Drill press?

[Jack Hubbard]

Hi everyone, I'm jack and new to Saw Mill Creek and woodworking in general. My first of what I'm sure will be many questions is about the drill press. Like I said I'm new to woodworking and just starting my tool collection. It seems as though every video I watch of anyone making anything they use a drill press at some point. So is it worth it for a beginner like me to invest in one? If so, any recommendations on a relatively inexpensive press? I'm just a hobbyist who has started with making coffee and bedside tables so I don't think I'd need anything crazy powerful. Thanks in advance for any advice, I'll take all I can get. Cheers.

[Mike Schuch]

A drill press would not be the top tool on my list for someone just starting out. I would start with a good saw and build your shop around it. There are many options for a good saw... table saw, radial arm saw, track saw, band saw.

I don't use my woodworking drill press very often. When I need it having one is awfully nice though. I use my metal working drill press much more often.

Most any drill press will drill a decent hole. I have a 20 year old Harbor Freight drill press that does a very good job. My 60 year old Walker Turner drill press is much nicer though!

[Lee Reep]

I'd agree that for a beginning woodworker, a drill press is not an absolute must. A table saw makes sense to me. For many woodworking drilling tasks, a hand drill is fine. But when you need to use a Forstner bit, or even drill a bunch of holes to a certain depth, there is no substitute for having a drill press.

As someone who just buys high-end tools now, I'd recommend the opposite, and say go to Harbor Freight and buy one of their benchtop models. Many magazines have Harbor Freight coupons, so use their 20% off coupon if the drill press is not on sale (and sometimes HF will let you use a coupon on a sale item, it just depends). For items like table saws, miter saws, and hand tools, I'd probably recommend buying the absolute best you can afford, but many Harbor Freight drill presses are pretty decent, and certainly you are not doing precision work on them like you would on a table saw, you just want a better way to bore holes. I've seen benchtop models on sale for $40 to 60, which is a pretty reasonable investment. And considering you are just starting out, that means using more of your tool budget to invest in all the other tools you need.

I bought a Delta benchtop drill press years ago, and frankly, the newer Delta stuff is nowhere near the quality it used to be. Sadly, that is true of many name-brand tools today. If you are patient, you might find a deal on an older drill press on Craigslist, depending on where you live. I am searching for an older full sized drill press, and having a really hard time, but I'm not in desperate need for one, so I somewhat have the luxury of time on my side, other than I am not going to wait forever for that incredible deal. If nothing shows up in the next year or so, I am likely to buy a Powermatic, but that also means forking out about $1400.

Have fun shopping. Building a shop and a collection of tools is certainly rewarding. I've been doing woodworking for almost 50 years, and still love to head to my shop and convert expensive wood into sawdust. :)

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Welcome to the creek...

I recommend a table saw as your first purchase, and maybe a track saw instead (Festool has a great setup). I own a Dewalt track saw and a SawStop.

I suppose that first you need to decide what it is you want to do / make with respect to wood working. In some respect, this may also then influence the wood that you will use. Your wood will in some respect influence what you want to purchase.

A few examples are



Turning things (like chisel handles)
Carving
Furniture
Small boxes


If you want to build large furniture, it is common to use large sheets of plywood. So how do you break down large sheets of plywood? For me that means a track saw. If you have sufficient space, you may do this on a table saw.

I use my table saw to rip boards to size, and, I can use a cross-cut sled to many of the jobs that are done on a "chop saw". I eventually purchased a Kapex for those tasks when I needed to cut a bunch of molding.

Some people like to use track saws rather than a table saw. Some of the neanders do most of this work by hand, but I can assure you that is is a hard job to rip a six foot long board.

Some people like to use a band saw for their primary cutting. Not sure that would be well suited for ripping long straight lines, I have never used a bandsaw.

How about stock prep? Will you purchase your lumber presized and ready to go, or, will you purchase rough lumber and mill it? If that is the case, then you require a surface planer and something to use for jointing (a jointer, or, a sled for your surface planer). I started with just the table saw and I purchased lumber ready to go. I paid my supplier to mill the wood for me. I later purchased a Dewalt planer off craig's list and it saves me a bunch of money on wood.... and I can mill it to size. I just do not have room for a jointer, so, I use a sled in my planer to do this.

Some people use hand planes to flatten their wood and set the thickness.

