We buy and sell used equipment and have found that we repeat the same information over and over to prospective buyers. Here is some of that information in a nutshell. There are./were three American drill press manufacturers that produce/produced a quality product in significant volume. Most of us are familiar with Rockwell-Delta, Powermatic & Clausing.

    There are many older versions of these machines available on eBay and in  the local economy though almost all are missing parts or have some problem related to their age. Belts and bearings are usually available from any bearing supply house. Special parts can be bought on eBay or from several machinery dealers, like Sobel and myself , who disassemble older machines not worth restoring. Sometimes and mostly from Clausing and Powermatic the factory is still supplying parts.

    99% of the new drill pressses being sold are coming from  China and Taiwan. The price is really low on these machines and they can give value well beyond their initial cost. They have a cronic array of problems that should be evaluated though. Older machines have very flimsy belt guards that often fail but prior to failure will buzz or drum and drive the operator to destraction. Castings are often weak and it is not uncommon to find these machines with broken columns or table attachment castings. Quill downstop devices are very flimsy, some even made of soft plastic, limiting their usefulness.  The quill down feed handles seem almost guaranteed to strip out of the hub in high use machines. All this said the machines can still turn out fair work. Quality varies from brand to brand and price is often an indicator of the manufacturer's concern for details. My favorite import is Jet though both Powrmatic and Delta are bringing in the bulk of their offerings and rebadging them with their American names.  I have a Jet I bought new  40 years ago and have never made a repair to it other then occaisional belts and one replacement motor for the used motor I installed on it when I acquired it. This machine has been in production for the last 25 years though it was made when Jet was a purely Japanese product.    

   Anyone of the three American made drill presses will be around for you to pass on to your children, if you take care of it. The only part likely to fail is the quill return spring and this stressed piece of metal has a finite life. Good luck buying a return spring for a 20 year old Chiwan import, though you will most likely be able to buy one for any of the American machines even after 30-40 years.

  I will elaborate on this subject another time. There is certainly more to say but no right now.