I put my standing drill press together today, I was impressed with cast iron content and the assembly was pretty simple.

[OAITW r.2.0]

I needed it for the 400 or so 9/16" dia holes I have to drill for my new deck railing design that will use 1/2" dia. rebar as the horizontal rails. It was a bit of a struggle to get the drill motor assy to mount. Had to stand on 8" of lumber to get the height needed to mount it. On the 1st try, - no go. Why? Because the power cord was stuffed inside the mating hole. Duh.

Once I figured that out, I got the head on, tightened up all of the set screws and clamps. Connected the power, turned it on, and .....nothing. Pissed me off. Why? In thinking about it, I realized there was a metal contact that closes an interlock switch that won't allow the motor to turn on when the pully cover is open. Bent the tab a bit, closed the cover, and, viola!. the drill motor turned on.

Tomorrow, I starting cutting the vertical posts and will paint them. I've been thinking about this design for a couple of years, now I am making it a reality.

[captain queeg]

1. I remember that cast iron cuts vibration more so than steel.

[OAITW r.2.0]

2. The base, table, Table support, and motor frame are all cast iron.

I worked in town at a company called Fay-Scott back in the 80's - we built industrial machine tools - single/multi-gang drill presses. (Leland Gifford). Also. Reid surface grinders and Lees-Bradner CNC gear hobbers. So I appreciate a well made machine tool.

Turn the motor on and there is NO vibration (1800 RPM) that would contribute to spindle run-out and effect drilling concentricity. If I had a dial indicator, I'd check the spindle run-out....bet it's less than .005".

[captain queeg]

3. That's cool. I'm a mechanical engineer and ran across that vibration issue somewhere.

Just one of those facts that got my attention enough to stay in my memory.

[OAITW r.2.0]

5. Here's what I bought. Easy to Google, but the links are ridiculous.

GARVEE 13 in Floor Drill Press, 7.5 Amp Pure Copper Motor, Variable Speed 288-3084 RPM , Cast Iron , Tilting Worktable 0-45°, For Wood and Metal

Good value for $380.00.

[2naSalit]

4. That's pretty true at .005".

Sounds like the right machine. I agree with the cast iron v steel, I've run a drill press or two in my time.

[OAITW r.2.0]

6. Brand new, bearings are tight. The cast iron is a great dampenerer of vibration.

Just guess, but I could see no obvious run-out. If you have a dial indicator with a magnetic base, I could confirm.

[2naSalit]

7. Well...

I can also say that's it's been about 15 years since I've operated one but to have a clean hole at the end of run is good. When preparing doweling, it matters.

I've never had the task of calibrating those, thank goodness!

[OAITW r.2.0]

8. 3 sets of 9/16" (maybe 5/8") holes that will hold 7 foot length of rebar (6 0r 7 per boxed rail..

As the rebars rusts, it will look like the house. Finally, getting to do some construction instead of just painting.

[2naSalit]

9. It's going to look great...

I will be coming out to inspect at some point. Until then, I'll need pictures!

[OAITW r.2.0]

10. I have to remember to take before and after pics.....It's going to change the exterior a bit.

[2naSalit]

11. Yeah...

Don't forget the before pics!

[OAITW r.2.0]

12. I always do that. Don't know why.

On edit: It could be partaking of some herb before I start a project.