I’m looking to get my first drill press and I’m not sure if I should get a benchtop or floor model for my small garage workshop. If I get a benchtop drill press I could build a moveable stand – an advantage given my space limitations – but I don’t know if it will be sufficiently versatile and powerful for amateur woodworking, e.g., building pieces of furniture, built-ins and cabinets for my house. A floor model might be more than I need, though, and would cost more. I’m looking at the Jet JDP-15B Benchtop 15″ drill press and the Jet JDP-17 17″ 3/4HP drill press. Both are currently on sale, the 15″ at $679 and 17″ at $849, but the 15″ is out of stock with a delivery date of late July. A prior version of the 15″, the JDP-15M, was rated Best Overall in a 2007 FWW tool review.
My questions:
1) Is it worth the extra $170 (plus tax) to get the floor model?
2) Does anyone have experience with a Jet drill press?
Thanks in advance for any thoughts or recommendations.
Replies
I am also space-limited. I split the diff with a benchtop radial drill press. (use the google) and mounted it on a base cabinet. The movable head lets me use it as it sits, and also pulls out past the cabinet for taller items. It is not as rigid as a true floor model DP but does the job for the few times I need it. I built the cabinet with a vertical right below the press so I can add a clamping setup outboard of the cabinet when I need it.
Jet makes the 15 inch drill press in both benchtop and floor standing. Have you considered the floor model JDP-15F? It's priced at $765 right now.
If I was in the market for a drill press, that would be near the top of my list.
Mike
The footprint is about the same. The things that are important to me in a drill press will be different for you. Quill stability is job one. Most drill presses today in a hobbyist's price range are a bit sloppy. This includes some popular $1500 tier machines.
Second on my hit list is quill control; how good is the depth stop / quill lock. I added a shop made one to replace my Delta's poor implementation of the collar version.
Power, table versatility, ease of speed changes and all that comes in to play but, to avoid getting lost in the details. A benchtop would do most of what I need doing if it had at least a 16" - 18" swing and somewhere near a 1HP motor. I sent a 14" down the highway but, a 15" that was stellar otherwise could make me change how I do things a little to adapt to it.
Larger swings generally step up to a floor model but, the footprint is similar to a benchtop standing on a bench and often smaller. Either has options for shop made storage. I built this straddling base that sets on top of the DP's mobile base back in 2015 and it has worked out well. A benchtop could stand on top of a similar cabinet on locking wheels.
@GeeBubBee
Thanks for the great info on what to look for in a DP. I've never used one, so this is all new to me. That's a really sweet cabinet you built - great way to expand your storage, which there's never enough of in a small shop.
I had a cheap bench top model, and it really soured me. It went to the curb, and I didn't use a drill press for years. I ended up buying a floor model Ridgid about a dozen years ago. It does exactly what it should do, and I have no complaints.
If I had to do it again, I would look for a variable speed model -- and I'm not even sure they exist. But I change bits back and forth on a project, and changing the belts to adjust speed every time gets old. I would pay more for electronic variable speed, for sure.
I had a benchtom model for years and practically never used it. The biggest limitation for me was the down-travel distance of the chuck.
The bench press had a ridiculous 2.5" travel (that's much less than it sounds) and even floor presses are usually 3”-3¼", which is also often not enough.
I got a Ridgid recently and it's got 4" travel. I used that more in 6 months than I used the bench model in 3 years.
@LWK69 Glad to help. It is easy to get buried in the details. We all do things differently and evolve our use of tools in certain ways.
Drill presses are such a curiosity to me when it comes to manufacturers choices. This is a very basic tool that only requires some decent care and quality control to make well.
Despite this, makers offer a plethora of poorly made products at mainstream prices. Should it really cost as much as a vastly more complicated cabinet saw to make a decent drill press?
There are some gems out there but, they hit price points that can give first time buyers pause. The Powermatic 2800-B solved a lot of the failures of the 2800 but, a friend still had to take one back and check individual units at the store to get one he would keep. The poor thing only gets 2-1/2 stars, and that's on the Powermatic site!?!
The Nova Voyager gets a lot of high praise and passes all the "test" items that make a DP go or no-go for me. The high tech puts some folks off as the more there is, the more can go wrong philosophy is not wrong. I'd probably still go for one if I were ready to spend $1500 on a DP. Unfortunately they cut corners in the wrong places (for me) on the Viking bench top model; that depth stop is just awkward.
The point of all this is to try to simplify your choices, not overload you. Make a list:
1- Budget (it is so easy to nickle and dime your way to twice the price you intended to spend).
