Customer Reviews

Shop Fox W1668 3/4 HP 13-Inch Bench-Top Drill Press

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The press was well packaged and undamaged. The instruction and assembly manual did not completely match the drill press I received. I guess, if you can't figure out how to put it together, you shouldn't be using it anyway. I have a small shop. Everything is on casters. For my shop, it's perfect. Easy to operate, change drill speeds and engage the oscillating feature. It comes with a set of sanding drums. The mounting hardware doesn't hold on to the sanding drum very well, but it works. I added a 3/4" plywood deck to the adjustable platform for sanding and drilling larger stock. This helps in keeping your stock square to the drill or sanding drum. The oscillating feature works well, but you need to be careful how much pressure you place on the object you are sanding to keep from damaging the mechanism. Once you figure out the proper pressure on the sanding drum, the results are quite good. The extra money you pay for all the features is worth it.

Seems like a reasonable piece of equipment, but it was frustrating to setup and a few of the details seem to be poorly thought out.

* The manual omits important details and seems to refer to a earlier revision of the product.
* The oscillating feature seems cool, but they recommend that you remove the handles for safety reasons. This is big enough inconvenience, that I may not use that feature much.
* One of the nuts on the idler pulley was loose. It wouldn't drill through anything substantial until that was tightened.
* While the output shaft is quite true, the outside of the chuck appears to be slightly wobbly in operation. While it doesn't appear to affect the operation, it doesn't inspire confidence, either.
* The base looks particularly crude in its machining. It isn't a big issue, it just makes the drill press look cheap.

Some good safety features are the spring chuck key and the switch on the belt door.

I don't know why Amazon refers to this as a H0626. The box and manual called it a model W1668.

The box was labeled with this title, however after unpacking the numerous pieces of broken packing, scattered and damaged parts (yet to be replaced..on a new drill), I saw a different picture. As other reviews have noted, the manual is way out of date and omits details. The setup was basic, but the assembly took longer than it should have because of the confusion. The fit and finish are crude..seems like paint slopped on pot metal. A lot of minor things such as lack of washers for bolt on painted surfaces connections, over tolerance collar ring which will not square itself to the column. Most aggravating thing is when you go out of oscillating mode you have to manually turn the oscilating pulley until the chuck reaches zero again at the head, otherwise, your depth adjustment will be off. To sum up, nice idea, poor engineering, lousy packaging, medicre customer service. Save yourself the headaches and go elsewhere.

I purchased this drill press from Amazon and the shipment was pretty fast (10 total days I think) and the packaging was appropriate. The delivery service put it exactly where I asked, in spite of my steep driveway, which was very nice considering how heavy the box is. I was surprised how easy it was to assemble, especially considering some of the negative reviews I've read. It did not run very smooth at first, but after a few tweaks it was up to standards within 10 -20 minutes. The whole process of assembly and setup probably took less than two hours. I have drilled several holes and already made a few jigs with it. For all applications to this point I have been very pleased. Sure, it's not a zero tolerance machine that runs as quiet and smooth as an $800 drill press, but it truly is a good value and for most serious hobbyists this will be plenty sufficient. I have not tried the sanding drums yet, but I have friend with the same drill and he loves the sanding feature. All in all, you will not be dissapointed.

I looked at over a hundred New and used Drill Press's on line and in person.
Finding the right one for my budget at the time was difficult, Under $300.00 to my door.
I had just bought a older 1940's Craftsman that seem alright in the noisy driveway that I heard it run in. When I got it home I could hear that some bearings were worn & saw the wobble when I drilled into some steel.
Goodbye $200.00 for a machine that needs some work that I don't know how or have the time to fix.

I have a full time Knife making and Sharpening biz. Especially with all the holes I drill to light up my knife handles. This Shop fox machine real works well with 5/32" Carbide bits to drill in 1/8" & 1/4" thick non-heat treated S30V and 440C Stainless Steels, Both of witch get gummy and soft when hot.

I am happy with the adjustments/Layout so far, The machine took about half an hour to setup. Straight forward easy directions were provided. Some reported trouble changing speeds?, I had none.
I haven't used the oscillating sander feature, And I think it would put a lot of stress on the Quill.
I have other machines that were made for contour sanding.

The motor has plenty of power and for the price of this machine, I would recommend it to any and all people in the one step above entry level drill Press Market.

A work light is about the only thing I would add.

Well I took the plunge,and bought a drill press,,I've been reading literature,and getting more,and more confused..the idea of a (2in1)unit sounded great,,Iread the reviews on the shop fox, and they ranged from rant to rave..But I finally bought one,it took me about an hour and a half to get it assembled,,the hardest part being getting the head on by myself..I/m impressed!it is accurate,,and the oscillating sander is really neat..I reccomend it,,,,,5 STARS,,,,,Bob in SOUTH CAROLINA.......

Great tool. Quality metal and precision. Easy to setup. As advertised on the web. Easy to follow manual. High quality tool

What little I have used this drill press so far, I have been impressed with its construction, the ease of assembly, and the detail built into it. I'm very happy with it.

The machine is made from pretty good materials, turns bits a described, good chuck. Like the versatility.

Setup and installation was relatively easy. Directions were understandable with good illustrations. It took less that two hours to assemble and begin drilling. The drill press performs well and powerfully. I particularly like the included sanding kit which attaches easily, reciprocating up and down. It includes a varity of sanding cylinder diameters.