Palmgren 80153 1/2 HP 15-Inch 12-Speed Bench Drill Press

by Palmgren

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

With a large motor, the Palmgren 1/2 HP 15-Inch 12-Speed Bench Drill Press provides accurate drilling in tough materials like cast iron and steel. Precision-machined and designed with rigid stable construction, the work table can be tilted 45 degrees both left and right, and rotates 360 degrees on a vertical axis. Other features include an enclosed ball bearing quill assembly with long spindle travel, a locking power switch to prevent unauthorized use, and a hardened steel rack and pinion with locking mechanism for easy table height adjustment.

What's in the Box
1/2 HP 15-inch 12-speed bench drill press, chuck with safety-eject key, chuck, arbor, and power cord.

From the Manufacturer

When accurate drilling is required, the Palmgren 15" Heavy Duty 12-Speed Drill Press is a necessity. It is designed with a rigid, stable construction along with precision machining for accurate performance. Large motor enables drilling in tough materials like cast iron and steel. Greater low-end speed range for larger drilling capacity. Long quill travel for deep operations. Heavy, cast metal quill handle with rubber handles for comfortable use. Rapid and easy speed changes with swing-mount motor and pulley system.

FEATURES

• Cast-iron head, base, table, and column
• Precision ground work table can be tilted 45 degrees both left and right, and rotates 360 degrees on a vertical axis.
• Enclosed ball bearing quill assembly with long spindle travel
• Hardened steel rack and pinion with locking mechanism for easy table height adjustment
• Locking power switch prevents unauthorized use
• Includes chuck with safety-eject key, chuck, arbor, and power cord

SPECIFICATIONS

• Swing: 15"
• Motor: 1/2hp
• Voltage: 120/240v
• Speed Range: 240-3080rpm
• Spindle Travel: 5"

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 26 x 13 x 42 inches
• Shipping Weight: 217.3 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00068U7YK
• Item model number: 80153
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #231,374 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid, well-built machine, November 1, 2005

By 

Pen Name - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Palmgren 80153 1/2 HP 15-Inch 12-Speed Bench Drill Press (Tools & Home Improvement)

When they say this is "Heavy Duty" they aren't kidding. I bought this for my home woodshop - I was attracted by its 5" length of spindle travel (most other drill presses sold today have only about 3 1/2" of travel - what's up with that?) From the look of it I would say that it is built to withstand daily industrial use in a machine shop. It weighs about 200# and has the same heft as a floor-standing model but at about half the height; it is therefore too large not to be permanently mounted on a table. The fit/finish is outstanding. The table is strong and heavy and I can't deflect it with my weight. The depth stop works well and is extremely easy to adjust. Preliminary small gripes include: no central hole in the table for drilling "through" wooden pieces, and no mechanism to lock the spindle in lowered position for rotary sanding. Both of these can be overcome with simple jigs. One thing's for sure: I will never outgrow this drill press.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Drill Press - once it turns in the correct direction!, June 6, 2006

By 

John Myers "John" (Kirkland, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Palmgren 80153 1/2 HP 15-Inch 12-Speed Bench Drill Press (Tools & Home Improvement)

I've had this drill press for a few weeks now, and it is a wonderful machine. Assembly was straight forward. The only difficulty was the weight. Make sure you have help in lifting the head/motor onto the column. Then an additional hand lifting the whole works onto the bench is very useful. I concur with the previous reviewer - this is a heavy drill press.

Once I had it in place I tried it out. As I started drilling, smoke came from the wood, and it wasn't drilling very well. I looked at it and realized the spindle was turning in the wrong direction - counter-clockwise! There is no switch to reverse the direction. I called Palmgren tech support and was told that I needed to swap a couple of wires (wires 5 and 6). I unscrewed the plate at the bottom of the motor, and pulled out the two sets of wires. One bundle had wires 1,3,6 (plus one wire from the cord). The second set of wires were 2,4,5 (plus one from the cord). The bundled wires should be 1,3,5 and 2,4,6 (all even and all odd) plus a wire each from the cord.

The wires were labeled with the numbers, so identifying wires 5 and 6 was easy. I switch the two around, put everything back in place and tried the drill press again.

It works wonderfully now - just like it should. I considered giving this review 4 stars because of the wiring foul-up, but correcting the situation only took 10 minutes. True, it shouldn't have been a problem to begin with, and points to a quality control issue (I hear these machines are made in China - like most other woodworking equipment these days). But the machine works perfectly.

I like the fact that it has a 5" spindle movement - which is very nice when you need to drill deep holes - which I do with my pen making. Adjusting the belts is a simple matter, and only takes a minute. The table is firm and the drill press itself is very steady. Most importantly, it drills holes that are straight and true.

This drill press costs more than most bench-top models, but I'm very pleased with having a quality piece of equipment.

John

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid., August 14, 2009

By 

Eric Cartman - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Palmgren 80153 1/2 HP 15-Inch 12-Speed Bench Drill Press (Tools & Home Improvement)

If you're looking for the premier bench drill press, this is it. Rock solid, well packaged, easy belt adjustment, quiet, vibration-free. This cannot be said of its competition. Comparing this to a Delta is laughable. Spend the extra $100, this drill is worth it.