2- Features in order of importance (my lettered list follows).
3- Opinions of owners (the forums are great for specific "How do you like your Whiz-Bang model 3021-Z?" type threads).
My short list:
a. Quill stability (if I fully extend the quill and can move it clunkity-clunk from side to side, I move on. Unless someone has just setup a split-head DP totally wrong nothing will fix that).
b. Swing (this is not the place to get hung up on big numbers if you don't need them. Making a 14" machine rock solid is a different matter than doing the same for a 20" machine. If you don't need a lot of throat depth, don't pay for what it takes to make that well).
c. Ease of speed changes (variable speed is trick but, a good belt changing system is so simple. If the changes aren't easy, you won't do it which leads to sub-optimal results and cutter damage).
d. Adequate power (1/2 HP spins a 6" circle cutter on my machine but I sure wouldn't turn away more power).
I add woodworking tables to my DP's so as long as the table goes up and down easily, I'm good. My current machine has a nice woodworking focused table that tilts forward and back on trunnions as well as left to right in the traditional way. Its great but, I did have to make a couple parts for it that failed and no parts are available.
Still my lowly Delta 17-950 performs well enough to keep me from upgrading due to the current offerings. That being said, I would still take a hard look at the Delta 18-900 if I was going to buy today. At the other end of the price ladder Grizzly has a 14" that htey offer in floor and bench models that has won many reviews through its proven, although basic design.
@GeeBubBee
Excellent response full of lots of things to chew on. Budget is definitely a consideration for a retiree like me. But I'm also a firm believer in buying quality, i.e., you get what you pay for (not always true, but often enough).
A couple of quick follow-ups:
1) Both 15" models have a swing of 15" and the 17" model's is 16 7/8. From my research, I'm guessing 15" is acceptable?
2) The spindle/quill travel for the 15" models is 3 1/8"; 4" for the 17". It makes sense you want to have the capability to drill a deeper hole if necessary, but is 3 1/8" sufficient for most applications?
Thanks again to all for their helpful replies. As a relative newbie I rely on FWW and it's subscribers for great info and comments I can trust.
Remember that 3 1/8" includes the space between the bit and the workpiece. So in the best case you'll be able to make a 3" hole.
Whether that's enough for you - only you can decide based on the type of work you'll be doing. Anything under 3 1/2" was unacceptable to me when I was shopping for a drill press upgrade. But based on the offerings in the market - I seem to be in the minority :)
First, apologies to everyone for the previous long-winded ramble. The coffee must've kicked in or something ;-)
I have seriously thought about falling back to a 15" when I upgrade as larger machines just seem to not be in the offering at the stability level of the 15". I am speaking of the last couple of years or offerings.
As to quill stroke, a long stroke is very important to some, not so much to others. Some folks, like my dad for example, want a long quill stroke to avoid having to move the table up and down. A long quill stroke is not really a viable replacement for table relocation but, let's not start down that road.
The 3-1/8" is a bit short but, this is the distance that you will be able to move the tip of your cutter. If you drill through material thicker than about 3" (probably not an everyday occurrence) this will require a table adjustment assuming your bit is long enough.
It can be frustrating to not get cut and dry answers on some of these things but, the answer is "it depends". I do not have problems with my 3-1/2" (IIRC) stroke. I have had to make adjustments on occasion to drill deeper holes but, they are the exception. I hope this helps you narrow it down ;-)
@GeeBubBee
Please, no apologies necessary. Given that I've never used a drill press I need all the information I can get my hands on before shelling out several hundred dollars! So, the longer the explanation of what to consider and look for, the better.
I went back to the FWW 2007 tool review of 9 benchtop DP's and the quill strokes ranged from 3" to 3 1/4", so apparently not much has changed in 13 years.
Here's where I'm at:
1) The Jet 15" benchtop and floor models have identical specs other than the obvious (comparison on Jet's website)
2) The Jet 16 1/2" and 17" floor models are incrementally larger that the 15" (duh). The quill stroke on the 16 1/2" is 4 3/8" and 5" on the 17". Couple of differences with the 16 1/2", though: the table is round and it can be wired for 230. Not sure what market it's aimed at, but the round table is a deal breaker for me, even though I'll probably add a supplemental table with a fence eventually.
