Topic: Drill press

[Jeffy]

very close though, h/f is a little smaller (not by much)

Jet
16-1/2-Inch drill press; 13-3/4-Inch table tilts 45-Degree left and right
16 speeds from 200 to 3,630 rpm; 3/4-horsepower motor
Cast-iron construction with heavy-steel components
Includes drill press, drill chuck and key; bulb for work light not-included
178-Pound; 1-year limited warranty
Length:   54.50 in
Width:   23.50 in
Height:   12.80 in

H/F
Horsepower   3/4
Table is accurately gauged and tilts to 45° left or right, for angle boring
16 spindle speeds ranging from 220 to 3600 RPM
Throat depth: 6-1/2''
Swing: 13''
Spindle stroke: 3-1/8''
Table diameter: 11-3/4"
Column diameter: 2-7/8"
Height: 63-1/4
90 day warranty

Actually the Jet has a 5 Year warranty.  http://www.jettools.com/us/manufacturing/en/product.html?node=4523&product=273512

The Central Machinery is made by a third party Yung Li Hsing Electric Works Co., LTD.  JET is owned by Walter Meier and made in Taiwan and China by JET.  Porter Cable, Delta, etc, are supposedly Taiwanese as well.

Jet seems to be positioning themselves to go up against Delta who used dominate the hobbies sector.

Another thing to look at are the weights of each.  More weight typically means it's going to be more stable and have less vibrations.  The +50lbs difference is pretty significant between the CM/HF and the JET.

Even though JET isn't a household name like PC and Delta, they are a US company and have been around or 50 years.  What you're paying for is a bit more quality but a lot more Customer Service.

[aka-justin]

...
Even though JET isn't a household name like PC and Delta, they are a US company and have been around or 50 years.  What you're paying for is a bit more quality but a lot more Customer Service.

Thanks for pointing that out.  When at all possible, I buy american made.

[Jeffy]

Thanks for pointing that out.  When at all possible, I buy american made.

The first time I really payed attention to Jet was when I saw one at the Maker Faire.  You could sign up and test drive the variable speed multi-axis drill.  This one was of those places where you pay to have free reign of their tools.

[taylorcraftbc65]

 I have a LARGE Packard Precision table top press that was made in Taiwan. It is made of heavy cast iron, has a 5 inch indexable plunge, 1 1/2 HP motor, 16 speeds. It was gotten at one of these travelling tool shows SIXTEEN YEARS AGO, has been HEAVILY used, and still runs like new.
 It has a round table with six mounting slots machined into it to mount the machinist's vice, a VERY well made machine.

[mrcabinet]

Take a look at the Grizzly equipment. It is essentially the same as Jet but for a better price. I've had tons of their equipment over the years and never had any trouble with them. If you're looking for new but with old -school quality I would go with General. Their stuff is built like a brick outhouse.

The PC/Delta stuff is O.K., but it has never been as good as when it was made in the U.S., although their Brazil product wasn't bad. I killed two of the smaller 1/2 hp Delta benchtop presses. Speaking of which, 99.9% of the time you won't need a floor standing drill press.

My all time favorite style is the radial arm drill press. The head is mounted on a tube that slides in and out, so you can get to the center of a 36" panel no problem. Just make sure to use a square to line it up with the table.

[chardrc]

amazon has a 40% off sale on delta drill presses today... tempting except for what mrcabinet said...

[FourbangerYJ]

Well we went with the Porter Cable from Lowes.
I would have given the bench top ones a look but my bench is only 2ft x 4ft. I don't have much room. And if it was on the floor I'd be stooped over using it.
I gotta make room for it. I'll do that after the holidays.
Thanks for the input everyone. 

[Jeffy]

Well we went with the Porter Cable from Lowes.
I would have given the bench top ones a look but my bench is only 2ft x 4ft. I don't have much room. And if it was on the floor I'd be stooped over using it.
I gotta make room for it. I'll do that after the holidays.
Thanks for the input everyone. 

They to have tables for the bench top ones.  Although once you get the floor model positioned, it will take up less room on the floor.

[FourbangerYJ]

I moved some stuff around to make room. Took about a 1/2 hour to put together. It runs smooth and quite.