what size drill press?

Bear · Post by **Bear** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 6:09 pm

After making a few kits pipes witht the proper holes pre-drilled I have decided to take the next step and start making pipes from start to finish. As I do not have the funds to buy everything I need all at once I have decided to start with a drill press. What I dont know is what size press to purchase. I have very limited space and more importantly limited funds. Would a 10 inch press be large enough for a starter press or do I need to start with something larger like a 12 inch or more? Any imput would be appreciated. Also am I correct in thinking that a drill press is the first purchase I need to make. Thanks in advance.

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 8:55 pm

I had a blog posting about this not too long ago:
http://pipecrafter.blogspot.com/2008/08 ... press.html

As far as whether to get a drill press first or a lathe - it depends on what you're going to use it for. I personally drill blocks on a lathe, but use a drill press for various other things, like some shank adornments. I don't use a drill press for much pipe-related anymore, but it is a full-use tool in my workshop. A 10" or 9" will be plenty for most pipes. Just be sure to get a good quality one.

Bear · Post by **Bear** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 9:52 pm

Thanks for the imput and I found your blog about your drill press very helpful. Coincidencely I was looking at the same drill press that you recently purchased. Sounds to me that you did my research for me. Thanks again.

kkendall · Post by **kkendall** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 11:42 pm

I ended up buying a small wood lathe to drill blocks. I did a lot of reading before I did.... Of the pipe makers that started with a drill press and moved to a wood or machine lathe, I don't believe any of them use the drill press for much of anything anymore. And I'd guess that only a couple stuck with their drill press and still drill their blocks that way. (no data, just a hunch)

I knew if I started with a drill press, I would eventually (quickly) migrate to a lathe anyway, and then have a drill press I seldom (if ever) use, so I waited until I could get the small wood lathe. Glad I did.

caskwith · Post by **caskwith** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 5:55 am

A drill press is a great tool, i use mine for many jobs that an ordinary hand drill just cant handle, in fact you can even do some basic milling in a drill press if you get a cross slide. However one thing that my drill press does not get used for is pipe making, thats the job of the lathe.

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 8:41 am

While acquiring a lathe as you "first real pipe making tool" is a nice idea on paper, you have to consider the hidden costs of owning one. After you get the lathe, you have to tool it out with proper parts and pieces to make it useful to you, along with the tools to turn with. It gets costly quickly. A decent drill press will allow you to get to work immediately. In the meantime, you can still make pipes while you decide if you want to move up to a lathe.

Bear · Post by **Bear** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 8:36 pm

Thanks to all for the responses. Found a nice Hatachi 10 inch drill press at a good price that should suit my needs well enough for now. I'll be picking it up tomorrow and I am expecting a batch of a few briar blocks in the mail anyday now. Hopefully I'll turn out some decent pipes.