Drill press

[Tom Gi]

I’m in need of a drill press full size and wondering if it has a .5 inch chuck is there a small Chuck that could be put in and taken out that would hold the very smallest blades

 

i dont want to remove the half inch chuck but will fit in it 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

You want a zero clearance chuck. You can change the entire chuck and get a good quality zero clearance chuck such as this. 

https://www.precisionmatthews.com/shop/1-2-ultra-precision-keyless-drill-chuck-mt2/

Or you can get a small zero clearance chuck that you stick in any drill or drill press. I believe Denny sells some. Maybe he doesn't I do not know but know he sells micro bits. You can buy on Amazon. but a really good quality one will cost much more. Just make sure it goes down to zero when closed. 

Edited January 10 by JTTHECLOCKMAN

[Wichman]

My current drill press chuck will hold a #65 drill bit ( .035" ). I occasionally use a #71 ( .025" ), I have to use a micro chuck for this.

One note about the micro chucks, often only one side will give a good non-wobble rotation. I had to carefully change which of the six sides was aligned and rotate through them to find the one with the best alignment. Once I had the best alignment, I marked the drill press chuck "finger" and the face of the hex shaft with white craft paint.

When I'm drilling with the tiny bits I have the drill press speed maxed out, 3500 for mine. I also use a Dremel to drill pilot holes and it's speed is 20,000.

[BadBob]

You don't specify the smallest size you want to use. I have bits so small that I don't dare drop them because I may never find them.
 

I have two drill presses, a large floor-standing, and a benchtop model. Both have the WEN DPA167H chuck mounted on them. They advertise 1/64-inch as the smallest size, but I have used smaller bits. I kept the original chucks in for larger bits or drilling steel. So, yes, you can change chucks with the proper tools. Note that there are a few cheaper drill presses that do not use taper-mounted chucks.

I have a Dremel mounted on a drill press stand for bits too small for the Wen chucks.

[Norm Fengstad]

My drill press is going on 30 plus years now and still works ok. I have bought a Seyco drill for scroll saw projects that works well for me

[Bill WIlson]

My old Craftsman drill press has a chuck that closes all the way.  It will hold the smallest numbered drills I have.  Look for a drill press that has a chuck like that and then you don't have to mess around.  If you can't find one, then buy a good chuck and replace it as JT suggested.

[Scrappile]

My 17" Jet DP chuck also closes all the way.  Very nice to have.

[kmmcrafts]

I bought a cheapy WEN 12" drill press for a second one so I could leave the forestner bit in my Delta drill press for drilling the clock insert holes and not have to change set-ups all the time.. I was quite pleased to be able to chuck up the #56 - 60 bits that I regularly use with the chuck it came with.. My Delta I always had to use a smaller chuck for small bits and it would wobble if you don't chuck it up in a certain spot.. like Wichman said.. once you find that spot mark it with paint and it's not too bad... no issues with it on my WEN though so that was good investment for me. 

[TAIrving]

Things to look for in a drill press:

Throat size:  My scroll saw has a 21" throat size so I can cut larger projects.  You probably want a drill press with a larger throat size.  My drill press (Wen 4214T) has a 12" throat size which seems to be sufficient for the fretwork patterns I like.  My previous 9" drill press was not.  

Vertical throw:  Some smaller drill presses only have a 2" vertical travel, larger ones have a 30-1/8" travel.  I had one with the smaller throw but let it go and got one with the larger throw.

Smallest bit it will take: This is a function of the chuck and the chuck can be changed.  FWIW, the chuck that came with mine works fine with very small bits.

Work light: Nice to have.

Laser guide:  Some like this feature.

Floor mount vs table top:  I got the table top model and mounted it on a rolling work table.  

Hope you find one that suits your needs.