PROXXON Precision Bench Drill Press - Micro Hole Capability, Adjustable Depth & Table, 3-Speed Selection, Durable Design, with 6 Precision Collets for Detailed Projects - TBM 115

Purchased this mini-drill press for wood ship modeling, which I have found to be essential to the craft. My only regret is that I did not purchase it sooner. The operation is very smooth and incredibly accurate -- down to drill bits less than 1 mm in diameter (purchased separately). The set of "mini" chucks allows for precise turning of each drill bit. This is a high quality dril press. Although pricier than other units, it has been worth every dollar I paid for it.

Smaller in size than I expected but still perfectly usable for my purpose (drilling PCB through-holes). Spindle and collet system run true enough to easily drill 0.3mm holes. I can't do 0.2mm or 0.25mm reliably but then I haven't bolted down the machine for extra stability like they recommend. Also I'm holding the workpiece freehand rather than clamping it down securely. In any case, this drill machine beats a dremel rotary tool mounted in their $50 drill stand by a large margin. Initially there was problem with the machine when I opened it to change the belt to the higher-speed setting. The "set screws" for the motor-side "gear thingy" were coming out and would clearly eat into the belt as it operated. These set screws are basically intended to stay "sunked in" on the high-speed track of the motor-side gear thingy. So I tightened them as best I could but when I turned on the machine, the centrifugal force caused them to roll back out and damage the belt. I explained my situation to proxxon support and thankfully they sent a new belt by express mail at no charge. I've taken out the set screws entirely and it seems to work OK so I'm not sure what they're really good for. If you get one with loose set screws I personally recommend removing them rather than trying to secure them properly. AFAICT, it's not easy to secure them because there is no "head" to these screws.

I'm on the fence between 3 and 4 stars but I gave Proxxon the benefit of the doubt on this one. It's a quality drill press designed to do one thing very well and it does make precise holes using small drill bits. Plusses: High quality - very well built and very precise for drilling replicable holes can accommodate both specific drill bits for the mini chuck (1/32 - 1/8 inch size chucks are provided) and a universal chuck (not provided) quiet and smooth operation Minuses: definitely pricey for what you get; others have suggested including a vise and universal chuck would be nice for this cost Limited up and down movement (and hole depth possible), although this is expected for a small drill press, I would say. I find it difficult to precisely line up with the spot where I need the hold drilled. Overall, it's a keeper, but don't underestimate the amount of time it will take for precise positioning of your substrate to get a small hole where you need it. In the end I usually poke a small pinhole in my substrate and then take the drill bit down to the substrate to confirm it's in the right place before turning it on and drilling the hole. It's great when the vise can hold things in place, but that's not often the case with my substrates for r/c model plane components.

My experience and background has been around all types of CNC and precision equipment. From Mazak to Haas I have owned them all. So you get to know when something is cheap or poorly built. I had my doubts about this purchase. I was looking for a precision drill press to drill a 1/64" hole in acrylic and maintain consistent depth. Right out of the box the machine was clean and properly packaged. After initially reading the instructions and checking everything out I went right into production with it. The drill performed better than expected. Undetectable runout in the collet and the power needed to get the job done. This purchase was definitely more quality than expected, so much so I am thinking of using it for other operations.

Thank you very much! It is very nice to work with you.

Works very well for small, precise drilling thru plexi, wood, plastic, brass, etc. As another reviewer pointed out, clearing the quill with a collet held stationary was necessary to minimize run-out. Out of the box, the drill bit was noticeably off center, after clearing the quill and when using a collet, there is no perceptible run out. Very impressive for a drill in this price range. I compared this drill to a much more expensive drill in a friend's shop and found no practical difference. My only criticism is the motor, it is not a high quality motor. Its noisy and vibrates some, but not enough to effect the work.

CON: Not every thing shown in photo came with the drill press This gave it a 4 instead of a 5. the mini vice is missing a $20 value. PRO: otherwise I am amazed at the quality an accuracy, I would buy it again. I was able to drill a .012" hole in to a1mm brass tube without breaking the drill bit which is very fragile. I tested the wobble with a micrometer and it has a .003" wobble which is amazingly small. the power is sufficient for this kind of work. The press works very smooth. this enables me to feel the drill bit as it drills. this is one primary reason that my drill did not break. CON: Clamping materials is not good. this is very bad for this type of drilling. I ordered the Proxxon x-y table once mounted I expect the clamping problem to be fixed. NOTE: A replacement standby belt would have been nice.

I needed to drill a tiny screw out of a tiny r/c component. Picked this up, the vise, the small has bits and a chuck. The chuck came in to the box with the actual chuck not on the card, lol. Set the thing up, eyeballed the vise, stuck it on the work table, stuck a bit in a collet and mounted it up. I then proceeded to drill the hell out of that tiny screw and saved my part, exactly as envisioned, and broken 3 bits trying to do manually. Tiny drill press for the win! This thing feels and works like a mini full size press, it almost like a little model in itself. I thanked it for its service, in a world where everything has been picking me in the metaphorical bits, this thing performed exactly how I hoped. 5/5 would buy again, I’m quite happy.