When I see 14'' drill press, what does that mean? Is it the distance from the center of the chuck to the closest point on the support post?

I find related blog


Need some advice.
Advance Thanks.

 

Welcome to AAC.

Generally, I think it is about twice that distance. In other words, it can drill to the center of a circle 14" diameter circle. But, it is not precise. The center of the spindle of my 14" drill press is closer to 6-1/2" from the post.

It just occurred to me that there may be two standards, as there are with lathes. A 9" lathe can refer to the maximum diameter (typically in the US) or maximum radius that can be turned. There's a big difference.

 

This smells a lot like a certain brand name of canned cooked meat.

 

When I see 14'' drill press, what does that mean? Is it the distance from the center of the chuck to the closest point on the support post?

I find related blog


Need some advice.
Advance Thanks.

Here is a reasonable reference for you:
https://ozarktoolmanuals.com/ozarkshoptalkblog/how-to-measure-and-size-a-drill-press/

 

[edit] I'm removing my comment because it is in error.

 

When I see 14'' drill press, what does that mean?

It means the swing is 14", which means it can drill a hole in the middle of a 14" round or 14" square stock. It's the distance from the center of the bit to the column, times two.

 

It just occurred to me that there may be two standards, as there are with lathes. A 9" lathe can refer to the maximum diameter (typically in the US) or maximum radius that can be turned. There's a big difference.

And in the UK for e.g. that lathe would be a 4.5" (Radius) swing.
Max.

 

My Lathe has a 14" swing but I would have to be suicidal before I chuck up something that big...

 

It means the swing is 14", which means it can drill a hole in the middle of a 14" round or 14" square stock. It's the distance from the center of the bit to the column, times two.

Glad you agree with me.

And in the UK for e.g. that lathe would be a 4.5" (Radius) swing.
Max.

Yes, One of my lathes is an excellent Smart and Brown Mark II. Everything about it is a pleasure to work with except for two things: in and out are opposite to American terms and crossfeeds are in thousanths radius, not diameter change.

When switching from my much inferior 9" Southbend Heavy, the hardest part to get used to is the in and out. Fortunately, the Southbend is basically a polishing lathe now.

 

The old south bends are not bad machines but after many years need a tune up. I still kick myself for being too late to buy a used Hardinge from a retiring machinist. I have a Knuth and it's ok... Chinese with German engineering... Meh. Get's the job done.