A decent Bench drill in 2023?

[QuantumNova]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently in the market for a solid bench drill with (hopefully) the least amount of runout.

I've been searching through reviews and old threads and am still very much unsure as to what to go for.

I see a lot of bad reviews for the Axminster drills, or maybe I'm looking at only the bad ones? as they get posted about the most (generally not just here on the forum).

I do have the Bosch PBD 40 on my shortlist too.

I have recently seen the Einhell TE-BD 750 E Bench Drill and it looks to be a solid bit of kit and was wondering if anyone here has had experience with it?

I'm also open to recommendations and I'm very aware many of you recommend second-hand quality machines but honestly, I would rather buy something brand new if possible please.

Thank you.

​

 

[Ttrees]

I'd consider an engineers one, basically twice as hefty as the regular budget jobs.
I've seen some used going for the same money as the cheapo's.
If going new, I'd consider getting a dial test indicator and checking in person.

 

[Chief Sawdust Maker]

It would depend on budget.
I bit the bullet 2 years ago and purchased a Nova Voyager
https://www.machinery4wood.co.uk/NO...lr3LWrTBsirENQDn2o015nKrA2xrMfCxoCwoIQAvD_BwEyes I know it a lot of money but I have to say i don't regret a penny of it.

The only alteration I have made is to fit a keyless chuck to it.

Its great to always drill at the correct speed for the size drill and the auto start and electronic depth stop makes batch production very efficient
Its a very well made bit of kit the electronic firmware is upgradable and the parameters of the VFD are very easy to adjust.

The 150mm of quil travel with 2 full rotations of the handle is a great feature

I haven't measured the runout with a clock but its the best of any machine I have ever used.

A pillar drill is a much used item in many workshops but is the item that many of us spend very little on, I wish i had brought this sooner and if it went bang tomorrow and couldn't be repaired I would replace it like for like.

Feel free to message if there is anything you would like to know, (i have no vested interest in Nova but seriously rate the drill)

D

 

[Jameshow]

I'd look at sealey

https://www.mccormicktools.co.uk/pr...BLqG77PT7ybgz0m2mdrix0T2Al7aOqKRoCnJsQAvD_BwE
Or Nareok second hand ones. (Very similar)

Finally big old English drills like meddings etc.

 

[thikone]

I would also go with one of Nova DVR drill press if I knew about it back then.

Instead I got OPTI B 26 PRO... It is "professional" Chinese, I guess.
The motor rotor was not straight and it produced such high vibration that everything I put on its table would eventually jump away.
Only chuck was nice but it was not from China...

In the end I replaced the motor with 3-phase one and installed VFD next to it.
Also made new control panel to control VFD over RS485 serial port using Arduino Nano with a small screen and an encoder.
And designed and 3d-printed front panel to install in place of factory one.
Now it has RPM indication, menu to choose appropriate speed according to drill bit type and material to drill and remembers the last settings.
However, given how much it costed to do that, not even counting my time, it is probably cheaper to buy that Nova drill press.

I borowed Bosch PBD 40 from a friend once. It is much better than a drill on a drill stand as it has no play. But it also has little rigidity - if drilling forces are not symmetrical (like when boring with forstner bit at an angle) then the whole head just flexes away and it becomes very dangerous to the drill and to operator also. Proper drill press is done out of metal and doesn't give in unless the drill bit breaks. Otherwise, it has some advatages also. You can rotate the head by 180 degree and drill anywhere in the big ply sheet, for example. Also you can drill very long holes by drilling in several steps - even though it has only 90 mm stroke you can also move the head up and down with acceptable accuracy. For that I almost bought it myself. I wish they would made one with brushless motor because this one has universal motor with brushes like in corded drills and is very loud on high RPM. Induction motors on a heavy drill press is quiet. Maybe I will buy it for my kids when they grow up a bit more, hehe

So, new drill press from China is a lotery, game of fortune it seems. Thus, the advice above to measure runout in person and such. Or that Nova, they also have benchtop one - NOVA DVR Viking Drill Press Bench Mounted. Heck, it even stops the motor when it reaches desired depth! Or PDB 40 if you don't plan to use big bits nor to drill in drill difficult materials.

 

[bilspe]

I'm also open to recommendations and I'm very aware many of you recommend second-hand quality machines but honestly, I would rather buy something brand new if possible please.

Thank you.

​

Sorry but I am going to recommend a 2nd hand / quality vintage drill.
If you want to just plug and play with the least amount of fuss then new is the way to go, but in my mind unless you spend decent money, the lower end of the market for cheap imported machinery is tat.

I bought this fobco from a local auction for £35. It was in very poor cosmetic condition and yes it was alot of graft to clean up but I wouldn't swap it for ten of your cheap Axminster or other equivalents.

 

[Jameshow]

Sorry but I am going to recommend a 2nd hand / quality vintage drill.
If you want to just plug and play with the least amount of fuss then new is the way to go, but in my mind unless you spend decent money, the lower end of the market for cheap imported machinery is tat.

I bought this fobco from a local auction for £35. It was in very poor cosmetic condition and yes it was alot of graft to clean up but I wouldn't swap it for ten of your cheap Axminster or other equivalents. View attachment 167187

Unless you find a Naerok !!

