10 in. Variable Speed Drill Press

I've been wanting a drill press for a long time and finally pulled the trigger on the WEN 4212T. It's a 5 amp variable speed 10" press with 2" spindle travel, RPM indicator, 8" table and 1/2" keyed chuck (JT33 spindle). First impression is how solid and well built this beast is. The head is solid cast iron with precision CNC machined mating surfaces, moving parts and attachments. The cast iron base was simply ground flat, while the adjustable table was ground flat on a Blanchard grinder which left the characteristic tool marks. I checked everything out carefully every step of the way during assembly. I verified motor and mechanical operation on the bench before I assembled the press to save effort if it didn't work. The quill has practically no slop at all whether extended or retracted. I measured just 1/2 thousandth of runout at the spindle before attaching the chuck, and after cleaning and attaching the chuck with gentle taps of a dead blow hammer it also measured 1/2 thousandth of runout. After fitting the table it appears completely square to the bit to the best of my ability to measure. Even the RPM gauge reads within 10 RPM of my handheld tach. I guess I got lucky with this press, because it's dialed in almost perfectly out of the box! Honestly, the only adjustment I had to make was re-aligning one of the two laser axes to center it on the bit. In terms of basic operation, the press works well. The mechanical speed adjustment is a bit cumbersome but works well. Quill movement is smooth, and drill pressure is very easy to control, and it drills through material quickly and easily without bogging down. I'm not at all fond of the depth stop - it works, but to me it's finicky and takes more work than I think it should to get it set where I want it. I'm not used to that type of stop so this may just be a familiarity issue. In addition, at certain speed ranges there's quite a bit more vibration than I'd like. It doesn't seem to be a motor or bearing issue, rather, the toothed M33 v-belt has a tendency to flap back and forth at some speeds resulting in quite a bit of vibration. It may be the v-belt needs to break in a bit more or worst case, the drive pulleys aren't quite perfectly aligned, but given how well the other mechanicals are it's not something that would cause me to return the tool.

I am a DIY and have had to replace my drill press of 40 years and wanted something of good value and reasonably priced. After reading countless reviews of seven different mid priced countertop drill presses I decided on the Wen 5-AMP variable speed countertop drill press. I do mostly metal drilling a lot of which is stainless steel. I wanted a drill press strong enough heavy duty drilling and with the 3/4 HP this WEN drill press is able to drill effortlessly. The ease of speed adjustment along with digital readout and laser guided are bonus features especially for the price. I prefer not to bolt the drill bess to my shop counter tops so to keep it from "walking" I placed a 1/4 thick rubber mat underneath the stand and so far the drill press is not moving. I am very pleased with the quality and the functioning of this drill press for the below $200 price.

I highly recommend this drill, worth every penny. Has plenty of power easy to change Speeds if needed.

This drill press is an economical and versatile addition to my shop. I fastened it to a movable base so it can be stored and moved if needed. There is a twin laser beam that accurately shows where the bit will enter the object being drilled. The table is about 8" x 8" and is easily moved up or down and locked in position, The table will also tilt with a scale to show the number of degrees. The variable speed lever changes the speed without the need to change belts. A digital speed indicator shows the set speed. There are many features that I would expect on a more expensive drill press. The chuck key has a storage clip to prevent it from getting lost. The depth of cut can be set using a lockable scale on the drive handle. The only limitation is the 2" maximum stroke on the drill quill shaft. I would seldom need to drill through anything more that 2", but there are alternative methods (i.e., raise table). I have made a larger removable table with a fence and dust collection.

Combined this with a cross slide vise to make a homemade milling machine and it worked wonderfully. Price was great too and easy to assemble.

Very happy so far with this Wen 4212 drill press and glad I went for the automatic variable speed. Easy to setup and use. “Run out”, i.e., straightness of bit in chuck was much better than I expected. I just finished using it to do my first aluminum bar drilling project with great quick results with 26 holes. I didn’t use the laser but it seems pretty accurate out of the box. No need for a built in light source since it’s easier and more flexible to use a clip/clamp light when & where needed. The way the unit is shipped and packaged made me think it had already been opened and setup & returned. I took it back and got another one and the new unit was packaged exactly the same way. The electric cord is haphazardly tied, part of the press breaks through the top layer of styrofoam and the manual plastic bag is already open and irregularly cut open along top of bag. Since two different units were packaged almost identically, it’s obviously the way Wen does it. Regardless, a terrific value and wish i’d gotten it long ago. Most of my projects will involve aluminum and glass holes. The aluminum will be mostly for precisely located holes that will then be tap threaded ranging from 6-32 to 5/24.

Love it. It’s quiet and very smooth.

Great for the price, easy to set up, love the digital variable speed indicator, laser is spot on.

Assembly was quick and easy. I am really impressed with the weight of the stand and the seeming quality of the table and base. The variable speed lever is fairly smooth and appropriately stiff to maintain the RPM the machine is set to. Speaking of the RPM that the machine is set to, the digital RPM readout is awesome! Now for the bad and what caused this drill press to only get 2 stars. The run out on the chuck is abysmal. I cleaned the arbor and chuck, pressed it on, and immediately noticed it wasn't true. I have tried reseating the chuck several times now but the runout has not improved. I don't have a dial indicator to measure the exact travel, but it is visible to the naked eye using a 1/8" bit, and is violently noticeable when using a spade bit.

Love it.....I use primarily for woodworking. Large forstner bits and it hasn't bogged down on me. Love the laser and the adjustable speed being so easy to adjust