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Dropped $280 on a magnetic drill press and it saved my butt on a 40 hole job
I do a lot of decorative gate work out of my shop in Bakersfield and drilling holes by hand with a corded drill was killing my wrists and my time. Last spring I finally caved and bought a used magnetic drill press for $280 off a guy who was retiring from the trade. I figured it was overkill but let me tell you, I punched 40 half inch holes through 3/8 plate in under an hour last week without a single smoked bit or busted knuckle. That one job paid for the tool and then some. Anyone else here think mag drills are worth the money or did I just get lucky with a cheap used one?
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benc5313d ago
The part about it being "overkill" is what I'd push back on a little. I mean yeah for one gate job a mag drill looks like a lot of tool, but once you factor in how fast it eats through plate and how it clamps itself down so you're not fighting the torque with your wrists, it stops being overkill real quick. The guys I know who do a lot of steel work all end up with one eventually, and it's usually the hand drilling that drives them there. $280 used is a solid deal too, those things hold up pretty well since there's not much to wear out besides the motor and the arbor. Maybe you got a little lucky on the price but the tool itself earning its keep on one job is just how it goes with mag drills.
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