 

[Spectric]

Sorry but I am going to recommend a 2nd hand / quality vintage drill.

Yes that is really the best way to go because unless you spend some serious money then you will not get anything close to say that Fobco, the build is solid and made when they were used in British industry, yes all you youngsters it is not just a myth that we had a large manufacturing industry.

This logic applies to many machines, buy the old heavy cast iron machines and they will not let you down and they were designed to be repaired.

 

[flh801978]

To the op if you are reasonably local to sheffield i have a pair of fobco star machines fully rebuilt both with vfd’s ( so variable speed) and both are single phase 3 pin plug
Both fully rebuilt stripped to bare metal primed and repainted in fobco yellow
All new bearings everything works as it should
One bench model one floor standing
Ian
( I would guarentee against any Fault for 24 months)

 

[QuantumNova]

Firstly thank you everyone for the recommendations, I appreciate all the posts and advice.

I do have experience with more 'vintage' equipment being far superior..I recently started to mow my lawn with a manual/push mower this summer (wanting to save on the crazy electricity prices!) and the only modern one that can be bought is good but made out of plastic and clearly NOT built to last.

I researched and found out that the Ransomes Ajax was a beautifully created masterpiece, that was built to last, so I spent good money on an expertly restored example of a Ransomes Ajax Mark 5 and I couldn't be happier. It should last as long as I do!

Sooo I do get it, and understand that these older machines are far superior, but I would be worried about having to restore them which is why I wanted to steer clear.

@flh801978 Thank you for the post, I would feel a lot more comfortable possibly purchasing your Fobco since it's been fully rebuilt by you and you offer a 24-month guarantee.

Let's chat more about it via PM if you like? I'd love to see some pictures of the bench model.

Would you also be able to test the runout on that particular machine with a dial test indicator for me?

Sheffield isn't close but depending on the price I may be able to have it collected.

 

[bilspe]

As much as I love my Fobco Star, a couple of things that are a pain.........

• if you want to raise the main body further up the column, you'll either need to be built like Arnold or get a second pair of hands.
• the lever on the pinch bolt to raise/lower the table is too short and again you need strong hands to lock it tight (I've seen replacement longer handles, engineer made, for sale but they're quite pricey)

 

[Sideways]

As much as I love my Fobco Star, a couple of things that are a pain.........

• if you want to raise the main body further up the column, you'll either need to be built like Arnold or get a second pair of hands

But to be fair, how often does anyone raise or lower the head on a bench drill that also has a moveable table ?
Many drills go a lifetime with the head never moving from when it was first clamped at the top of the column. It's rare that you need the maximum capacity of the drill with the table swung out of the way.
If you do, then just use a small bottle jack or clamps reversed for spreading to jack the head up from the locked table.

 

[flh801978]

Remember that some stars with the mt2 spindle didnt have a table….you had to lift the head
mine do have tables

 

[bilspe]

But to be fair, how often does anyone raise or lower the head on a bench drill that also has a moveable table ?
Many drills go a lifetime with the head never moving from when it was first clamped at the top of the column. It's rare that you need the maximum capacity of the drill with the table swung out of the way.
If you do, then just use a small bottle jack or clamps reversed for spreading to jack the head up from the locked table.

Yes was looking into a bottle jack.
We all have different requirements / expectations of what we want from the same drill, and whether we're woodworkers or metalworkers.
Mine hasn't been used much (woodworking) since the recent restoration and have to say I have found myself needing to raise/lower the head on a few occasions, even with the ability to swing the table out of the way, (large workpieces, long and short drill bits etc)
Probably I'm expecting too much for the capacity of a bench drill and would be better with a larger floor stander and a crank to raise the table.
I dont regret anything though and it's really just one minor issue (along with the short handles on some of the pinch bolts). It's a bit hypocritical of me to sing the praises of heavy cast iron machinery and then complain about the weight !

 

[QuantumNova]

Yes was looking into a bottle jack.
We all have different requirements / expectations of what we want from the same drill, and whether we're woodworkers or metalworkers.
Mine hasn't been used much (woodworking) since the recent restoration and have to say I have found myself needing to raise/lower the head on a few occasions, even with the ability to swing the table out of the way, (large workpieces, long and short drill bits etc)
Probably I'm expecting too much for the capacity of a bench drill and would be better with a larger floor stander and a crank to raise the table.
I dont regret anything though and it's really just one minor issue (along with the short handles on some of the pinch bolts). It's a bit hypocritical of me to sing the praises of heavy cast iron machinery and then complain about the weight !

Completely understandable that you mentioned it though as for some the weight might be an issue.

Also true that it's one of those catch-22 situations though, something solid and long-lasting will inevitably be heavy! lol.

Unfortunately, the Fobco offered by the gentlemen in this thread is simply too far from me and will add additional costs outside of what I can pay.

I'll keep my eye both on the forum for sale section / eBay and will take the good advice given regarding what to look out for.

I am still contemplating the Einhell TE-BD 750 E Bench Drill and if I do settle on it, I'll be sure to leave a review here on the forum which someone may find useful now or in the future.

Thanks again to everyone who posted.