Need help choosing benchtop drill press

[Louis Brandt]

Hello,
I want to build some shelves, and I want to use “holes and pins” for the shelf supports. I don’t have a drill press, but I’d like to get one for this job, and I don’t want to do the drilling with a hand drill. I don’t want to invest in a floor standing press, because I won’t have that many other projects for it, but I do want a decent quality benchtop model.
So, if I were to buy an inexpensive 10 inch benchtop model at the Borg (say a Hitachi or Ryobi or Delta), do I need to be careful in choosing one? For instance, for a simple job like drilling a series of holes for shelf pins, do I need to check into things like run-out? And would I need a drill press that will accommodate a fence so that my shelf holes will be perfectly aligned, or is there a way to easily do this without a fence?
Thanks,
Louis

[Jamie Buxton]

If you really want to buy a drill press, go ahead. But I have one and don't use it for shelf pins. There's two issues. First, if the bookcase is tall, you've got a long lever trying to fall down when you're drilling the end pins. Second, I find that drill bits tend to make splinters and chip-out at the the entrance. I use a plunge router and a template guide. It gets around both of the above issues very nicely. On top of that, if you already have the router the guide will cost you less than the drill press.

Many companies make this sort of thing, but Woodhaven's is a good one at a good price: http://www.woodhaven.com/ProductDetail.asp?Id=1893

[Charles Wiggins]

I agree with Jamie. In fact, I think the shelf-pin operation is much quicker and easier with a good jig, the right bit and a power drill. I bought Rockler's shelf-pin drill jig and it's really great (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?Offerings_ID=5876).

I really like that it provides choices on set-back, and can be used aligning against the edge or on an overlay setup. Plus if you want to use shelf-pin sleeves you can purchase a bit for that.

[Josh Youngman]

I agree that drill press is not the tool for the job. Ive used the Rockler jig (you can make one yourself easily) and vix bit, it works well.

Amazon has $50 off the hitachi benchtop drill press (making it $100) i dont know anything about it though.

[Graham Skinner]

At work we use a jig made from a strip of 1/4" hard board with 2 lines of holes drilled in it (to act a guides for the drill bit), the drill bit has a stop fixed to it so that you dont go in to deep.
(the stop is just a small length if 1-1/2" by 1-1/2" pine with the bit drilled all the way through, to make it just cut the pine a little longer than you need, drill a hole all the way through the centre so you can see a tip sticking out, the other end of the pine should be against the chuck so it cant slide back when you start drilling, and then take the pine off the drill and cut it to the right size for the depth you want but remember to add 1/4" for the thickness of the hard board:) ).
And of course this jig costs very little money to make.

Hope that this is helpfull.

[John Keane]

I agree with all that a drill press is the wrong tool for this job. Buy the Rockler jig-it or make your own. forhgot to mention that I have both a Delta 10" and a Hitachi 16 1/2". I use them both. The Hitachi is a good drill press.

[Louis Brandt]

Hello again,
Well, this may sound stupid, but I'll have to follow my original question with this one. If a drill press isn't an appropriate tool for drilling a series of holes (as I wanted to do), then what are the primary uses of a drill press? As several have pointed out, I could drill the shelf holes with a hand drill, but couldn't I drill almost anything with a hand drill? I'm now wondering what most woodworkers use their drill presses for.
Thanks again,
Louis

[Lance Norris]

A drill press provides accuracy. Much easier to drill perfectly 90 degree holes in something. I also use mine to cut screw plugs. Try that with a hand drill. I also spindle sand with mine. I sure wouldnt trade it for any hand drill.

[frank shic]

louis, i bought my ridgid drill press several years ago thinking that i'd be using it to bore shelf pin holes, mortises as well as boring more accurate holes but i realized that it was way to slow for boring shelf pin holes and the mortising attachment didn't work too well either. i wound up fitting a euro-eze 35mm european hinge boring attachment to it. if you want to bore shelf pin holes efficiently and accurately, check out the J&R shelf pin jig mentioned at the following site:

http://32mm.dalrun.com/System_Tools/Drilling/mbjigs.html

it is hands down the best one that i've encountered. much faster than router driven jigs like the festool and much faster than the lee valley 32 system, although nothing compares to a line bore drill like the one delta makes.

[Charles Wiggins]

Hello again,
Well, this may sound stupid, but I'll have to follow my original question with this one. If a drill press isn't an appropriate tool for drilling a series of holes (as I wanted to do), then what are the primary uses of a drill press? As several have pointed out, I could drill the shelf holes with a hand drill, but couldn't I drill almost anything with a hand drill? I'm now wondering what most woodworkers use their drill presses for.
Thanks again,
Louis

Drill presses have their purposes. As mentioned, you can achieve a high degree of accuracy, especially if you need to drill at a specific angle, or if you need to drill identical holes in multiple pieces. You can also use them for drum sanding or mortising. They're great for cutting plugs out of hardwood. I tried doing that with my 1/2 hp craftsman drill in a drill stand and it was a fiasco. I ended up going over to my BIL's and using his DP.

