Cheap drill presses and band saws?

[Proprietary]

I need a band saw and a drill press for the upcoming project, but my budget is really limited. What can I expect with a cheap drill press like this, or a cheap band saw like this? Are there any caveats to buying cheap power tools? Are these cheap drill presses/band saws good enough if I am aiming to build my own custom case?

[Votivee]

First, I'd check your local Craigslist (If you're in the US) and the Facebook market place if you are on there. A lot of times you can find people who don't know what they are selling or you can trade.

If you can't find anything there then I'd check Harbor Freight if you have one in your area. 

If neither of those options work for you then stick with ebay.

 

The drill press looks like it would be OK. You might have an issue with the fence on the band saw staying in place but you could fabricate your own with a couple clamps and a piece of wood. It sounds like longevity isn't a factor, so they both should work for your project.

 

[W-L]

1 hour ago, Proprietary said:

I need a band saw and a drill press for the upcoming project, but my budget is really limited. What can I expect with a cheap drill press like this, or a cheap band saw like this? Are there any caveats to buying cheap power tools? Are these cheap drill presses/band saws good enough if I am aiming to build my own custom case?

Depends on what you are planning to do with them, for most people they will do the job you need. Main thing for a drill press is variable speed for different materials that one has a manual belt change which is decent, band saw wise most home gamer saws I have to say are pretty crap but will do what is advertised. Unless you are looking for industrial stuff I personally don't like small table top bandsaws as they really lack power and precision. 

 

I would recommend to use a table saw if you are cutting something like acrylic, it's far easier and cleaner than a bandsaw. 

 

[Blue4130]

1 hour ago, Proprietary said:

I need a band saw and a drill press for the upcoming project, but my budget is really limited. What can I expect with a cheap drill press like this, or a cheap band saw like this? Are there any caveats to buying cheap power tools? Are these cheap drill presses/band saws good enough if I am aiming to build my own custom case?

If its a one-off project, look into rentals from somewhere like home depot. Your get much higher quality tools. 

[dizmo]

You building the case out of wood? Cuz the bandsaw won't really cut metal without some modifications.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

5 hours ago, dizmo said:

You building the case out of wood? Cuz the bandsaw won't really cut metal without some modifications.

While running somewhat too fast for cutting metal, you can cut metal with a cheap bandsaw but not with the blade it came with nor the ones you buy at hardware stores and home centers. Those blades are thin and soft and will dull quickly and drift. I use bimetal blades from Magnate, Inc. While a bit costly upfront, they are actually less expensive to use in the long run becasue they last so much longer and they will be far less prone to blade drift.

 

These blades can handle aluminum without a problem. I use a 14-18TPI variable pitch blade for sheet and bar stock up to 1/4". For thicker stock (1/4" up), I use a 4TPI blade (all of these blades also work well on wood.

 

Sheet steel usually isn't a problem on these blades but thicker stock could be a problem.

 

The biggest problem with cutting any metal is blade heating (which will dull the blade) and blade drift. Blade drift can be minimized by properly adjusting the tracking and the guides (a big problem with cheap bandsaws is they have crappy guides), keeping the upper guides close to the close to the work, and not forcing the feed. When cutting thicker stock and/or making really long cuts, it's a good idea to back the blade away from the point being cut by about 1/8" for around 15-30 seconds to let the blade cool a bit. Keep in mind that these bandsaws were designed for wood, not metal, so they run faster than what is ideal for cutting metals.

 

I have a 20 year old el cheapo Ryobi bandsaw I bought for a one off wood working project and didin't care how long it lasted as long as it lasted me through the project. I'm still using it for wood and metal. My chief complaints are a crapy fence that takes forever to square up, then needs clamping down with C-clamps to keep the adjustment from shifting, the 9" throat, the 3 1/2" cut depth (it's pretty much useless for resawing), a tiny table with a non-standard miter gauge slot (meaning I'm stuck with the POS miter gauge that came with the saw) and the undersized guide blocks. Still, I can get good results from it but it takes a lot longer to use and I frequently have to use somewhat kludgy techniques to compensate for its limitations. I still use it because I don't have a place to permanently set it up so I have to move it in and out of storage a lot and it's light enough I can handle it without blowing my back back out.

 

El cheapo drill presses tend to be underpowered (they can stall on bigger bits and hole saws), have limited swing (the distance between the chuck center and the column), limited quill travel (the distance you can raise and lower the chuck), lousy chucks (limited capacity and tend to have more runout than good chucks), no quill locks, lousy depth stops, a mall table, and limited capacity between the chuck and the table. The belt pullys are often plastic.

 

Still, as long as you don't ask too much of the machine, you can get good results but getting them will be fiddly. I have an 8" Rikon I use because it's (barely) light enough I can move it around without blowing out my back (keep in mind that I'm a handicapped flatulent geriatric). I added a sewing machine work light to it so my old eyes can see the work better (I wired it into the hot side of the drill press' power switch). The motor is listed a being 1/3 HP but that hoese must have been on its death bed--my 18v battery powered drills have far more pony power-- so I set the belt to the lowest speed and just left it there (even that can be a bit too fast for some metal drilling operations). The chuck has noticeable run out but will drill reasonable true (it's actally not bad for such a cheap POS; I got lucky there). I also made an auxiliary table for it (an oak plank that gets screwed onto the table from underneath) to make working with larger pieces easier.

 

You can make those cheap machines do good work on small jobs with care and a lot of extra time spent on setup. Good blades are essential on the bandsaw. Just don't expect too much from them and you'll be alright.

[Scheer]

The drill press looks identical to a 10-15 year old Ryobi I have, its actually not bad at all other than some wobble in the quill which is normal for cheap drill presses. It was in a pile of junk tools my uncle had because the collar that holds the rack for the table to move up and down was broken, so I spent $50 or so on some misc parts and a chuck to get it working as a temporary drill press and never have bothered to replace it since its working so well. Southbend makes a chuck intended for a lathe that is $25 (plus the cost of an adapter), easily the best upgrade to the drill press.

 

Bandsaws are another story IMO... I spent $100 on my first and $300 on my second bandsaw, haven't been happy with either of them. Should have just bought a nice 14" to begin with. Honestly, for what you are doing I would go with a jigsaw, you can always mount it upside down and use it as a makeshift bandsaw. Plus you can drill a starter hole for cutting out circles for the fans, with a bandsaw you have to cut thru and re-glue to get inside circles. Jigsaw's typically aren't the best tool for any cutting task, but its the only cutting tool I can think of that can do every task, albeit with some finesse and hand finishing. While you won't need the best jigsaw out there, try to find a middle of the road $50-$75 one, the really cheap ones are annoying to use as the blades will pop out all the time. I've had the best luck with Makita's blade lock, with Bosch and newer Milwaukee close seconds.