Does a drill press need to be bolted down?

[David Friedlander]

I'm getting my first drill press and hope someone more experienced can help me with this question. I read that drill presses are top heavy and should be bolted down for safety, to keep them from tipping over. I would welcome the advice of people experienced with these machines. If this is true, I would have to get a bench top model since I don't want to drill into the floor of my concrete garage.

David

[Cary Falk]

I have never bolted down a drill press. My current one is on a mobile base. I have never had a problem with one falling over.

[scott spencer]

Mine never has been, but it shouldn't hurt if you do.

[Mike Chalmers]

My opinion. That would be a complete waste of time and energy. Not only that, on the odd occasion that you have something extra long or odd shaped, moving the machine to accommodate the work required would be a huge pain, and you will, if you are anything like me, attempt to accomplish the task with your hand drill, and end up with a less than optimum result.

[Brian W Smith]

A very nice,high energy project(easy build that nets big gains) is a stowage unit that sits on the bttm of your DP.Resembling a short file cabinet in scale and form.

You can get as fancy or not as you want.Mine are usually(but not limited to),open shelves to accommodate heavy fixturing.Had a C-man lower mechanix type bx on one press for years.These serve a cpl valuable functions,one being,it holds the press down.

Another,it allows you to use a scissor jack(small car type) to aid in raising lowering DP table for those not equipped with crank elevators.Most DP work is done in about a one foot range of verticle adj.The times you need longer.....simply move the stowage cabinet out of the way.

[Brian Backner]

If you are concerned about a DP tipping over, there is a better solution.

Attach an eye bolt to somewhere on the back of the head and run a steel cable to a matching eye bolt affixed to the ceiling. It would be a simple matter to remove the cable if you needed to move the DP for access to something.

[George Bokros]

My DP instructions said if not bolting it down to attach it to a plywood panel and gave recommended dimensions, around 24x30 if memory serves. I can look it up if you like I have the manual in the shop. I do remember buying a quarter sheet of ply to use.

[johnny means]

Couple of sandbags or other ballast on the base will kep her put. IME, this isn't necessary.

[Joe Bradshaw]

I put a couple of 2 x 4's under the front and back of my c-man drill press. They stabilize it nicely.

[Andy Fox]

I haven't bolted down my floor model drill press, and I haven't had any issues.

The need to bolt it down depends on the size and weight of the drill press and the size and weight of the material it's used to drill. A benchtop model is more likely to need bolted down. I carefully test the effect of anything large or heavy on my drill press as I put it in place to be drilled.

[pat warner]

Not essential but a rolling stand might be.
As such, when rolling, it has a tendency to tip over.
Lower the center of mass by lowering the head, maybe 6-10"
or x whatever change you can tolerate. They are very top heavy.

[John Downey]

I have mine bolted to it's stand only because that stand is bolted to a mobile cart. If you don't plan to roll it around the shop, there's no need to bolt it to anything.

Drill presses are a little top heavy, but a person exercising common sense won't have any trouble with one.

[Keith Weber]

No need to bolt a floor-model drill press down. It's actually nice to be able to move it around on a mobile base to accommodate long projects once in a while. Now things like vises, grinders, buffers, metal benders, and kids on sugar highs... those things need to be bolted down.

[Phil Thien]

My floor was uneven so I made some plywood feet for the front and back of my unit. The front foot is thicker than the rear, so as to level it. But they also provide some stability.

If my floor were level I doubt I would have bothered.

[Joe Kaufman]

No problem un anchored. Survived several earthquakes over the last 44 years. Worse thing - I have to but the metal shims for leveling back under the base after a earthquake.

I have considered installing a cable to the celling as mentioned above.

[Rick Potter]

Like Joe,

Putting a cable to the ceiling has been on my list for quite a while. It would be wise insurance if we got a good 'roller' quake rather than the usual 'jolt' quake. My big screen TV on top of a cabinet is not that steady either.

Foolishly, it is on my 'round tuit' list.

