I have finally found an affordable space to rent in London where the Landlord will let me mod and tinker etc! Horrray. Only taken me the best part of two years. So, the first thing on my list is a drill press! Ideally a half height one, and nothing ludicrously expensive, but any help would be very welcome. EDIT: Anything wrong with something like these: Draper 230V 5 Speed - £89 Einhall 350W - £90
Well,I am not the tool expert,but I am aiming for same Einhell. I tried it in store,seems good build quality.
Both of them have the same problem: The crappy depth stop on the side made of plastic. See if you can find one with the stop built into the press lever assembly. Delta used to make one for under $100, before Bosch dismantled the brand... Edit: Bosch kept the brand, just marked them up 200%. I call it "Dewalt syndrome." Hitachi sell the exact same model as Delta. Still high where I can find it.
You are much better off making a more substantial investment and getting a better quality. larger capacity, more robust tool. This is the type of drill press you should consider. It's heavier and has a larger, more powerful motor. The hand crank is a one piece, cast, heavy duty affair. Larger (16mm) capacity chuck. Ratcheted, hand cranked work table and yes, a good quality metal depth gauge. 16 speeds also makes this a more versatile choice. These drill presses are all knocked up in China these days, and this press looks similar to my own unit (except mine is floor standing). The price here looks quite expensive (mine cost $280, about 185 pounds) so I'd look around for a better price. I expect you have dozens of places selling these generic tools in the UK. Keep looking. My press is a floor standing model but you can get a cut down version of exactly the same press. This one is a one horse power version (745 watts). The extra grunt is very useful. The depth stop is very robust. It aint going anywhere. These Chinese machines are now well built and local sellers just stick their own names on them and may specify some modifications, but they are basically all the same. 16 speeds also come in handy for different materials. I know one of these may be double what you were planning on spending, but it's well worth the extra for a tool that will last you many, many years and reduce your frustration level from not buying a 'proper' tool. And really, a couple of hundred pounds is relatively small compared to the prices you may pay for, say, a graphics card that you will throw out in a couple of years. This tool will last you the rest of your life. Think about it.
man wish i could have room for somat like that. i only got the proxxon for it size and whiegt altho not the most powerfull drill its damn easy to put away
How about something like this from Axminster. When I buy tools I buy cheap if I will rarely use it, and for everything else I spend as much as I can afford. A drill press should be a precision tool, a cheap one won't be. You can always buy second hand and get a lot more for your money, I do all the time. Axminster have returns on EBay too, you can often get a decent discount there too.
Attila, I'm far more used to using a until like yours because they are what a learnt on at school, big, hefty units. As for budget, I don't really have one.. If I can find a good tool which costs more, but will do the job better and last long, then it'd be worth the investment. That Axminster looks like a good compromise.. The other ones look like they aren't deep enough sometimes, but I'm not sure I'd have the space for a full height one.. I will do some more investigations and let you all know in due course.
Just to toss my own 2 cents into the pot, I own of these which I've used on a table/computer/tv mod (it's on hold, don't ask). I've loved the damn thing so far.
Granted, I'm not the most knowledgeable when it comes to tools, but if you're referring to being able to set a specific depth to drill then it has it. If that's not what you're referring to then nevermind!
The Ryobi's depth stop is built into the column handle. The only downside of Attila's choice is you can't remove the individual press levers. I've had to do that a lot to clear some awkward setups. -Do you have Craigslist there? Drill presses are a pretty common giveaway/sell cheap/make room item.
yeah we have craigslist but its not as popular here, gumtree is prolly our equivilent and is also owned by ebay
