Thread: Pedestal drill - yay or nay?

Hi guys,

I'm painfully close to caving in and purchasing this beauty of a pedestal drill press:
https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/D152
But being the man I am, I'd like everyone's opinions if possible. Is the build quality of Hafco products quite solid? It felt like a nice press when I had an (unpowered) play with it this morning. And I'd be asking about whether I could do a runout test prior to purchase.

Obviously, for a drill press purchase such as this, I want to make sure I'm making an investment.

Thanks!

John (electrosteam) bought a smaller one and said there was a lot of quill slop in it, I have looked at some down there, but never gone over them as I have 2 here.
You might be better off taking some sort of wipes with you to clean off the grease on the quill so you can check it.

Dave

I don't have that drill, but have a drill press with an identical chuck guard. The tabs where the springs connect will snap off in short order. Not a big deal, but annoying.

Dave, when I had my brief play, I did try wriggling the chuck to see if I could feel any play. The D152 felt solid, but I could definitely feel movement in the D147 (https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/D147 )
It does look kinda hard to get at the quill - there's a housing/guard/something around it with an air gap of about 10mm. This drill press would be a big step up for me, so I haven't seen anything like it.

Cheers for that Andrew. I'll admit, I actually can't fathom why I'd leave the chuck guard on there (Always tend to have PPE, and I noticed that the chuck key has a very nifty sprung pin in the centre, so it would never be able to remain in the chuck by accident).

I would think the guard is there not to stop or protect from the chuck key,but from swarf.I say great if the springs break but then again I would throw it to the shot house if it was me and only being used in private work,they generally are an OH&S issue and can be more frustrating than helpfull.

I the 1HP version of that drill and it also had the same chuck guard on mine which lasted 5 minutes and I stopped repairing it after a couple of days and it now collects dust on a shelf.

It terms of the H&F unit, I really like the fact that it has 120 mm of quill travel and a nice big table. OTOH I think the plastic handle makes it look a touch cheap and I wonder if the 31.5 mm chuck is of any value as bigger drill sizes can be found used more commonly in MT shank rather that the other.

Originally Posted by BobL

I wonder if the 31.5 mm chuck is of any value

I doubt its a 31.5mm chuck(maybe 16mm?). I guess the drill size has something to do with power or lowest rpm? Or maybe 31.5mm is the biggest drill you can get with MT3?


Stuart

Originally Posted by Stustoys

I doubt its a 31.5mm chuck(maybe 16mm?). I guess the drill size has something to do with power or lowest rpm? Or maybe 31.5mm is the biggest drill you can get with MT3?

Yep, that's it.

My drill was the cheap end of the floor standing range, MT2, fractional HP and supplied in a cardboard carton.
So, no opportunity to check anything.
It is sort of OK, but excessively flexible in all departments with significant backlash and general looseness.
I have made some nice table clamps that make it much more usable.

The reference unit in the OP looks to be a significant step up.
John.

I was looking at this exact drill a few weeks ago but ended up getting the equivalent from carba tech Carba-Tec® 2HP 12 Speed Extra Heavy Pedestal Drill Press : CARBA-TEC

I went for this one because it has a 2hp motor opposed to the 1 1/2 on the H&F model.
The chuck it came with was a piece of junk so i got a precision 16mm ball bearing chuck and mt4 converter.

I am very happy with the drill, there were a few little issues like a rattle from the gear housing but i fixed that by putting the key that removes the chuck just under the housing, a handy place to keep it and stops the rattle!
the collar around the column that holds the table adjuster needed a bit of breaking in, it didn't spin to well at first but now it is quite smooth.

I measured the run out with the new chuck and it was almost non existent.
I got a two way vice from carbatech but i couldn't use it as the vice handle hit the bed so i couldn't do it up... I ended up getting a nice precision vice from H&F, it has a straight, wide handle that is easy to use.
All in all I'm very happy with the unit. I imagine the one you are looking at would be very similar.
Cheers, Ash.

I don't have that drill, but have a drill press with an identical chuck guard. The tabs where the springs connect will snap off in short order. Not a big deal, but annoying.

+ 1 for that.

mine was a SPD-20B. Yeah cheap and rickety, but it was a place for me to start at the time. It now take pride of place in my brothers shed.

LordBug, Did you check the quill play with the quill half to 3/4 down? Many PD's seem firm when up or down all the way as they meet a stop that provides a lot of support. Midstream is where the play will really show on the showroom units, and its where the bit will try to wander when you are starting a hole while drilling with a jig or fence and stops. Worked with one of their smaller units and it could move at least 1mm starting a hole in this manner, not a happy unit. Luckily the boss had bought it from a catalogue sight unseen and untested so while it was my problem, it wasn't my fault.

Still got it to do everything we needed with acceptable accuracy, using 1/4 guide plates above the work to locate the hole but it would have been easier if the damn thing worked as it should.

Blackwoods appear to be selling a 3MT pedestal drill for $699.00
The brand is JBS which I think is made in Taiwan.
It may be worth a look for comparison.
Russell

A machinist I know uses four of these in preference to four Waldowns he has and would like another four. if anyone knows what they sell for down South, i'd like to hear about it. It's a K&K "Jih Gwo" from Taiwan I think:

Originally Posted by rusty steel

Blackwoods appear to be selling a 3MT pedestal drill for $699.00
The brand is JBS which I think is made in Taiwan.
It may be worth a look for comparison.
Russell

I am pretty sure my drill is JBS and so are a few other machines I bought new 20 odd years ago. It stands for John Briant (spelling) Saws back then, not sure if it's still the same name but they where all made in China back then under that name.

Dave