Drill Press Speed, Does it Really Matter? (I Think You'll be Surprised!) // B4 We Make Things 

Sharpness matters. Great video.

For metal the speed seems to be more important. I normally don't change speeds much, but you can read the chips coming off. I find pressure has a lot to do with it also.

The wavy forstner bit slices a razor score cut but go very low speed, easy to heat the razor thin edge. If you don't care about time and a number of holes then a heavy touch score the wood and the switch to a regular more heat resistant edge forstner bit. Less expensive to replace regular bit. Buy single wavy bits when required. Such precision is usually overkill, fibres will swell slightly and fill minute tear-out. Softwoods being like a bundle of straw will tear out moderately no mater what large-ish bit design you use. For any sheet Aluminum, Copper , not steel, spur bits at midrange speed work excellent and accurate diameters, perfect square hole edges, keep their sharpness forever.

That’s a well thought out and executed experiment. I’ve been drilling holes in wood for since I was in third grade - 1950s - and have always used the slowest speed on the drill press. That’s what my dad taught me to do way back them. I still do it today with good results. As you point out feed rate for the drill bit is a critical factor. Impatience in drilling a hole can cause poor quality holes. It’s interesting that this topic came up in the Fine Woodworking podcast on Friday. Rollie Johnson, a very accomplished woodworker, was answering viewers questions. He disputed the idea of keeping a drill press at the same speed and stated he always uses the optimum speed for the bit size, bit type and material BUT he uses one of those NOVA drill presses that changes the speed automatically. He simply gives the drill press the specifics and it adjusts the speed.

Great info, Rob! Thanks for taking the time and sharing!

I just bought my first drill press. Your video helps me greatly! Thank you for your contribution.

Just remember it’s wood. Wood is fiber. Standard twist drill bit design is not efficient when cutting wood. They are designed and sharpened to meet the requirements of cutting metal. Forster buts and brad point bits are designed to cut fibrous materials like wood. They style and type of grind at the cutting edges is just as important as to the sharpness of the cutting edge.

Thanks for the video. I have a mediocre drill press (in my videos) and I almost always have it set to the slowest speed. Besides a vast assortment of drill bit styles, shapes, materials, etc, the other variable is drill press force, which we'll take on faith you tried to keep consistent. I appreciate you taking the time to show that low speeds seem to be the safest and most convenient. Usually if I feel the need for speed I use my hand drill (too lazy to change pulleys). Thanks again.

Hi buddy, great tips. I turn pens and get a lot of blow outs which destroys the wood blanks so i hope lowering the speed and drilling more slowly helps. Cheers

Thanks a lot! I just purchased my first drill press and was a little confused.

You know mate, when you first mentioned this in a comment a few years ago I was a shade skeptical. I felt that sharpness is king and speed probably makes less difference than we ascribe to it. But that demonstration with the very old bit says everything that needs to be said. I'm converted. Now all I have to do is figure out how to slow down my one speed drill press. Oh, and look up what a 'triscuit' is. Cheers Rob; excellent video mate.

Thanks for the confirmation. I've been doing this for a few years. Against all advice. I had to drill some metal and reduced the speed of my 40 yo Harbor Freight benchtop press. Been working like a charm ever since. Exactly as you say.

Great video. Any suggestion on: 1.speeds to use wire brush attachment? 2. Where to find pulley configuration for speeds for a two pulley drill press? Not even sure how I would speed up or slow down my press. Thanks!

Well done & the results speak for themselves!

I have the same drill press and over more than a decade have changed the speed once.

Excellent video. I too keep my drill press low and slow. You covered this thoroughly and it was well thought out. Thank you.

Great video. Super interesting tests and results. Agree, I keep our drill press at the slowest speed. Mahalo for sharing! : )

Good Information on the speed of the drill press, so far I bought a drill press about a year age and haven't changed the speed that it came with, but now I'm going to look at it's setup and adjust accordingly. thanks for this demonstration.

Very interesting. Thank you.

Nicely done empirical testing Rob. Although there is a lot of science behind sfpm to speed and no. of cutting edges and feed rates, there are so many more real world issues in wood like; knots and variable grain structures (sapwood or spalting) and types. The others are the bits and types as you demonstrate but tooth designs, cutting angles and flutes are the nuances that manufacturers put their name on. Another I noticed on your test and my personal pet peeve, is runout of the bit or spindle which can cause wobble and cut like a burr rather than a bit. All this said, I agree with your findings, but run my restored 1950 Craftsman/King Seeley 12 speed at ~550 for most operations in wood, metal, acrylic and PE/hdpe and slow it down to ~310 for bits >7/8 and slowest (175) for metal. It generally leaves a clean round hole and almost always countersink or debur. I measured my runout at 3 thou, 4 inches from the chuck with a ground rod and dti...makes a difference. But not all bits are true. Typical specs on a bit diameter are ±.005 and yet the HF 25/64 brad point I have, the runout is out by 15+ thou (1-800-bad-grind) which I use for my 1/4-20 threaded inserts and makes for sloppy driven inserts. Sorry for the babbling on but working with wood now at my age seems pretty forgiving in most cases with some sanding/deburring and think you are right for most wood workers! Thanks Bud, Nice video and always enjoy what you bring forward! Hat Tip, ~PJ

Very interesting Rob. So it's not the size, or what you're drilling, it's the speed that counts for smooth and satisfying results 🤣 (Of course on my little Bosch electronic variable drill press changing revs is a simple dial... :P )

Great job, thanks.

