Cheap pillar drills

[BogMonster]

Now I have my Large Garage built (though with two Defender 110s, a Ford Ranger, a 5.8m RIB and trailer, motorbike, cement mixer, barbecue, four ladders and a ride-on lawnmower in it I probably should have made it bigger as it's getting a bit full ) I need a few bits to go in it... one of which is a pillar drill as since changing jobs I no longer have access to the dealership workshop.

I've looked at the threads on here and not really got an answer. You can clearly spend as much on a pillar drill as you want to, but it is a very occasional use item for me and I don't feel inclined to spend > £100 or so. For that there is a fair choice but the question is are they worth having or are they just shiny junk? What I need is something with a 13mm chuck and speeds to suit drilling everything from 316 marine stainless for the boat via mild steel, plastic or wood, but generally small fiddly things rather than needing something you can fit the Titanic's funnel onto.

The type of thing I am thinking about is a Sealey or Clarke unit like this

http://www.machinema...01b-drill-press

no reason for that particular model or supplier except it seems to fit the bill for spec.

Any thoughts on quality? Due to the need to export I neither want to buy a second hand light industrial unit off eBay nor is it likely it would be easy to ship here.

[CwazyWabbit]

I have a SIP one of the same design but it's like the clarkes big brother with more speeds and a larger motor, I imagine it's also a bigger drill.

Anyway to my point, it does work well but is a rattly noisy beast that does not inspire confidence in it's construction and the handles repeatedly undo themselves and fall on the floor at the most inconvenient moments. I should glue the handes in as the threads are very poorly cut and no amount of tightening will make them stay.

I've had the drill seven or eight years and it's still going, the only thing I've replaced is the chuck as the one that came with it was useless. In those years it has been through periods of heavy use and abuse but still it survives.

So to sumarise in my experience (of one SIP drill of the same design). They do the job intended, they seem to last ok, they do however seem poorly built and you are constantly expecting them to fall apart on you.

If I was having to pay quite a bit in shipping I'd look for something of a better quality, I know you said you don't want a second hand industrial unit off ebay due to shipping and no doubt quality reasons but it may be worth speaking to someone like http://www.gandmtools.co.uk/cat_branch.php?sub=11 they have a very good reputation and I know a number of forum members who have used them, they are also experienced with export.

[zim]

Spend that £100 on an 'old' one on ebay and it'll be better than a clarke / sealy one.

G

[ejparrott]

agreed, look for an old one. If you really need a wide range of speeds, get a 3-phase one and fit variable speed

[simonr]

The best (old) drills are made by Meddings. They are beautifully made and don't sell for much money.

I have a benchtop pillar drill which I bought about 10 years ago and it's still fantastic. Before that, I had a top of range Clarke one the same size - and it was so rubbish, I gave it to someone else. It broke twice & was replaced under warranty. In both cases the spindle twisted and turned into a cork-screw shape - jamming it solid. It had a 16mm chuck which was good - but could not deliver the torque to drive bits that big. From the start, the spindle was wobbly (low tolerance) so you often ended up with holes bigger than the drill size or triangular as it wobbled around.

The Meddings only has a 13mm chuck - so some of my drill bits needed turning down to fit but it has never missed a beat.

Si

[BogMonster]

Main reason for not buying used is that if it gets here and is kaput, I have no comeback on the seller, and also that in my experience most people are too stupid to pack something in a way that will survive export shipping in a container!

3 phase is a non starter as we don't have it at the house due to being out in de sticks.

[B reg 90]

Main reason for not buying used is that if it gets here and is kaput, I have no comeback on the seller, and also that in my experience most people are too stupid to pack something in a way that will survive export shipping in a container!

3 phase is a non starter as we don't have it at the house due to being out in de sticks.

A sealy one will be as likely to be 'Kaput' as a second hand one. Pony up and buy a good second hand one from a machinery dealer who will export pack. It will cost more, but it will do the job right rather than fail at an in convienient moment on the other side of the world..... A good Meddings will also do up to 4000 rpm spindle speeds - good for small holes. A Sealy machine would take off at that RPM!

My take on this is that the extra cost is an unaviodable concequence of living in the Falklands. You'll be winning on other items that will be relatively cheap compared to what we pay.

[ejparrott]

3 phase is a non starter as we don't have it at the house due to being out in de sticks.

3-phase VFD's can be bought to run off single phase, and cheaper than 3-phase VFD's too. A single to 3 is what I'll be using on the milling machine soon.

[UdderlyOffroad]

I was given a brand new £150 Sealey twelve speed. Not amazing quality, but fine for the use described. Previously I had a £45-odd Superstore job that I’d had since I was about 15 – which worked well, as long as you didn’t try drill holes over 13mm!

Packing an ex-industrial machine for export, and then sourcing a three-phase convertor….yea that’ll be expensive. I wouldn’t bother either, totally OTT for the use you describe.

O/T – I don’t know what it is about pillar drill handles but they like falling out…Loctite is the solution!

My take on this is that the extra cost is an unaviodable concequence of living in the Falklands. You'll be winning on other items that will be relatively cheap compared to what we pay.

O/T again - but what is cheaper in the Falklands, other than penguin burgers?

