Bench vs floor drill press

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  • durango dude
    Senior Member
    • Mar 2011
    • 934
    • a thousand or so feet above insanity
    • 50s vintage Craftsman Contractor Saw

    Bench vs floor drill press

    Is there any real benefit to a floor drill press?

    The prices jump a lot going from one to the other.

    I'm looking mostly at grizzly/shop fox.
  • Carlos
    Veteran Member
    • Jan 2004
    • 1893
    • Phoenix, AZ, USA.

    #2
    I would have preferred a bench DP, as I just don't need all that space. However all good ones seem to be floor standing. I don't know why. I bought the Powermatic a couple years ago.

    Comment

    • cwsmith
      Veteran Member
      • Dec 2005
      • 2737
      • NY Southern Tier, USA.
      • BT3100-1

      #3
      I guess it would largely depend on whether you have the need for end drilling large pieces of stock and/or you have the bench space for the smaller drill press. Personally, where I can afford it, I prefer to buy a tool with the maximum versatility, and thus, for me, a free standing drill press made the most sense. At the time (2003) when I retired and for the first time was buying several tools with a shop in mind, I looked at the two Ryobi, and the Craftsman bench top drill presses. All were nice and I thought any of them would fit; however, the new Ridgid tool line was just coming in and I got a sweet deal on a NIB Ridgid floor drill press ($150). Only difference between that and new one was the paint color, so I snatched up the gray Ridgid immediately.

      As things turned out, my "shop" ended up being in the basement for a few years and just recently I moved that to a 12 x 20 shed. In both locations, bench space is limited and frankly I'm challenged with where to position my 'bench top' band saw. One advantage I've found with my new setup in the larger spaced shed is that I've positioned the drill press next to my radial arm saw, where the DP table is in direct line with the left side of the RAS and thus provides additional support of the stock (and vice versa).

      One other consideration might well be the kind of use you envision. For me, I'm almost 100% woodworking, and so I bought a "woodworking" table for my drill press which provides a much larger work surface, adjustable fence, dust pickup, etc. (Got that from Rockler.) I'm not sure that would fit on a bench top. As it is with my floor-standing DP, I modified the woodworking table top so that I can slide it on or off as needed.... but frankly I've yet to remove it for any other task.

      But that said, for just about everything I've needed to drill, the table top has remained almost exclusively at bench-top height and there have only been two projects in which that longer length was handy... and those probably could have just as easily been done by laying the stock on the bench and drilling those ends with a hand-held drill.

      Hope this helps,

      CWS
      Last edited by cwsmith; 09-30-2019, 06:39 PM. Reason: Dropped a couple of letters, added those in 'italics".
      Think it Through Before You Do!

      Comment

      • leehljp
        Just me
        • Dec 2002
        • 8429
        • Tunica, MS
        • BT3000/3100

        #4
        Something I was told a long time ago: A floor drill press frees up bench space that runs out quick. And a floor drill press doesn't take up a lot of space like a saw does, but a bench DP does eat up that bench space.
        Hank Lee

        Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

        Comment

        • Carlos
          Veteran Member
          • Jan 2004
          • 1893
          • Phoenix, AZ, USA.

          #5
          I don't understand that. A floor press takes up a lot of space and makes it otherwise useless. So I built a cabinet around mine, below the table and around the post. If it were a bench mount press, I would have built a dedicated bench for it. I made my cabinet mobile in case it needed to be pulled out of the way, but it never has.

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          Comment

          • cwsmith
            Veteran Member
            • Dec 2005
            • 2737
            • NY Southern Tier, USA.
            • BT3100-1

            #6
            Carlos,

            I don't agree, my floor drill press probably takes up less floor space than any other large tool that I have. Of course my Ridgid isn't as big as your Powermatci (?). My drill press has a 26 x 20 inch foot print, which would perhaps be a couple of inches bigger than a bench-top; but still, even a 18-inch foot print on my bench would be more work surface than I'd care to give up. Like you, many would possibly build something around the base, but then of course that limits the greatest advantage of a floor DP, in that it limits the work height of stock you might want to end-drill, unless of course that is easy moved out of the way for such occasions

            As mentioned in my previous post, I added a table top to my DP, which expands the 'footprint' to 34 x 29, but that enhances my woodworking ability; and, as presently positioned it works with my RAS to provide additional support for both tools.

            The question is of course is what is best for the particular worker and the tasks that he wishes to address.

            CWS
            Think it Through Before You Do!

            Comment

            • Carlos
              Veteran Member
              • Jan 2004
              • 1893
              • Phoenix, AZ, USA.

              #7
              My PM came with their already-expanded "woodworker" table, then I added the Woodpecker precision table also. It's not in the photo. I agree that it's great for a lot of jobs, particularly a long-ish piece with repeating holes, or multiple piece drilling. I've also always added a base to my DPs, because they seem unstable otherwise. So basically it means a bunch of space is no longer usable. Anyway, if a GOOD press were available as a bench mount, I would absolutely buy it. I even considered throwing the post on this one through the metal bandsaw to shorten it.

              Comment


              • cwsmith
                cwsmith commented
                Editing a comment
                Carlos,

                "long-ish piece with repeating holes"... that is probably the most often type of project I've used my DP for, bookcases for our library! I made a pattern for the sides and then go through the process of punch-locating the holes on a fresh piece of 1 x 10 stock, cut it to length on the RAS, and then go through the process of drilling through the fastener and depth-stopped pin holes. After just the first two bookcases, I was really appreciating the much simplified process, not to mention the precision of such a repetitive task.