Rick P

[Myk Rian]

The only time I've seen a DP bolted to the floor is in an industrial setting.
I've never done it at home.

[paul cottingham]

My bench top drill press sits on a quickly made table. It is not bolted down, and that has never been a problem. I actually like being able to shift it around a little.

[James Baker SD]

I have a very top heavy PM 1150. It is the only tool I have that is bolted to the shop floor, but then I live in earthquake country and park our car right next to it when the garage/shop is in garage mode.

[Peter Quinn]

The only time I've seen a DP bolted to the floor is in an industrial setting.
I've never done it at home.

ditto. They are stable in use, if drilling large work make sure to use out feed support, they are top heavy but not tipsy. Mine said to attach to plywood or bolt to the floor, bolting to floor inhibits mobility, and tripping over a plywood base is just annoying. Mine sits comfortably on its original base. If I lived in earthquake country I would move.....my dp on to a more secure base.

[Dave Sheldrake]

At work (industrial / business setting it's illegal for me to have a DP not bolted down . At home for personal or hobby use alone it's fine. (UK)

cheers

Dave

[Earl McLain]

Several years ago, one of my clients lost his 38 year old son (single man, model RR hobbyist, basement workshop) to a tipped drill press. I don't know the details, but do recall that it was thought the asphyxiation took 2 or 3 days, during which he was thought to have been conscious most of the time. My 13" benchtop machine is bolted to a stable mobile base, not sure what i'll do when i finally get a larger floor model. I'm certain it will be secured somehow, yet in my current shop setup would have to be at least a little mobile.

I'm sure it doesn't happen often, but if i must go slowly i'd prefer it to be an enjoyable time!!
earl

[Dave Sheldrake]

In the UK drilling machines (drill presses) account for 55% of all industrial accidents, more than the next 5 machines added together. Mostly due to loose clothing and hair.

cheers

Dave

[glenn bradley]

I'm in SoCal so I wanted mine stable but, not bolted down. Built a base with compartments that I filled with concrete. Never had a problem and as you know, we shake a bit out here.

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[Charles Wiggins]

I have never bolted down a drill press. My current one is on a mobile base. I have never had a problem with one falling over.


Ditto for me.

[Jerry Olexa]

Never...you remove your flexibility once its bolted.

[Jim Laumann]

I recently purchased a new 17" Jet. I had found Glenn Bradley's pics in another post. Did that very thing - 70# of
sand plus the machine's cast iron base does wonders on a mobile base. You can move it around, but it's not tippy.

Jim

[Kevin McCluney]

I had a cat jump from the top of my floor model drill press and it caused it to fall over - thankfully against something else so it didn't go all the way over. Woodworking-wise I've never used it with anything so large and offset that tipping it was possible.

[Rich Riddle]

My old Rockwell has the ability for one to bolt it down but it's never even teetered in the least. It's on a mobile base slightly larger than the steel base. It would be a monster to get up if it fell.

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[Ole Anderson]

They are definitely top heavy, no doubt, some safety measures would be prudent if you are a worrier. Having said that, it took me 20 years to stabilize mine, and no it never tipped over. When I put Pergo on my shop floor, I bolted it to a 24" x 18" piece of 1-1/8" particle board, not so much for stability, although it did help, but so I could attach felt furniture pads to the bottom so I could slide it around. Much better than a mobile base with casters. Before, it always to seem to rock just a little bit on the concrete floor.

[Rick Potter]

I am still back there where Kevin's cat knocked it over.

Wow, that must be some cat.

RP

[Dave Zellers]

I am still back there where Kevin's cat knocked it over.

Wow, that must be some cat.

RP
I've been doing my best to hold my tongue since that post.

Every single case of a floor drill press tipping over is an example of someone exceeding it's designed capabilities.

There are those with common sense who understand a machine's designed limits and then there are the others.

There isn't a house cat in the world that could topple a floor drill press without some other external influence.

Are those of us with common sense who understand machines to be ruled by those who don't?

