DELTA 17-965 3/4 Horsepower 16-1/2-Inch Floor Drill Press

by Delta

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

If your projects require you to drill with big bits or if you find yourself attempting to drill with precision under questionable circumstances, this heavy-duty 16-1/2-inch drill press from Delta will help you get out of your, um, hole. Running off a 3/4-horsepower motor that can be wired for either 115 or 230 volts, it gives you an impressive deep plunge length of 4-7/8 inches and holds up to 5/8-inch-diameter bits. Solid cast-iron construction and a 3-1/8-inch column give it the industrial feel and durability we look for in this type of tool. You'll enjoy the rotating work base--which bevels, of course, 45 degrees each way for drilling angles--as well as the depth stop that can be set quickly and easily with microadjustments and a locking mechanism, great for repetitive drilling. While other models sometimes place hard-to-read speed and belt charts under the top cap, Delta uses a wide, clearly legible chart to explain how to configure the belts for each of 16 speeds (215 to 2,720 rpm). And, thanks to the smooth, cool-running induction motor inside, you're not likely to find yourself shopping for a drill press again for an extremely long time. --Justin Paul

From the Manufacturer

DELTA 17-965 3/4 Horsepower 16-1/2-Inch Floor Drill Press

See all Product Description

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 56 x 25 x 11 inches ; 195 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 195 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00002266L
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: 17-965
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #181,348 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

92 of 96 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Machine, November 29, 1999

By 

Karl J. Schaulin (Loveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: DELTA 17-965 3/4 Horsepower 16-1/2-Inch Floor Drill Press (Tools & Home Improvement)

Purchasing a drill press was one of the later purchases for my shop. I have used this drill press to do all kinds of things - bore holes in pen blanks, drill mortises, circle saws, hole saws and have found it to work extremely well -- settings for depth of gauge works well, fairly easy to change bit speeds, doesn't wobble -- one of the best shop investments I have made!

59 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I thought "pay the extra for Delta quality". Not so good!, January 22, 2002

By 

LithKnight "LithKnight" (Redding, CT USA) - See all my reviews

When looking at drill presses there are machines that cost the same or less than this one and have comparable specs. (JET) However, this machine had a longer stroke and the Delta name so I decided to splurge for the "Delta name and quality".

I unpacked the drill (it seemed well packed) and assembled it. The directions were ok, not great, but good enough. Cleaning the gallons of packing greasse off of the machine took some time. I plugged it in and POW, it blows the circuit breaker, and I could swear I saw a flash. Now this is the same outlet I have run my table saw from, so what gives? I decided try to try it on a dedicated 20 amp line. I try it again...It started to turn ok, but I saw a couple of blue flashes (at that time I wasn't sure it was normal or not). At least it was running.

On to the "genuine delta" mortissing attachment. (extra on the Delta, included on the Jet) As someone else pointed out, you have to sacrifice over an inch of travel to install the Delta Mortissing attachment by moving the quillion clamp. So much for easy mortising and the longer stroke length. However, once it is set up, installing and removing the mortiser is not too bad.

Somehow I expected it to run smoother, but I proceed to drill a few holes in some scrap wood anyway. It seems to work ok, but the motor sounds funny. Then I notice the stream of SMOKE coming out of the top of the motor. I stop the motor and OUCH, too hot to touch. I guess those blue flashes were not normal. This was after only 5 minutes of running mostly un-loaded. I check the drive belts, nope, not too tight. Just a bad motor.

Even if this machine worked flawlessly out of the box I would only have given it a 4 out of 5 rating. The mortising attachment installation is sort of a cheat and deprives you of stroke length. The belt cover rattles as the machine runs. The table is hard to get very secure to the column. Even after really tightening the clamp the table will move if you bump it.

If I had it to do over I would probably go for the Jet. Unfortunately I fell for the mystique of the Delta name. The jet has a metal pulley cover, where the Delta's is plastic and it rattles. Jet has a built in light socket but I had to buy a magnetic lamp to add to the Delta. The Jet has a TEFC (Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled) motor, where the Delta does not. This is particulary relevant given my bad motor experience. The Jet comes with the mortising attachment, the Delta costs extra. Both are made in Taiwan anyway. I guess the "Delta days" are past.

So now I get to find a way to ship this VERY heavy motor to a repair depot somewhere. Not exactly the Delta quality experience I was hoping for. I would go for the Jet next time for sure.

New info 2-13-2002
Delta refused to let me return just the motor. They insist that I ship the 100 lb + head back to them so they can check the serial number. Nice. I decided to drive it to a local repair depot since shipping the head (for a DOA motor) would cost as much as replacing the motor myself!

The saga continues. Apparently all of the shops anywhere near my house or my job have stopped taking on Delta warrantee work. Each one I called had the same story. They tell me that Delta is very hard to deal with and very cheap. (the actual words they used were less polite) Delta doesn't pay market rates for repairs so they stopped taking Delta work. I had to drive my drill press nearly an hours away to get the warantee honored. This has been a dreadfull experience. For your own sake please consider another brand.

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Machine At The Right Price, June 27, 2004

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: DELTA 17-965 3/4 Horsepower 16-1/2-Inch Floor Drill Press (Tools & Home Improvement)

One doesn't wax poetic about drill presses. They perform some functions that are vital to a workshop, but their primary function - to bore straight and true holes into a variety of materials is hardly glamorous. And not one has ever thought to make a drill press look like anything other than it is. And yet, without one, craftsfolk would be limited in what they can do.

The Delta 17-965 is intended to be an economic entry into the range of heavy duty presses. As such it is primarily for woodworking and light metal work. It lacks the architecture and high precision for exacting machining. But it comes very, very close and at a price that makes it a reasonable entry in an economical shop. It also is sold as the Delta ShopMaster DP400.

Basic features are a 3/4 horsepower engine, a 5/8" capacity chuch, rack and pinion table movements and an external depth stop. It is capable of 16 spindle speeds (215 to 2720 RPM), changes manual via the pulley belts. The table can be tilted 45 degrees left or right. The quill can travel 4-7/8", but if you are using the mortising attachment you will need to shift the depth stop up out of the way, which will cost you about an inch.

An early warning for people used to manhandling a benchtop press. Most of the 195 pounds of this press's weight is in the head - particularly the motor. Delta designed the head so that there is no easy way to get a grip on it. Assembly should really be a two person job. I'm not a weight lifter, and getting the head down into my workroom was a near disaster. And then I had to winch up the head so that I could lower it on the stand.

It works beautifully. I've been cutting long pegs out of Honduran rosewood for a project, which takes a lot of torque and precision. It has worked smoothly throughout. The mortising attachment also works beautifully. For the price this is a tremendous amount of drill press. You could spend more and be less satisfied.