Customer Reviews

Delta 18-900L 18-Inch Laser Drill Press

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is my first drill press that I've added to my well equipped wood shop. It was easy to set up. I was able to carry the base, shaft and table by myself. A buddy helped me carry the head to my basement shop. I had it running within minutes. It does not come with a fence. So I ordered the Delta 18-901 24-in Biesemeyer Drill Press Fence The laser was spot on. It also comes with a light that mounts on the left side. When the light is on the laser is very difficult to see. Not a big deal but worth noting.

I really like the 6" quill travel. It runs super smooth. Changing speeds is fast. Pop the lid open, push the handle which losens the tension on the belt, and move the belt then move the handle back. There is a chart glued to the bottom of the lid. Pick the type and size of bit along with the material and you have your needed speed. There is a spot on the right side of the head to put the key chuck. Which helps guys like me who are bad about misplacing tools. I am really impressed by the spindle nuts. They have a side button which allows them to quickly move without turning. Not new to those more knowledgeable about DP's but a nice for me. Machine operates quietly and looks great in my shop with the mobile base HTC HTC2000 Universal Mobile Base Delta supplied all the necessary hex wrenches necessary for assembly.

So far the only problem I've had was the left over locknut after finishing the build. It is around 1/4". ??? Great machine that is probably more than I need. Just don't tell my wife!!

I looked at large drill presses for over a year before deciding on this model. I was looking at the other Delta drill press that never went into production. I compared this machine to the Powermatic model for about a month every time I went to my local Woodcraft store. I like things about both machines. I decided to go with the Delta model because it tilts forward, has very little vibration if any, 6 inch quill stroke, and super easy clamping ability. I like the keyed chuck on this model it ensures a good grip on the bit. I waited awhile before writing this review so I could do justice to the review. I prefer this model even though it isn't instant variable speed, however, it takes only one minute to change the belt speed and there is no run out on the bit. Read all the descriptions on both machines. I honestly love this machine and am very proud to own it and recommend it to my fellow woodworkers out there.

First I would like to say I was very impressed and Pleased with the free shipping... Delivered into my garage did not need unloaded it..



I purchased this to replace my 12" bench top Ryobi drill press... It serverd me well for the time I had and it was time to move up to a much larger drill press...

The fir and finsih of this drill is very nice and the assembly instructions were pretty easy to follow.... It took me about 30 minutes to assembly - attaching the drill head to the post requires two people... once I had it together I test spindle run out it was .001, played with the belt changing have to say it was pretty easy and not much fuss to it....
The 6" quill stroke is nice and I drilled a few holes up to 1 3/8th with out any issues in QSWO....

The work lamp is a great touch and the lasers required a little adjusting. Over all I am very happy with my purchase.....

I had to decide between the Delta 18-900L and the PM 2800... I was fortunate enogh that the Local Rockler had both Drill Presses so I could compare one another.. I felt the Delta was a higher quality tool along woth this and the mixed reviews that the PM2800 was getting made me decide the Delta was the best way to go....

Over all I am very happy with my purchase.....

Purchased to replace a 30 year old Craftsman drill press that I had upgraded to a 1 hp Baldor motor. My only complaint was the belt drive Craftsman used was 1/4 inch, way to small for a 1 hp motor. This resulted in occasional stalling out when using larger drill bits, in particual a 3" forrester bit.
Therefore I have always had my eye open to replacing the Craftsman drill press. Well, with the introduction of the new Powermatic and Delta drill presses I have been looking a little harder. When attending a local woodworking show they had a special on the Delta 18-900L for $708 + tax, and I made the purchase.
Overall I am very satisfied and agree with the other 5 star ratings of this tool. Easy to assembly, runs smooth, lasers are very nice to use but hard to see with the drill press light on. However, I fine these lasers very very very useful. They do need slight adjusting if moving the table around, however they are very easy to adjust and provide a high degree of accuracy when positioning a drill bit over the stock to be drilled. Changing the drill press speed is easy and can be done within one minute as another reviewer noted. I like the tilting table (left, right and foward) and the 5/8" chuck.
Complants:
I wish they had used a 1 hp motor instead of a 3/4 hp.
I wish they had used a slightly larger belt drive, however, this was an improvement over my other drill press.
The one thing to watch out for is the chuck. The runout on the chuck that came with the drill press was 0.022"; totally unacceptable. I checked the runout on the drill press spindle (without the chuck mounted) and it was 0.001"; excellent. I notified the local seller that was at the woodworking show and they gave me a replacement chuck. When I checked the runout on this chuck it was 0.0045"; a whole lot better and very acceptable for drilling holes in wood, but I was hoping for a little better. I ended up purchasing a Jacobs chuck and ended up with a runout of 0.0015".
Well I ended up a satisfied customer with a very accurate drill press having some very nice features. I think the drill press is well made and lives up to my expectations, however you may want to check runout. At 0.022 you can see the tip of a 6 inch twist drill bit wavering. My experience with Amazon has been very good. I have always found they stand behind their products if you experience a problem.

