5 Of The Best Drill Presses For Woodworking (And 5 To Avoid)

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If you've pushed on past the beginner stage of your woodworking journey, bringing a few additional solutions into the mix can propel you forward in a meaningful way (much like woodworking YouTube channels can provide great learning resources and inspiration). The jointer is a piece of equipment that many woodworkers want to see in their setup as a tool that can seriously level up their workflow. However, jointers aren't a cheap add, and many other power tools and workshop improvements frequently precede this professional implement.

The drill press is a power tool that stands quietly in the corner of many woodworking shops, but it delivers a crucial function that can't easily be replicated. Jigs and careful lines can provide a mostly straight cut with your saw, but there's no genuine substitute for the drill press. It's frequently called upon to create precision holes in your work — both in wood and metal stock — and plays an instrumental role in speeding along the process of cutting joinery, particularly in large sections. Unfortunately, not all drill presses are the same, and a few important factors can make a huge difference in your search for the best drill press for your needs. A number of entry level offerings deliver incredible value to woodworkers while others fall flat. Finding a drill press that supports your projects is a personal endeavor, but these five options can act as a great starting point, alongside five to consider avoiding with a bit of context.

The Shop Fox W1669 is a ½ horsepower benchtop drill press that features a wealth of functionality that goes far beyond what's typical. For starters, it brings dual rotation into the mix, with a table that tilts in both directions to provide angled drilling at whatever position you might require. But where this model excels is in its headstock. This benchtop tool's headstock slides horizontally, creating up to 17 inches of clearance between the drill chuck and the column. The headstock also tilts up to 90 degrees counterclockwise and 45 degrees to its opposite. This allows for incredible range in drilling angled holes while supporting horizontal boring requirements, too.

These features are uncommon among drill presses, however it's also worth noting that this model is fairly heavy. The tool is listed on Amazon, and includes a shipping weight noted at 100 pounds. That could be a problem, if you're thinking of storing your drill press away when not in use, though most users will frequently look to lock down their drill press onto a portion of their bench and leave it in place. Generally speaking, weight should be treated as a positive. This tool also features adjustable speeds ranging between 550 and 3,470 rpm. The adjustments are made with belts in the top of the headstock, a traditional method. The motor is powerful, the tool features expanded capabilities, and it can handle work pieces up to 34 inches wide. This makes it a potent solution.

Cheaper than the Shop Fox model above, the Wen 4214T is a similarly powered 5 amp benchtop drill press. This offering does not feature the unique headstock adjustability, but does introduce some other important features that newer woodworkers who are expanding their skill set and tool collection will appreciate. This model offers speed adjustability that is controlled by a single lever, rather than the traditional band adjustment method. As such, the tool is more approachable for those with little experience using a drill press. Even without the traditional adjustment method, the unit can handle a range of speeds between 580 and 3,200 rpm settings. The tool also features a digital readout for complete control over the speed you're dialing in at any threshold. This drill press includes a 12-inch swing and a 3⅛-inch spindle travel rating for quality drilling coverage across the spectrum of common requirements.

In addition to the potent motor and other features like a table roller that can support up to 17-inch wide workpieces without additional support systems in place, this Wen model enjoys enhanced technological capabilities. An overhead work light helps illuminate your workpiece for greater accuracy and ease of use while the onboard laser systems pinpoint the exact spot that your drill press will target as you lower the chuck. The beveled worktable isn't massive, but with the added roller extension and it's 45-degree tilt rating in either direction, it will support most drilling requirements with ease.

Listed on the company's own website for $290 (and also available at Amazon), the Bucktool DP12VL drill press is another tabletop option with a 12-inch swing. This brings its drilling capability in at a much lower depth coverage than the Shop Fox noted above, but for nearly half the price this will more than make up for that particular shortcoming with other inclusions. For those who don't need expansive capabilities, this unit is another great solution. Unlike the Wen model above, this drill press boosts the power rating with 6.2 amp motor that ultimately delivers a ¾ horsepower experience.