3) Of the several projects in progress/upcoming where I would use a DP, none would be hindered by the 3 1/8" quill stroke of the 15". Murphy's Law, however, dictates that if I get that model I'll immediately need the 5" quill stroke of the 17". :)
4) I have to decide by the 31st when the sale at Rockler and Woodcraft ends. Only the 15" floor model is in stock - the 15" benchtop or 17" won't be delivered until late July. Not a huge deal, but you know how it goes when you're getting a new tool - yesterday is too long to wait.
My thanks, again, for all the great comments.
LWK59, I feel your pain. I agree with many of the above comments. I am retired and getting back into woodworking in a major way. A year ago, I decided to get rid of my old Delta benchtop DP. After much thinking, I decided against a floor stand model, for price and moveability reasons -- and also, I was frank with myself in realizing that I'm not a pro and am not contemplating building furniture that would require the extended quill travel and the option to drill into the ends of long boards.
I chose a Jet JWDP-12, which is entirely adequate for my needs. The spindle travel (i.e., quill) is 3-1/8, plenty of depth for my projects that mostly involve 3/4 to 8/4 wood. The quill is adequate. I suspect there is some wobble, but I'm not looking for tolerances in the .001 range. (In contrast, during college I worked as a metal machinist where the industrial DPs we worked with had tolerances measured in that range.)
Also, my DP has variable speed between 530-3100 RPM, which is very handy when switching from Forstner bits to brad-point, and to accommodate hardwoods vs softwoods (and aluminum).
Hope this adds to your knowledge!
Awk, I wouldn't worry about the shape of the table too much. I have never put a workpiece directly on the DO table. There is always a sacrificial piece or something else in between.
Look at the bottom of the table though, whatever the shape. I often clamp workpieces to the table. Are there good spots for clamps to sit, or are there obstructions in the casting that makes it awkward to seat clamps?
As if I haven't talked enough already. Even though my table is designed for woodworking and would work well alone, I added a table to it. Whether the table was round or square I would have fastened it more or less the same way, threaded inserts and bolts/washers from below.
I am not telling you to get a round tabled machine. I am just agreeing with John_C2_ that the table shape would not put me off an otherwise desirable machine.
Depending on how your bench top machine (if you go that way) is mounted you can always loosen the head and swing it to the side to get clearance for long-stock drilling jobs. I have needed the floor standing height exactly once in over a dozen years of use.
The following pics show:
- the table mounted from below.
- The insert being offset to maximize use (four corners versus one center area).
- The value of a split face fence for detail and in-close work.
- The forward/backward tilt (great feature and design, mediocre components).
Nova Voyager. The ease of use makes you want to use it. Light years ahead of everything else.
I think they make a bench top version too. The "Viking" or something.
But the Voyager is worth the money.
@GeeBubBee
That is an awesome table! It looks way better than any commercial DP table I've seen. Just from this table I can see you're a meticulous woodworker.
@John_C2 and @GeeBubBee
Good point about the shape of the table. My only thought was that a round table might not support a rectangular supplemental table as well.
@Ben_TarrytownNY
I did look at the Nova Viking, but at $949 plus shipping and tax it's well beyond my budget. Woodcraft also has a note that it's out of stock until August - was everyone buying DP's during the lockdown?
@ggdevine
"...I was frank with myself in realizing that I'm not a pro and am not contemplating building furniture that would require the extended quill travel and the option to drill into the ends of long boards."
Boy, you and I are in exactly the same situation, except I never did any woodworking until *after* I retired! I've spent the last 3 years replacing the woodwork in my 1925 bungalow as well as refinishing 11 doors, a built-in china cupboard and the kitchen woodwork that I didn't replace. I'm just now starting on my next phase of learning woodworking by building a somewhat ambitious (for me) built-in cabinets/bookcases/desk unit for my office. After that I've planned a cabinets/bookcases/mantel surround for the new fireplace in my living room. Ultimately, though, I want to graduate to "real" woodworking by building some Arts and Crafts furniture. I have thoroughly enjoyed learning to work with wood (even though all I've done so far is mostly trim carpentry) - I just wish I had taken this up years ago! To me, this has been an extremely rewarding way to spend my days (especially now) and beats setting in a rocker on the porch by a mile.
Now I'm going to have to apologize for a long post, but I doubled checked the FWW Mission-style bed that I'd eventually like to make and none of the parts exceed the 3 1/8" quill travel of the 15" DP, so that's what I'm going to purchase.
Thanks again for your help.
I too am a retiree looking to get started in woodworking and thinking about tools. This thread on drill press selection has been very helpful in that regard. It is reassuring that experienced people are willing and able to offer their advice with such humble generosity.
