Portable drill press for hand drills

[David Buchhauser]

Here are some photos showing the drill. The name plate indicates 450 rpm, but the actual measured speed is 425 rpm.
I think I paid around $800 for this drill back in 2018. Current price looks to be around $1000. This is a quality product made in USA.

David

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Here is the spindle drive detail.

Slot Drive Arbor.jpg

And here is what it looks like in the normal configuration for drilling precision holes into steel, aluminum, etc.

hougen mag drill using annular cutter.jpg

[Aaron Inami]

Hi David. Thanks for posting all your pics and details on that Hougen. In my research, Hougen is one of the top brands for mag drills, but unfortunately, all their drills are single speed. I ended up renting a Baileigh mag drill locally (same size as your Hougen), and I actually started a new thread here to document my experiences. I was surprised on how many forum users posted somewhat negative responses, even after stating that I had already rented this mag drill. The common feeling from these forum users was "Why the !#Q@%$ are you looking at a mag drill?!?! You should be using proper woodworking tools instead!" I have not bothered responding further on that thread because it feels like defending my choice of tool. I have already finished my project and the mag drill worked absolutely beautifully! It's unfortunate that some users have somewhat narrow minds (Tom King being the exception).

Anyways, thanks David. Oh, my comments on hole saw capability were for future reference. My current project did not require hole saws, but I thought it would be useful for others and future projects where one might want to use a mag drill when using a hole saw in the middle of a sheet.

[David Buchhauser]

Aaron - thanks for your response. With regard to needing 2 speeds, was this for a slower speed or faster speed than 450 rpm? I also had one of the larger Hougen mag drills with 2 speeds and power feed. As I recall the slow speed was around 300 rpm. If you wouldn't mind, perhaps post a few photos of your project showing your mag drill setup and the actual holes you drilled. If you don't want to post them here, you can email me to keep them private.
Thanks,
David

[David Buchhauser]

Aaron - I did receive your emails with photos and video. Your finished table top looks great!! That is exactly the way I would have done it (mag drill mounted to steel plate). I'm not sure why others here would not consider the method as a viable alternative to using drill jigs, routers, etc.
Thanks,
David