                I made a gun cabinet for a friend of mine and used Forstner bits and a router to cut stock and barrel supports as well as the locking bar and for that the drill press proved to be the perfect tool, at least for me.

                Only misgiving I had with that project was that we built the components here and he took the parts back to Painted Post where he did the finishing and assembly. I never did see the finished cabinet.
            • durango dude
              Senior Member
              • Mar 2011
              • 934
              • a thousand or so feet above insanity
              • 50s vintage Craftsman Contractor Saw

              #8
              I used to have a shopsmith ------ and had it set up almost exclusively as a DP. It was the one thing I felt the machine did pretty well.

              I seriously thought about shortening my unit into what's widely known as a "shorty."

              Comment


              • cwsmith
                cwsmith commented
                Editing a comment
                My wife and I attended a ShopSmith demo way back in 2002. It was just before my retirement and it sort of gave me the idea that I'd like to get back into woodworking. Up until that time the only stationary tool I had was my RAS. While I was definitely impressed with the versatility, I was concerned about the time it would take to set-up for each operation. We had only years before purchased a Soloflex and one of the challenges of using it with any regularity was the process of constantly taking it apart and reassembling it for another exercise.

                Nice machine, but that take-down and assemble for the next operation left me with the impression that individual tools would be the best way to go.

                CWS.
            • leehljp
              Just me
              • Dec 2002
              • 8429
              • Tunica, MS
              • BT3000/3100

              #9
              I have a storage cabinet around my floor DP for everything "drilling". It about inches wider (20 inches wide) than my DP base and comes up to 28 inches high. If I took that much horizontal space away from my tables, it would hurt a tad. I just don't have tons of bench space. I need it for working. And by building a cabinet for "everything drilling", I have ALL my drilling things right at the base of the DP instead of scattered across 3 or 4 drawers.

              Once a DP is on a bench in a smallish shop, it isn't going anywhere other than the top of the bench!
              Hank Lee

              Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

              Comment

              • capncarl
                Veteran Member
                • Jan 2007
                • 3564
                • Leesburg Georgia USA
                • SawStop CTS

                #10
                I have owned 3 different floor model drill presses and I thought that I would like a benchtop drill press built into the workbench so that the drill press table is workbench height. Then it hit me that that wouldn’t work because of the need to adjust the table height for different drill sizes and depths. So that meant that a benchtop model would always be in the way if you depended on that workbench too as infeed for something like your miter saw. A benchtop drillpress is also useless if you have to us it to drill into long pieces or have to tilt the table much for thicker material.

                Comment

                • Carlos
                  Veteran Member
                  • Jan 2004
                  • 1893
                  • Phoenix, AZ, USA.

                  #11
                  Fixing the table to a bench and making the head move...wow...that sounds like a much better way to do it than the current way. Hmm.

                  Comment

                  • capncarl
                    Veteran Member
                    • Jan 2007
                    • 3564
                    • Leesburg Georgia USA
                    • SawStop CTS

                    #12
                    Right Carlos, moving the powerhead was the reason that I scrapped my thoughts of a benchtop drill press, gave my floor drill press to my kids and purchased this beast. I had full intentions to imbed it in a workbench. I wanted a milling machine anyway. At that time I was building roll bars and roll cages and needed a drill press or mill capable of spinning a 1 1/2” hole hog ( heavy duty hole saw ) 225 rpm. My 3/4 hp drill press wouldn’t operate that slow.
                    After I got the mill/drill I found that it was too deep for my workbench that connected to my miter saw so it couldn’t be part of my outfeed table. I fabricated a floor stand for it.

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                    • Carlos
                      Veteran Member
                      • Jan 2004
                      • 1893
                      • Phoenix, AZ, USA.

                      #13
                      How does that machine do as a woodworking machine? Now I'm kind of sorry I don't have that instead of my Powermatic. Sure would be easier to mill AR-15 lowers on it than with a router or my current DP.

                      Comment

                      • capncarl
                        Veteran Member
                        • Jan 2007
                        • 3564
                        • Leesburg Georgia USA
                        • SawStop CTS

                        #14
                        Its top spindle speed is around 3000 rpm so it is an adequate router for woodworking, with mill control of x,y and z axis. Your imagination is the limit to what you can route or mill with it. It’s a great drill press. I think it has 6” of spindle feed so it will drill a really deep hole. It’s a nice mortise machine that creates a domino shaped hole, really big mortises if you want them!
                        As for milling metal, it’s a good small mill. New it has little slop. It would make any gunsmith proud. As for making a lower, it should be on par with with a Bridgeport vertical spindle machine without the use of its swivel head. A lower has several irregular shapes that would be difficult to cut on any non CNC milling machine.... but not impossible. A heck of a lot better than a router. I have seen these mills converted to cnc controlled, making them far superior to a cnc router
                        capncarl

                        Comment

                        • capncarl
                          Veteran Member
                          • Jan 2007
                          • 3564
                          • Leesburg Georgia USA
                          • SawStop CTS

                          #15
                          When asked how I can justify the cost of tools like a milling machine? I have purchased 3 floor drill presses for a combined total cost of more that the drill/mill. I wish I had bought it first. It cost less than a Festool Domino 750 or Kapex.

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