Drill press, what size?

[kstano83]

There are 3 drill presses I´m thinking of. They are all the same brand, made in Czech republic. It´s actually the only maker I can get in my country (Slovakia) if I want "affordable" quality.
The pages are not available in English but can be google translated.

1.) https://www.bow.sk/produkt/3003015/stol ... -pro-230-v
Bench top version. Small, light but I should not have a (big) problem with space in my shop

2.) https://www.bow.sk/produkt/3003030/stlp ... l-d-26-pro
Floor model. Well, obviously bigger and a bit heavier. Slightly deeper drilling depth and bigger swing.

3.) https://www.bow.sk/produkt/3003040/stlp ... l-d-33-pro
Big, heavy, much deeper drilling depth and even bigger swing.


First I thought about getting the no.3, the biggest and heaviest, but isn´t it a bit overkill for toymaking and general woodowrking? On the other side, I think drill press is the machine I should not save money on.
Maybe I would be ok with 210mm swing of the drill press no.2, but will the drilling depth be enough? I don´t know.
All of the three drill presses will take the smallest and the biggest drill bits I´ll ever use.
I don´t want to get a used one as I need a receipt to have it as a company expense.

Your thoughts?

 

[MikeJhn]

Go for the biggest one you can afford, that way you will not run out of capacity if you later change your requirements.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I notice the largest one is 400v - I assume this isn't an issue? You can do small work on a large one, but struggle to work on large things on a small one, so if you've the room and you can put it down to a company, I'd be tempted to go for the largest one, if not the middle one.

 

[AES]

+1 for the 2 replies above!

 

[AES]

In the above I forgot to say "assuming you have 3 Phase - 400V" already. We do here (Switzerland) as standard, but it's called 380V.

If you don't already have 3 Phase electrics, you could either add an "electronic box" or add a 3 Phase circuit just for the work shop. Neither are cheap but presumably you could charge either of those to the company??

HTH

 

[kstano83]

400V is not an issue. Is there a reason to be concerned that the biggest drill press, D 33 Pro, only has 1810 rpm max?

 

[MikeK]

I think the Optimum brand of drill presses are made in Yangzhou, China for the German company. I have the B23 Pro, which is similar to the D23 Pro, and am very happy with it. The Morse taper quick release chuck is solid and the bench top version meets all of my drill press needs.

If the digital version had been available when I bought my drill press, I would have bought it instead of the B version. It's not to bad changing pulleys for the different speeds, but pressing a button is easier.

 

[kstano83]

@Mikek Have you ever came across the need to drill deeper then 85mm on your drill press?

 

[MikeK]

@Mikek Have you ever came across the need to drill deeper then 85mm on your drill press?

Not yet.

 

[Sideways]

You might get lucky but don't expect that digital depth display to be accurate. There are a lot of similarities between this and the "bernardo" brand Chi/wan via Austria bench drill I bought second hand last year. It's at least as good as an Axminster trade drill (Chi/wan via UK), better in some regards. Powerful, smooth and more than good enough for woodwork, but beware, a plastic cog wheel turns a potentiometer and that is used as input to the display. Considering the average potentiometer has a 20% tolerance, that bit is all smoke and mirrors. Mine failed almost immediately and I didn't bother replacing the pot.

 

[kstano83]

I asked about the depth display and I was told that the reading is done directly on the spindle and should have 0,1 mm accuracy.

 

[kstano83]

Buy once, cry once, right? I just placed an order on the drill press no. 3, the biggest one I listed. Thank you guys. I can´t wait.

 

[AES]

From what I could understand from the spec you linked to, I'm sure it will do you proud mate. Let us know how you get on with it please