The increased power offers greater drilling capabilities in dense material like hardwood (on that front, oak is frequently a good hardwood species for beginners) or metal stock. There's a digital speed readout on this unit as well and it also features a variable speed adjustment with easy alteration on a sliding scale between 580 and 3,200 rpm settings. The drill press is a relatively heavy offering, making for a beneficial installation on your bench. Coming in at just under 87 pounds, the tool is a sturdy solution, but at 39 inches, it's taller than most drill presses in its category. The added height can make it a little easier to use for a tall woodworker, but change in this dimension lifts the center of gravity, which can make tipping a risk if the tool isn't correctly secured. The drill press features a rotating table that travels around a 360-degree arc and can bevel 45 degrees to either side.

Skil has been an industry leader across the power tool market for generations, and today it is one of the major tool brands owned by Chervon. Modern offerings remain high quality additions to the toolbox, but Skil frequently targets buyers looking for something of an inbetweener. Skil tool users don't want to sacrifice quality, but buyers of the brand will frequently be those hunting for a bargain option that still performs.

Understanding this value position that Skil aims to occupy is an important framework when approaching the brand's DP9505-00 drill press offering. The tool features a laser alignment installation and a 6.2 amp induction motor that offers solid power performance. The five speed settings range from 610 to 2,800 rpm (a downgrade in some respects in comparison to others, but still a competent range) and it includes standard features like adjustable depth stops and table height. The tool also includes a built in LED worklight to round out its chops as a modern offering. 45-degree tilt ratings for the table allows you to turn the work surface either direction for angled cutting when necessary. Where the drill press fails to impress is in its overall size. This model is available from the Lowe's for just $200, making it the cheapest solution included on the positive side of things here. But the tool won't be right for everyone. It's only a 10-inch model, making it one of the smallest solutions in this conversation.

Benchtop drill press models are a critical entry point for this kind of tool— they are ideal for those working in small shops, and the smaller overall footprint contributes to a minimized price tag, too. That being said, professional users and those with higher budgets and more space to play with will want to spring for a floor drill press instead. Floor models are larger and more expensive, but they're also far more capable than their benchtop compatriots. The Jet JDP-15F is a great example of this functional leap into the experience of a professional user. The unit itself is almost twice as heavy as the largest benchtop offering noted above. This gives it phenomenal stability when anchored to the ground in your workshop. The table is larger, measuring in at 12½ inches by 17 inches and delivers the same 45-degree tilt angle in both directions that benchtop units present in their feature lists. This model features 16 speed settings underpinned by a poly-v belt drive system comma and offers a maximum of 3500 rpm (and minimum of just 210 rpm).

The system will be a big upgrade for those who've been toiling away with a benchtop model for some time. Moreover, Jet is a prominent brand within the shop equipment market and makes some of the best power tool offerings around. This tool isn't for everyone, but for a buyer looking for a high quality floor model, it's among the best choices available.

Moving on to drill press options that don't quite live up to expectations, it's a good idea to take some time identify what makes for a drill press to skip. When is a great option for a wide range of power tools and accessories. The brand makes solid equipment, but this doesn't mean that all of Wen's products will get the job done every time. The Wen 4208T is a great example of a drill press that performs well but doesn't live up to the needs a typical user brings to the conversation.

A small unit listed for just $98 on Amazon, this feels like could have been a power tool destined to expand your woodworking capabilities. However, the drill press falls short in the features it offers. For one thing, it's an 8-inch solution, which really limits the material size the drill press can handle. This may not be a problem for small hobby shops, but if you plan on branching out into larger workpieces and more substantial builds then you'll quickly outgrow this tool. In the same breath, the unit features a 2.3 amp motor, which just won't get the job done when dealing with dense material. Struggling to drill through a workpiece may leave you with a rough cut or the drill press may fail entirely when tackling higher intensity workloads. The tool is cheap but fails to live up to the needs of users. Buyers would be better off looking at other Wen models.

