Spent $450 on a magnetic drill press for a field repair and it was worth every penny

We had a 3-inch thick plate to drill on a job last month, and the regular drill just wasn't cutting it. My partner said to rent a mag drill, but I bought a used one for about $450 instead. It locked right onto the steel and made perfect holes in half the time. Has anyone found a specific brand that holds up better for this kind of work?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamiesingh28d ago

Actually read a review from a guy who worked at a shipyard where they regularly drill through 4 inch steel for keel plates. He swore by the Hougen mag drills for that heavy work. Said the key was keeping a steady hand with the cutting oil and not forcing the cutter too fast. I picked up a used Hougen from a retiring machinist for about what you paid and its never let me down on anything up to 2 inches. For that 3 inch plate you mentioned though, you might want to look into a coolant system or at least a good spray bottle of cutting oil to keep the heat down. The annular cutters will last a lot longer that way.

jamiesingh1mo ago

Mag drills are a game changer for sure. Just a heads up, 3-inch plate is pretty thick, you might have been drilling through a stack or something?

ruby_sanchez451mo ago

My old shop had a 3 inch solid steel base plate for a big press brake. Honestly @jamiesingh, mag drills are good but they bog down hard on anything over about 2 inches in my experience. The heat build up alone will wreck your annular cutter. I had to use a big radial drill for that thick stuff because the mag drill just couldn't handle the constant pressure needed. Tbh calling it a game changer is a stretch when you run into real thick material.