Customer Reviews

DELTA 17-950L 16.5-Inch TwinLaser Crosshair Drill Press

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I recently received the Delta 17-950L drill press and for the price after the current Amazon promotion, it's hard to beat. It is a well built machine that arrived in 1 business day via Eagle Global Logistics. I had no problems really assembling the unit on my own. The top is a little heavy, but I got it.

Positives:

- Smooth running with little vibration. It's not glass smooth, but it certainly is not rough. It runs just fine at 3000rpm
- Runout is very good, thanks to the larger 2" quill
- The table is finished nicely and is large. I installed a 68 pound Palmgren 6" cross sliding vise (take my advice and get a 4" for this size drill press) and the table assembly holds it fine. It makes it a bit more difficult to raise the table, but it's much better than I thought it would be.
- Assembly was easy and all of the parts were there.
- Laser assembly is very easy to adjust and aim.
- Allen wrenches and chuck removal tool are all included. All you need is a metric socket set or wrenches to assemble.
- Power seems to be good and I did not bog the unit down doing some wood and metal boring.
- Quill lock in the down position for using sanding drums, etc.

Negatives:
- Depth stop adjustment is on the spoked handle and doesn't exactly come across as high quality
- A little bit of vibration, but nothing out of the ordinary really.
- 3-7/8" quill stroke is a little on the shallow side, but still better than a lot of the drill presses out there.

Overall this is a nice drill press. I still have a 20-959LX on order which is Delta's new and yet to be released 20" variable speed drill press with digital readouts. This drill press is basically 1/3rd of the cost of that machine, but I don't feel it can only do 1/3rd of the jobs. I'm sure that this machine will last many years. The laser works great and is very handy. The table is nice and while this is one the lower end drill presses in Delta's lineup, it runs great, drills great, and comes across as a quality piece of equipment. I have no doubt there are nicer drill presses out there, but for the price this one deserves a look.

I looked at a lot of drill presses before buying this one, both free-standing and benchtop, and I am so glad that I bought this one. Sure it's big and heavy, but that is a good thing here... This thing will handle anything that I throw at it.

Some of the highlights for me are:
-It adjusts easily and is solid
-The work surface is huge and has lots of options for clamping material to it.
-The laser guides were easy to adjust and really work well
-The included light is a real plus

I bought the Delta 17-924 Mortising Attachment kit, even though it doesn't list this drill as being compatible, but I was told by someone that it would work with it. Well it does and doesn't work with it... The chisel holding attachment actually fits very well, not needing any of the spacers provided. However, the fence will not attach to the work surface as supplied, unless you are drilling into a 6 inch wide piece of stock. It is designed for different work surfaces that have slots in them that come closer to the center of the surface, while this drill has the large wooden insert. So, what I did was to attach the fence to another work surface and used the attaching hardware supplied to slide this new surface in and out using the T tracks. After doing this I have been able to make the mortises just great, which I think would be difficult with a smaller drill press due to the force required.

I am definitely glad that I bought this one and I would highly recommend it to others...

The drill press and laser work great, smooth and easy enough to change speeds, etc.

The shipping package was beat to heck (torn and buckled). Some minor damage to take up with the shipper, but everything works fine. I had to replace a few small parts due to damage (shipper paid for them), and found that the Delta Supply on the web has all the parts and quick service.

I got mine from Amazon, but check local Lowes prices for latest deals.

The "woodworkers" table works well. The T-slots are handy for fixturing or mounting guides. The quill stop is the dial on the right side, and works fine. The whole unit runs smooth. If only they would have incorporated the light wiring into the unit instead of adding another cord to plug in.

The laser works good and is handy for instant centering. Make sure your adjust it per the directions.

Tilting the table is awkward, but I never had to tilt one before. I always had a vise to adjust.

I began using a digital angle reader (like Wixie) to set the table. It makes angles easy to set. Also, if you use a drum sander in this drill press, the removable table insert allows you (when it is removed) to adjust the height of the sanding drum to utilize different areas (like an oscillating sander would do, but without the automatic movement). Just sand a while at the bottom of the drum, then raise the table and sand at the top of the drum. Handy feature.

A solid upgrade from my Delta 011-090 Drill Press

The table adjustment crank could be smoother, it tends to jump a little, but is a vast improvement over there not being a crank

The table leveling could be better, I used a digital angle gauge to adjust to zero tighter then the Delta procedure called for.

The manual is clearer then many recent Delta manuals (like the 31-255X)

The laser centering is nice, but certainly not a requirement, it's a little gimmicky.

