Axminster ATDP16B Bench Mounted Pillar Drill
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- Опубліковано 15 вер 2024
- I have recently bought this Axminster trade rated pillar drill and thought that I should share my thoughts about it with you. I had taken my time making up my mind to buy this machine and am delighted to report that I have no doubt that my new machine will last beyond the end of my woodworking days.
Another fine video Peter. Thanks to you I now have three tools on mobile carts.
Hi Penny, Just a few more to go then ! Cheers. Peter
I have a pillar drill made by Rexon. The only drawback is there is no rack and pinion table height adjuster, but it has worked fine for decades. However a couple of years ago I bought a milling machine at Warco for about £1000. I have to say for woodworking the milling machine is more accurate and versatile, quieter, digital readout. Money for money I would buy a milling machine. With an end mill it does mortices accurately.
That is great advice for prospective buyers. Cheers. Peter
Hi Peter, Well to cut a long and unlucky story short, and after the usual great Axminster customer service. I now have the Jet JDP-15B drill, very pleased with the drill albeit at almost twice the price of the Trade drill.
Anyway, thanks for the great videos, I always look forward to them.
Kind regards
Steve
Hi Steve, I am glad that everything has worked out. Peter
Hi Steve, just reading your comment, I am in the very same situation maybe as you where and so mat I ask your advice? I am about to place an order for the Axminster trade pillar drill, I think it's around £577 and the other drill on my short list was indeed the Jet at £977, quite a difference in price, can I ask your advice on your experience with the Jet and do you have knowledge of the Axminster pillar drill, your advice would be appreciated before my purchase, thankyou regards Louie
Nice video Peter. Thank you for keeping the British end up!
Hi Adam, Many thanks - I am also helping the export side of things with some really good figures for the Parf Guide System going abroad. Cheers. Peter
I'm going to get a pillar drill with a year or two. This video gave me a good overview of the mechanics, terminology, and important elements to look for when buying. Thanks
Hi Wade, You are welcome. Peter
I should add that the Axminster ATDP16B looks like it has everything that I would need in a pillar drill and a having a very competitive price put it at the top of my list.
Just about to take the jump and buy a new pillar drill so thanks for the well put together review.
Well done. Peter
I went ahead and ordered a ATDP16B from Axminster on Ebay and as 'estimated' arrived 2 days later. I assembled it today and rather than make a trolley base, I've mounted it on my work bench opposite the vice, Its a big bench but the drill still looks quite imposing and I think it'll take a while to get used to the operating height of the drill table from the floor compared with a small hobby drill. I finished up drilling some test half inch holes in steel angle, their's oodles of torque, no chuck key to bother with the drill holding firm in the chuck, cutting through effortlessly.
A few comments:
I had reservations about the depth stop, but actually if you spin the nuts down with your left hand as you turn the drill handle with your right, its not a problem. Also theirs just enough space to get a spanner in to tighten up
Take care, don't give yourself a hernia, its a heavy bugger, I have a workshop crane and used that to raise it
When I tried to switch on for the first time, nothing, I was just about to get out the multimeter when I realised the big red panic button was pressed in - turn clockwise to release!
Hi Robert, My days of lifting heavy stuff are well and truly over (thank goodness). It is a good bit of kit and very solidly built. Cheers. Peter
Clear, concise and to the point. Thanks for the info Peter. I am still umming and arring over changing my ancient pillar drill. It has got a bit sloppy over the years. Bit like me! Regards Barry (PS thanks for the plans)
Hi Barry, It happens to all of us as time goes by - that is why it is so important to try and avoid delaying anything that you want - it gives you more time to enjoy it. So, get that new motor bike, Moxon vice or build your new bird feeders and do it now. Peter
Great Video, very informative as ever. I bought a similar drill and even with the Axminster instructions, your video makes digesting them so much easier.
I am so pleased that you are happy. Peter
Thanks, excellent video. I've only found a small number of buyer reviews for this Axminster pillar drill, so this is a really useful addition. The only criticism I note that one reviewer makes, refers to the depth stop lock nuts being accessible for finger tightening only and impossible to reach with spanners - fortunately not a show stopper for me.
Hi Robert, It is a great pillar drill but I must admit that the depth stop arrangement is poor. I use a different method of just noting where the handle on the plunge wheel is for the desired depth. Cheers. Peter
Thanks for the overview of the pillar drill, I'd say the switch is closed when the guard is in place and open when the guard is swung out of the way to stop the flow of current. Thanks again, Kris
Hi Kris, I am sure that you are right unless it has some odd connection to the NVR side of things. Peter
New Brit Workshop I think at its simplest the no volts side still requires it to be closed circuit to keep the coil energised on the relay. When you open the lid, move the cover or press the stop button you'd lose current to the coil then drop the 240v to your motor. Or at least that's how I'd wire it. Nevermind 😅
Hi Kris, You really are right on this - there is just something in the back of my mind about the way some NVR switches work - ignorance on my part I am sure. Many thanks. Peter
Great video Peter, liking the mobile base too, very smart.