Be sure to learn how to use your equipment (safety matters). My first saw was old and had no safety stuff on it. My first cut on a piece of plywood caused a kick back and I caught the board in my stomach. It hurt a lot and caused a huge bruise. This is less of a problem with a track saw. If you opt for a table saw, get one new enough that it has certain safety features. If your saw is new, it will have safety features. I opted for a SawStop since it is only a hobby and the loss of a finger (or similar) was just too great a risk for me. That said, you are more likely to have an issue like a kick back, so things like a riven knife, anti-kickback pawls, and a blade guard are probably way more important than flesh sensing technology.

The riven knife prevents the wood from twisting, the pawls keep the wood from feeding backwards, and the blade guard keeps your fingers away from the blade. Newer saws allow you to quickly and easily remove and add the riven knife so you will use it.

Next consideration is dust collection. Breathing dust is a bad thing. My saw is in my basement, and I do not want that dust all over the house.

Although you are correct that a drill press is a great tool, I still only have a very lowly bench top drill press that is not powerful, not easy to use, and it has a lot of run-out. What I lack is the money to replace it... :( You will likely find that a hand held drill will handle many of your immediate needs.

Finally, what joinery methods will you use? Pocket holes are very fast. Hand cut dovetails take work to learn....

Sorry, probably a longer response than you wanted.

[Rick Potter]

Drilling one hole is no big deal, but a drill press comes in mighty handy when you want to drill several along the same line accurately. For 20 years I had an old bench top model, before I got the free standing one. I recommend you find a nice clean benchtop. There are several on my local craigs list for $50 to $100.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

And take a look at this thread

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?226733-Rank-the-tools-in-your-shop-in-order-of-importance

[Mike Schuch]

As someone who just buys high-end tools now, I'd recommend the opposite, and say go to Harbor Freight and buy one of their benchtop models. Many magazines have Harbor Freight coupons, so use their 20% off coupon if the drill press is not on sale (and sometimes HF will let you use a coupon on a sale item, it just depends). For items like table saws, miter saws, and hand tools, I'd probably recommend buying the absolute best you can afford, but many Harbor Freight drill presses are pretty decent, and certainly you are not doing precision work on them like you would on a table saw, you just want a better way to bore holes. I've seen benchtop models on sale for $40 to 60, which is a pretty reasonable investment. And considering you are just starting out, that means using more of your tool budget to invest in all the other tools you need.


Stay away from the Harbor Freight 8" drill press... it is too small to be of any real practical use. The 13" Bench top drill press is much more capable.... or any of the floor model drill presses. I have a 17" floor model Harbor Freight drill press and it has served me very well and is very flexible for many different tasks. I still prefer my ancient Walker Turner drill press though!

[Dan Clark]

Jack,

Welcome to the forum and to woodworking. That said...

I just threw a curve at you: What is "woodworking"? :) Ask 50 people and you may get 50 different answers. Then ask what tools do each of them use and you may get 50 different lists (although some lists may contain the same tools, like a table saw). Now ask them WHERE they are going to work and you get a bunch more answers. Finally, ask for cost level and you get a bunch more answers. So woodworking and the tools you need are based on your interests, needs, and constraints. That can make it tough.

To address your initial question about a drill press, they are nice to have but should be farther down your tool list until you have a defined need. I spent years rebuilding part of my house with a bunch of Festool stuff and never needed a drill press. That is, until I had to install handles on new bathroom cabinet drawer fronts. After trying multiple ways of getting very accurate holes for the handles, I caved in and bought a drill press. At that point, I knew that it was the only way to get extremely accurate holes in a difficult location. My two drills (and two impact drivers and one hammer drill) wouldn't handle it.

As the old saw goes (pardon the pun), "Knowledge is power". My recommendations:

1) Think about the design of your coffee and bedside tables. If they require straight cut's, table saws will probably work nicely. Lots of curves? Start looking at other tools like band saws, routers, and hand tools - especially hand tools.

2) Consider the space you have available. Lots of space? Start with good table saw. Limited space (like me)? Think track saws and other tools that are designed to work in limited space. Table saws are great, but they take up space. Track saws are much more compact and easier to use when cutting sheet goods.

3) It may take a while to answer this question, but what do you like to use better - power tools or hand tools. Each category has pluses and minuses. Me? I'm a hybrid woodworker. I use both. I typically use power tools for the bulk work and then switch to hand tools for final work.

