7 Best Floor Drill Presses | Complete Buying Guide | ElectronicsTool

Working up on a wood or metal project? Then you must be looking for an easy and best floor drill press to bore holes easily in any sort of wood, metal, or plastic.

Floor drill presses are specifically designed to bore holes in any kind of wood, metal, or plastic with no extra effort needed. Especially, if the project requires many mortises to be made, then buying a floor drill press is the right choice to save you energy and time. Compared to handheld drill presses, a floor drill press offers more features and functionality.

To help you select an efficient and productive one for you, we have brought to you the 7 best floor drill presses that you can go for, to meet your needs. There are several factors you must consider before buying like speed range, torque, and portability. Figure them out more in our “Buying Guide” section below the reviews.

Quick-pick Section

If you are in a rush, we have provided a quick list of some best floor drill presses with a special feature for each:

7 BEST FLOOR DRILL PRESSES – REVIEWS

1. WEN 4208T – The most frequently bought on Amazon

This highly budget-able and easy-to-operate WEN 4208T is one of the best floor drill presses on our list. it provides 5 different speed variations, ranging between 740 to 3140 RPM, which makes it highly productive for almost all types of drilling operations.

Generally, The hard workpieces like metals, are usually drilled by producing a high torque level at the lowest RPM(revolutions per minute). And the highest RPM offers low torque to drill soft workpieces like wood. Its 2.3 amp induction motor allows almost every type of project to be successful. The 7 by 11-inch cast-iron base makes it capable to mount onto a work stand easily. The machine has a spindle travel of about 2 inches and the depth-stop provided to drill at an accurate depth. Its adjustable worktable tilts up to 45 degrees left and right for angled drilling of material.

MORE FEATURES:

• Voltage: 120 Volts
• Power Source: AC
• Weight: 34.2 lbs
• Swing: 8 inches
• Chuck Capacity: ½ inch
• Number of Speeds: 5
• Speed Range: 740 to 3140 RPM

2. WEN 4214T – Best floor-standing drill press for woodworking

This reliable WEN 4214T model is the best floor drill press for woodworking. it helps drill a large variety of materials because of its mechanical variable speed, ranging between 580-3200 RPM, which is more suitable to work with wood projects primarily. Its 5-amp motor with ⅔ HP induction power will allow you to bore holes through every sort of workpiece, from softwoods to hard metals – but yes, it needs some struggle to work with thick metals. However, you can process them by fixing the appropriate speed range and durable drill bits.

Further, it features a digital screen readout for the current speed display; a LED work light that will illuminate the workpiece for better vision. Its helpful laser marks give an accurate spot to drill on, which boosts your productivity and saves more of your time and energy. Its solid cast-iron worktable features rack and pinion and bevels up to 45 degrees left and right.

MORE FEATURES:

• Swing: 12 inch
• Power Source: AC
• Maximum Rotational Speed: 3200 RPM
• Chuck Size: ⅝ inch
• Voltage: 120V
• Weight: 85 lbs
• Products Dimensions: 36.6 L, 13.5 W, 16.8 H inches

3. Shop Fox W1848 – 2 in-1 oscillating drill press

Shop Fox has come up with its 2-in-1 special feature with its new oscillating Shop Fox W1848 model. This wind-powered drill press can perform both drilling and sanding operations. Its oscillating spindle helps for efficient contour sanding. The tool also provides you with sanding pads for easy removal and replacement of bits.

With this tool, you can work up to 12 different speed ranges from 250 RPM up to 3050 RPM. Its precise spindle travel drills exact holes up to 3¼ inches deep. The motor has ¾ HP induction power and runs the motor on 110V. Its worktable measures 12⅜ inches in diameter and further increases your work quality with its high tilting power of up to 90 degrees in both directions.

This Shop Fox’s W1848 tool helps save you money and space, because of its dual-operating ability. In contrast, its specifications are mostly limited to smaller projects or thinner materials like home DIY projects. But when it’s about quality, its great precision is worth investing your expectations into.

MORE FEATURES:

• Swing: 13 ¾ inch
• Motor: ¾ HP
• Power Source: Wind-powered
• Number of speeds: 12
• Maximum Rotational Speed: 3050 RPM
• Voltage: 110V
• Maximum Chuck Size: 16mm
• Weight: 122 lbs

4. JET JWDP-12 – Versatile Quality

This versatile JWDP-12 model of JET is highly recommended for its power to tackle any job. The clear and accurate precision makes it one of the best floor drill presses of JET. Its 1/2 HP induction motor produces 5-amps ample power, enabling it to get over the toughest materials and the variable speed system drives the motor, ranging between 530 RPM to 3100 RPM.

The machine comes with a fantastic XACTA laser to drill the hole at an accurate mark into the workpiece. It comes with ⅛ spindle travel and linear scale with depth-stop to ensure maximum drilling capability. Luckily, its oversized ergonomic knob for maximum control and retractable roller extension for quick workpiece adjustment will add more value to your productivity.

MORE FEATURES:

• Swing: 12 inches
• Power Source: Corded Electric
• Maximum Rotational Speed: 3100 RPM
• Number of Speeds: Variable Speed
• Voltage: 115V
• Chuck Size: ⅝ inches
• Weight: 85 lbs
• Product Dimensions: 16L, 1W, 10H inches

Quick Comparison- Best floor drill presses

For simplifying your path to selection, here is the comparison table for the best floor model drill presses and their comparable features:

5. PROXXON TBM-115, 38128 – Lightweight and Portable

Proxxon 38128, TBM 115 will prove to be a crucial tool for your workshop. It is light-weighted which makes it the best floor drill press for portability. The drill press functions similarly to other typical drills; despite its tiny size. It drills sharp, micro holes down up to 1/64 inches (0.5 mm) with no wobbles and rough edges.