I have had this machine for about a year now. I bought it after thoroughly researching models in this price range +/- 50%. This press has proven itself to be accurate and versatile. As others have pointed out, there is virtually no runout. Build quality is good, but not perfect. (For example, there was a rattle to quiet.) It has plenty of travel (just under 4") for the wide range of tasks I have given it, and ample power, even for large hole saws. The large rectangular table is a pleasure to use and was fairly easy to calibrate to level. The T-tracks are super handy. The laser is nice in some cases, but not necessary.

I immediately added a shop-built fence, a light bulb (it does not come with one), about an inch of foam weather stripping under top lid to quiet the rattle, and a couple of zip ties to better route the cords. I also mounted the whole unit on a mobile base made of 1.5" square oak and a double layer of 3/4" plywood. After these, it is just about perfect, and certainly, I believe, the best value in this price range.

It is helpful to have a helper for assembly, as the heavy head has to be lifted onto the top of the column once the column is vertical. If you want a mobile base, it is much easier to mount it while you are assembling the unit rather than later. Two layers of plywood were necessary for the base to reduce flex.

I purchased this my Delta 17-950L drill press on Amazon April 11, 2008 about 2 years ago. I just spent most of the afternoon yesterday 03/05/10 tearing into drill press because of excessive quill play. At full extension the quill will move side to side by an estimated 1/16 of an inch. There is no adjustment for this play. The quill fits into un-adjustable bored holes in the casting. No replaceable bushings or bearings, no split housing, just raw solid cast iron. A good machine shop could perhaps remill the holes for replaceable bushings but that would probably cost more then the price of a new drill press. There is however, an adjustment for the drill spindle (drive shaft). I tightened it up and that helped a little, very little, but it did help. I also re-greased the quill heavily which also helped some although I am sure that is very temporary. Luckily I am only working with wood and not building space shuttles or something else critical. As someone else noted it does vibrate and has always done so. I certainly wouldn't recommend this drill press as precision machine. That being said it is still a decent drill press for the money and for general drilling.
Note: I will be getting an end-mill this spring. I may try to do some mod to it to add a tightening function for the quill.

The assembly instructions were clear and easy to use. The drill press is excellent with plenty of power and table area. The laser is a gimick; and could use a focus adjustment to sharpen the lines. Be prepared to build a stabilizing base out of plywood if you don't anchor it to the floor. Definitely worth the money...:)

Finally a drill press that I enjoy working with. The extra large forward tilting table is wonderfull plus. Plenty of power to bore into any wood with any size bit or whole saw. The flex lamp is a added plus. I installed it on a mobil base so it tucks neatly in the corner ready for use. I wish it had a different depth gage, but thats no deal breaker. For wood working you won't go wrong with this machine.

I was sad when my old drill press was killed by a combination of a fire and having a load of lumber delivered on top of it. I had been saving up for this one for a while. It puts my old one to shame. No noticeable vibration or run out. There is nearly 4 inches of quill travel. The table has three axes of freedom. It can rotate out of the way around the column. It can tip side to side, indexed at common angles, with a scale, although you will need to use the included hex wrench. It also tips front to back on dual trunions with handles. I have only used it a few times so far, but I love it. The laser feature is nothing great. It is a separate accessory, plastic that you bolt on the column and it uses its own 9v. battery and it is a bit tricky to get it to stay aimed properly. One draw back is that it takes two outlets, one for the motor and one for the lamp. I would recommend bolting a power strip to the machine some how and adding a 9v battery adapter so you don't need to worry about the laser battery and multiple outlets.

Although the box was fairly beaten up when it arrived, there was no damage or missing parts. The screw for the spring on the table index pin had worked loose in transit and took only a moment to put back together. I had little trouble assembling it. Had my wife and daughter help putting the head on just to be safe. I put the table in place upside-down so it could sit on my lap while I was assembling the joint, then I used the rotation feature to put it in the proper orientation and finish tightening the table. I decided it would be easier than trying to align it and start the bolt from the bottom.

This is a good addition to my home workshop. I have successfully used this tool for precision drilling in wood and metal as well as milling both hardwoods (Walnut, Rosewood and Mahogany) as well as softer metals such as aircraft-grade aluminum and brass. Setup was easy with some assistance in lifting the head unit to the top of the post. The laser is not particularly useful to me as I always check measurements and levels at least in two dimensions prior to drilling or milling. The laser does provide a good rough approximation of location for the bit or cutting mill. The auxiliary light fixture failed (as all of them do on my Delta tools) within several hours of run time on the machine. This is the only common fault I have found with Delta products. A very minor concern though. Buy at Lowes when on sale. The price was considerably less than the On-line price.