If you wish to take your woodworking a level higher or want to invest in metalworking, you may need a drill press. However, there are so many drill presses on sale and they all appear good to the eye. Hence, you will have a tough time finding golden nuggets of truth. Do not fear as you can easily navigate the many options with the help of this guide.
What is a drill press? It is a motorized tool meant to bore holes in plastic, wood, or metal. Drill presses use various sorts of bits to bore holes of various diameters. If you want a drilling tool for occasional woodworking projects or for small home repairs, a drill press is not probably for you. However, if you’d wish to become serious with working with metal or wood, the tool will make it effortless to bore accurate holes, counterbore or countersink those holes and utilize sanding attachments.
How does a drill press work? A full-sized immobile drill press is heavy, comparatively costly, and takes up a lot of floor space. However, what the tool lacks in portability, it compensates for it in precision and power. Unlike handheld drills that depend on arm strength and the stability of the operator to drill a precise, clean hole, drill presses are accurate by design. A spinning handle controls the descent of a rotating mechanism called the spindle, which can simply move vertically. This makes completely accurate holes much more effortless to make. All models contain a depth stop, for making holes of steady depth.
How to select a drill press
A drill press is an important investment with some variables you need to comprehend to buy the correct tool for your job. Here are the major things to pay attention to when buying a drill press.
Drill press type
There are two major types of drill presses, namely, stationary and benchtop models. Stationary models are heavier and tougher to move; however, have more capacity, power, and features. Benchtop models are tinier, lighter, and more mobile.
Drill press size
All drill presses contain two major elements to check: swing and spindle travel. Swing is the space between the tool’s middle column and the spindle times two. This determines the greatest width of material one can fit in their tools if they wish to bore to the middle of a workpiece. Spindle travel comes down to how deep your tool can move downward as you spin the handle. Benchtop tools may only permit 2-3 perpendicular inches of downward movement. However, the best full-sized tools can move 5-6 inches.
Drill press power
The finest way to examine a drill press’ power is to count watts. All models show volt and amp figures on the electrical nameplate. To get the watts, multiply these together. The more the wattage, the more powerful the press and the tougher the materials it can bore.
Drill press speed
Most drill presses have different rotation speeds for efficient boring in various materials. Higher-end tools provide more speed. Rotation speed matters because the harder the material you are drilling, the slower the speed you need.
