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Spending Spree!

Midlife

Midlife

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For several years, I've yearned for a good set of drill bits and a really good drill press. It's amazingly frustrating to take 20 minutes to drill through a 1/8" thick steel plate with a hand drill and crappy drills.

I bought a 115 piece set of cobalt drill bits at a very good price ($400). I then shopped around for drill presses. I couldn't find any good used ones locally, so I went online to find out what I could see. I wanted to avoid Crapsman. Prices ranged from $100 to $12,000. There's an amazing amount of variability in sizes, quality, etc. I finally settled on buying a drill press from www.grizzly.com, a higher-end hobbyist oriented industrial tool supplier that was recommended to me by a master woodworker. I settled on this:
g7944.jpg

which is a 14" floor model with 12 different speeds, and can run off of household current/voltage. I also ordered a vise:
g1064.jpg


These latter two items can be delivered to my door at my residence for $500 ($100 in shipping/delivery). As soon as I can get them assembled, I'll take some pictures. They should be here sometime next week. I'll have to drill holes in the slab to mount the drill press for stability.

I've been waiting something like 35 years for these tools to have in my inventory...
 
Congratulations. Nothing better than new tools.

If you're willing to wait 35 years, you should really give Craigslist a try or even pawn shops. You'd be surprised how many really good quality new/like new tools show up. Every once in a while you can strike gold. I promise it doesn't take that long to score some good deals.

If anyone ever needs a hoist or engine stand they are always available. Most are just used once.
 
Grizzly makes some good stuff Mid! We have a few of their things in our millwork shop.


Does working in the woodwork/millwork business (building, installing and now selling) for 32 years qualify me as a "master" woodworker?
 
"silverblueBP" said:
Grizzly makes some good stuff Mid! We have a few of their things in our millwork shop.


Does working in the woodwork/millwork business (building, installing and now selling) for 32 years qualify me as a "master" woodworker?
Click to expand...

Close. If you spent 32 years putting bait on a hook, you'd certainly qualify as a master baiter!
 
Randy,
One of the best tools I ever bought was my used floor drill press. You will be be a happy :jerk
 
I have that exact same vice. Both my Central Machinery drill press and the vice was purchased at Harbor Freight over 12 years ago.

fd
 
"Flysure1" said:
Randy I am kinda getting scared, I was scrolling down to post the same reply when I saw you beat me to it!! :wor
Click to expand...

me too.... :hs

another thing to be considered is a "drill doctor" drill bit sharpener. i was kinda skeptical when i first saw one, but the thing really works! in fact, i just ordered a replacement this morning for the one lost in the fire (along with about $700 worth of other stuff). in the first two hours i had he other one, it completely paid for itself with the bits it restored if compared to replacement costs.
 
Allrighty now! The drill press arrived on Friday, and I installed it this weekend. The sliding vice arrived today, and it doesn't mate well with the table, but I did manage to bolt it up. Here are the pictures, as promised.

Oh...the drill press was tested, and it runs quietly and smooooothly!

drillpress1.jpg

drillpress2.jpg

drillpress3.jpg


And yes, the wife's daily driver is seen in the background...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
"Midlife" said:
And yes, the wife's daily driver is seen in the background...
Click to expand...

So.....you wearing the dress in the house now.....thought "her" daily driver was the minivan.......lol
 
Hey Randy, what is the height of that unit & the height at the table. Are you able to stand while using it, or do you have to crouch down or even sit? Maybe it's just the pictures, but it looks short-ish to me.

Or are you just really short ? :confu
 
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