Delta · Drill press · 2000s (manual dated 2003)
Delta 17-968 Drill Press
Delta's 17-968 is a 2000s floor drill press, not a 1970s or 80s one. Its owner's manual is dated June 2003, and Delta's product photo from that year shows a tall column, a cast base, a crank-raised table and a work light built into the head. We couldn't find the manual archived anywhere, so we can't give you its swing, motor or speeds. Read those off the listing and the plates. For an older Delta that runs for decades, look at the 20 in floor presses Delta took on with Walker-Turner in 1956, numbered 20-421, 20-427, 20-435 and later 70-400. The 17-968 is a newer, plainer machine, and you judge it like any drill press, on a straight spindle, a smooth quill and a table that locks.
17-968 floor model (2000s)Not the 1950s and 60s 20 in Delta presses (20-421, 20-427, 20-435, 70-400)
Spec at a glance
- Maker
- Delta
- Machine
- Drill press
- Motors sold
- Motor varies
- Made
- 2000s (manual dated 2003)
- Capacity
- floor-standing drill press; swing not published in any source we found
- Table
- raised and lowered on the column by a crank
- Light
- work light built into the head (2003 product photo)
- Manual
- Delta owner's manual 909126, dated June 2003
- Also listed as
- Delta 17-968, Delta floor drill press
Shop check
Power, iron, fence and freight
- Power and phase
- We couldn't confirm the motor Delta fitted, because the 17-968's manual isn't archived anywhere we could reach. Read the motor plate in the photos for horsepower, phase and voltage. A single-phase motor runs on house power.
- Motor and bearings
- Ask for a video of it running on a slow and a fast speed. It should run without belt slap, and the spindle shouldn't chatter.
- Runout
- Ask the seller to chuck a straight bit or rod and spin it. It should run without visible wobble, and a dial indicator on the rod is the real check.
- Table and rust
- The table cranks up and down the column. Ask for a photo of the table and base, and ask the seller to crank and lock it. Light rust cleans up, but a cracked table doesn't.
- Fence, guards and gauges
- A drill press has no fence of its own. Check the photos for the chuck and key, the belt cover and the work light in the head.
- Trunnions and adjustments
- Ask the seller to feed the quill all the way down and let go. It should return smoothly to the top.
- Blades and knives
- Drill bits fit any chuck. Ask how the chuck mounts, a Morse taper arbor or a pressed-on taper, so you know what a replacement needs.
- Dating it
- It's a 2000s Delta Machinery drill press, so it carries Delta's 8-digit date code, two digits for the year, then a month letter from A for January to L for December. Delta's American-made drill presses from the early 1990s for about fifteen years were built by Lindquist Machine of Green Bay, Wisconsin, but we couldn't confirm whether this one was.
- Moving it
- There's no published weight we could find either. Floor drill presses are tall and top-heavy, so take the head off the column before you lay it down.
- Safety upgrades
- Check that the belt cover closes and the switch works. Clamp work to the table rather than holding it.
Should come with it
- Chuck and key
- Belt cover
- Table and base
- Motor
Hard to find if missing
- Original chuck
- Work light parts
Check the listing photos against these lists, and ask the seller about anything you can’t see. A missing fence, guard or motor should come off the price.
What to check
Belts, quill return springs and chucks are the usual wear items on any floor drill press. A column bent in a fall is the fault that's hard to fix.
- 01Model plate: Ask for a photo of the model plate. It should read 17-968 with a date-code serial.
- 02Motor plate: Ask for a photo of the motor plate. It tells you the horsepower and phase.
- 03Spindle: Ask the seller to chuck a straight rod and spin it. It should run without visible wobble.
- 04Quill return: Ask the seller to feed the quill down and let go. It should return smoothly.
- 05Table: Ask the seller to crank the table up and lock it. It should move freely and hold.
- 06Swing: Ask the seller to measure from the spindle to the column. Double that figure is the swing.
New to old iron? How to check a used woodworking machine covers runout, the table, bearings and the parts that go missing, and dating old iron by serial number shows how to tell what year a machine was made.
Buying guide
Which one to buy
§ Oct 19, 2026Nothing but replacement chucks for the 17-968 is listed right now, so there's no press price to compare. We couldn't find the specs from its 2003 manual, so read the swing and speeds off the plates when one comes up. A complete one should have its chuck and key, the belt cover and a motor.
- Listed now
- 0
- For parts
- 0
- Catalog estimate
- $70–$85
Snapshot
For sale on eBay
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Nothing was listed for the Delta 17-968 Drill Press when we checked.
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