Those looking for a drill press that’s truly designed for woodworking may find the right combination of features in Powermatic’s new 18-in. PM2800B Drill Press. For starters, the machine can be dialed up or down through its 250 to 3,000 rpm speed range with a handwheel, located on the side of the motor housing (not shown). There are no belts to manually shift from one pulley sheave to another here. A 1hp TEFC motor wired for 115 volts drives the 5/8-in. keyless chuck for drilling or drum-sanding tasks, and the front-mounted digital readout reports the current drilling speed. This drill press offers 6 inches of quill travel; a single revolution of the feed handle covers this distance. The feed handle can be installed to the left or right of the motor head, depending on end user preference. Visibility and drilling accuracy are both improved, thanks to a pair of bright LED lights that shine down on the work table, plus a pair of lasers that pinpoint the center of the drill bit. Powermatic includes a generously sized 20-in. x 14-in. cast-iron table, plus a fence with two cam locks that secure it to the table’s T-tracks. A material stop on the fence makes setups easy for drilling repetitive holes. When it’s necessary to clamp jigs and workpieces to the table, its rim is obstruction-free for improved clamping convenience. The table raises or lowers on the column with a rack-and-pinion system, and it can be tilted from 0 to 90 degrees for angled drilling. Powermatic offers this 246-lb. drill press for $1399.99 through its dealer network and a number of other outlets.