[mickeyw]

If you buy an old one, look at the speed ranges, not just how many speeds it has. Like Si's old one, my bench mounted drill (of Chinese origin) has a 16mm chuck, but the spindle could really do with going a bit slower when using big drills.

We also have a Meddings pedestal drill with back gears, they give the low sprindle speed and higher torque that is needed for large bits (and 80mm hole saws) Somewhere around 100rpm is quite useful.

I have a feeling the Meddings was originally 3Ph, but its design makes it pretty easy to swap the motor for single phase.

[Smego]

I paid £24 quid for a simular one on e-bay and it's noisey but does the job.

[Astro_Al]

You sound like you really want at least a semi geared head drill, so you have a range of lower speeds. Drilling reasonable size holes in 316 etc. All drills go fast enough, not all go slow enough.

Personally, I have 4 floor standing pillar drills of varying size and shape, I've never had bad luck with an old drill, but I've never had good luck with a new one.

If you want a fixer in the UK, I am in the workshop all the time with a forklift for deliveries etc, happy to receive and sensibly pack & palletise a shipment for you.

Al.

[simonr]

Forgot to add, mine is single phase, with it's original branded motor - so they do exist. I bought mine from G&M tools (who do export).

Si

[BogMonster]

Thanks Al, will bear that in mind

[secondjeremy]

My Wicks cheapy which I bought for £30 about 15 years ago is still going strong. Freely admit that most are better /slower/more powerful/quieter - and won't say that 'Nothing's better' - but its better than nothing.

[Julian]

Now I have my Large Garage built (though with two Defender 110s, a Ford Ranger, a 5.8m RIB and trailer, motorbike, cement mixer, barbecue, four ladders and a ride-on lawnmower in it I probably should have made it bigger as it's getting a bit full ) I need a few bits to go in it... one of which is a pillar drill as since changing jobs I no longer have access to the dealership workshop.

I've looked at the threads on here and not really got an answer. You can clearly spend as much on a pillar drill as you want to, but it is a very occasional use item for me and I don't feel inclined to spend > £100 or so. For that there is a fair choice but the question is are they worth having or are they just shiny junk? What I need is something with a 13mm chuck and speeds to suit drilling everything from 316 marine stainless for the boat via mild steel, plastic or wood, but generally small fiddly things rather than needing something you can fit the Titanic's funnel onto.

The type of thing I am thinking about is a Sealey or Clarke unit like this

http://www.machinema...01b-drill-press

no reason for that particular model or supplier except it seems to fit the bill for spec.

Any thoughts on quality? Due to the need to export I neither want to buy a second hand light industrial unit off eBay nor is it likely it would be easy to ship here.

I have one like that, had it for at least 15 years, there's dozens like it for similar money and they're all Chinese stuff.

It's OK, but it doesn't go slow enough or have enough torque to handle a 13mm drill into steel. Well it does, but you have to go easy or it just stalls. Other than that it's absolutely fine. What you find is that it's very useful, because the motor is so weak you can hold things with your hand while drilling and not risk getting severed tendons if the drill bit binds up in the job!

For more serious drilling I use my vertical milling machine, but when posible I prefer the small pillar drill.

Julian.

[forkrentfitter]

if you buy an old good one i will happily export pack it for you.

[BogMonster]

Thanks

[GW8IZR]

My old (1980's) cheap pillar drill is a lot nicer than most of the new cheap pillar drills I see in the likes of machine mart etc .. I even managed some very light milling in plastic before I bought a mill.

Main thing is a cheap drill tends not to drill round holes parallel to the table but its always better than a mains / battery drill hand held or in a stand. Its handy for holding taps in line and even with big bits and thick steel you can take your time and get acceptable results.

Look at what people achieve with very basic tooling, the skill is in the bloke pulling the handle, clamping the work and feeling the cut ( I aspire to those skills )

I wouldn't bother looking at gear driven heads cos in your budget they will break.

Good luck and enjoy what you get..

[bishbosh]

Parallel to the table? This I want to see! :P

[GW8IZR]

he he .. I cant spell perpendicular - your right of course my mistake ;-)

[mickeyw]

If I adjust mine it can drill parallel to to the table

[vulcan bomber]

As mensioned before in the thread an important consideration is the speeds available.. Reason being that running a drill slowly doesnt damage it, running them to fast and they melt... simple as that.

At work I dont often run my Lathe above 840RPM and I can happily drill 2mm holes at this speed.

However because I can run as low as 15 RPM I can drill 3+inch holes through stainless steels with no ill effects on the drill bits.

Something alot of people dont understand is that drill bits like to run at low RPM but with high feed rates per rev.

A good, water based cutting soloution will also help with swarf clearance and also extend tool life. Water on its own will also work fine but make sure you dry everything off afterwards.

If I was looking for a pillar drill I'd be looking for speed ranges of around 150 - 1500 RPM, that would suffice for 99% of the holes your going to drill.

Also, remember that when the Quill is worn on a pillar drill (or mill or Lathe Tailstock) they cant be adjusted, so if you buy something with a bit of slack in already its not going to be very good for very long.

[Bertie]

Cutting metal is about amount of material removed which is why you need to know the speed and feed rate. See http://www.southbaymachine.com/setups/cuttingspeeds.htm