Drill Press

[bull frog]

Yea I agree with you, I am a Case man...got probably 20 or more....just saw the price on these and thought ....why not...they are a buck...so I bought two different stiles.  Did look good in that plastic package( the ones you can't get open to closely inspect the product).  I am not dissapointed in what I got....just supprised they come from China....that used to be one of Buck's selling points"made in America".  Also will check out that idea on having a blade made for that saw...I think there is a place here that does that.....I wish I had known that before, I would not have looked so hard to find one and just had one made.

[voyageur1688]

  Was just stating my experience with them. Some people have had great luck with them but I havent. As for saw blades for a band saw, if you have a highschool with an industrial arts/ metal shop they usually have the machine to make the bands for you and will often do it at cost as it is a way to teach the students how to use the machine and make the blades. Our school here used to do it fairly often when I was there and so far as I know they still do. You may need to call the school and talk to the metal shop teacher.
Voy

[DEADDAWG]

Voy, Our local school district don't have a metal shop, wood shop or auto shop any more. Kiddies might get hurt or (heaven forbid) get their hands dirty.

[Ranger]

I have the sears one you have described. It is my second one. I use it for many things it should not be used for including using it as an impromptu millimg machine for knife and gun parts. Works like a charm for small projects.

[FrankG]

HF has the bench 5 spd model for 60 bux now.

[voyageur1688]

  Its a shame so many schools are dropping shop classes. Ours will be doing the same in a couple years if things dont change soon. May hafta see what they sell the equipment for.
Voy

[knucklehead]

Original post has been here a while but I'll add this anyway. Don't run away from a drill press because the chuck is "pressed on." Almost all of them are fitted to the press by means of a taper (Usually Jacobs). There's not a lot of taper on the shaft and if you aren't aware of it, it will look like a straight shaft. The chucks are installed/removed simply by tapping or thumping them onto or off of the shaft. They stick pretty tight, but they're still easy to replace.   

[voyageur1688]

  Been there and done that on this one. Cant get the chuck to stay on for anything.
Voy

[Hanshi]

I've been in the market for a drill press for some time now.  I've bought some smaller stuff from HF and have been quite satisfied.  Not so sure about the electric stuff as I've never had a HF press to examine.  They are cheap and that's very appealing.  Lowes sells a table top Dewalt for about $130.  And if Sears sells them for $150, both prices are reasonable.  But are THEY made in China as well?

[Baldy]

The cheaper ones are all made in China and the more expensive ones come from Taiwan
Hard to find tools made here.

[Red Badger]

I have no problems buying from Harbor Freight, a few of the smaller items I have bought are/were in the one time use then toss, category but all the electrical items I have bought from them are still in use and functioning well with the exception of the $9.00 12 volt heater I got to help defrost my car windows.. it burnt the first time I used it.... (the parts are still around in various other projects however!)

[voyageur1688]

  Hard to find ANYTHING still made here.
Voy

[Linc]

I've bought some electric hand tools from HF. The Chicago brand is real low quality but the Drill Master brand is much better buy in my opinion.

[mongrel]

FWIW at the school district maintenance shop I work in we've recently bought a bench grinder, a portable band saw, and a couple of cordless drills from two different stores the district does business with -- all four tools higher-end DeWalts. All made in China.

Might as well just figure on tools, work clothes, and other gear with the names of formerly American companies on them (Justin, Levi's, DeWalt, Case, Schrade, and on and on) being made in another country. That way when you run across a particular brand or model that is actually still American-made you will be pleasantly surprised, and the rest of the time no more disgusted than you had expected going in.

My experience with Harbor Freight tools has been mixed, like everyone's here. I bought a portable band saw on sale for $79.99 -- after a couple months of fairly light use the trigger broke so that it's permanently "ON" when plugged in (that one was gifted to the new husband of my ex-wife, who is a less picky individual about such minor details than I am). I bought a set of cheap forstner bits and a set of 1/8" letter and number stamps for a combined total of maybe ten or eleven dollars -- with the exception of the 3/8" forstner bit, which I destroyed using it to countersink flat holes in brass and steel sideplates for the heads of lock bolts to nestle in, everything's still giving perfect service. Their TN-coated drill bits seem to last as long as anything else I've used, which is to say I've broken quite a few due to just being hard on drill bits. Two cordless drills my former brother-in-law bought dirt-cheap from them were worth every penny he paid for them and not one cent more -- both are about useless for any real use, but then I have that opinion of the vast majority of cordless drills.

I've read and been told good reviews of tools like MIG welders, metal lathes, mills, and other items that will set you back a fair chunk of change even coming from Harbor Freight, but the caution on all of them is to realize they are NOT professional-grade tools. They're for people like me, whose "hobbies" have gotten so far out of hand that tools like MIG welders and metal lathes have become necessary, but who aren't going to make full-time commercial use of them.

[Hanshi]

It is a tragedy that manufacturing is no longer done in America.  It's no wonder we're in a recession  depression.