Pablo; what's available in Argentina is a good starting point.
Italian made stuff? Japanese? Taiwanese? What's reasonable, cost wise, in N. America may be outrageously expensive down there, eh?

 

Not much I guess, but what I'd like to know is what should I look for when getting one.

 

The only advice I can recommend is buy the biggest you can afford. They are simple machines, and you can build lots of shop made accessories, put the money in a big heavy duty machine

 

The adjustable depth stop on the quill is a handy addition Pablo. A decent quality DP should have that included. If you can get one that has parallel grooves on the table instead of the X pattern on most cheap ones I would go for that too.

 

I bought a beast . I think it's getting on the big side but I didn't want to do it twice. It's made by General and was around 1000 bucks . It has stops which are essential imo , but I would hope most do . Having a belt to change speeds is kinda nice to when you want to slow things down for certain materials .

 

I'm drooling Rick,that's a life time machine.I like the threaded Rod with two knurled nuts type stops like on the old Buffalo forge presses

 

Don't make me come up there and insulate that shop, Rick!

 

Rick,

No wonder you can't get anything done in the winter! Do we have to have an insulation party?

 

Pablo,

All the advice is good...multi-speed and good quality, positive adjustments, solid construction and preferably a tilting table. Buy the best you can afford it is a lifetime purchase if you take care of it.

You have to determine your criteria. What do you expect that you will you be using the drill press to do. If you need lots of "stroke" go for a floor model, or if you don't plan on doing a lot of long/deep projects, a bench top model may do the trick for you.

Compare what is available and if possible look at them physically...use them if possible. Some stores may have demonstration units available to try. Make sure that YOU are comfortable with how it operates.

Make sure that you have good customer service from the manufactured and a reliable parts availability for whatever you get...parts wear... ("If it is mechanical, it will break"!)

Whatever you get, buy or make a table with a fence and the ability to clamp/secure your work.

Good luck

Bill

 

Drill Press

I have a Delta manufactured in Brazil which is a piece of junk.
Remember, you get what you pay for.
Dick

 

Pablo
A drill press is something you want to last a long time and do all you ask of it. It needs to be accurate and user friendly. Buy the best quality you can. At home I've had a 30 year old Buffalo. It does what I need. In our big shop we have a Grizzly model G9969. This is radial arm 500 plus pound animal.set up with the vices we use this mostly for milling 80-20 aluminum. For wood work we mostly use our Delta. Not knowing what is available to you,
Get the best you can that fits your needs now and into the future. Good equipment doesn't cost - it pays.
Dennis

 

Pablo,
all the info above is good. I also consider the quill travel important. Seems as though a lot of the new ones only travel 2 1/2" and I like more than that for woodworking. Also I use a quill lock quite often where I want to lock the quill at a certain place.
One thing you might look at is surplus industrial drill presses. They are built heavier duty and a lot of places are updating to modern digital controlled models and are selling off the old manual ones. I recently aquired a WWII Atlas that needed cleaning up and it is built like a tank. it also has a 4" quill travel and a quill lock.

Herb

 

Pablo,

Herb brings up some good points. Don't be afraid to look at used equipment in your area. Check with machine shops, mechanic shops, etc. they may be upgrading or know someone who is...just because they use the drill press for metal, doesn't stop you from using it on wood. Just ensure that it is not worn out.

I have picked up a lot of equipment that was used (most were slightly used). Yard sales are common here. I picked up a Delta 20" scroll saw for 20% of a new one (US$500.00+). The guy was moving to Panama and was getting rid of his equipment. He even threw in all of his wood clamps to seal the deal.

Check out swap meets, yard sales, flea markets or swap sites on the web for local items. You may find a deal on a DP that will be adequate to get the job done until you find the right keeper.

Bill

 

Pablo, in addition to what has been said by others, if you plan to use large bits on wood, like large forstner bits or hole saws, make sure the drill press has a slow speed. My drill press has 5 speeds with the lowest 500 RPM. That limits me. There are plenty of drill press speed charts on the internet. Here's one of them: https://www.fnal.gov/pub/takefive/pdfs/Drill_Press_Speed_Chart.pdf

 

The one I linked has 12 speeds.

 

Since I don't have access to a lot of (probably) better quality products, let me know what you think about this one:

Agujereadora Perforadora Taladro De Pie 16mm Barbero Tmc16 - $ 4.890,00 en MercadoLibre

 

"...This groups just to old ..."
Hey! I thought we had this conversation.

 

we're just slow but we do catch on at some point....

 

So, around $480US+/- ?
ARS - Argentine Peso rates, news, and tools

One would need to know the cost of living to really tell if it's good value.
You sure you don't want a floor model?

 

I just bought Jets largest bench top press. I wouldn't buy another Jet if I had other choices. Poor motor, sloppy quill. In any event buy the biggest one that you can afford and will fit in your shop.
Tim

 

I'm debating into buying one with a foot (not sure if thats the right term) and one to place on top of a bench. I can see some advantages for both cases, for example, if I get the one for the table, I can build a better base.

 

Tell you the truth I was debating on buying one of Generals bench models too , as it's not like there a lot of money .
I just can't see drilling out teeny tiny holes in a circuit board with that beast I have :no:

 

Pablo; I think taking up bench space (unnecessarily) was previously mentioned.
If it's unlimited then not so much of an issue.
Can't bore a vertical hole in a table leg (longitudinally) with a bench drill. Obviously a jig required to hold it in position for drilling.

 

Pablo; I think taking up bench space (unnecessarily) was previously mentioned.

Come to think of it , that was the exact reason I went with a floor model . Still wish I had a little guy though somedays

 

Hi Pablo,

this may give you an idea....

This benchtop drill press acts all grown up » Wood Magazine – Shop Tip of the Day

 

James is that ever a good idea . I never would have thought of trying that

 

That's a cool setup you linked, James.
I might get to use the idea myself...my cheap table model just finally decided today was the day it would die.

 

That was on the RouterForums Face Book page...

 

That looks interesting.