DPs for what would have been around $200 after clearance discounts; some CP 6-1/8" jointers for $240, a couple of 22114 table saws for $450, a bunch of Titebond II glue for 99 cents a bottle... the stock is hit or miss, but go back often enough and you're bound to find something that'll whet your whistle.