Hi all,
I'm looking for a recommendation for a drill press. I've never owned a drill press and am not familiar with the different brands/features/tradeoffs at various price points.
I need the machine to:
- Support general-purpose furniture making.
- Drill into wood 99% of the time, mostly American hardwoods.
- Drill into metal 1% of the time, mostly aluminum but very rarely steel. It's okay if the machine is a pain in the ass to setup for metal drilling.
- Drill directly down. The machine doesn't need innately support angles or anything else fancy. It's okay if I need to build/buy a jig if this need ever arises.
- Remove material for wide (2"+) and deep (3"+) mortises that will be cleaned up with a chisel. So large-diameter Forstner bits going deep into hardwood. This will be a common use case. I don't want a dedicated mortiser.
- Drill reasonably quickly: I don't want to have to wrestle with the machine when drilling into difficult wood. It's okay if it's tedious to drill into metal.
- Drill straight: I want minimal drift (or whatever it's called) as the drill reaches the end of its range. I don't want random out-of-plumb mortise walls.
- Last a long time: I'm willing to pay more for a machine that will function well for 20+ years.
- Work with either 120v/15a or 240v/15a power. I only have single-phase 240v.
- Be available now: I'm not interested in hunting Cragslist or Facebook for months looking for a vintage machine that may never appear.
- Benchtop vs floor: Doesn't really matter, though I'll need to build a dedicated cabinet/bench for a benchtop model since my actual workbench space is far too valuable. I'm okay doing this if it cuts the price significantly.
- Cost...no idea. I'd think a machine for my use case would be relatively inexpensive, but I see prices all over the place. What's the best option at <=$500? <=$1000? <=$2000? Why would a higher price point be worth it given my requirements?
Thanks,
Jordan