New Pillar Drill

[The Bear]

Hi

I am looking for a bench top drill. I know many would advokate a second hand fobco/meddings/startrite etc. However having had a couple of bad buys on ebay and being no engineer I have decided to buy new.

I am pondering the following

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Draper-63221- ... 286.c0.m14

Can't find any reviews on here about it. I like the large capacities. Anyone got one and can comment on the play in the quill (I hope none). Also is the power enough? It will get the general use that most of us require.

Any comments/thoughts?

Mark

 

[head clansman]

Hi bugbear

Draper all i can say about them is all the hand tools that i own with there make on are bloody excellent , 19 mm that even better , the only slightly down side maybe my opinion though it does seem a little over priced ,but having said that, if it good hey so what, it's only money . hc

 

[The Bear]

Thanks for that
I don't have a problem with the price, I just don't want to but a pony
In terms of it's build it seems to be a bit "beefier" than similar sized tools which drew me to it
I think the downsides of pillar drills are quill play and power, just want to satisfy myself these are OK with this having never owned a pillar drill
Mark

 

[head clansman]

hi mark


Don't know about the quill play there other hand tools which i have, have a good quality which i cannot complain about they do the job, as fore the power it belt driver with adjustable pulley speed isn't it , speed requirement depending on what your drilling ? hc

 

[Jeremys]

Hi Mark,

I have the Jet JDP 15.. http://www.axminster.co.uk/product....=drill+press+jet&user_search=1&sfile=1&jump=0 which I've been very pleased with. It gets fairly heavy use, is consistently accurate and no noticeable quill play.

I looked at the Draper at yandles, but preferred the build quality of the Jet.

The only issue I have with most new pillar drills is the obsession with 15, 18 20, drill speeds. The middle pulley makes the whole belt system much noisier than it needs to be, and I've never used more than 3 speeds... ho hum, I may be a heathen...

 

[trousers]

Mark

Its a very close replica of the Jet JDP - 15 (look in the Axi catalogue as to what they claim for concentricity).
I bought the Jet a while ago round about what the the Draper price is now. I think it's a fine bit of kit 8)

 

[RobertMP]

I've got the forerunner of this axminster one -

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Axmi ... 719344.htm

No problems with it so far. I was put off by the keyless chuck when I ordered as they don't always grip well but the one fitted is good. Also ordered a pin chuck as it says 3 - 16mm but in fact it will hold a 1mm drill with no problem. If you lower the drill to the full extent when the drill is not running you can get a mm or so play if you grab the chuck and rattle it but there is none at the top of the travel and it is not a problem in use.

the ebay one seems a bit odd calling it 19mm capacity when it has a 16mm chuck too.

 

[segovia]

I am in the same boat, can't decide what to choose. The temptation is to go above £200.00 and buy something that I don't really need - do you need 16 speed and 19mm is the question you have to ask yourself.

I just bought a bobbin sander from Draper which looks like every other bobbin sander on the market which probably tells me they were made in the same factory somewhere in the far east.

I would stay away from Clarke they look cheap.

I would be interested in your outcome

John

 

[head clansman]

hi mark

my only comment left here is i think you have answered your own question (do i don't i)( which one ) 16 speeds, 19 mm chuck this will take any thing you may choose to throw at it ,wheres a bog standard 13mm chuck will not be able to cope with anything outside of general work practise , the day you need that 19mm chuck full capacity you 'll also need the extra speed and it will be there just waiting for that day , forward planning :wink: .hc

 

[Argee]

The only comment I have is that you'll probably end up making a custom table for it, as clamping anything to a circular base is not on and drill press vices are nowhere near ideal for woodworking.

Ray

 

[oddsocks]

Mark,

Before you buy make sure the travel depth is sufficient for your needs. I use my floor standing SIP drill for pen blanks and needed the travel to be over 60mm. Most bench drills are less than this (hence I sold my bench one which was an axminster white range from about 8 years ago).

The only issue I have with my SIP is that the safety switch on the pulley cover can disengage. I've not been able to work out why as the 'trigger' is in full contact but it is an annoyance (a bang on the top solves the problem!)

 

[SVB]

The 16 mm chuck vs 19mm drilling capacity is a bit confusing.

Could the 19mm capacity refer to the max diameter MT drill (in steel presumably??) where as the chuck can take 16mm shaft diameters?

S

 

[Krysstel]

Maybe of no help at all but I recently stood in the Axmintser shop in H.Wyc and compared the Jet JDP-13 side by side with an Axminster WD-16B. Spent a lot of time comparing (my view) of build quality, spec, value for money etc and came away convinced the Axminster was a better machine. I couldn't see the justification for the Jet being £50 more when IMO the Axminster was a far beefier, solid machine with almost the same spec.

I didn't however end up with any of them as the shipping costs to my location proved to be too expensive. Instead I bought a second-had-almost-never-used Rexon DP380A - bench version of this one :- http://www.rexon.net/product/european/dp380f.htm which seems to be a well made solid machine.

 

[RogerS]

....
I would stay away from Clarke they look cheap.

.....

Clarke drills ..cheap and nasty. Huge play in the quill.

 

[The Bear]

Thanks for all the replies, they really do help.

Ray, I fully intend to build a new table for the drill, something along the lines of Steve Maskery's design in a recent British Woodworking (although simplified)

I think the range of travel etc will be fine for me at the moment.

I like the fact that no one has been detremental to the brand even if no one can comment on the quill.

getting closer to taking the plunge with the plastic

Mark

 

[woodbloke]

Maybe of no help at all but I recently stood in the Axmintser shop in H.Wyc and compared the Jet JDP-13 side by side with an Axminster WD-16B. Spent a lot of time comparing (my view) of build quality, spec, value for money etc and came away convinced the Axminster was a better machine. I couldn't see the justification for the Jet being £50 more when IMO the Axminster was a far beefier, solid machine with almost the same spec.

I think what you pay for in the Jet machines is the quality of the bearings which is something you obviously can't see. Better bearings will affect the overall performance which is something that Axminster seem to emphasize in their blurb. I'll soon be looking for a bigger and better pillar drill...so far the Jet's have got pole position - Rob

 

[Krysstel]

I think what you pay for in the Jet machines is the quality of the bearings which is something you obviously can't see. Better bearings will affect the overall performance which is something that Axminster seem to emphasize in their blurb. I'll soon be looking for a bigger and better pillar drill...so far the Jet's have got pole position - Rob

Fair comment and you're probably right but for only hobby use I would expect the maybe inferior bearings in the Axminster would still outlive me regardless of how many holes I managed to drill during the rest of my life. And 50 quid is 50 quid towards something else

 

[RogerS]

But not if the bearings are so sloppy that when the quill is descended your holes end up a mm or so over size...I'm referring to the Clarke BTW.

 

[Krysstel]

The Axmintser I played with at H.Wyc. had no quill play I could dedect.

Mark

 

[disco_monkey79]

Hiya,

Can anyone advise if there is no quill play throughout the Axminster range? I'm looking for a hobby pillar drill (maybe the Axminster WD13S). Anyone got one, or had a play with one?

I'd love to be able to spend more and get a bigger machine, but I can't afford it.

Or does anyone have any recommendations for an alternate hobby machine?

Many thanks