Since you're interested in building furniture and since you're just starting out, you may want to buy "Hybrid Woodworking" - an ebook by Marc Spagnuolo that covers power tools and hand tools. His website (http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com) covers a lot of different topics, but a lot are about building furniture. Much of his focus in his ebook comes from that perspective.

Most importantly (IMO) the book lists the power and hand tools that Marc thinks are very important, somewhat important, and nice to have. The table saw is first on his list. Then he covers routers, band saws, track saws, sanders, jigsaws, etc. After the main section, he covers "Other Power Tools" (tools of less importance). The drill press is in this section. The final section of the book covers four projects - two are furniture and one is a wall cabinet.

I bought this book. IMO, it is excellent and can give you a lot of good information to help you get started.

Here is a book review: http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/woodworking-tips-1401jan/bookreview.html

If interested, you can get it here: http://www.shopwoodworking.com/hybrid-woodworking-group?cid=5&CAPCID=29578318452&cadevice=c&gclid=CjwKEAiAi52mBRDkq5bX0vq1-RQSJAAq_7IGfmtlhyQoDvyTp0UjxZdmxVkP-GATt5J2HxGpFYtg6xoCjj7w_wcB&CA_6C15C=400007710000031887

Good luck with your choices.

Regards,

Dan.

p.s. Yes, I got the term "hybrid woodworker" from Marc's book. I use it because it accurately describes me.

[Cary Falk]

I don't use my drill press very often. It depends what you make. I say start some projects and plan your tool purchases around them. My top 3 tools ar table saw, jointer , planer. Everybody is different.

[pat warner]

Jigs and fixtures, the life's blood of woodworking, are screwed together. And if you can't drill or measure, you can't make jigs.
Move ahead with your woodworking with a drill press or stay in the dark ages.

[Mike Cutler]

Jack

Welcome to the 'Creek.
I think you definitely need a drill press, but I also think that any homeowner, regardless of woodworking, would benefit in owning one. I can't count the number of times I've drilled and tapped, yes tapped, metal in mine to fix something around the house.
I have an 11" Delta bench top model, circa 1995, that has done a lot for me. It cost about $75.00 new.
Get a small bench top model and a nice set of Bradpoint bits.

Pat's advice is spot on. To do accurate woodworking, you'll need to make accurate jigs and fixtures. A drill press goes a long way towards making this happen. Even a cheap small one like I have.

[Kent A Bathurst]

DP also excellent to have if you plan on a lot of M+T joints - much better accuracy in drilling out the waste before clean-up with the chisel. Unless you get a hollow chisel mortiser, which should not be high on your list.

[David Masters]

You don't need to spend a lot of money on a drill press if you're patient and willing to buy used. I found a nice 12 inch bench top Craftsman for $100 at their warehouse store. Recently bought a Delta 17-950 drill press for around $200 off Craigslist. Over the last year, I've seen many drill presses being sold for $100-$300. I find I'm using a drill press more than expected. My first purchases though were a table saw, planer, jointer, and bandsaw.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Y. I found a nice 12 inch bench top Craftsman for $100 at their warehouse store. .

Dunno if I could personally go with a craftsman, but in general, I have often thought about getting a second DP - small, bench-top, to sit right behind me when I am at my workbench. LIght-weight tasks that don't need my old-arn PM 1150, that is across the shop. Betcha it could handle 50% of what I want the DP to do. Thinking about a used Delta 300L - var speed, 102v. Or, a rebuilt Walker-Turner, just because they look so cool...............

So - if the OP starts with a small benchtop, it might not be wasted $$ if / when he goes to a big-time floor model.

[Frederick Skelly]

Welcome Jack!

I use my drill press on a lot of projects. I build small and medium furniture, decorative boxes and shop furniture/fixtures/jigs. It was the second stationary tool I bought. (Tablesaw was first.) I have never been good at drilling perpendicular holes with a hand drill. I agree you can make do with a benchtop model if needed.

