New Drill Press

I have been thinking for a few months now that it is about time to invest in a modern drill press. Since we moved to Homer, I've been using an antique that my grandfather left behind. It's the loudest tool in my shop, and the 1/4hp motor has a tough time driving 1 1/2" forstner bits. I won't discuss the aggravation when the gears fall off. It also only has one unknown speed. A couple of recent mistakes caused by the inaccuracy and vibration of the spindle finally pushed me over the edge.



So, after a great deal of research over the last two months, I settled on the Ridgid 15" floor-mounted drill press. However, in classic form, something got me thinking that maybe I should go a little bigger so that I never have to replace this tool. After even more research and several trips to the CU Woodshop, I settled on the Jet JDP-17DX. This (cheesy) video review was what made up my mind. By some unbelievable luck, the week I went to buy it, Jet had a 10% sale. That closed the deal, and I got to buy my first big purchase from CU Woodshop. Thanks guys!



It took just over a week for it to arrive. I picked it up Wednesday and rushed home to put it together (all 200+ pounds of it). Owen and Aidan helped with the lower half. However, after dinner, I needed the "big guns" to put the unbelievably heavy head on the column:





Here I am after we got everything upright:



It is amazing! If I had any idea what a real drill press could do, I would have bought one years ago. With a large forstner bit and medium speed, it mows right through hard and soft wood. With a twist-style bit and fast speed, it went right through a piece of oak. I can't wait to use it for real work.

Here's the finished product. I reworked my fence to go on the built-in T-tracks. At least for now, I don't think I need to make my own larger table.