Pillar drill

[Knilly]

Afternoon all. My first post!!

Could I ask for some guidance? I have a dated draper puller drill that I inherited off my father. It’s a good few years old and I was looking to replace.

There are so many about and all look similar to what I have. I see that Bosch market a drill that has good reviews- but I’m not sure it’s either over engineered for what I want or simply not a woodworkers tool.


Bosch Home and Garden Bench Drill PBD 40 (710 W,) on Amazon doe about 263.

Advice and guidance would be gratefully received.

Dick

 

[rogxwhit]

Electronics means there's more to malfunction.

710W is far more than I'd sensibly need in a bench drill.

As often happens, you haven't stated what sort of operations you want it for.

 

[Knilly]

Electronics means there's more to malfunction.

710W is far more than I'd sensibly need in a bench drill.

As often happens, you haven't stated what sort of operations you want it for.

Sorry. I’m hobbyimg in my shed and re tooling the initial tools I gathered and bought. It’ll be for woodworking projects/ hole cutting/ forstner bits etc.

 

[Richard_C]

What's wrong with the draper? If it meets your needs for size then a bit of care and attention may save you. grief. On most, not all, older drills you can adjust the quill to take out play. Don't expect new=better.

If it's hobby then power may be less critical, you just feed it slower.

 

[Knilly]

It tends to stop and shake a bit under operation. When I took it on it would not run. Just hummed. I managed to get it eased off using some wd40 but I think years of inactivity hardened up the grease. Although I have to say I hadn’t thought about stripping it back.

 

[rogxwhit]

I'd think that an induction motor of 350W would be fine ... a heavier build could be worth a lot more than 'features'.

 

[recipio]

The main problem with the Bosch ( Scheppach make a similar model ) is that you can't raise or lower the base. You will be using bits anywhere from 25 mm to 100mm so you will have to pack up the base with bits of scrap. I would stick to a more conventional drill press although the more power the better. Variable speed is also very handy - I would say essential.

 

[Knilly]

Thanks all. I think my current model is underpowered. Any suggestions as to a reliable make/model but taking in rogxwhit’s comments above?

 

[Doug71]

The main problem with the Bosch ( Scheppach make a similar model ) is that you can't raise or lower the base. You will be using bits anywhere from 25 mm to 100mm so you will have to pack up the base with bits of scrap. I would stick to a more conventional drill press although the more power the better. Variable speed is also very handy - I would say essential.

Not sure if I'm misunderstanding what you are saying but on the Bosch you adjust the height of the head instead of the height of the base. You can lock the head at any height then you have I think 90mm of drill stroke when you turn the handle.

 

[recipio]

I see 180 watt on the label. That is seriously underpowered. Most of the Taiwan sourced pillar drills are about 350 watt. I have a Ryobi variable speed drill and managed to burn out the motor simply by drilling about 20 x 20mm holes in plywood. I got no warning that it was overheating. If you have a local electrical service agent it might be worth asking if they could swap out the motor on the Draper and give it a service.? You are getting into serious money looking at more powerful pillar drills and variable speed is pretty hard to find.

 

[rogxwhit]

It's common to change the drill speed across a range of 5, say, by moving the belt up & down on stepped pulleys under a hinged top cover. And 5 may be more than most people use or need.

I'd aim for a 13mm chuck, 350W, and 5 speeds. The final argument is build quality. If you found something like a used 1-phase Startrite Mercury you could be in clover. I saw one in S. Wales a while ago being offered for about £95 but they can run to £350 or so.

 

[recipio]

Not sure if I'm misunderstanding what you are saying but on the Bosch you adjust the height of the head instead of the height of the base. You can lock the head at any height then you have I think 90mm of drill stroke when you turn the handle.

Yes but the the amount of travel of the head is very limited compared to the table of a conventional drill. Ideally you would want to position the tip of the bit a few mm over the piece to take full advantage of the 90 mm travel. It's a bit of a marmite tool - the variable speed is certainly very useful and I don't see it in any tool in this price range.

 

[Old.bodger]

Lnilly - I have exactly the same drill and have had for 20 years. It does everthing I ask of it, the only frustration is the relatively small travel of 50mm. Whilst it is possible to stall it, you have to try quite hard.
Things to check before spending bigger £.
Slacken off the motor tension fittings and lubricate all the adjustment. Apparant stall is quite often belt slip. If, as is suggested, the belt is quite old, get a new one, they get old, tired and rather stiff. A new supple belt is easier to tension. Whilst it is off, oil / grease the motor and the quill. Get everything nice and free. Install new belt and tension, don’t forget to clean the v pulleys. Whilst at the motor factors getting your new belt get a can of belt anti slip spray and give the pulley a quick spray. Lastly don’t forget to adjust speed as required and allow for the laws of physics…..the faster the spindle is driven, the lower the available torque ( all other variables remaining equal!). Then decide if you need to spend bigger money!

