Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Woodworking). This thread is read-only.
Hey TIA crew, been a while since my last post. I need some opinions on a drill press. I recently began woodworking and even more recently began turning pens. I want to get a drill press to drill out the holes for the brass tubes. I have a Shopsmith mark 5 which has the capability of being a drill press but it is a pain to switch between the lathe and drill press. I want to keep it in “lathe mode”. I want to get an inexpensive drill press that won’t break the bank. It will not get abused. I was looking at the Ryobi 10″ drill press, any experience with it? Thanks in advance!
-Dave
Rikon might be reasonably priced
Jimbo
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I’d say yeah to the Rikon but in the Ryobis case, I’ve only heard good things about the press. The plunge isn’t deep enough to for some jobs but it has a pretty good rep. I would add the Skil has gotten some really good reviews too. If you fill like shelling out some cash though the Rikons are pretty nice machines
Porter cable has a reasonably priced one as well
Jimbo
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
ChrisK wrote:
8 minutes ago, ChrisK said:I’d say yeah to the Rikon but in the Ryobis case, I’ve only heard good things about the press. The plunge isn’t deep enough to for some jobs but it has a pretty good rep. I would add the Skil has gotten some really good reviews too. If you fill like shelling out some cash though the Rikons are pretty nice machines
For what I need it for (drilling a >2″ hole) i’m not concerned with the depth. If I need something much biger then that I can still use the shopsmith. I just don’t want to convert it all the time.
I think you’d be fine with what your asking for then. The Ryobi is a really basic press but it is a solid design that should last you quite some time. I’m still operating without and was seriously looking at the two option I mentioned but I have revisited my original thoughts and have been looking at the larger Jet and Rikon floor models. No rush right now but depth is something I’m looking for.
If you have questions Kato has a ryobi press
Jimbo
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yup, I certainly do, and I like using it. The only thing I don’t like, which is common to a lot of drill presses, is that the rack can rattle depending on how low the bed is. Other than that, it works great. It drills straight, that’s all I need. It’d be nice to have more depth, but if it were a necessity I’d have a larger press. It works great with Forstner bits, well heck, it works great with any bit.
I have the Ryobi as well. My only complaint is that of the light location. It’s buried behind the spindle and essentially casts light on the tube and not the work. It should have included a flex light.
99_XC600 wrote:
1 hour ago, 99_XC600 said:I have the Ryobi as well. My only complaint is that of the light location. It’s buried behind the spindle and essentially casts light on the tube and not the work. It should have included a flex light.
Kato wrote:
1 hour ago, Kato said:Yup, I certainly do, and I like using it. The only thing I don’t like, which is common to a lot of drill presses, is that the rack can rattle depending on how low the bed is. Other than that, it works great. It drills straight, that’s all I need. It’d be nice to have more depth, but if it were a necessity I’d have a larger press. It works great with Forstner bits, well heck, it works great with any bit.
If those are the only complaints then I think the ryobi will do just fine!
Has anyone had any experience with Ryobi’s forstner bit set? I would like to get a set but won’t use it that much so it doesn’t pay to spend a fortune. For $20, I don’t think you can go wrong.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-Forstner-Bit-Set-8-Piece-A9FS8R1/202078676
Why yes, yes I do. I have a set, and I use them. They’re nice, they cut decent. I’ve had to sharpen one, can’t remember what size but I use the shit out of it, and any Forstner is gonna dull sooner or later. They work good to clean as they cut, and you’ll find that they cut better at or near the recommended speeds. Try a faster speed with some sizes and they won’t cut as well.
The “green” set is newer, I don’t know if they’re different from the “blue” set that I have. I think their design is the same, it might just be the new color that’s changed and nothing else.
Kato wrote:
1 minute ago, Kato said:Why yes, yes I do. I have a set, and I use them. They’re nice, they cut decent. I’ve had to sharpen one, can’t remember what size but I use the shit out of it, and any Forstner is gonna dull sooner or later. They work good to clean as they cut, and you’ll find that they cut better at or near the recommended speeds. Try a faster speed with some sizes and they won’t cut as well.
The “green” set is newer, I don’t know if they’re different from the “blue” set that I have. I think their design is the same, it might just be the new color that’s changed and nothing else.
Thanks for the input. I guess i’ll have to buy a set when I get my drill press.
I have a lot of Ryobi stuff, so if you keep asking Ryobi questions, I might keep answering.
Kato wrote:
1 minute ago, Kato said:I have a lot of Ryobi stuff, so if you keep asking Ryobi questions, I might keep answering.
Good to know!
I have the green set and they are pretty good, buried in one of my YouTube videos I’ve used them
Jimbo
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
This photo is older, doesn’t include the drill press, jigsaw, and a few other random Ryobi things I have…
[External image (farm8.staticflickr.com), not copied]
Ryobi Family Portrait 02 by Edward Durbin, on Flickr
Kato wrote:
26 minutes ago, Kato said:I have a lot of Ryobi stuff, so if you keep asking Ryobi questions, I might keep answering.
I don’t have a lot of Ryobi, just got their LED work lights, so that’s all the questions you can ask me about lol
ryobi makes nice drill bits, thats about the only consumables i use of theirs
When I started out building my workshop, I bought one from Harbor Freight, and honestly, I been impressed with the performance. But like most drill presses it’s a pain to change speeds, so I have it on my upgrade list to purchase a variable speed (without having to move belts) model.
I use an old small vertical milling machine instead of a drill press. Bought it used a long time ago. It can be a real pain to move, due to size and weight, so I added casters to the base and mounted an old craftsman compressor inside the base cabinet as well. Takes up a bit of space overall, but the drilling control can’t be beat.