PORTER-CABLE 8-Amp 12-Speed Floor Drill Press Lowes.com - $305

Brick

https://brickseek.com/lowes-inven...1000132463

I bought this from Lowes a handful of years ago and I've been happy with it. The chuck is fine, nothing great but mine has given me no problems. I've never really had an issue with noticeable runout so I've never taken the time to measure it. I may replace with a keyless chuck but that's low on my priority list. The table sucks so I'd recommend making a larger table and fence. All the major players have prefabricated table / fence combos if you'd rather that. Increasing the footprint of the table and adding a fence makes this drill press much more capable and increases repeatability...and you'll probably be able to move your table to a new press if / when you upgrade. Speed adjustment is manual, by moving the belts from wheel to wheel and sliding the motor housing to properly tension. There is a guide under the hood. Not ideal but not terrible either.

My main gripe is adjusting the table: it's a pain in the ass. Adjusting the height involves a quick-release and crank...not terrible but location is slightly inconvenient. Table tilt, on the other hand, involves a wrench or socket and due to the weight of the cast iron table (and whatever supplemental table you've attached to it) dialing in a specific angle can take a lot of trial and error. If you need a specific angle often it would probably be easier to make a jig hold the work piece at an angle on a flat table than to constantly go back and forth adjusting.

Overall, I'd recommend this press on a budget and at $305 it's a no-brainer. Just don't expect $1700 fit and finish from a $550 machine.

Specs say this has a 7-1/2 inch swing. That can't possibly be correct, can it? Even the cheap bench top presses have a 10-inch swing. 🤔

Quote from ruouttaurmind : Specs say this has a 7-1/2 inch swing. That can't possibly be correct, can it? Even the cheap bench top presses have a 10-inch swing. 🤔

Good catch. Center of spindle to column is 7-1/2" so the swing is 15".

Worth noting resale value on drill presses are often low due to the size/weight. Often worth checking your local Facebook/Craigslist first.

I'm so close to pulling the trigger on a Nova Voyager.

How are we, in 2022, still paying so much money, for such outdated tools?

Don't get me wrong, the NOVA Voyager feels like it should be $200 less than what it is, but there's no competition for a true variable speed, digital drill press on the market (in the US anyways. Europe has many. Some start at €170 and some great ones are only 2x that price.)

If someone in the US were to make and sell a (true) VFD drill press, they would be loaded in cash lol. It wouldn't need to be anything crazy, just a base, a direct drive motor, and a VFD. No super settings for depth and tapping modes, etc. Just a vfd drill press.

Quote from IncompletePerfect : I'm so close to pulling the trigger on a Nova Voyager. How are we, in 2022, still paying so much money, for such outdated tools? Don't get me wrong, the NOVA Voyager feels like it should be $200 less than what it is, but there's no competition for a true variable speed, digital drill press on the market (in the US anyways. Europe has many. Some start at €170 and some great ones are only 2x that price.) If someone in the US were to make and sell a (true) VFD drill press, they would be loaded in cash lol. It wouldn't need to be anything crazy, just a base, a direct drive motor, and a VFD. No super settings for depth and tapping modes, etc. Just a vfd drill press.

I'm hesitant to pull the trigger on this because I've been eyeing a WEN floor droll press.
The WEN does have a digital variable speed, but it's OOS at the moment

Quote from dogma1331 : I'm hesitant to pull the trigger on this because I've been eyeing a WEN floor droll press. The WEN does have a digital variable speed, but it's OOS at the moment

That one is not a variable speed... it's a secondary belt tensioning device, and a rough guess at the speed.

I almost got that one and once I looked at the actual drill press on display I said NOPE.

If you just see the pics, and a few videos, you think it's a great idea and value. But in reality it's just a standard drill press with a cheap counter, and extra pulley wheel.

I was considering getting a Bosch PBD-40 from Europe and just getting a single outlet (or converter) that would allow me to use it with my 220 system. Only downfall, is that there would be no warranty and if there were any issue, it would likely just become $350 scrap. I sure wish Bosch would make a US version. They would sell a ton at $500 and be rolling in cash.

Opinion on this one on Ebay?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/274571717981

No specs, looks like cheap Chinese stuff and shipping costs are unknown.

Quote from sloughboy : Opinion on this one on Ebay? https://www.ebay.com/itm/274571717981 No specs, looks like cheap Chinese stuff and shipping costs are unknown.

If all you need is cheap Chinasian crap to punch holes in stuff, Lowe's has the Black Bull 16 speed floor press [lowes.com] on clearance for $258. I'd rather buy from Lowe's in case there's an issue, or it's just so bad it's unusable. Easy return.

I bought one of these about 2-3 yrs ago. It replaced a drill press I got from my grandfather that was from the 40's. Much better results with this new press, but can tell the skimpy portions when comparing this porter cable to the old Delta from him.

My main gripe is the table adjustment. The clamp is hard to adjust and makes it hard on the "ladder" rail that drives it up and down. Now my rail is bowed and keeps getting worse and worse. I've had to take the whole press apart (you have to remove the motor) to take the rail off, bend back into shape and put back together. After a few uses it's is back to bowing again.

Overall, I'm satisfied and would be a buyer at this price, but there are some trade offs with a low price machine. I'd still say it is better than my buddys bench top Wen, but with this bigger floor model, make sure you get way to move it around. I went with a bora system and it makes this big/heavy machine much easier to wheel around and store.

Quote from ruouttaurmind : If all you need is cheap Chinasian crap to punch holes in stuff, Lowe's has the Black Bull 16 speed floor press [lowes.com] on clearance for $258. I'd rather buy from Lowe's in case there's an issue, or it's just so bad it's unusable. Easy return.

Found one locally with 5% Lowes Advantage to make it sweeter. They are all Chinese crap anyway. 😂

It's $387 by me. Pull the trigger and got the band saw also

Apparently it is now down close to $200 at some stores per Den of Tools.

https://youtu.be/5BrY1qK6APA?t=60