Hi Jimmy, Many thanks. It is a great drill and I really enjoyed making the mobile base. Peter
Hi Peter, I've just received my ATDP16B,...first impressions is it's an excellent machine. I was particularly impressed with the clarity of the manual. Very happy overall, though I've noticed the guard housing makes it difficult to adjust the depth stop nuts - what do you think? Any tips?
Nice video as usual Peter, and as I hold your opinions in high regard, and was looking for a new pillar drill, I bought this model today.
Yes, you’re right, it’s heavy!
Anyway, I had two others drills in mind that are very similar but, after driving past Axminster tools twice today, I succumbed.
Can’t wait to get it built and running now.
Many thanks for the video and information.
Kind regards
Steve.
Hi Steve, Many thanks for the kind words and good luck assembling the pillar drill. Be careful as it is very heavy - get a friend to help to be on the safe side. Cheers. Peter
Looks like a very nice drill press,regards from Australia
Cheers. Peter
Thanks Peter, nice video buddy
Cheers Ken. Peter
"I no longer do woodwork". May that be a very long time. Regards.
Hi Ron, You and me both - many thanks. Peter
I have the older version (ED16B2) of your drill with the same specifications. It's a great drill and I've been using it for about 15 years, yet it feels like it will last another 50...
I absolutely love this new drill. I feel that it is now "run in". I do not say that in the sense that it needs a run in period but more to indicate that I am now convinced that it surpasses my original expectations. A great bit of kit. Peter
Hi Peter in australia jet has gone of the market a bit I think.Hey have you seen the laguna spindall sanders big machine is about ,2000 dollars and the smaller one is 895 dollars,they are nice,I was thinking of buying one.
Hi Shane, I am not sure what is happening to Jet - they seem to have lost their edge on the marketing of their tools. It is a pity as they are now losing reputation as well as nobody seems to be buying their kit. I have not seen any Laguna tools but they have a good reputation. Cheers. Peter
I am considering buying one of these. I have read that the guard spindle gets in the way of adjusting the depth stop. Not mentioned in this video at all. Having watched your video I would have to agree. I would be interested in knowing peoples views/feedback who have this exact machine.
Hi Bob, As I wear safety glasses all the time I do not have my guard fitted. However, you are right that it is on the same side as the adjustable depth stop and adjustment might be affected as you describe. Far more significant is that the depth stop adjustment is simply a pair of nuts which one moves and tightens against each other - not the easiest of things to do. I use the scale on the depth stop and stop lowering the drill when the pointer is where I want to finish. This is very quick and easy to do - just lower the drill to the desired point and read off the pointer position on the scale. Then drill away stopping when the pointer is there again. Peter
Thanks for your reply. I understand what you are saying however a def. stop is much easier to control when repeat drilling into wood which is what I will be doing. Reading off a pointer is sort of ok until a drill bit pulls deep into the wood. I see Warco do an exact equivalent for approx £70 cheaper although it comes with a keyed chuck. Any other issues with this drill? bob.
Hi Bob, I have been 100% happy with mine and do a lot of quite precise (for woodwork) drilling. I am happy to eyeball the depth stop but appreciate that you might be looking for a more accurate system. This is not a joke, but a friend of mine who has a massive woodworking enterprise always says that you can gauge the quality by looking at the weight - my drill is very heavy ! Cheers. Peter
You could resharpen your forstner bits rather than replace them. If yours are old they are probably made from superior grade steel, which is difficult to afford today, so try a resharpening before you buy new.
Good advice - many thanks. Peter
Hi Peter today I replaced my old 39 yr pillar drill with the Axminister AT325PD. It has a few bad designes on it.
Hi Colin, My only niggle is the poorly designed depth stop but other than that it is brilliant. Peter
@@NewBritWorkshop Hi Peter I got my model wrong it’s the AT340PD. Yes your correct the depth stop is garbage with a horrible button thing you have to press in to adjust things. I have joint problems with my fingers and I just can’t adjust it! I did see other drills with a nut that were much easier to turn.
