slaws Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 My first post! YAY! I decided that I wanted to give guitar building a shot. I'm starting to build a tool collection and the next one on my list is the drill press. For space reasons I've decided that a benchtop model is necessary however I'm torn between two models. First Model: Craftsman 21914 12" Second Model: Grizzly G7954 Radial I like the Craftsman because of the digital depth gauge but I don't know if the 6" throat will be enough. I only plan on building solid body electrics and when reviewing my first design it looked like enough clearance to get to the bridge posts and pickup routes. I was also looking at the radial model from Grizzly because of the reach. The Grizzly is 1/2 HP and I can't tell what HP the Craftsman is. You would think they would have that spec listed. I would think that Sears would be easier to deal with if there are any problems but I've never purchased from Grizzly before. Any thoughts on the pros and cons of these two models? Not from a quality standpoint because I know they're both cheap but from a "most usable feature" standpoint. Thanks in advance..Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwwdotcomdotnet Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 (edited) i was in sears last week looking into that same craftsman press. it seemed very solid and i am actually considering purchasing it towards the end of the summer. ryobi also makes one int he $200 pricepoint that you can find at home depot. i glanced at it quickly last time i was there however didnt get much time to check it out. i am going back today to pick some stuff up, so i can look it over and let you know since i planned on considering that one too. hope that helps, and welcome to PG! Edited June 22, 2007 by wwwdotcomdotnet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desopolis Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 heres a Delta press for $175. at Lowes. Has the laser, the light and a table. http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=prod...&lpage=none http://www.deltamachinery.com/index.asp?e=136&p=6120 I cant find the HP rating for the Craftsman or the Delta, but the speed ratings are all in line... I played with the press, it felt decent when I was playing with it, and before I bought a older model it was what I planned on getting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyManAndy Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 heres a Delta press for $175. at Lowes. Has the laser, the light and a table. http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=prod...&lpage=none http://www.deltamachinery.com/index.asp?e=136&p=6120 I cant find the HP rating for the Craftsman or the Delta, but the speed ratings are all in line... I played with the press, it felt decent when I was playing with it, and before I bought a older model it was what I planned on getting. I believe the HP rating for the Delta is 1/2. CMA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaws Posted June 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 Thanks for the replies everyone. I think I'm leaning towards the Craftsman. It seemed pretty solid when I played with it too. Plus the digital depth gauge is pretty darn cool and after reading the reviews it would seem that it's not as gimmicky as I originally believed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyManAndy Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 Man, that Craftsman looks really cool. I'll have to run by Sears and see if I can take a look at one. CMA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwwdotcomdotnet Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 Looked at the Ryobi today, it was decent, but my vote is with the craftsman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyManAndy Posted June 23, 2007 Report Share Posted June 23, 2007 Yeh, I've seen that Ryobi at Home Depot. Definitely wasn't best of what I've looked at so far. The only other one they had was a Rigid floor model. Looked alright. I'll go by Sears tomorrow, hopefully they have one of the Craftsman around. CMA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desopolis Posted June 23, 2007 Report Share Posted June 23, 2007 besides the digital readout I think the craftsman and the delta are basically the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted June 25, 2007 Report Share Posted June 25, 2007 I have found that the 6" throat is a lot of times not enough if your drilling a string through. Dependingon your design it may be fine, but your next design, may be a little larger and just enough that the 6" won't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyManAndy Posted June 25, 2007 Report Share Posted June 25, 2007 Picked up one of those Craftsman drill presses today. Haven't set it up yet, so I don't know what to expect. CMA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaws Posted June 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 Picked up one of those Craftsman drill presses today. Haven't set it up yet, so I don't know what to expect. CMA They're on sale this week for $180 so I'll probably be getting one as well. I'm interested to hear what you think when you get it set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyManAndy Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 Well, I got it set up and tested it out on a few pieces of scrap. All in all, it isn't a bad drill press for the price. It seems accurate, and the laser thing works pretty well. As far as runout goes, I don't have the tools to measure it right now, but I don't think it is much at all. The digital depth readout is nice, especially since you get millimeters or inches. I have a couple of complaints though. The special handle on the quill feed isn't that great. It actually makes you use more energy to move the quill than the normal handle. Some of the plastic parts vibrate very loudly sometimes. And the manual was a little too concise and not detailed enough, to me. Other than the manual, my complaints are pretty small. I wasn't expecting it to be perfect, for $180. CMA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyManAndy Posted July 14, 2007 Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 A quick update: The adjustable work light has conked out on me. It wasn't really that useful to begin with, but I would at least like to know it works. The laser thing is not terribly useful either. I just don't trust it. It seems to move as you move the quill down. Again, I usually do a very good job of eyeballing without the laser, so it isn't a big issue anyway. The one plus side is that it seems to have very little runout, which is the most important thing to me. Overall, you get what you pay for. CMA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted July 14, 2007 Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 I use the floor-model version of the Delta, in the $340-400 price range. I never use the laser guide because I mark everything I need on my wood and then mark it with the bit to make sure I've got the bit heading to the precise point. Just not much of a need for the laser guide, it takes more time to use than my method, but it is precise when used properly. The light on the delta rocks, it keeps the entire area well lighted and doesn't shake at high RPM's (2000-3000). My only gripe with the light is that it's painted black - not sure what the reason behind this is, but it gets extremely freakn hot. I also have a Craftsman bandsaw and scrollsaw. Both lights are completely useless on them because they never stayed in place anyways. The scrollsaw light was awful, it'd shake back and forth a good 2 inches when the tool is running and couldn't keep the area lighted worth a damn. The bandsaw light was one of those bendy kind of lights, was way too flexible and would always tilt down and hit the steel table. It's very important to have good lighting when working with power tools, and so far I've never worked with a craftsman tool that has offered that. Not sure how relevant my post is on this topic, but I just wanted to complain about craftsman! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyManAndy Posted July 15, 2007 Report Share Posted July 15, 2007 I never use the laser guide because I mark everything I need on my wood and then mark it with the bit to make sure I've got the bit heading to the precise point. Just not much of a need for the laser guide, it takes more time to use than my method, but it is precise when used properly. I do the same thing. I find the laser just too tedious. Not sure how relevant my post is on this topic, but I just wanted to complain about craftsman! Everybody has to vent their rage sometime! CMA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaws Posted July 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 I ended up getting the same Craftsman and I like it a lot. My only issues were that it's so heavy I had to build a movable stand for it. After building the stand I wondered "Why didn't I just buy a floor model?", that and the useless light (why did they even add that?) I think it's a great press at a great price. One useful thing about the light that I think I will do is use the snake to hold an air hose to blow the dust away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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