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Drill Press Review  The drill press is a machine that was first intended to be used in machine shops for boring holes in metal, but has found its way into wood shops. Although you can use a cordless drill to bore most of the holes you’ll need, unless you have a calibrated eye or time for a lot of set up, the drill press can give you a more accurate hole. You can drill repetitive holes in the same spot and at the same depth quickly and accurately. Drill presses also are capable of changing speeds by changing belts and pulleys. This is necessary when you need to bore large holes with bits that require a slower speed to cut properly. Besides just drilling holes there are other types of bits and attachments that you can get to add versatility to your drill press (sanding drums, mortise bits, planer heads, etc.). The drill press is fairly simple in the way it works. A motor drives the pulleys and belts that spin the quill and chuck. The chuck holds the drill bit and when a lever is pulled the bit is dropped into your wood piece you have held by the table. Drill presses a designated by the size of piece it can drill through the center of. For example, a 16" drill press is 8" from the chuck to the column and can drill through the center of a 16" board. There are two main types of drill press: portable or benchtop and floor model. Benchtop Drill PressBenchtop drill presses are the most common type of drill press found in most home wood shops. In most shops the drill press is not needed very often (this is not to say it won’t be needed often enough to skip on getting one) so it’s one of the tools, if you have limited work space, you would probably like to store out of the way.There isn’t much difference in the size of board that a benchtop can drill through as compared to a floor model drill press. I’ve seen some as large as 15" where as floor models usually go up to 20" or 21". The biggest difference between the two is the length of the column. Benchtops columns range from 36" to 44". The prices of benchtop drill presses range from under a $100 for cheaper models to over $400 for higher quality ones. For more
information click here. Floor Model Drill PressFloor model drill presses are most often found in professional wood shops. They are equipped with higher power motors and longer columns. They can also be expected to be made with higher quality materials.Some models can drill through the center of pieces up to 20" to 21". Depending on the type of work you do you may find this necessary. The column length of the floor model drill press is usually from 66" to 72" high. The big advantage of this over benchtops is it allows you handle larger workpieces, because the table can run the full length of the column. The prices of floor model drill presses range from $400 to around $1,000. For more information click here. For more information on the specifics of each type of drill press click on the links above. There are also a variety of different drill bits that can be used on the drill press. For more information click here. Looking for a deal?Check out some of the drill presses and accessories being auctioned off right now. To see all of the items up for bid click on the link near the bottom labeled "Veiw all XXX items on eBay." Save Yourself Some Money and HeadacheBefore you buy it would be nice to test out all the top machinery and tools, so you have a better idea of which lives up to the manufacturer’s hype. I don’t have near the space or the money to test out all the available tools and I doubt you do either. You do have other options though.Woodworking magazines often have tool review articles where they shop test the top names in the industry and provide you the information. The magazine I personally subscribe to and trust is WOOD magazine. They offer some of the most complete plans and tool reviews of any other woodworking magazine. You could get a subscription and wait for the tools you are looking for to be reviewed, but that could take months before they do another review on your specific tool. WOOD magazine now offers an online solution to this problem in their online store. You can download the past tool reviews and plans anytime for a small fee that can save you hundreds, even thousands of dollars, by choosing the right tool the first time. Here are some of the reviews and articles you can get that are related to drill presses.
Before
getting a floor model drill press consider this review that compares
benchtop presses. |
