Review: Craftsman 10-Inch Bench Drill Press
With 5 operating speeds from 620 to 3,100 RPM, this drill press covers most wood and light metal drilling. There is also a scaled steel fence available that helps to align, brace, and guide each working piece. The Craftsman 10-inch bench drill press even comes with a stop block for repetitive drilling jobs.
It has a 3.2-amp motor and a rack-and-pinion table elevation feature. This makes adjusting the table height a simple and easy process, allowing for accurate drilling on multiple types of metals or wood.
Here are some more observations about this drill press.
#1. Spindle travel is 2-9/16 inches. That limits how deep you can drill in one plunge.
#2. It has been equipped with a laser guide. The laser runs on batteries that drain fairly quickly, so keep spares on hand. Swapping them takes about a minute.
#3. The sheet metal cover on this drill press is challenging – to say the least. The thin sheet metal belt cover can be stiff to open and may rub on a pulley post. Unplug the drill press before opening it to change speeds, and keep it closed while running.
#4. It’s a little heavy for some portable workbenches. Its weight keeps it steady while drilling, but a light workbench may flex or rock under it. Bolt it to a sturdy bench.
#5. Clamp your work. OSHA warns that a bit can catch hand-held stock and spin it, so use a vise, clamp or the fence and stop block rather than your hand.
We see the Craftsman 10-inch bench drill press being suitable for the casual woodworker or the hobbyist. It uses Forstner and twist bits just fine, but just doesn’t have the capacity for heavy duty daily work. It works as advertised for light-duty work, which is why it earns our recommendation.
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