Floor drill press height

[Tom Godley]

I picked up a very large Dayton BENCH drill press (20") --off of CL quite a while ago -- just getting around to putting it to use in the shop -- it's still on the floor! I am having a problem figuring out what height the table should be to place it on.

I am wondering if anyone with a floor standing model can measure the distance from the floor to the center of the spindle handle? This will give me a good idea.

The thing is just too heavy to move it - I have tried to "eye it" but some reference points would be nice. I know that a 36 inch table height is too tall - I would like to move this thing once!

[Myk Rian]

My bench is 36" where I have my Delta DP. It's pretty comfortable there. Depending on your height (I'm 5'11") whatever feels good to you.
Sounds like a big one. Maybe a bench or stand 30" would do.

[Tom Esh]

Set your bench so it's the best height for you. High is better IMO, as long as you can still see and access the pulley tray for speed changes without having to stand on something. Ideally that will put the table at a comfortable average height and the head should not obscure your line of sight to the work.

[Chris Tsutsui]

I know that I'm always changing the height of my floor standing Jet DP to put the drill bit tip closer to the stock that I'm drilling. This varys with bits and materials.

Thus, you should factor in what size stock you will be working with. Are you using an XY vise or a DP vise? Or a table with fence and dust collection port like me? This and the full plunge range of the chuck should affect the height.

I would first set the adjustable table height to the height at which you think the most use will be at (depends if using table top or vise). Then after that's adjusted, you can then set the entire unit at the right height by putting it on a cabinet or table.

[Chip Lindley]

The drill chuck will always return to its extreme height when the quill handle recoils. Thusly, A decent height would be one which allows the user to reach and pull down on the quill handle without ergonomic stress or strain. A little HIGH would be better than a little low IMO.

My old floor model Craftsman King-Seely has the tip of the chuck 47" from the floor. The center of the quill wheel is 53" from floor. My Powermatic 1150 is taller. The chuck tip is 48" off the floor and the quill hub center is 55".

[Aaron Berk]

I picked up a very large Dayton BENCH drill press (20")

I am wondering if anyone with a floor standing model can measure the distance from the floor to the center of the spindle handle? This will give me a good idea.




Mine sits at about 55 inches to center. I'm 5' 10" and would personally like to have floor DP up another 2-3"

[Steve Rozmiarek]

55" seems to be standard, according to the posts. That is where my Ridgid is as well. I'm 6'4", and a bit higher would be ok with me.

[Tom Godley]

Thanks for the info

My unit sits 31" from the bottom of the base to the center of the handle and 45" inches overall -- If I placed the drill on a 36" high base the center of the handle would be at 67 inches (+5.5') -- I think this is a little high. I would need a step ladder to get to the belts!

Online I found what looks to be the floor standing version of the same press. The overall height is 45" - using mine as a guide that places the handle center at 54" -- so I guess the 55 inches is about correct.

That seems a little low - it also make the table for mine at around 24" ??

I was originally thinking a stand around 32" high would work best - now I wonder if that will be too tall. That would make the handle center at 63" (5.25')


The unit weighs almost 300 pounds -- it took three of us to move it - no weight lifters around!. Maybe I will just have to put it on the 32" stand and see if that height is too high after all.

[Jason Beam]

My quill, when retracted, sits just about rib height ... it's a little higher than a relaxed 90 degree bend of my arm - so maybe 2-3" higher than my elbow. Too high or too low, it's what I'm used to. I can easily see my belts when needing to change speeds, they're almost RIGHT at eye level - maybe an inch or so higher.

[Jim Becker]

The measurement can be flexible, Tom. Your own height contributes since the "ideal" table height for a DP is relative to how tall you are and what kind of drilling you might be doing at the moment.