18 in. Floor Standing Drill Press with Worklight, Laser and 16-Speeds

Received my Delta press via home delivery this evening. Consequently, this is an initial review and summary of my general impressions. First off, pretty fast shipping. Four days since placing my order. Once the container arrived, I had the press unpacked and assembled in exactly 45 minutes. Total time included opening the shipping container, parts separation for assembly, inspection of the motor, stand, frame, all moving parts, and assembly of the machine itself. Shipping box arrived in perfect condition. Machine was well packaged with all metal parts coated in a light oil/cosmoline. For anyone wondering about the instructions, they are well done. If you are mechanically inclined and/or familiar with drill presses, you probably will not need them. I referred to them a couple of times during the build since there are a few nuances with this unit (e.g. dialing in the laser). Still very intuitive, overall. Moreover, I want to stress this machine seems to be high-quality (at least higher quality than a lot of similar units in its class and price-range). Components are substantial. I was pleasantly surprised. Metal where you want it and plastic where it doesn’t matter so much. A very important point to note about the unit’s weight - it’s approximately 250 lbs. Motor is heavy as all get-out and a bit unweildy. To mount the motor, I tipped the assembled base, post and table on its side, placed the motor on the post (only had to lift it about 6” off the ground) and then walked it up into a standing position. I’m almost 48, 5’10” @ 270 lbs, and am a former competitive powerlifter. Still lift big, too. That said, in all honesty, this would have been a much, much easier step with two people. I highly recommend making it a two-person lift. I should have. Once completely assembled, I checked for chuck wobble. Nothing discernible. I then moved on to dial-in the laser and test the unit. Setting the belts/speed at 170, I drilled a precise hole in an old 11 gauge piece of steel tubing I had in the shop (used a titanium twist bit). I’ve attached a photo for anyone interested. Despite the very slow speed, I was through the steel in good fashion; relatively fast and clean. Again, pretty impressed. I’ll be using this press on different types of steel (varying thicknesses and compositions), aluminum, and hardwood. I don’t think the press is going to have any problem with any job I decide to use it for. I’ll update this review if/when I encounter any issue, positive or negative that prospective buyers/users might find helpful/of potential utility. Thanks for reading. Alexander R.

Very easy to assemble, really like the way the table tilts plus the light is awesome. I didn't know how bad my eyes really were until I started using the light. This drill press is for a middle/high school and the students love it! We are using the press for a manufacturing and construction projects in our classroom. We have had the press for about two months and it is everything we had hoped for in a drill press.

This Delta drill press is very versatile. The chuck is true and straight. The features that stands out the most is the ease to change the RPM's for different materials and the laser a quick setup on the material. I have a the drill press for about a year. A very great investment.

Outstanding piece of machinery. Runs quiet and smooth. Easy to set up, all parts fit well. I'd give it perfect rating but for some shortcomings with the table. The upper groove of the parallel t-slots was milled at 9mm, just shy of fitting a 3/8" bolt for my hold down clamps, but more play than I like for 5/16" hardware. I took the table to a machine shop and had the upper grooves milled to 10mm. The hex head of a 3/8" bolt is a perfect fit in the bottom grove, so no special t-nuts are needed. It's so much more versatile now. Also changed the chuck out to a keyless version with half the run out as the Delta chuck. It's really the best drill press I've ever seen.

I'd like to say that it exceeds my expectations, but from the reviews, I knew what to look forward to! Well built and designed. Nothing flimsy or shortcuts on quality. Straight forward instructions and included allen wrenches to assemble. When my friends with banana republic tools come over, they'll know I stepped to the plate...no excuses needed.

The Delta 18" lazer drill press is one fantastic addition to any workshop. Easy assembly, well built with solid capabilties for any project. Home Depot beat all internet prices, and had free delivery to any store location for customer pickup. Just plain hard to beat . . . .

Good drill press. Did a lot of research and shopped around for a good heavy duty shop drill. I need a drill press that will work for both wood and metal and not take up a lot of floor space. This one will run at low enough speed to work for metal as well as wood and has a small footprint. The two axis tilt table, laser sight and bright LED light put it over the top on my list of choices. Drill showed up at my home depot store packaged very well with no shipping cost. It comes in a big box that measures 30 in. wide by 59 in. tall by 13 in. deep and weighs 260 lbs. I was able to wrestle it into my pickup, but I would recommend bringing a friend to help. It comes disassembled into its four main components. Base, vertical tube, motor with drill head assembly and the tilting drill plate. Everything went together easily and fit very well. Setup was pretty easy. However the drill head and motor are heavy. You may want the help of a friend to lift it onto the shaft if you assemble it in the standing up position. It even came with all the tools needed for assembly and adjustment. Instructions were clear and included plenty of pictures. I have no regrets with my choice or purchase. Home Depot had the best price I could find.

Probably the best drill press available for non commercial use at this price point. Assembly was very easy and I was able to get the drill press together in about an hour without any help. The dual axis tilting table is a really nice feature as is the replaceable block of wood beneath the chuck. The lasers are a useful addition to the press. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the press, particularly since it's made in China. Like any drill or drill press, using properly sharpened quality bits, a good cutting fluid, the correct rpm and the right amount of pressure for the material being drilled will produce excellent results while increasing the longevity of the drill/press and drill bits. I commonly need to put holes in steel plate ranging from 1/8" to 1/2" in thickness and this press has no problem doing this over and over again. So far I couldn't be happier with the press and feel that my $1,000 was very well spent.

The drill arrives in a large styrofoam cube to protect the drill. 260 pounds. Delta recommends it be mounted on a 3/4" plywood board 29x24 for stability. I used 1/2" grade 8 bolts 3 1/2" long with 2 boards since I countersunk the bolt heads with fender washers on the floor side. Fit and finish is exc. Mounting the head should take 2 folks or you can mount the head with the unit on the floor then lift to vertical. Still very heavy. Assembly is simple. Although they include metric allen wrenches, I found long allen wrench sockets handy for tight places. You'll need a 10mm socket or wrench for the nut on the speed adjustment lever. I mounted the drill press on a HTC HD mobile base. The base works well, but assembly is slow.

Very nice and solid drill press. Easy to assemble bur you will need persons to get the head unit mounted. Worked smoothly and is at least powerful to do what I ask for.