Everything went smoothly after the plywood base was made and attached. The instructions called for longer carriage bolts than would be appropriate - suggest you measure as I did to select the right hardware (not supplied). I managed the assembly without a second person by joining the head to the assembly in horizontal position, the head on a rolling dolly. The assembled unit was raised to vertical with the use of a block-and-tackle. Laser adjustment was easy; spindle runout measured 0.002". Replaces an old Sears Craftsman King-Seeley from around 1950 - nice to have a crank to raise the table finally. Only a Jacobs chuck is supplied - would have been nice to get a collet chuck and a threaded arbor.
Addendum 8/11/11: the above runout refers to total runout; i.e. +/- 0.001". I bought a MT2/JT33 arbor and installed it with an old Craftsman collet; runout with this setup (measured on the outside surface of the collet)was no greater than +/- 0.0001", indicating that the main workings of the spindle and bearings are essentially perfect!

I received this as a Christmas present early. Set up was less than 30 minutes. Kind of neat, I used the laser to locate the drilling head right over the center of the base, no need for a plumbob. I am very pleased with this Delta product. I thought about buying a used drill press but decided on a new one. I came close to pulling the trigger on the Powermatic but I read in one of the reviews that the RPM range of the Delta, 170 - 3,000 would allow me to drill metal at a lower RPM. I read one review of a complaint about the chuck, and upgraded the 900L to a Jacobs Superchuck, I think the standard chuck is fine and seems to be made to a pretty good tolerance but the Superchuck, being ball bearing, can be spun to different size drills quite easily. The spring loaded push button quick set depth stops are pretty sweet too. The one stop can be adjusted to lock the quill in a down position and then by turning the stop, it allows for a fine adjustment if needed. Love the twin lasers and the built in light and of course the quick change belt adjustment and the 6" stroke.

One more thing, I picked this up at the terminal so I could have it to play with over the weekend but when I read the delivery paperwork, it was to be delivered inside, so that is a Plus One for Amazon's free shipping. Other big equipment from other companies that I have ordered from have always wanted to charge me extra for a power tail gate drop off, if I did not pick it up at the terminal, or I had to provide muscle power to get it down off the trailer.

The press got here before they estimated. It was packaged well for it's size and wieght. Nothing was damaged during transit. The assembly was straight forward, I was able to do it by myself in a short amount of time. Overall the machine is very nice. It is relatively quiet. The speed changes are probably my favorite feature. Simply move the lever arm up over a catch and move the belts where you want them. There's a speed table under the lid that helps in choosing your speed and a whole bunch of different possible speeds to choose from. I found for drilling aluminum there published speeds are too fast, but for someone who's totally unsure, it's definately helpful.

What I didn't like: The drill chuck, as another reviewer pointed out, is not true. Mine had a wobble of .005". That sounds small, but when you drill into 1/8" aluminum with a large drill bit, it shakes the table no matter how tight you clamp your work. I ended up with a slightly smaller hole w/ 3 lobes. I called amazon and they said they would send a new chuck, but it's been a month, and I haven't seen it. I guess I'll have to sit on hold again to try to speak to a live person, bummer. I'm skeptical that the new chuck will be any better, as another reviewer said they ended up spending the money for a Jacobs chuck. The key with my chuck also was not a snug fit, which is annoying when trying to get the bit tight.

The table is not as sturdy as I would like.(I only noticed this because my chuck has a wobble) I wish you could adjust the laser to sharper lines. The laser lines are like 1/16" thick. So where they cross each other is a blob of red that is not as sharp as I wish it were, but it's better than not having it at all. I hope my review doesn't sound too picky, but I'm a tool nut, so there you have it. Overall I would recommend it to friends, just plan on spending a few more dollars to get a decent chuck.

Every shop needs a drill press. I good enough or okay drill press is your thing move on. If the best is for you and your shop you need the Delta 18-900L! I've never worked with a drill press that was faster or easier to change speeds! There are some good video on setup it takes two people to lift the head in place. My lasers needed a little adjustment. Otherwise the setup was easy with good directions for Delta. Now here's the best part of my drill press! It was almost free! How? Why? Because it was a birthday present form my wife and some of the kids!!! Now that's a Happy Birthday!! A day in the shop setup up your drill press I was in heaven!

Happy Day!
Randall

Just got my new drill press and it more than surpasses my expectations. It did take two to set it up due to the weight but other than that the set up was very straight forward and only took about 45 minutes before I was in business. The laser really helps with getting the drill exactly where I what it and speeds the whole process. No more trying to line things up by eyesight. Just put the crosshairs of the laser where I want it and drill away. Wish I'd purchased this drill press a long time ago. I had a much cheaper one that just never did drill a straight hole, no matter how much I tried to level it. The old saying about you get what yoy pay for is very true with this drill press.

This drill press replaced a 20 year old el-cheapo chinese drill press that I inherited from my father. the delta drill press is an absolute horse compared to my old one. I havent been able to stall it out yet. The table is huge, rock solid and easily adjustable. the LED light and laser cross hairs are handy little features as well.

Overall - I love this saw and look forward to the day I can pass this off to my son.