This unit can provide luxuries like adjustable speed, depth levels, and quick adjustment of the headstock. Its drive belt moves to distinct positions to create 3 different spindle speeds of 1800, 4700, and 8500 RPM, allowing triple torques at lower speeds.

The tool’s heavy-duty motor located into a sturdy die-cast head of the unit, runs super smooth. For more value addition, it comes with a ribbed die-cast aluminum worktable. Its spindle with strong accuracy has a capacity for maximum ⅜ sized drill chuck. The spindle gets recess for inverting special MICROMOT steel collets and 3 high-quality ball bearings.

MORE FEATURES:

• Power Source: Corded Electric
• Maximum Rotational Speed: 8500 RPM
• Voltage: 120V
• Amperage: 32 Amps
• Weight: 8.05 lbs

6. Powermatic PM2800B – Innovative and User-friendly

Since Powermatic has come up with the new PM2800B model. It is an expensive yet innovative and user-friendly tool that is exceeding the users’ expectations far and away.

The special feature of this tool is that it provides 2 illuminating LED lights (while all the above-mentioned presses are generally with one). The lights are adjustable and need minimal power so you don’t need to worry about high bills.

Furthermore, The drill produces 1 HP motor induction power with a variable speed, ranging between 250 RPM to 3000 RPM (sufficient for most of your wood projects). Its mechanical speed system is truly a time-saving feature that means you don’t have to stop your project in between to change belts. With its adjustable fence, you can align by 90 degrees between the fence and the table. Its laser crosshair system makes it quicker to find your actual center. Actually, it is a fun task when you get the same as expected – an extra feature that really makes a difference is that you can locate the handles on any side of the press, depending on your work comfort.

MORE FEATURES:

• Power Source: Corded Electric
• Maximum Rotational Speed: 3000 RPM (variable)
• Voltage: 115V
• Number of Handles: 3
• Maximum Chuck Size: 13mm
• Product Dimensions: 58L, 26W, 15H
• Weight: 246 lbs

7. SKIL DP9505-00 – Best floor drill press for the money

The cost-effective drill press, SKIL is one of Amazon’s highly recommended products because of its own unique features.

The machine’s 6.2-amp powerful induction motor produces 5 different speeds, that are up to 2800 RPM. Its dual cross-beam laser alignment system executes precise maneuvers. When working on repetitive drills, this dual laser system helps to spot accurate marks. The laser (Class-3) is powered by an integrated power switch. Meanwhile, you don’t have to do so on AA batteries. The adjustable table can fit in materials up to 10 inches deep. It serves more accuracy with its adjustable worktable and depth-stop.

At the last, this is a perfect pick-up for beginner DIYers, who do woodworking for their passion. A great set-up and ample power at such an affordable price!

MORE FEATURES:

• Power Source: Corded Electric
• Number of Speeds: 5
• Maximum Rotational Speed: 2800 RPM
• Voltage: 120V
• Amperage: 6.2 amps
• Number of Handles 3
• Chuck Size: 1/2inch
• Weight: 46.6 lbs

Buying Guide | Things you must consider before buying

Several factors vary from product to product that affects your level of creativity. Here is a detailed list of them to help you select the best floor drill press for your workshop.

1. Speed range:
   The better and wider the speed range is, the more it is capable of adapting to different drill bits and working on different categories of material. The lesser RPM helps drilling on hardwoods or metals while the softer workpieces require a high range of speed or RPM. To make it more clear, go for a drill whose speed range starts from 200 to 400 RPM minimum, up to 2500 to 3000 RPM which is considered more than enough for drilling any kind of material.
2. The number of speeds:
   An efficient drilling machine must be able to work on different types of woodworking projects. You must choose one that provides a decent number of speeds, depending on your proficiency level. If you are a hobbyist, look for a minimum of 5-10 speeds while the variable speed features fit more to the regular and professional workmen which allows you to set the speed according to your need.
3. Torque:
   The quality of the motor determines how much torque power your drill can produce out of it. It tells you whether it is powerful enough to help you with the majority of your projects or not. So, getting one between 1/2 HP and 3/4 HP motor would be the best floor drill press to go for.
4. Spindle travel:
   While working on different projects, you may need to drill different lengths of holes which is decided by how deep the spindle travel is. Going for a 3 to 6 inches spindle travel is enough for your machine to haul into various workpieces.
5. Portability due to weight:
   Buying a floor drill press based on its portability becomes an issue when you realize that the smaller and more portable the press is, the smaller and poorer motor it has”. However, more extensive and bulkier machines require more space and are comparatively more powerful and hard to transport.
   In this regard, you are recommended to choose a bigger one for better use-cases and resources, supposed to place it in a fixed space.
6. Warranty:
   Isn’t it breathtaking to get a long-term warranty on a product you are investing your money and expectations into? Obviously yes. No one wants to take out their time to call customer service repeatedly and end up unanswered.
   To prevent this, look to the best floor drill press with at least 2 years of warranty and trusted customer service.

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