[Drew Pavlak]

I thought I saw someone post on the Creek a plywood and 2x4 box they built. Had casters on the back side I think and then it was filled with dry Quickcrete cement. The drill press was then bolted to that. Made for a more stable base, but still allowed it to be moved fairly easily. I myself have never had a problems with my Jet 17" drill press being unstable. I haven't had 6" x 6" x 12' treated post on it either. I should say the plywood base looked to be about twice the size of the drill press metal base.

[Rod Sheridan]

I'm getting my first drill press and hope someone more experienced can help me with this question. I read that drill presses are top heavy and should be bolted down for safety, to keep them from tipping over. I would welcome the advice of people experienced with these machines. If this is true, I would have to get a bench top model since I don't want to drill into the floor of my concrete garage.

David

A drill press that is just sitting on the base supplied, does need to be bolted down as it can be tipped over either by a person or the weight of a work piece.

If you don't want to drill your floor make a plywood base much larger than the press base and bolt it to that.

You don'r want a drill press to fall on you or your kids...............Rod.

[David Hostetler]

Yes a drill press is top heavy, and Earl Mclain's does give you pause, but the fellows safety tale includes not having someone drop in on him periodically to make sure he is alive and well. How big of a drill press it would take to asphyxiate an adult human is mind boggling, my 16 speed 3/4 HP Northern Industrial press just doesn't have the mass for any reasonably healthy adult, or even a fairly grieviously wounded one come to think of it.... to move it off of them should a tip happen.

A mobile base with levelers, and a heavy straddling cabinet over that mobile base would go a LONG way to preventing the tipping problem.

I had considered bolting mine down, but honestly, I have moved it to 4 semi permanent locations in the last 6 years... I wouldn't have that flexibility if I had it bolted down to the floor...

Glenn Bradley's idea of a concrete filled mobile base ballast box would give you the weight on the bottom you really need...

[Rich Enders]

Not for typical activity, but consider the earthquake possibility in your area. When I lived in Southern California it was smart to secure everything, and required to secure such things as water heaters.

[Benjamin Miller]

How big of a drill press it would take to asphyxiate an adult human is mind boggling

My 20" Clausing weighs about 700 lbs, and it is definitely not considered large in machining circles. Radial drill presses can easily be multiple tons, and knee mills start at 2000 lbs.

I don't have the Clausing bolted down, but if I needed to drill holes on the end of a long part, I would either bolt it down or make sure the part was well supported.

[Thomas Canfield]

I did not see anyone speak to the fact that a drill press table is often added to the smaller metal table furnished. That allows for increasing the tipping factor for heavy loads sitting to side or front of table. I often drill 60# sections of wood in preparation for turning on my 16.5" floor unit that has a larger plywood section bolted to the original base. I do not think that the original base would be safe without the larger plywood base. I felt the same with the bench top drill presses and always bolted them down to a larger base when using an additional table.

[Kevin McCluney]

"There isn't a house cat in the world that could topple a floor drill press without some other external influence." I beg to differ. The drill press was standing firmly on a concrete floor. The cat was a large one and she jumped off the top of it and it fell over sideways. Equal and opposite reaction. Maybe the base on my drill press is abnormally small (it's an old no-name Taiwanese model Home Depot sold 25+ years ago).

[Cary Falk]

I agree that in an industrial setting a drill press should be bolted down. There is no end to some peoples stupidity. I have a mobile base under mine because I don't have the luxury of a large work space. I also know enough not to move it by pushing on the very top of it.
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q297/caryincamas/DSC_1297_zps7ca7ddcb.jpg

[Dave Zellers]

"There isn't a house cat in the world that could topple a floor drill press without some other external influence." I beg to differ. The drill press was standing firmly on a concrete floor. The cat was a large one and she jumped off the top of it and it fell over sideways. Equal and opposite reaction. Maybe the base on my drill press is abnormally small (it's an old no-name Taiwanese model Home Depot sold 25+ years ago).
I'll accept that. I guess I view this through the prism of the old machines that were built to a standard of common sense that doesn't exist today. I'm sure there are machines being built today that violate every standard of reasonableness that used to exist.

