DRILL PRESS REVIEW POWERMATIC 2800 PM 18” VS DRILL PRESS

          Before we go any further and, at the risk of stating the obvious, I’d like to point out that the purpose of a drill press is to drill consistently straight holes accurately into wood, metal or plastic. The purpose of a drill press with a fence is to drill repetitive holes in a work piece at a consistent distance from the edge of a work piece. The purpose of a drill press with a fence and one (or two) stops is to drill holes at a consistent distance from one or both ends of a work piece or work pieces. The purpose of a drill press with a tilting table is to drill accurate and repeatable holes at an exact angle into the work piece. The purpose of an electric drill is to drill holes only where using a drill press would be impossible or impractical.



          There are many things to consider when comparing drill presses such as motor size, table size and features, quill stroke, task lighting, laser availability, rotation speeds, ease of speed change, number of speeds, reversible feed handle (for lefties) and even the size of the base (for machine stability).


          With regard to motor size, experience tells me that ¾ horsepower is about the smallest size motor I’d like to see on a drill press. Some models try to get away with a ½-horsepower motor. There are times, especially at higher belt speed ratios that a half horsepower motor will prove to be inadequate. 
 
          I recently completed a side-by-side comparison review of 3 drill presses for http://www.perfectwoodworking.com/drillpressreviews. This review is excerpted from that article. The Powermatic 2800 PM is, by far, the most expensive I reviewed. The other very capable drill presses in that article are Deltas Model 17-959L and the Jet Model JDP-17DX. Those models are competitive with each other and list for about half the price of the Powermatic 2800 PM.   
 
            The thing about the Powermatic is that it is just plain neat! It has all the bells and whistles a designer could dream up. The person who designed this thing clearly knows a lot about drill presses and woodworking from personal experience. If money were no object it would be the drill press I would buy. A guy can dream, cant he? Heres the Powermatic 2800 PM review:
 
 
POWERMATIC 2800 PM 18” VS DRILL PRESS




          Like any Powermatic machine, this drill press has top quality, smooth operation and features to die for. It also has a somewhat hefty price tag when compared to other similar machines. That said, let’s take a look at what you get for your money so you can decide if it’s worth making the jump.


          This machine features twin LED lights, mounted in the head that do not cast shadows, head-mounted twin lasers that pinpoint the drill point, a 16” x 14” table with twin T-slots that expands to 16” x 26” when needed to support large work pieces. The table tilts left or right 90 degrees with a positive stop at zero degrees. A large handle makes raising or lowering the table easy. An additional, unique feature that is included in the price of this machine is an adjustable split fence with a dust collection port. A fence is essential to production work so plan on buying or making one if you don’t buy this machine.


          Speeds are easily changed from 400 to 3000 RPM with a handle on the upper left side of the head, meaning that you do not need to concern yourself with belt and pulley access. And, you can tell how fast or slow the machine is running by looking at a digital speed indicator right on the front of the head. Also in the front of the head is a lighted on/off switch with a key.


          Powermatic gives you a full horsepower of motor power which insures that this machine can handle everything that is presented to it. The motor is single phase and can be run on either 115 or 230 volts AC. It is pre-wired for 115 volts.


          The 5/8” chuck is keyless, the depth stop is quick-setting and the feed handles can be mounted on the left or the right for ease of operation no matter which handle you like to use. Spindle travel is 4 3/8” for deep drilling capacity. For drilling into assembled projects, the maximum chuck to table distance is 30” and the maximum chuck to floor distance is 46”. The column diameter is 3 1/8”, the base measures 11 7/8” x 19 5/8”. The drill press weighs in at 287 lbs, and ships at 302 lbs.


Bob Gillespie
Woodworker


See the full three-drill press comparison review and many more tool reviews and articles at:
http://www.perfectwoodworking.com/


HELPFUL LINKS
(related to this post)


Powermatic 2800 PM Drill Press


Jet JDP-17DX Drill Press


Delta 17-959L Drill Press

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What to Look for in a Cordless Drill

          The original cordless drill had neither a motor nor a battery. There was a hand drill in my fathers workshop long before he invested in an electric drill with a cord. The first battery-powered drill was the tool that started off the cordless revolution which eventually caused all sorts of tools to become available in cordless models. Some types of tools are more suitable to cordless use than others. Usually those tools that move around a lot in use and do not require large amounts of electricity are the best candidates for battery power. So, the electric drill, by its very nature, was the first tool to get a battery.

          Drilling a Hole When you are using a drill at many different locations, it’s a real pain to have to drag a cord around with you. At first, cordless drills weren’t very powerful and the batteries didn’t last that long. For a while, that was an excuse for woodworkers to resist the upgrade to cordless. Today’s cordless drills, especially in the 18 Volt class are both powerful in terms of torque and their lithium ion batteries are long-lasting. The chargers are fast and so, with two batteries to switch off, it’s hard to run out of juice.

          So where do different models of cordless drill stand apart from one another? Actually, in several areas, the most important being tool weight and twisting power or torque. It used to be a rule that if you wanted more power and/or longer battery life, you had to accept heavier tool weight. While this is still true, in a general sense, important inroads are being made by major drill manufacturers to turn this equation around.



Drill at Arms Length


          Tool weight is important in a drill or impact driver because these are tools that you hold out at arm’s length all day and while 5 to 10 pounds may not sound like much, each weight increase from drill to drill counts for a lot at the end of a long day on the job even if your name is Hercules.

          Power is important because drills are often used to drive screws even though there is a better tool for that job: the impact driver. Most 18 Volt cordless drills come with half-inch chucks and if you have ever drilled a deep ½” hole in hardwood, you know the need for power. You might even find yourself driving a large Forstner bit which is a lot more than 1/2". You don’t want to buy a drill that will bog down on the job.

          A drill is the kind of tool that a woodworker uses the most and so it is important to put on your thinking cap to make sure that you are buying the right one for your needs.

          Cordless Drill Battery Battery size, expressed in amp hours is another important consideration. All Lithium Ion 18 Volt batteries are not alike in terms of size, weight or how long they will last between charges. That goes for chargers, as well. A half-hour charger, as opposed to an hour charger can make a real difference if you are constantly changing batteries.

          When you comparison shop the brands, you will note that drill power and drill weights are all over the place. So are the prices. You can save by buying factory-reconditioned tools but don’t buy an underpowered drill with a small battery just to save money. Don’t buy an overweight drill just because it has a bit more torque than its lighter competitor. Get the drill you need. You will thank yourself later.



Bob Gillespie
Woodworker

For similar articles and tool reviews see:

http://www.perfectwoodworking.com/



©2010 Robert M. Gillespie, Jr.

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