Woodworker's Journal 2008-32-1, страница 49

SOURCES

Craftsman: 800-897-7709 Delta: 800-800-223-7278 Powermatic: 800-274-6848 Ryobi: 800-525-2579 Shop Fox: 800-840-8420 Steel City: 877-724-8665

Quik-Link takes you directly to the web page on which these products appear! No navigation

necessary ...just go to www. woodworkersjournal. com and click on the Quik-Link icon.

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A select bunch of newer drill presses have finally taken that last big step out of the machine shop, with features designed specifically for woodworkers!

Dnii presses drill holes ... seems simple enough. How much room for improvement could there be? But once you log some hours with the average drill press, little annoyances start to crop up. Take speed changes, for instance. We all know that one speed does not suit all bits. Yet prying those belts on and off the pulley clusters takes time, and it's a dirty job. I'm always left with black belt grime on my fingers. Have you ever misplaced your chuck key or grumbled as you tried to clamp things to the edges of your table? Have you ever wished for a bigger tabletop, a better option for tilting it or a more precise way to line up your holes?

Well, if you're nodding yes to any of these, a better day has finally come! Manufacturers are now building a few drill presses with woodworkers in mind. I recently gave six of these tools a closer look, and their updated features are quite snazzy. The machines I saw included Powermatic's 18" PM2800 ($899.99), a Delta 20" Model 20-950 ($749), Steel City's 17" Model 20520 ($470), the Craftsman Professional 17" Model 22901 ($530), Ryobi's 12" Model DP121L ($169) and a Shop Fox 13V Model W1668 ($250).

I'm excited to share some of their cool features with you here. If you're in the market for a new drill press right now, these are the machines I recommend you check out first. Be sure to visit "Quik-Link" at woodworkersjournal.com to see these tools and your local tool dealers to try them out and learn more.

Delta's mechanical variable speed functions by way of a centrifugal clutch and a single drive belt. Just crank the hand wheel in front to change drilling speed: no more fiddling with dirty belts and pulleys. It's a big convenience when you're making frequent bit size changes.

Fuss-free Variable Speed

Variable speed just might be drill press nirvana. Powermatic, Delta and Ryobi have this wonderful improvement. Basically, instead of switching belts manually, you move a hand wheel or lever to dial the machine's RPM up or down. A centrifugal clutch, similar to those you'd find on a go-cart or a snowmobile, handles the speed change. Two adjustable pulleys inside the case open or close around a single wide belt. You never need to open the cover or touch anything. Now, switching speeds from a tiny twist bit to your biggest Forstner is both quick and simple. What a sweet deal! Powermatic and Ryobi even provide a digital readout to show the exact bit speed. I'm told Delta will soon add digital readout, too.

Today's Shop continues on page 88...

Digital readout makes variable speed even better. Now you'll know the exact chuck speed so you can adjust it as needed.

Woodworker's Journal February 2008

49