It's just that shelf pins is one of those operations that is better done with a jig and hand drill.

If you really want to get the DP and this was your excuse, go for it if you can afford it. I don't own one, so I can't make a specific recommendation, but a lot of guys seem to like Grizzly. Or maybe you could find a good used DP in your local ads, or on Craig's List (http://sfbay.craigslist.org/).

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Louis, As you have heard, drill presses will give you accuracy and repeatiblity but they are too slow for production rate. Drill holes for shelves you'll want to do it quickly and realitively accurately. I'm with the others, make a jig or buy one..

But if you do want a drill press, one thing I'd look at is the quill travel distance. My first one would only travel 2" which limited my drilling depth to 2" unless I wanted to drill 2" move the table finish the hole. I'd look at one with at least 4" of quill travel.

[Matt P]

Fine Woodworking's 2008 Tool Review issue has benchtop drill press ratings.. If I recall, the Grizzly was considered a good value.

[Craig D Peltier]

Fine Woodworking's 2008 Tool Review issue has benchtop drill press ratings.. If I recall, the Grizzly was considered a good value.
Your right it was top rated.

[Mike Marcade]

The latest issue of Wood magazine (November '07 I think) had a sweet roundup of many benchtop drill presses. Check it out.

[Hank Wangford]

The latest issue of Wood magazine (November '07 I think) had a sweet roundup of many benchtop drill presses. Check it out.

Yeah, I remember that!
Loads of Bench Drill Press Reviews (http://drillpress-reviews.info/tag/bench-drill-press/) in that issue.

[Jerome Hanby]

If you have a plunge router, then I'd say a jig is the way to go. If you build the jig to work in conjunction with a template guide and chose one large enough then you can use different size bits for the two sizes of pins and a a slightly larger bit for sleeves (which I now use on all shelf holes, Google for them in bulk, you'll go broke buying them from Rockler).

[David Hostetler]

While I won't try to talk you out of buying a drill press, as I have one and use it all the time, I will say that is the wrong tool for the job you are wanting to do...

I use a hand drill, with a 1/4" bit and stop collar to drill the holes, and I use peg board cut offs for drilling guides. Works perfectly every time, just center up 2 holes and clamp it in place and you are good to go!

One model worth consideration is the Central Machinery #38142. I know HF gets a LOT of grief over their stuff, but this one is commonly considered the diamond hidden in the dirt pile... It is basically a full size drill press on a shorter column. 16 speeds, gear drive raise / lower table, 3-1/8" quill travel etc...

[Jim Rimmer]

Note that the original post is 4 years old.

[glenn bradley]

Hello again,
Well, this may sound stupid, but I'll have to follow my original question with this one. If a drill press isn't an appropriate tool for drilling a series of holes (as I wanted to do), then what are the primary uses of a drill press? As several have pointed out, I could drill the shelf holes with a hand drill, but couldn't I drill almost anything with a hand drill? I'm now wondering what most woodworkers use their drill presses for.
Thanks again,
Louis

In case it add value for any other folks who are surfing the archives . . . . Forstner (and any other large) bits. Any precision drilling; that is, drilling that will not tolerate the errant motions of hand drilling. A 1/4" hole that has to actually be 1/4" in diameter and 1" deep for example; not going to happen if drilled by hand. Any angled drilling that requires accuracy. Hole saws, circle cutters. Many repeated holes the same place in a lot of pieces. The list goes on. Obviously, like so many things we talk about here, the importance and / or value of something will be directly proportional to what you are doing and how often you do it ;-)

[Don Bullock]

Louis, As you have heard, drill presses will give you accuracy and repeatiblity but they are too slow for production rate. Drill holes for shelves you'll want to do it quickly and realitively accurately. I'm with the others, make a jig or buy one..

But if you do want a drill press, one thing I'd look at is the quill travel distance. My first one would only travel 2" which limited my drilling depth to 2" unless I wanted to drill 2" move the table finish the hole. I'd look at one with at least 4" of quill travel.

As usual Ken is right on the mark with his response. A jig for this purpose would be far faster, easier and perhaps even more accurate.

I fully agree too about quill travel being important when purchasing a drill press. My biggest purchase mistake in my shop was buying a bench top drill press. It was one of those impulse buys. I had my wife convinced that I needed one and she figured out a way to pay for it. While I find my drill press to be useful the quill travel is very limiting. I should have saved those dollars and put together enough to buy a floor model. The one I wanted at the time was the only one that had 6" quill travel. I think there are others on the market today with that much travel.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Don,

That was my voice of experience speaking.....I have a benchtop drillpress with 2" of travel sitting in my shed.....not my shop. My Jet D/P in the shop has a lot more travel.

[Victor Robinson]

Wish I understood the importance of travel when I bought my benchtop model. It's going to be replaced one of these days...

[Hank Wangford]

True, but bench drill press reviews (http://drillpress-reviews.info/tag/bench-drill-press/) are always helpful, no matter what the age of the thread

;)