All the best,
Fred

[Earl McLain]

A few folks mentioned Craigslist and other used sources. I'd agree that a drill press is relatively low priority compared to many other tools, but if you stumble on a deal--take it. Bought my first DP before i had some other essentials covered, it was a 13" Chicago "benchtop" that had spent some years in a machine shop. Built in 1980 (old Harbor Freight?). Paid $80, used it way more than i thought i would, drilled true holes. Used it for 3 years and sold it this fall for $150 after i got a 17" Delta for $300. No question the Delta was a huge step up, but with the exception of the project i was working on when i bought it--that 13" would have satisfied 95% of my needs for the rest of my life. The Delta will probably handle 98%. A 20" Powermatic 1200 would probably handle 99%. That last 1%...i think i'll pass on those projects!!

earl

[Jack Hubbard]

Thanks everyone for your advice and input. I can already tell joining Saw Mill Creek was a good idea and will be an invaluable resource. After considering all your comments and doing some more research I think I will invest in a bench top press. I already have a table saw and some of the other tools you all have recommended as a higher priority so I think a drill press will be a good addition. Especially considering I've learned over the past few days than hand drilling perfect holes isn't exactly my strong suit. Thanks again everyone for your advice. Cheers.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Thanks everyone for your advice and input. I can already tell joining Saw Mill Creek was a good idea and will be an invaluable resource. After considering all your comments and doing some more research I think I will invest in a bench top press. I already have a table saw and some of the other tools you all have recommended as a higher priority so I think a drill press will be a good addition. Especially considering I've learned over the past few days than hand drilling perfect holes isn't exactly my strong suit. Thanks again everyone for your advice. Cheers.

Jack - that's great. Good luck - keep in touch.

In terms of "an invaluable resource", would you be willing to dial that back to, say, a lousy 6 bucks resource? That will help keep the lights on, and make you An Esteemed Contributor.

[Thomas Canfield]

I find that I use my drill press a lot and have upgraded from a 12" benchtop, to a 16.5" floor to a 17" floor, all Delta and new. Doing it again, I would suggest going used and buy the best quality one can get and plan to upgrade if you do not find the one you want at first. A drill press table with fence and some hold downs are important also. I used my drill press last couple of weeks drilling over 400 little 1/8" D holes in crosses and also using a 3-1/8" Forstner bit to make a flat spot on several bowl blanks. Getting a wide range of speeds and also a long quill travel are important, and not found on the smaller bench top units. All that said, a drill press is important to me and was one of my first major purchases (and one of the cheapest), but definitely not the last.

[Brian W Smith]

Benchtops have their place.......you are already finding one.They are usually an inexpensive way to see how it'll interface with your shops work profile.Now,let's say you love it and are ready to invest in that big 20"er or whatever?Don't think that you have to necessarily get rid of the benchtop.They are very useful for second ops(countersinking)......they can be used as a poor man's tapping machine.......the really cheap ones make pretty good paint stir'ers.

DP's are an excellent example of equipment that you need to watch for.Meaning,you know there's going to probably be a "need" for one down the rd at some point.So,educate yourself on them(we're a WT shop),and keep an eye out for a nice used pce,hopefully on the cheaper side.

[Ole Anderson]

I have a 30 year old floor model single belt 15" Craftsman that I consider invaluable. Not much to add to what has already been said, so I will just say Welcome to the Creek!

[David C. Roseman]

Thanks everyone for your advice and input. I can already tell joining Saw Mill Creek was a good idea and will be an invaluable resource. After considering all your comments and doing some more research I think I will invest in a bench top press. I already have a table saw and some of the other tools you all have recommended as a higher priority so I think a drill press will be a good addition. Especially considering I've learned over the past few days than hand drilling perfect holes isn't exactly my strong suit. Thanks again everyone for your advice. Cheers.

Welcome, Jack. I'll add my two cents. A benchtop DP is a fine way to go. Be sure to kick the tires, though, on whatever bench or floor model you look at, as some of the cheaper ones, at HF and the big box stores, can have so much runout and slop in the quill and spindle assembly that you'll end up being frustrated trying to drill round holes in anything but soft wood. Also, if you have the floor space, consider a floor model, which will be more versatile for you in the long run. Don't think you need to spend a lot to get something worthwhile. Mike Schuch in post #7 mentioned the HF 17" DP. http://www.harborfreight.com/16-speed-floor-drill-press-43389.html I already have a nice floor-standing DP, but last year I was doing a production run of some things that required switching back and forth between jigs on my DP. Was thinking how handy it would be to have a second DP. I happened to have 25% HF coupon, and saw the HF 17" DP on sale. Ran out and picked one up for around $290, which would have been worth it to me if I rarely even had another use for it. I've been amazed at how powerful, quiet and accurate it's proven to be. I notice the reviews on the HF website seem to be decent as well. I'd avoid the small HF benchtop models. YMMV

BTW, here's a quick "down and dirty" way to check for slop in the quill and spindle assemblies when you're looking at inexpensive DPs. Lower the spindle to near the bottom of its travel, then with your other hand trying wiggling it back and forth. The more wiggle, the more slop to affect the accuracy of your drilling.

