woodworking tools - drill press

"Here in Quebec, we are seeing signs from workplace safety organizations, like the workplace heath and safety commission, that more safety feature requirements are coming for shop machinery. We had already been making a concerted effort to incorporate many of the new safety features and options into our equipment as they become available."

In addition, the 75-260 M1, along with other late-model General drill presses, features innovative safety features such as a large front-mounted paddle-style stop switch rather than a small button, as well as an adjustable flip-up, see-through chuck guard. Frampton says that while Canada's safety policies on machinery and equipment are not as strict as in European countries, they are catching up and are pretty stringent compared to policies in the U.S.

An adjustable spindle tension return spring helps reduce user fatigue when conducting repetitive operations as it brings the spindle back up at the end of the stroke. The heavy duty depth stop is featured on a threaded rod for better user control.

The drill press also features a fully adjustable 14" x 14" table that tilts to 45 degrees, pivots out of the way, and raises and lowers quickly and easily. The feature is essential for users with varied drilling operations such as angled holes, off-table drilling in taller pieces or varied thickness workpieces, according to Frampton.

The 1-hp motor is totally enclosed and cooled by a fan. Like most drill presses, speed changes are done by changing the belt positions on a multiple pulley system. There are 12 possible speeds from 255 to 2,750 rpm with the lower-end speeds particularly well-suited to metal drilling applications. The drill has a 3/4" chuck size.

"It allows the user to drill deeper holes through thicker stock and, for a lot of applications, it can mean less time fussing with table height or workpiece height adjustments to get the workpiece within the drill's stroke range," says Frampton.

 General International introduced a new 17" drill press with an extended stroke, tilting table and adjustable spindle tension, model 75-260 M1, at the AWFS fair in July. But the extra-long 6" stroke is the most significant feature as it provides for better drilling capacity, says marketing manager Norman Frampton. Most drill presses of this size have a 3" to 3-1/2" stroke.