Even though Jet is one of the pre-eminent manufacturers of power tool equipment like drill presses, that doesn't mean every Jet tool is automatically worth your attention. The Jet J-2530 is a great example of this disconnect. The tool is priced at roughly the same level as the floor model listed above, and yet this option is a scaled down bench variety. It's nearly the same weight as the floor model, making it immensely difficult to reposition for a tool targeting mobility. Although that same feature makes for a truly sturdy installation.

This drill press features a max drilling depth of 15 inches and covers a wide range of speed settings (16 of them), from as low as 200 rpm up to 3,630 rpm. There's a lot to like about the ¾ horsepower model, but one of its major drawbacks is the tabletop. It's smaller than most, leaving users to look for additional resources when clamping their work in place. For the price, this drill press falls into a weird niche that most users simply won't need. If you're buying a benchtop model, other options can provide greater drilling depth and other specs (although the speed range is quite impressive). On the other hand, if you're looking within this price range or at Jet equipment specifically, a floor model will almost certainly serve you better.

Problems with quality control can be another important reason to avoid particular models and brands. The Harbor Freight tool brand Central Machinery can be a valuable resource across plenty of tool requirements and accessory needs. It features prominently in all kinds of shops, and at one time it made a 13-inch freestanding drill press. Today, you can get a two-speed mill/drill from the brand. However, the drill press in its prior format featured troubling quality control standards and is no longer available new (perhaps in part because of the production quality). Cast parts have been found to be fused or incorrectly manufactured, users have also noted issues in components that were meant to move but cannot. These issues rendered many units unusable or perhaps even dangerous. As a result of the brand's discontinuation of the tool, you'll only be able to find this particular drill press as a used model.

Used tools can be a great source of value in the workshop. Getting a used tool allows you to cut the price down to size on an important acquisition. In many instances it can make sense to buy a used piece of equipment for a discount or to gain crucial understanding and experience with the device before investing in a more expensive upgrade. However with quality control issues as a known quantity, buying a used model introduces too many question marks.

The Woodskil 8-Inch Drill Press features five speed settings like most others in the budget category, and offers a maximum speed rating of 3,200 rpm. The cast iron table features tilt the tune of 45 degrees in both directions like many others, as well. The tool also includes a laser alignment guide, while the price tag also comes in below threshold of most other benchtop tools in this general category. On the surface it might seem much like other drill presses we're recommending on this list, but in reality this tool fails to live up to expectations in three key ways. 

For one thing, the table is just too small for users who will be drilling through material that isn't minimal in size (a square 6½-inch dimension). It's also powered by a 2.3 amp induction motor and offers an 8-inch swing. As is the case with the underwhelming Wen model above, these power ratings simply don't provide enough juice. The drill press is already something of a specialty tool. Most hobbyists and renovators won't have one in their shop, nor will they exhibit a genuine need for this piece of equipment. Because of this, the type of buyer who will be seeking out the drill press is already a niche user. Opting for a tool that underwhelms in its drilling capabilities is a great way to ensure that the equipment you bring into your shop needs replacing much sooner than you'd like.

With light duty drilling firmly established as a problematic feature in drill press units that should be avoided, our survey comes to one particular tool that just cant hack it. The Bachin 1050W Mini Electric Drilling Machine is listed at Amazon for $170. The tool offers at 10 amp output with a 1,050 watt motor. Yet even with all that power it is not built to deliver major cutting capabilities. This drill press is designed for small tasks and weighs just 25 pounds. It features six speed settings but its ceiling is rated at just 800 rpm. The table is small and the swing is equally underwhelming. This drill press just doesn't stand up to the needs of all but a very specific, light duty user base.

More importantly, the cost doesn't line up well with the capabilities you're buying into. Priced as if it were a standard entry level drill press, this tool is anything but the real deal. Once again, users focused in crafting and other hobby work may find specific benefits with the unit, but woodworkers will be best served by steering clear of this tool sold by what appears to be one of the random letter brands listed within Amazon's eCommerce ecosystem.