[Brian Tymchak]

Late to the party as usual - Welcome Jack!

I have a Jet 12" benchtop (JDP-12) that does almost everything I want (just a home hobbyist at this point.) One drawback that I've bumped into though - there have been times when I want to use a larger bit. My Jet only throttles down to about 550 rpm, which is a little high sometimes particularly in hard woods. I can still get the job done usually without burning the wood, but I have to take extra special care and time to keep the bit cool. I don't know of any benchtop that will get down to 200-250 rpm that I would like to have for large bits.

[glenn bradley]

Welcome! I would be one of those guys that uses a drill press often. I also would caution you on running out and getting one before you get a little further down the road. If my woodworking interests would have taken a different path I might use a DP but seldom. Even though I have a DP and used to have a couple, I often find that something like this (http://www.biggatortools.com/products.html) serves me well in many situations. I have the "Standard V-DrillGuide® - STD1000DGNP"

[Mark Carlson]

I use my drill press all the time. Started with a bench top and then moved to a General 34-01. I had an ebay alert setup for Generals and I just got an alert for one in RI. I'd buy that if I was any where near RI and didnt already have one.

~mark

[Rick Potter]

I used to use my drill press as a spindle sander quite a bit. Check you tube for some ideas.

[Scott Vigder]

Dunno if I could personally go with a craftsman, but in general, I have often thought about getting a second DP - small, bench-top, to sit right behind me when I am at my workbench.

I bought that same Craftsman a year ago. It works great for furniture projects.

[Gary Herrmann]

I went quite awhile without a DP. If you're gonna be a power tool woodworker, start with a TS or BS. A hand drill and a square will work for a long time.

When it comes to a DP, as with most tools - I'd recommend a used floor model over a new bench model. If you feel you really need a DP, tell us what your uses will be, and you'll get plenty of good advice here.

[Kent A Bathurst]

............I have often thought about getting a second DP - small, bench-top, to sit right behind me when I am at my workbench.........

Sorry to quote myself.............

Sheer coincidence. Just connected with a guy from C/L. He has a Rockwell 11-280 benchtop radial DP. Wants to trade for a GPS. Strange set of circumstances over 18 months left me with three in as-new condition. No one I know wants one.

So - am making arrangements for inspection and a trade. And - a radial?? That oughta be cool.

[Rick Potter]

Kent,

If that is the lightweight bench top radial, you might want to check it for flex. I had the Delta version about 20 years ago, and got rid of it for that reason. Drilling larger holes puts a lot of pressure on the head, and the tubes flex.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Rick - thanks. Yeah - that's the critter.

I'm willing to live with some reasonable limitations - will keep my old-arn PM. The upside - I got 2 spare GPS units in a drawer. No one I know wants one - much less 2. And, for the life of me, I cannot figure out make holes in wood with either one - before they put the nicker blade on them, I guess.

[Joe Craven]

Jack, welcome aboard - this site is a great resource.

Not that you haven't gotten enough feedback already, but after ~10 years as a hobbyist, I recently added a benchtop DP now that I have plenty of room in a new shop. I find myself using it all the time for various purposes...most recently to pre-drill some holes to keep small parts from splitting in a couple of different jigs I needed last weekend. I bought the Skil 3320-01...it's well-reviewed on Amazon and cost me $126.47 shipped. In hindsight and like others have commented, I should have probably gone w/ a floor-standing model; I've already had one need where that benchtop DP just didn't have the capacity.

[Brian Henderson]

It depends on what you do, I use my DP all the time. In fact, I'm currently building a present for my youngest daughter's birthday next week and I spent a considerable amount of time on Sunday drilling holes and countersinking holes with the DP. I'd never go without it, it's one of the tools I use most regularly in the shop.

[Garth Almgren]

Stay away from the Harbor Freight 8" drill press... it is too small to be of any real practical use.
I'll second that, with the caveat that it depends on what you're going to be using it for. In my case the 8" was WAY too small for just about anything I wanted to do, but it was just the right size for the jewelry maker that I sold it to.

[Von Bickley]

I have a Delta bench top model that I have mounted on a designated stand. Works for me......