I'm thinking about purchasing a bench top drill press and I'd like to keep my budget under $200 since I won't be using it all the time. However, there are a few times each year when having a drill press would definitely make my projects safer and easier. My next project involves fascia boards on my deck, where I'll need to use a forstner bit to create spaces for lag bolt heads that the fascia will cover. I used a plunge router for similar tasks before, but it broke down last year, so I'm looking for a new tool to help with this.
1 Answer
You really can't go wrong with any drill press for woodworking. Just keep in mind you'll probably find yourself using it more than you expect. If you can score an older model for a good price, look for one with a long spindle travel—many newer benchtop models only offer around 50-60mm of movement, which can be limiting for certain projects.
I totally get that! I used to think that a 10” drill press could actually drill 10” deep, but I learned the hard way that it only goes about 2”! Thanks for the heads up!