$39 drill press at Harbor Freight

[ErikMiller]

They have two different (but not very different) 8" benchtop drill presses on sale through the 10th of April.

I bought one and it is pretty nice. I'd been using my behemoth floor-standing radial drill press, and this small one is much more stompbox-scaled.

The 1/2" chuck tightens down far enough for PCB hole bits.

[Bluesgeetar]

I'm kind of partial to the drill press attachment you can buy for the Dremel tool.  I just use a hand drill for jacks and switch holes.  Of course I'm a musician needing a good tone machine I'm not trying to make a fashion statement with my pedals.   A strong arm and a steady hand and patience will do you good everytime.  

[BillyJ]

I got a package of various small bits and four or five were decent for PCB, the rest were too small and a few could be used for standoff holes and such.
Might wanna look for them while your there.

[ExpAnonColin]

Link por favor?  I've been looking for one...

-Colin

[Adam Shame]

http://www.harborfreight.com/

I have one of their stores right down the street.  They have some good stuff for CHEAP.

[ExpAnonColin]

Holy shit, shipping CAN'T be free!  The thing must cost $90 to ship as it is!

EDIT: I can't find the $39 one, just the 89 one.

-Colin

[petemoore]

Nothin wrong with a good hand drill.
 I like two.
 Different sized bits...the litte one [a 9.6v] I use for usually 3/8'' and smaller holes, the big [Black and Decker deluxe model with TONS of torque, variable power 'notice I don't say speed'...takes a little getting used to really] drill I use for small or big holes.
 Ppl hear 9.6v and downtalk...I got the thing for 20$, and an extra battery, and it's served me over a long period of time and has seen ALOT of use in various applications. I like it cause it's NOT so strong and fast, it is easier to control.
 I found out metal drilling goes fast using slower RPM's, and causes less bit heat as a result. I use a very large metal twist bit to champhor the edges of the hole where the hole size bit leaves protruding shards. Medium/hard  pressure varies with bit size, and should be used.
 Pro drillers look for the 'one piece' apple slice looking waste.
 Drill presses are nice, I used to have them. I miss them especially for their depth control.
 I can mount a piece to be drilled with a large bit [these can wrestle ...even clamps]  using my boots PDQ [like 2 seconds], and with the VSR and keyless chuck, I can outdrill any press this side of the Atlantic !!!
 I use RACO's and simply fold/fold/fold/fold... the [RACO top or side]sized paper to get symmetrical hole templates. Tape that square on the box, and punch...

[Lonehdrider]

Quite true with the drilling technique Pete, the larger the bit, the slower the speed, and indeed the ideal speed produces chaff, a curl of metal. Of course starting with a smaller bit as a pilot is recommended too, for alignment as well as getting to the cutting edge of the bit. Blasting a big bit through a box with no pilot just dulls thems eventually and they'll walk around. I've had good luck in the past (don't have one now (divorces suck I lost my metal working shop  :x ), but used them in shops before) with uni-bits. Uni-bits are a stepped drill bit that'll let you drill multiple sizes with one bit. The advantage is it drills a very round hole (this is for cases only of course, to big for PCB's), whereas a twist bit leaves a rather triangulated hole. Just some metal work trivia as that was my gig for a good number of years...



Regards,

Lone

[ErikMiller]

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=44506

It's listed as $59.00 on the web site, but it's $39 in the flier.

You might call them and tell them that you saw it in the flier and ask if it may be ordered via phone.

Harbor Freight in general is a bountiful place for the cheap machinist.

[zachary vex]

i've seen Chinese-made presses at Menard's for the same price...

[Adam Shame]

Holy shit, shipping CAN'T be free!  The thing must cost $90 to ship as it is!

EDIT: I can't find the $39 one, just the 89 one.

-Colin

My uncle in upstate NY loves this place.  Everytime he visits, he makes my dad drive down there so he can look around.  He bought a freakin' generator from them, and they shipped it to him FREE.

[Fret Wire]

Been buying from them for years. Scored alot of great deals on DeWalt and Milwaukee tools.  Free shipping on orders over $50. Just so you know, most all their tools that aren't name-brand, are usually chinese. Not the quality stuff either. Not that it matters for some people or applications, but if you're the kind of person who buys good tools once, instead of constantly replacing cheap stuff, you should know that. Having said that, I have one of the $59 drill presses. If you use it for light duty, it will last quite a while. It's cheapness lies in it's motor, switch, and wiring. The base, table, and press mech. are reasonably decent. Plenty good enough for pedal work.

[Fret Wire]

Almost forgot....a little trick you have to know about Harbor Freight's catalogs. They will have several catalogs out simultaneously. First thing to notice is the top and bottom of every page has little banner announcements, like order hotline phone # and hours. In the middle of the catalog, is the order form and index. Usually go 1-10 pages either way from that, and one of the banner headings will have the catalog expiration date. Once in awhile it is on the back cover near your mailing address. Sometimes you will have up to 5 catalogs current at the same time (exp. dates will run 1-3 monthes apart). Now look up the exact same item (brand and model number), and you will find different prices in some of the current catalogs. Try it yourself with something that is listed in all your catalogs. One price will usually be lower than the rest. If you look, you will see that the item is the same, but the stock # is different. That's how the price is identified. So, pick what you want, go through all the catalogs and find the cheapest prices for each item. Then list the cheapest item's stock # for all the items on one order form. Like I said, I've been doing that for years. They also have a "Inside Track Club" that costs $20 to join and you'll get special catalogs with some killer deals. It paid for itself my first order.