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Anyone ever see a radial arm drill press?

7K views 24 replies 21 participants last post by  b2rtch 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
This came by on my local craigslist. Anyone knows what it's good for? I suppose if on some days, you want to drill holes in very large things, you extend the arm, but on others, you actually want the holes to be straight, so you shorten the arm to minimize flex?

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#3 ·
You see these around from time to time. I'm not really sure how practical they are. Drill holes in an arc pattern … drill holes in a row away from the post … tilting head for angled holes …
 
#4 ·
I will say they can pull out and drill far from the column. This
can be helpful once in awhile. I work around such limitations
by using a hand drill .

It would be a cool tool for a range of weird things you
might want to build. I suppose some Windsor chairmakers
use them to make the subtle angles, but most probably
use a brace with a spoon bit.
 
#5 ·
I had the Rockwell version of that many decades ago. Like that one, it lacked a gear rack and cranked pinion for table elevation, which was really a PITA. You have to loosen the clamp, grasp the table with both hands, wiggle it back and forth to move it while lifting. Ugh. Not so bad going down, of course.

You can drill to the center of a very large circle, which is handy once in a while. They aren't so good at drilling metal, as there is too much flex in the post and long arm.
 
#6 ·
What I would really like about one of these is the increased capacity. There are many times I was just a couple inches short of what I needed to do. As long as it works as well as a standard drill press with the head close to the vertical column, I wouldn't mind having one of these. Finding the extra space needed behind it, though, would be tough in my shop.
 
#7 ·
The increased capacity is what I see as the strength of these things, along with the ability to tilt for angled holes. I think they would be superior for woodworking if a high quality one was ever built.
 
#8 ·
If I had a choice between a regular/single column drill press or a radial type ,I would choose the regular ,unless the radial DP is designed for industrial use,I had a chance to buy an old radial DP but was told the further you drill from the main column ,the more the head would flex which would result in inaccurate holes.
 
#12 ·
These are fairly common in metalworking, much more so than in woodworking. They are great for times when you need to drill lots of angled holes or increased capacity. A well built one does not suffer from flex and actually works quite well.
 
#14 ·
I've seen them used almost exclusively in metalworking and typically with much larger machines. That one is quite small relative to what I have experience with. We had one at work with a 12" vertical column and 8" round horizontal quill support. It really didn't get used much after the 5 axis cnc.
 
#20 · (Edited by Moderator)
I used mine to make raised panels for my roll top desk. I used the Wagner Safety Planer (did I get that name right?) and tilted the head, then ran the panel along a fence to create the cove all around. Took several passes, of course. Worked well, but required a lot of sanding. Didn't have any other choice at the time.

I do admire Grizzly's floor standing model, as it has more robust components, and a crankable table elevation setup.Though I'm challenged for room in my shop, I may pull the trigger next time one comes up on CL. (happens once every 2 or 3 years).
 
#21 ·
About 20 years ago I own a Craftsman floor model radial drill press. I loved it. It was similar to the current Grizzly models. It was great for drilling the holes in chair seats for the leg, back, and arm spindles. The only reason I got rid of it was a divorce. If I were to get a floor drill press now, it would be a radial drill.
Ed
 
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