The posts by GeeDubBee that include pictures of his drill press table are gold. I am saving those pictures as a guide for attempting this myself.
Thanks to all.
Russ
About the only things I can add to what’s been said is:
I’d suggest looking for a used machine that’s still in good shape. I’ve had a Craftsman drill press for about 40 years now and it’s still pretty much like new despite being the 2nd most used tool in my shop. And it’s better than most made today.
Don’t get too hung up on quill travel unless you definitely know you’ll need it. If you were able to find a DP with 7” travel you’ll find occasions when you need 7-1/2”, there are ways to drill deeper when the need arises. Besides most bits aren’t capable of reliably drilling much more than 3”.
I’d look closely at: 1) runout (pull the chuck to various angles and feel for movement), 2) how smoothly everything moves (if it binds now it’ll only get worse) and 3) the chuck (most are near junk these days) accept the fact to achieve really precise drilling you’ll need to replace the it (I recommend a 5/8” chuck, it’s rarely needed but a lifesaver when you do.)
If you get a belt-drive replace the belts with link belts, the DP with operate smoother.
Bench top vs floor model? I’m very glad I got the floor model. The times I’ve had to drill vertically are relatively few, but it was really handy.
I have owned the Jet JDP-17 for a few years and I am quite happy with it. Because of some of the work I do, the quill stroke was the key thing for me--it's actually 5", which is an inch or more greater than anything else under about $1200 as far as I was aware at the time. The table has flat edges so you can clamp to it, and T slots milled into the table as well as cut-outs. I had planned to make an aux table for it, but just never felt I needed to (I did add a fence).
Yes, the belt changes are a hassle, but you have to spend a lot more to get variable speed. I looked at other long-travel machines (mostly 6"), but I think the Jet was 85% as good for about 2/3 of the price. For me it was a big win.
I know this is an older thread, but if my experience helps enlighten someone looking for their first drill press, then that's good enough.
I agonized for weeks as I researched buying my first new drill press. I finally landed on the JET JDP15, to which it took me a week to be honest with myself and answer the question of "benchtop" or "floor" model. I went with the floor model ... but since both models have the same head unit, the problem I have could happen on either model.
I bought my JDP-15F from Rockler a little over a month ago. The problem I have now is that the depth stop did not work at all. This was a big reason for me buying a drill press. Jet tried to get fancy and modern with giving a streamlined look to the locking assembly, and in my opinion, simply created problems for some units.
I contacted Jet and after awhile they sent me a replacement pinion shaft assembly for me to replace. I can report that when I first called Jet, the tech support guy told me they were seeing this same issue due to improper fitting at the factory in China. This is another thing ... everything I read about these DP's is that they are made in Taiwan. The DP sent to me said "Made in China" on it. So much for truth in advertising.
I live in a small town and there is no service center for at least 3 hours away, so we agreed to try and have me work on the press. It was a straight forward swap and the new unit comes fully greased up. The trick is having to put the return spring back on and wind back to full pressure without letting it slip and whack your thumbnail.
After making the swap, and spending time to dial in the correct tightness on the nut and lock nut, the drill press works, but not very well. Quill movement is poor, return action is decent, but not the way it came originally, and the worst part is the locking ring is too tight and the scale ring is sloppy loose and is not useable. I took it apart and back together three times and no improvement.
I apologize for too much detail on this, but my point is that before this purchase, I was excited and trusting this would go well. It has been anything but. I have gotten to the point where Rockler is stepping in to request an RMA from Jet, and asked Jet to not charge me a restocking fee of 25% per their policy. If I end up paying the restocking fee, I will have a very bitter taste towards Jet, and in general the idea of buying anything that isn't local, so that when something goes wrong, you can get it fixed.
Grizzly was on my list, and ironically, I did not go with it ONLY because I thought the features like "one handed" changing belts (which isn't entirely truthful) and the supposedly smooth and useable depth stop mechanism were too good to pass up. I will say the larger table with tracks on the Jet is really nice.
I will start looking for an old floor model drill press while I wait to find out what will happen with Jet. But so far, I'm not holding my breath. If a miracle happens and the contact me with a resolution that gives me what I paid for, then I'll come back her and update.
My advice to guys wanting to get their first drill press, is to pick build quality over bells & whistles.
Sorry to hear about your woes with the DP. As a poster up-thread mentions, the old-fashioned belt-driven drill press machines often seem not just the wrong design for woodworking (they evolved for metal-working) but often very poorly made, despite high prices.