This is all just so sad that we have dropped to this level. Apologies for any offense taken. I'm just shocked by the level we have allowed ourselves to sink to.

Cats tipping over drill presses. I guess we've given up industrial greatness for raising fat cats.

[John Downey]

In the UK drilling machines (drill presses) account for 55% of all industrial accidents, more than the next 5 machines added together. Mostly due to loose clothing and hair.

cheers

Dave

I've certainly been dinged more often by the drill press than by any other machine. It's an easy machine with which to become complacent, since it's fairly quiet, has no large spinning toothed blades, and seems to the casual user to be a lot like a big drill motor on a pole.

[Garth Almgren]

I bolted my benchtop press down to my shopmade stand... I figured I wouldn't be moving it without moving the stand too, so why take the chance on knocking it off the stand? They're pretty top-heavy as it is.
If I had a floor-standing model, I'd probably build a mobile base with a slightly wider stance, and bolt it to that. :)

[Joe Leigh]

It takes all of about five minutes and $1.50 in hardware to ensure that your drill press doesn't fall over and hurt someone.

Or you can spend the $1.50 on more cat treats.

Whatever works for you.

[Dave Zellers]

Or you can spend the $1.50 on more cat treats.

Whatever works for you.
Well, assuming one likes cat treats. :cool:

Me, I'd add it to all the money I didn't spend on unnecessary precautions on my other tools (like static grounding wire for my DC) and buy a good bottle of wine to enjoy with my sweetie.

Nothing quite like emerging from the basement coated in a fine layer of exotic hardwood dust on a Friday evening and popping the cork on a nice Cab Sav as you fire up the barbie.

[Mike Chalmers]

Well, assuming one likes cat treats. :cool:

Me, I'd add it to all the money I didn't spend on unnecessary precautions on my other tools (like static grounding wire for my DC) and buy a good bottle of wine to enjoy with my sweetie.

Nothing quite like emerging from the basement coated in a fine layer of exotic hardwood dust on a Friday evening and popping the cork on a nice Cab Sav as you fire up the barbie.

+1 to this concept.

[James Goodnight]

Revisiting this old thread...

I'm new to the forum and have been researching this topic as I prepare to install my new Porter-Cable PCB660DP 15" floor-stand drill press. My present plan is to bolt the DP base to an overlapping "tic-tac-toe" web of 2x4's to help stabilize the DP for initial. I'm 6'-7, so the extra 3" of tool height should be an extra benefit. Once the DP finds a more-or-less permanent location in my shop, I'll look into adjusting the web size and lag bolting it into the floor joists.

Thanks for the helpful discussion above.

Regards,
Jim

[David Helm]

My drill press has been in place for 18 years. It has a 90# bag of sand on its base. I have never had a reason to move it from its original location.

[Tom M King]

How can you walk it around the floor to where you need it if it's bolted down? I've never owned one bolted down, including the big one in the metal shop.

[ian maybury]

Seems like a bit of a pays your money takes your pick sort of deal.

The 'safety' argument must be to bolt it down - especially if it has the fairly typical smallish footprint of the more budget machines. A secondary risk is the possibility of getting something caught up in a revolving chuck while grabbing to stabilise a wobble.

The trouble (as i can say from experience) is that no sooner is it bolted down than a job will come along that could use moving it.

Mine (a typical 3/4HP eastern model) once unbolted was never bolted down again. Against that it very nearly ended up falling over a couple of times in about 18 years.

I compromised by always keeping a foot on the baseplate while working, but it wouldn't pass as safe in a public work environment. An enlarged base from ply or something projecting out to the sides and to the front so you stand on it sounds like a good idea......

[Mel Fulks]

One shop I worked in was actually cited by Osha inspector for a too small DP base. We thought it was nutty but the cheaper machines do seem top heavy.

