Cheapness Gene Kicks In Again
January 15th, 2009My Brilliant New Plan
Here’s an interesting question.
I have noticed that used bench drill presses sell much cheaper than floor models. The same drill press, I mean, except the column is half as tall. But replacement columns are cheap. You can get one for between fifty and a hundred bucks.
SO…why not buy a bench drill press, save money on the buy and shipping, and then slap a new column on it?
I found an old Delta bench press online cheap, with a 1 HP motor. And NOBODY seems to want it.
January 15th, 2009 at 12:38 PM
Because you’ll find that they’re not interchangeable. A plug somewhere will be different, or there’ll be guide ribs that prevent you from attaching it.
At least, that’s been my experience with Dell, when I tried to salvage a battery from a dead laptop to put in another one of a different model. For some reason, they both use a pack of 6 button batteries, but they’re arranged differently so the good pack won’t fit in the space where the dead pack goes…and just for good measure, they used a 3-pin plug on one pack and a two-pin plug on the other.
It looks like the Internets want $20 or more, too, for a replacement.
January 15th, 2009 at 1:17 PM
Well, you would want both column and base. The base on a bench drill press is smaller, because it doesn’t need to withstand as much tipping force and because that way it’s lighter.
Other than that, if you’re confident that you can get a column the same diameter, it sounds like a great way to go. You are essentially buying the head, like with the (Powermatic?) the other day, and possibly the table.
Yes, there might be issues with things like keyways, but that’s an afternoon with the Wecheer. The diameter is a deal-breaker, though.
Regards,
Ric
January 15th, 2009 at 2:17 PM
Addendum: Something you definitely want in a floor-mounted drill press is a rack, a screw, or some other method of lifting and lowering the table other than simply loosening the column clamp and heaving.
Bench presses typically don’t have that, even when the floor equivalent (with essentially the same head) does, and the table on the bench model may not have provision. You would want the column, base, and table, or at least a way to adapt the lifting/lowering system to the table.
Starting to sound like a project.
Regards,
Ric
January 15th, 2009 at 4:31 PM
LIke has been said, you’d also need the rack and the base – and maybe the table – if the benchtop version column diameter actually is the same as the floor version …which would likely change the financial calculation.
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You can also verify if the powerheads are indeed the same by going to http://www.dewaltservicenet.com and checking relevant parts numbers in the manuals there (the site includes delta, dewalt, porter cable, and black&decker).
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You can check availability of, and order parts through, the Service Net site, too (very handy). Yes, I’ve ordered various bits & pieces through them over the course of the past several years, so “recommend”.