Hi Peter another good and precise video. I see you recorded this in 2017 but I am looking to upgrade my pillar drill, which I have had for 30 years but is now getting a little tired. I have looked at so many most of which are more or less the same product just with different name! But I am drawn to the Axminster AT325PD Bench Pillar Drill I just wondered if after 3 years you would still recommend this Bench Drill or if you have had any problems I have purchased some power tools and machinery from Axminster in the past and found them to be of good quality and have never had any problems getting spares such as belts, blades and brushes. Regards Richard
Hi Richard, An excellent choice and exactly what I would choose if I were buying a new one today. Axminster have put a lot of effort into quality control and it does mean that people return to buy more in the years to come. I have been buying from them for over 35 years ! Peter
Hi Peter. Just purchased the same drill as yours. Only gripe I have is when I was struggling to erect it on a very hot day my clean but sweaty hands seem to have stained the main column and what looked like rust started after a few days. Have you seen the laser cantering device for pillar drills made by Wixey? Not quite sure how good it is as I guess it would need to be realigned every time the table height is changed. I hope you will keep your very interesting programs coming. Regards Brian
Hi Brian, In an engineering workshop you would be described as having "rusty fingers". Not everyone has but most do. You can use Autosol or any other polishing paste to clean things up and then wipe on some WD40. No, I have not seen that gadget. Many thanks. Peter
Peter. Do you know whether it would be feasible to set the drill up with the bulk of the base to the rear of the column? It looks to me that there are four symmetrical bolt holes that would permit this but you would know better having set one up to make this video. The reason I want to do this is that I want to install it on a 420 mm wide bench that is fixed in position against the wall. Thanks for the video, Very good.
I Think it would be possible but the whole thing would have a huge force to counteract and could be risky. It would need 4 excellent bolts screwed down to a very solid surface which had quite a bit of mass. Peter
@@NewBritWorkshop Thanks very much for your thoughts.
Greetings Mr Peter. At present i am looking for a good reliable bench drill I'm looking at something heavy duty and at an affordable price though you get what you pay for. A Q i have does that drill get very hot. Thanks for a splendid video very impressed.
Hi Paul, No, it does not get hot at all. It is excellent. Peter
Many thanks Peter. It now looks like I'm going to invest in one. Lets hope that Axminster has seen your fine work and appreciate by rewarding you with some freebees or maybe a little job field testing there products. All the very best in the new year. Paul
Hi, Peter how noisy is your drill? I’ve just bought one and by eck it’s loud! So much so I contacted Axminster that they’ve replaced it however that one seems worse 😏 both have gone back for their engineers to look at and now I’m awaiting their results/response Cheers Steve
Hi Steve, I would describe mine as being quiet compared to many others that I looked at. Where is the noise coming from - motor, belts, spindle ? Peter
It definitely a spindle knock that turns into a very sharp rattle when pressure is applied either laterally or vertically, very strange as it was identical on both machine Axminster sent me 😏 What I can see is that there’s a lot of play where the spindle pulley meets the spindle splines. I’d assume that there should be clearance between the drill quill and the spindle splined drive shaft but would have thought the pulley would be a tight fit. The nut on the pulley is tight and the engineers at Axminster couldn’t work it out over the phone hence the machines have gone back for them to investigate. I have it on video which sounds much worse when I play it back. Hopefully they’ll sort, maybe just a dodgy batch ☹️ Still can’t speak highly enough about their Customer Service. Cheers Steve PS keep up your tool reviews I find them interesting and are one of my main recommendation drivers👍🏻 FYI so far I’ve got the planer/thicknesses with the spiral following your demo and a domino and ctl and and and 😂 now looking at the parf guide system and building my own mft style bench 😳
Hi Steve, Yes, Axminster customer services are amazing and far better than any other company that I deal with. I am jealous that you have that spiral cutter planer - maybe one day! Cheers. Peter
The Morse Taper is an 'interference fit'.
Its identical to the Warco 2b12 at almost £150 less by the way
Interesting. Peter
Actually Peter, on very close inspection, the Axminster is not only finished to a nicer level but has some extra features such as the LED light (Warco literally has a standard domestic Lightbulb) plus the Axminster has a superior guard system and I think a better pulley system. But other than that they are the same. I am tempted to buy this drill having just returned a benchtop morticer that was disappointing - makes me realise that since all cheap morticers require dressing with a chisel it would make more sense to have a quality drill like this and simply drill out the mortices with a forstner bit. In a small workshop one less machine would be a boon.
Very pricey £464
Hi Harvey, Quality comes at a price and, in almost every case, with woodworking tools you pay for what you get. Peter
Peter, I'm a big fan and have benefitted a great deal from so many of your videos. But on this and the drill mobile base video it seems you have changed your editing style to a much more 'choppy' approach with a single section made up of lots of edited together short segments. There may be a very good reason for this, but to be honest I find it much harder to watch than many of your older videos. Terry.
Hi Terry, I will look at that. I have only used one dissolve transition which may give rise to the effect whereas in the past I always dissolved between clips. Also, this video was started before I injured my shoulder and so I did not quite capture enough of the early footage to make a single flowing section of the setting up. I will try harder next time ! Many thanks for the useful observations. Peter
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