Key Drill Press

A drill press is a handy tool to have in a wood shop or fabrication shop. Many woodworkers could not practice their craft without a drill press. The key drill press task is that of boring holes of various lengths and angles. With a drill press you can bore a hole much deeper than you can with a handheld drill.

Drill presses come along with a few accessories. The key drill press accessory is the chuck key. The chuck key has teeth on it and is used to change out the drill bits. Turning the key loosens the locking nut in one direction while holding the chuck assembly in place. Chuck keys come in various sizes and shapes. Sometimes you can get chuck keys that have different size teeth that will work with different drill presses.

Another key drill press accessory is the spanner wrench. The spanner wrench allows you to change out the entire chuck assembly. If you drill press allows for, larger or smaller chuck assemblies can be used for really small holes or very large holes up to half inch or greater. Prior to switching out the chuck assembly read the manufactures instructions for your drill press to ensure that the press was designed to accommodate different chucks.

Not all drill presses are the same
The key drill press categories are floor mounted and table mounted. Table mounted drill presses still have a base, a table and a drill head located vertical to the table. However table mounted drill presses are smaller, more compact and cannot bore holes as deep as floor mounted drill presses.

Floor model drill presses have bases that rest on the floor of your shop. A vertical column rises from the base to the table where the piece to be drilled is attached. Above the table, attached to the same vertical column as the base and the table, there is a drill head assembly. This includes the motor and chuck assembly that hold the drill bit. The key drill press feature of a floor model is the ability to bore very deep holes, up to 6" in some cases.