Fantastic tips, Rob! Thanks a lot! 😃 I'm going to try it! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

Hello my friend, We agree on drill torque and speed. Thank you for this useful information. If a person can find and reveal new deficiencies every day and can keep in mind the subjects he has mastered every month, we can say that he has a passion for learning.

As in all machining, speeds and feeds are big factors. Materials also play there part. And tool geometry. For instance. Brass. You work brass with a negative break on the cutting edge same with plastics. A sharp cutter will grab these materials. Not good. ( I once snap an inch and a guarter drill in half this way. ) Lastly I hope. You have a drill press, now you need drills. They cost like hell. Take this route. Buy a decent bench grinder, go to a flea market and buy up some old dull broken drill bits and learn to sharpen them. Sanding drums work good in a drill press.

Thanks for taking the time to put this together... one thought though. . clamping wood (instead of hand hold) to prevent movement might have allowed the drill edge to make cleaner cut.

I like the smell of burning oak, so sometimes I use a higher RPM for that. The charred holes give projects that nice salvaged-from-a-house-fire look. But burning glue smells really bad so I go with the lowest speed for MDF.

As they say on the motorway/highway: speed thrills, but kills. 😜. I have left my small drill press on it's default setting which is on a 'happy medium' speed. I do think of reducing the speed when drilling into metal, but it's too much work for a few holes 😁

Fantastic explanation thank you, but it is very very important when drilling metal!!!

don't generally care about minor tear-out and fuzz with softwoods, utility to rustic furniture use, hardwoods cut nice from the start. Run hole saws slow for the same reasons. Carbide tipped are worth it for longevity, cuts cleaner then you would expect. Buy also as single item as required.

I bought my current drill press about 15 years ago. That being said, I bought it because it would go slower than my other drill press. I guess I'm just lazy, but I have used that speed ever since, and get good results.

Guessing your choice of bit brands probably had more to do with the quality of the holes than the speed.

speeds and feeds....most important thing when drilling, milling or turning....

I noticed that you didn't clamp the wood board to the table when you drilled and just held it in place by hand, could that have any noticeable effect on the results? Would the larger the bit or higher rpm cause more vibration? I'm genuinely asked as I'm doing research before I buy my first drill press

I think I've maybe changed the speed on my drill press 3 times in the 4 years I've had it. It just lives in low speed land and I've never had an issue. Hand drills are full speed all the time though, lol

Like anyone is going to go through the processing of determining the speed and adjusting those belts. Math sucks. I just need the hole. 🙂

I guess i am lucky, I have an ectronic regulator for RPMs. no poulies to change 😄 I will definitely tough look mire at speeds from noe on... and yeah, you marked using an awl, but not any awl, one of the best you have made, if you ask me!

Several people mentioned feed rate, at least it appeared not controlled, differant types of drills, differant materials, the designed use of drills, etc.

Any advice for drilling 3 inch holes with a hole cutter into 12mm ply using drill press. I just made 7 bird breeding boxes and it too ages and ages to drill the holes, Should I have gone fast or slow ?? Thank you.

What happens when through drilling especially with the last part of the hole at the moment of break-through ?

What about when your drilling metals

wood are more forgiving materials. any drill bits are harder than wood, the reduced heat tactics is absolutely right in wood. hss is good enough in 99% of the job. that simplify the situation. but metals is a different story, especially stainless steel. it is notorious famous, drill too fast, it turn blue and chips harden like blades, drill too slow, the bit "round" the bottom of the hole and don't get through. clamp it wrong, the piece "helicopter" with the drill bit. it becomes a temperature and speed control arms race if you dig into the details.

What about metal does speed matter

If only wood was the only thing drilled

There is a science behind it.

It is a hole. Minute differences.

yes speed matters....

There's a formula for calculating peripheral surface speed. This is it SFPM=(PI * DIA * RPM) / 12 Then each material has an optimal speed for cutting it. Here's the reverse formula which is more useful for finding how fast you should be going RPM = (SFPM * (12/PI)) / DIA Now you just need target SFPM speeds. I like 100 for a lot of work. But it depends on what you're drilling and what you're drilling with.