What Is a Drill Press Swing?

Drill press swing is a measurement used by woodworkers, metalworkers, and tool manufacturers to describe the capabilities of a specific drill press.  Drill press swing assumes that your goal is to drill holes in the center of your workpiece. It measures, in inches, the maximum width of material that can be center-drilled on that drill press. 

To grasp the concept of drill press swing and its implications, it helps to understand drill press construction. In this article, it will explain what is a drill press swing.

Drill Press Construction

Drill presses are mounted on a base, which may rest on the floor or on a workbench. The base supports a column, and the column supports the tilting, adjustable drill press table. 

Supported by the column and hovering over the drill press table is the head of the drill press, from which the spindle extends. The drilling action is accomplished by the up-and-down motion of the spindle. 

To drill a hole with a drill press, the user positions the material on the table, underneath the spindle. When the motor is turned on, the spindle turns, and the drill bit can be lowered into the material, leaving behind a hole. 

When positioning material on the table, the central column gets in the way. The distance between the spindle and the central column limits how far into the material you can place your holes. 

How Is Drill Press Swing Calculated? 

Drill press swing is calculated by measuring the distance from the center of the spindle to the edge of the drill press column, then multiplying by two. 

If the distance between the central column and the spindle is nine inches, that drill press has a swing of 18 inches. In other words, you could drill a hole in the center of an 18-inch square piece of wood. 

Drill Press Swing Size

The size of the swing is correlated with the size of the drill press. 

Mini Drill Press

Mini drill presses have swings sized between three and five inches. A mini drill press with a three-inch swing can drill holes one and a half inches from the material’s edge. You’ll find a lot of cheaper drill presses fall into this category.

Benchtop Drill Press 

Benchtop drill presses are common in home workshops. A typical benchtop drill press has a swing between six and 12 inches. A benchtop drill press with a ten-inch swing can drill holes five inches from the edge of your workpiece. 

Stationary Drill Press

The largest model of drill press, stationary machines are floor mounted and weigh hundreds of pounds. They tend to have correspondingly large swings. It is unusual to find a stationary drill press with a swing less than 12 inches. 17 or 18-inch swings are very common.

The largest consumer drill presses can drill ten inches into the material, giving them a drill press swing of 20 inches. Large drill presses can be used for metal or large workpieces.

Drill press swing applies to the width of compatible materials. Spindle travel applies to their thickness. A drill press with a spindle that travels three inches can reach a maximum depth of three inches into your workpiece. 

When to Use a Drill Press

For drilling precise, angled holes, no tool can beat the drill press. Drill presses also excel at drilling holes to precise depths. They are powerful enough to drive large bits straight through significant amounts of material. 

Different accessories can be attached to the spindle of the drill press to achieve different results.

• Wire wheels. Use a wire wheel to clean metal. 
• Polishing mops. A polishing mop buffs metal through the use of an abrasive compound. Polishing mops are constructed from absorbent material which holds the polishing compound, providing gentle abrasion to shine metal surfaces. 
• Taps. Taps and tapping attachments can be used to create threaded holes. 
• Mortising attachments. With a mortising attachment, a drill press can make square, flat-bottomed holes in wood. A barrel sanding attachment can be used to sand curved workpieces. 
• Jigs. Jigs are commonly used to help support material for specific drilling purposes. For example, a cabinet hardware jig helps you make precise holes for installing cabinet hardware. A crown molding jig allows you to do the same for crown molding. Adjustable fences are a type of jig and provide a place to clamp your material for safe and precise drilling. 

No matter what you’re doing with the drill press, ensure you follow safe work practices while doing it. 

Types of Drill Press

There are two types of motor-driven drill press; direct-drive, and belt-and-pulley. 

Belt and pulley drill presses must be adjusted manually. Direct-drive motor control drill presses are able to sense when more torque is required and adjust accordingly. 

Conclusion

Drill press swing is one of many measurements you can use to evaluate the capabilities of your drill press. It is calculated by doubling the distance from the spindle to the central column. Drill press swings range from three to 20 inches.