bench grinder and drill press ? ? ?
- Thread starter briggs_boy
- Start date
- Tags bench drill grinder press
I agree that you probably should be looking at Harbor Freight for your first drill press and bench grinder. Sure, there's a lot better stuff out there but when you're just beginning to collect tools you shouldn't spend all your loot on one high zoot machine. Buy fairly cheap stuff and get several tools. My experience with Harbor Freight drill presses is that they are adaquate for your needs [all except for the very small one]. However, some care should be exercized to ensure you don't overwork the tool. Same with the bench grinder, but don't buy the smallest. By the way, the worst luck I have had with power tools over a span of 40+ years has been Craftsmen!
how often will you use it, ya know harbor freight has some decent stuff and inexpensive. just a thought also if you dont need asap watch craigslist for better qaulity at cheap prices good luck..
Until about a year ago or so... I had a personal boycott on Harbor Freight products. I firmly believe that that every American has a certain level of responsibility to make every attempt to always purchase products that are manufactured in the USA.
Eventually I found myself spending far too much time researching a products origin & the field of selection was becoming very slim. I still believe that the proliferation of Chinese manufactured products is an issue that needs to be reversed.
Eventually I became very weary of :mad2: , plus I moved to a new neighborhood that has a Harbor Freight less than 5 miles away. :doah:
So... Enough of the political doom & gloom. Harbor Freight does offer several products worthy of purchasing. Especially if you have a store nearby. The Chinese usually can not produce the quality of steel or iron that can be had here or in other countries. This generally results in tools that are more bulky & clumsy to operate. Often it results in more effort on the operators part to produce the quality of work desired.
Definitely watch Craigslist DAILY!!! This will most likely be your best bet at buying an older manufacture, higher quality tool, at a reasonable price. Make sure you check the FREE section also. I missed out on an older full size metal cutting band-saw by about an hour once. :censure::mad2: The people just wanted it removed from the property. You also want to make sure that you have some cash stashed away & you're able to move in an something fast if you can, or it will be gone.
I'm pretty much in the same boat as you right now. I have a small bench mounted drill press that works fairly well. I also have a small bench-mount style belt & 6" disc sander. I did invest wisely into a fine, 'Made in the USA', Wilton bench vise. It is one of my tools that I'm very proud of & I enjoy feeling the quality of the tool every time I use it.
I remember reading an interview of Li'l John Buttera in one of the Hot Rod type magazines when he first began to be well known. In that article he stated that you could accomplish almost everything he could, with only 3 power tools. One being a drill press, one being a bench grinder/sander & the other being a band-saw. Recently, I have been told a few times, that if you can pick up a mill instead of a drill press you would be much better off.
Hopefully you will find some useful nuggets of information in this old man's ramblings. :lol: I'd be interested in hearing about what tools you end up with.
Here's a little part I made recently with the tools mentioned above.
This part will replace the missing dip stick tube retention bracket on my lawn mower. :lol:
Good luck on your hunt.
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Sorry for my assumption that you're not a high roller. In which case I can reccommend a Jet 20" drill press. I love mine. It will be able to handle your continous work. See the Travers catalog. Model #JDP-20VS-1. They start at $2,911. They're made in Taiwan ROC, that's why they are so resonably priced. If you want USA built you may be out of luck unless you're willing to purchase a used machine. Currently there are no 'manual' machine tools being built in the U.S. [We do make some nice CNC stuff however]. That includes mills, lathes, suface grinders, and I'm sure drill presses.
Thanks. It is a bit racy for an old lawn mower, but what the 'ell. I had found the original stamped steel part laying out in the yard one day. I couldn't figure out what it was at the time. About a month or two later, the lawn mower develops an oil leak. All of a sudden I realize what that part was that I had found.
Do you think I might have any idea what I had done with it?
ut: Not a clue!
The idea of a distributor clamp had occurred to me when I was making that little part. I think that will be one of my next projects. :thumbsup:
Do you think I might have any idea what I had done with it?
ut: Not a clue!The idea of a distributor clamp had occurred to me when I was making that little part. I think that will be one of my next projects. :thumbsup:
North Ga. is a way from Melb. Fl. but I have a large floor standing drill press that is way more than I will ever need. It suffers a little from non-use not abuse. It's old, I'm guessing circa 1960. It's a Craftsman most likely made by Delta or Rockwell. It is 6ft tall and has to weigh 200 lbs. I have put a new grounded cord and plug on it. There is surface rust, but if you know cast iron. It can be cleaned and polished to look like new. Oh, yes it does run. As you can see a new one like costs $3000. I will let it go for $250. If you are interested my e-mail is bushclan@bellsouth.net and I will send pictures.
finally got me a new bench grinder. tractor supply has them on sale for 25 bucks !
these are pretty good quality (at least for 25 bucks) they are Clarke 6 inch, 1/2 hp bench top grinder with one coarse wheel and one medium. and they also come with a 1 year warranty witch is pretty good in my opinion.
lm hoping to hear some good feed back on these.
:thumbsup:
these are pretty good quality (at least for 25 bucks) they are Clarke 6 inch, 1/2 hp bench top grinder with one coarse wheel and one medium. and they also come with a 1 year warranty witch is pretty good in my opinion.
lm hoping to hear some good feed back on these.
:thumbsup:
We bought a Delta DP300L table top drill press the other day. Also a set of Norseman "big" drill bits, a 4 piece set with 9/16", 5/8", 3/4", and 1" bits. Did some drilling on a couple of rotors for our SHO project. 13" Mustang Cobra brakes on the front of the Ford Taurus-SHO.
We even made a little video. LOL.
YouTube - Rotordrill102.wmv
Yes, I know my garage is a mess, LOL.
We even made a little video. LOL.
YouTube - Rotordrill102.wmv
Yes, I know my garage is a mess, LOL.
Press was $199.95, and the bits were $89.00, at a local tool "club"/warehouse. Empire Tools. Better quality than Northern, or Harbor Freeked by far.