I had a floor standing model 15 years ago but got rid of it because it had so many limitations and poor design elements, not so different from those you describe.
I substituted a high-torque corded hand drill in a stand and it's served for over a decade. The vertical travel is just over 4 inches (more if the head is slid up and down the column , which is quick and easy to do). The depth stop is simple but works perfectly once the principle of use is understood. I can easily lift the whole caboodle on and off a bench to get it out of the way for other WW operations.
I would like a proper 'un, though. The only models that appeal are those made for woodworking - but frankly only the Novas seem to meet all the requirements. I'm looking at a Bosch PBD 40 (a sort of poor man's Nova Viking) which get good reviews (mostly) with some quality issues meaning you might get a dog with a wobbly chuck. ......
It's surprising that better woodworking drill presses are not made. I use mine for all sorts .... and did read an article somewhere that proposed this frequent use is true for most woodworkers but they just don't notice as drilling is a very basic task, unlike making a dovetail. :-)
Lataxe
The features I find important are variable speed (which makes it possible to find the ideal speed quickly), ease and accuracy of a depth stop, minimal run out (obviously), a powerful motor which high torque, and a spindle which copes with being pushed against (because we like to use a drill press for sanding as well).
We all have a different budget, but see how many of these items you can get for your buck.
A comment or two in regard to a drill press table:
Firstly, I have never managed to get dust collection to work, even in production tables which boast this, and now just clean up afterwards.
Secondly, I see that almost everyone either places the replacement insert directly under the drill bit, or has a square/rectangular-shaped insert. This is such a waste of effort. Instead, make the insert round and situate it off centre. This will offer continuous rotation and positioning. Pics of mine below.
Regards from Perth
Derek
I don't think I'd buy another drill press without getting electronic variable speed.
I keep telling myself I need to come up with a better table with replaceable inserts, but I never get around to it.
Drill press features important for woodworkers ....
As Derek intimates, a certain quality of manufacture and materials is wanted so that the machine doesn't suffer from flop i' the chuck, graunch of the movements and so forth. But besides these hygienic factors, what else do we woodworkers want of a drill press?
The stock answers do include: variable speed; a large swing or throat-depth (drill bit to drill press column); a deep plunge; an accurate depth stop ..... . Many would add things like: an in-built fence; or even a table with hold downs, stops and other workpiece locators; a means to tilt work pieces for angled drilling ....... Personally I want portability too, rather than 50 kilos of awkward-to-grasp heavy metal good for foot-crushing.
Some of the above can be dispensed with by work 'rounds. For example, my hand drill in a drill stand has only one speed (350 rpm) albeit an enormous torque. Faster speeds for smaller drill diameters and sanding drums would be useful. But very careful entry of a small diameter drill bit to a work piece can avoid tear-out of the hole edges, as can using masking tape in the to-be-drilled area.
Some drill press requirements are actually not needed except for specialised work. How often do you need a drill press with a very large swing to drill into the middle of a wide panel? I never do - perhaps because a hand-held drill and an engineer's square enable such drilling.
Although I lust after something like a Nova drill press, I'm going to continue with my hand held corded drill in a drill press. The drill press that holds the drill (by it's standard 43mm collar) is an old and beefy thing that has no slop , is square and accurate. These are hard to find now, as cheap & nasty Far East ones made of tin foil and costing only $19.99 have taken over the market. .... Although one can buy one of these instead:
https://www.duss.com/en/products/tools-and-accessories/drilling/detail/kb-43-drill-stand
One of these will cost you $500 or more. But they are built like the traditional brick dunny and have either 120 mm or 180 mm of plunging depth.
Buy one of them plus a high quality variable speed corded drill with a 43mm collar and there you have a genuinely portable yet precise drill press, possibly for a bit less than a Nova Viking albeit without three bells and two whistles.
Alternative high quality portable drill press carriages can also be found here:
https://www.fine-tools.com/bohrstaender.html
Lataxe
Some good points to consider. I finally figured out what part of the problem was on my JDP-15F ... there is an o-ring that did not come with the new pinion shaft, which is odd to me since the o-ring is part of the assembly. I pulled the part off the original assembly and now the scale ring works. The design approach for the depth stop on this dp is not ideal and when talking to tech support, I was told JPW is working on improvements. I told the guy when they figure it out, I would love them to ship me the improved part, if that is what they do. :)
I too think that Nova is doing it about as good as could be expected for under $2k, but I can't imagine arriving at a point in my work where I could justify that expense ... unless the convenience factor became a huge draw, which I doubt at this point in time.
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