Tool review: Floor-standing Drill Presses

 

Floor-standing Drill Presses

Like a great character actor, a drill press doesn't enjoy the glamour or glory of a tablesaw or router, but it often still plays a critical -- and often underappreciated -- role in building projects. That's especially true when it comes to drilling precisely angled holes or multiple holes to the same depth.

For most routine drilling duties, a benchtop model packs sufficient capacity and power. (See our review of these models in the November 2007 issue.) But for the most demanding tasks, such as boring deep mortises, plowing a 3" Forstner bit into hardwoods, or drilling into the end of a long workpiece (think: lamp), you'll want to step up to a floor-standing drill press. To help you get the most for your money, we shop-tested models in the 16-18" class. (That figure refers to "swing" capacity -- the maximum width of workpiece into which you can drill to the center -- measured by doubling the distance from the front of the support column to the center of the chuck.)