Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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152 of 156 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not for the person who is really going to use it!!!!!, October 1, 2000
This is the second Jet drill press I have owned. The first had the same problem as the second and Jet replaced it free of charge, even though out of warranty. I have owned this drill press for just over two years now and it is used but not abused. The problem is that after using the depth stop, as is the case with a good majority of holes the spindle kicks over to the side of the drill press that the stop is mounted on. This has a tendency of causing drill walk as well as an out of round condition of the hole itself. After grabbing and shaking the quill a great amount of play is noticable from just hand force. This would indicate worn bearings. The fact that the first drill press had the same defect as this one tells me that Jet knows it has a problem but evidentally isn't that concerned about fixing it. I have owned and still do own other Jet tools but this drill press is the worst. Vibration and noise are other built in features you might encounter. I will replace it soon and doubt that the new one will have the Jet logo on it. Take a second look it might be worth your while.
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36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rounded up to 5 stars, June 5, 2003
Since there is no 4.75 star choice available, I'll round the Jet 17MF up to 5 stars. While it has some issues, overall I like it a lot! I got tired of patching up my old Dunlap drill press, so I figured I would treat myself to a newer & larger unit. I did a lot of research, focusing on the Delta, Shop Fox, Grizzly, & Powermatic floor units in the 17" range. I was able to download the manual for all of them, and judging by the exploded diagrams and parts list, they all seem to be clones, with slight differences (i.e. type of depth stop, pulley cover, style of on/off switch, etc.).
My usage will be 80% metal fabrication, & 20% wood.
The drill press was delivered in one package, about 5 feet long, 2.5 feet wide, 16" high & 210+ pounds. Large, but not unmanageable for most people. There is a top and bottom block of Styrofoam, each molded to house the parts securely. All parts were complete & undamaged. Assembly took less than half an hour. As mentioned in other reviews, the head piece is quite heavy, so get help sliding it onto the column. Once assembled, the drill press is very stable on the floor. I cleaned the chuck, arbor, and spindle with alcohol, and there was no problem with the chuck falling out as others described.
Evidently, Jet has listened to the complaints of others, because it now includes a plastic holder for the chuck key which is mounted near the spindle return spring, and works well. The light is an excellent feature, and is operated via a separate switch that glows when in the on position. The separate switch lets you illuminate your work during setup without the chuck spinning. I used a ceiling fan bulb since they have a stronger filament and is less sensitive to vibration. I saw no problem with the socket as others described.
Now the issues. While runout on the spindle was less than .0005" ( barely measurable on my dial indicator with .001" resolution), runout on the shaft of a drill bit (tried several) was about .003". I'll be getting in touch with Jet to get a replacement chuck/arbor, but I don't consider .003" terrible. I didn't try it with my Albrecht chuck & arbor yet.
I do seem to get a small amount of vibration at some speeds. The motor and idler pulleys look like they are standing still when running, but it looks like the spindle pulley may be running untrue. My third complaint is that the table lifting rack has no support in the middle, and tends to bow out a bit there. Not a big deal, but should have been thought out better. Despite this the table goes up and down just fine.
More good: The table itself is machined flat & level...nice job. The spindle is plumb to the table. The motor is quiet and powerful, overall fit & finish is very good, and the tool seems very beefy. I like the threaded rod style depth stop which is easy to read & whose graduations are right on the money. In my opinion, the external type is more consistent than the type mounted of the feed shaft. I also like the separate, large on/off buttons.
I've used several drill presses over the years, most of which were fairly expensive machine shop grade units, so I may be picking nits with some of my "issues". From what I hear, Jets customer service is top notch, and they give a 2 year warranty on the 17MF. I would have no problem recommending this tool to anyone, and feel that it's a good value for the money.
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41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good but not GREAT, May 16, 2002
After finally deciding to make the agonizing choice to abandon Delta as my brand of choice because of declining quality, I purchased this drill press along with 2 other Jet tools. here are my opinions of this tool. On the plus side: 1. the castings seem to be high quality and substantial. 2. I found the packaging to be excellent. 3. Assembly went without a hitch. 4. It's nice to have a built-in light. 5. 16 speeds: more than I'll probably ever use. On the minus side 1. My unit does have excessive vibration at certain speeds. 2. The table height locking handle is too small to get enough torque to lock the table easily. 3. The belt cover does make a certain amount of noise at certain speeds. While it is annoying, these problems are easily fixed. I replaced the stock belts with some PowerTwist v-belts and it virtually eliminated all vibration and noise. I think we should all petition manufacturers to inclued PowerTwists on all belt driven tools. Some weather stripping around the belt cover takes care of that noise. I plan to make a new height lock. (easy if you have access to a machine shop). Overall this is a good drill press for woodworking.
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