What is the clearance called where the center of the drill goes through to the neck that holds the press?

Question

I need to drill a hole 9" in from the closest edge and I need to do a lot of them, so I want to purchase a drill press to help out and keep things accurate. I was wondering what the clearance is called from where the drill goes through the material to pole that holds the actual drill up off of the ground. Also, if you know where to find one that isn't too expensive, that would be great. Thank you.

Answer 1

depends what you are drilling the holes for. you can make a jig out of apiece of wood with a set of holes pre-drilled then clamp this to your material at the distance you want then you can use a hand held drill motor drilling through the jig.

Answer 2

That distance is called "The Swing".

So, you would need 9" clearance? That means you'll need a 18" drill press (I believe that 20" is the closest available size, for around $750.00). Which is on the large size.

Consider the Delta Radial Drill Press if the price is within  your budget:  http://www.absolutehome.com/web/catalog/... (This is a $256.00 copy of the Delta. It looks like Delta has discontinued their version of this machine after so many years. Delta was bought by Black and Decker, which means that they'll ruin the Delta line like they so with so many others. You can also find them used. This Drill Press has the drill head mounted on a radial arm and can drill to the center of a 34" circle, which is a lot of clearance! Not as sturdy and precise as other drill presses but may be exactly what you need?)