[Jim Dwight]

Mine has never been bolted down and it has never come close to tipping over. It is an old floor standing craftsman and the base is very heavy cast iron. No need at all to bolt it down. If I had one that was tippy, I would cable it to the wall or ceiling, not bolt it to the floor.

[Frederick Skelly]

My Ridgid is bolted to two 2x6's that run perpendicular to the "head" of the machine. It's not bolted to the floor. It's been fine for 10 years.

[Jerry Olexa]

In my experience, generally NO!!!

[Ole Anderson]

Mine is located in a corner of the shop, so when I need to drill longer pieces, it needs to move, therefore it isn't bolted down. See post #30.

[Charlie Fox]

speaking from experience - i have had one topple over on me. i sometimes drill very large objects so i built an oversize table to accommodate the projects, so i have to get on the ground underneath in order to turn the crank to raise and lower the table, and one day it all came down.

post no. 6 was my solution. a short rope to the ceiling and it is safe now.

[James Goodnight]

My Ridgid is bolted to two 2x6's that run perpendicular to the "head" of the machine. It's not bolted to the floor. It's been fine for 10 years.

This sounds similar to my "web" notion. I (think I) get the side-to-side stability concept. No front-to-back tipping/rocking issues?

Thanks / Jim

[Wade Lippman]

Revisiting this old thread...

I'm new to the forum and have been researching this topic as I prepare to install my new Porter-Cable PCB660DP 15" floor-stand drill press. My present plan is to bolt the DP base to an overlapping "tic-tac-toe" web of 2x4's to help stabilize the DP for initial. I'm 6'-7, so the extra 3" of tool height should be an extra benefit. Once the DP finds a more-or-less permanent location in my shop, I'll look into adjusting the web size and lag bolting it into the floor joists.

Thanks for the helpful discussion above.

Regards,
Jim
No one said it depends on the drill press. I have the PC and it does not have to be bolted down. One of these days I will make a mobile base for it, but haven't gotten around to it.
My last DP was a Laguna. Breathing hard on it would have toppled it. I put it on some 2x4s to increase the base width. Since I am 8" shorter than you and find the PC a good height, adding 7" isn't a bad idea; but that is probably true for all WW tools.

[James Goodnight]

Wade,

Thanks for your perspectives. I found sound old PT 6x6 cut-offs in my garage, so I'll probably start with those for DP stabilization and height "correction".

Finding a comfortable working height has long been a challenge for me. My shortest work bench is 36" tall, and is OK. My preferred work bench is a 40" inch one I built. It's great for surface work and assembly, but it's a bit high for many power tools.

My next bench will be somewhere in the ~38" range, but will include a 3-1/2" depression for my miter saw.

Thanks again / Jim

[Paul McGaha]

I bolt down all my machines that aren't on mobile bases.

My drill press is a standard floor type Delta. It's very top heavy.

PHM

[Jim Dwight]

I picked up my drill press by myself when moving it but I shouldn't have. It has to weigh over 200 lbs. But if I can pick it up, I could move it off me. I know there are bigger drill presses but most people wouldn't have them in their home shop. I still say a cable to the wall or ceiling makes more sense than bolts into the floor.

[Keith Weber]

It has to weigh over 200 lbs. But if I can pick it up, I could move it off me.

I would be less worried about getting a drill press off me, and more worried about the damage it would do getting on me in the first place. Not saying that it ever would, but if a 200 lb. drill press fell over and you somehow got your fingers between the table and the floor, it would surely sever them.

My shop is constantly evolving, so I don't bolt anything to the floor. I usually build a hefty base to add stability to the top-heavy machines and allow me to move them either on wheels or with a pallet truck, like this one I built for my 7.5hp air compressor:

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[Brad Barnhart]

My shop is 260 sq. Ft. With more tools in that small of space than I should have, I move my tools around occasionally to make it look like there's more room. I've got a bench top Ryobi dp, & I had it sitting on the bench, not bolted down, for years. Then I finally constructed a stand for it, & it is now bolted to that stand. I've got ballast on a shelf under the dp to keep in place.