 

[Sideways]

550W is where I'd point you. Big enough but not excessive. Be aware that there's a big difference between power in and power out of a motor. Compare like with like.

Desirable features when you compare drills are :
Quill travel - how far the drill bit can move up and down
Distance from the spindle to the column - this determines how far in from the edge of a workpiece you can drill - more is better, this is very limited on small pillar drills
Weight - heavier is more stable as long as you don't need to move it
If you choose a drill with a moveable table separate from the base, it's really nice if this can be wound up and down with a handle and doesn't reply on you pulling it up by hand.

What's the measure of a good drill ?
The drill bit should spin accurately and not like an egg whisk
The chuck shouldn't be sloppy when you wind it all the way down and try pushing it side to side.

Renovated vintage pillar drills are widely sought after because most modern budget bench drills aren't very well made. but I'd suggest that you keep eyes on ebay for a used, smaller model, Axminster trade or Jet pillar drill to get an idea of what's available.
Bosch Green (model numbers beginning P) are DIY tools. Even as a DIY er, I'd rather have a second hand version of something better.

 

[Spectric]

Look for a used machine, something a bit more solid and better built like Ajax, Fobco or Meddings and you will get more for the money. No electronics and to change speed you just have to move the belt onto another pair of pulleys but will probably outlast you.

 

[ajs]

Not sure if I'm misunderstanding what you are saying but on the Bosch you adjust the height of the head instead of the height of the base. You can lock the head at any height then you have I think 90mm of drill stroke when you turn the handle.

Yep, the whole head moves up and down on the column. A have a mini drill for circuit boards that works the same way - see the pic. For most of its intended use it's fine, PCB drills are all the same length making adjustment unnecessary. Board mounting holes are a different story. In my case that generally means 4mm holes and repositioning the head is a bit of a ballache, no rack and pinion mechanism. Bear in mind the drill you are looking at is a lot bigger and heavier than that precision drill.

If that Bosch is the pattern you want I'll point out this similar Einhell from Aldi for £160. I've no experience of it but Aldi have a reputation for good value. One curiosity that does strike me is that both have 700W+ motors but 13mm chucks but most belt drive drill go up to 16mm above 500W. That suggests to me the power rating is not entirely honest, or at least comparable.

A new bench drill is actually on my horizon for the medium future and I suspect we're looking in a similar kind of territory. I have looked at the drill you are looking at but figured multi speed belt driven units are simpler with less to go wrong.

You have a few other options in this area. There are any number of 350W bench drills at around £100. I'd assume they are much of a muchness. 550W is the next common size up but typically around three times the price. I have my eye on this Clarke but as I said I'm not purchasing imminently.

 

[Spectric]

A have a mini drill for circuit boards that works the same way - see the pic. For most of its intended use it's fine, PCB drills are all the same length making adjustment unnecessary.

I thought that through hole component mounting was history, now pads and surface mount using components that are so small I would have trouble seeing them let alone fixing them to a board. I suppose there must still be some multiway connectors that need holes and holes to connect points on different layers.

 

[loc0]

I do have Bosh PBD40 and it is a really nice drill if your space is limited or your budget does not include a sturdier floor standing unit. There was a small amount of runout (.24mm on 200mm so it would not affect woodworking but still) which can be totally eliminated by replacing bearings between chuck and drill body and putting 3d printed spacer where the upper drill body sits on the pillar itself (all found in various youtube videos). I found it excellent for the money and after fixing a few niggles it performs perfectly well. With other brands offering similar-looking products the usual applies - you pay for quality control in Chinese factories and I liked Bosch QC more than Sheppach based on internet reviews.
Here is an idea of how to work around the lack of vertical reach of bigger drills ... video link does not work but if you type "How to make a Wall Mounted Drill Press #3 | Bosch PBD 40" you should get to the right one.

 

[Keith Cocker]

Have a look at the Axminster Range. I have one and find it excellent.

 

[Jameshow]

Look at korean make Naerok they are usually fairly cheap but good quality. Not as heavy as old British drills.

Also look at aximinster and sealey.