Wen Drill Press

 A spring on my drill press broke a couple of weeks ago.  I was hoping that I could replace it.  It would have been an inexpensive part with a little bit of difficulty to replace.  However, the part is no longer stocked and cannot be replaced.  I thought I would just deal with it.  I quickly learned it is not smart to use a drill press where the chuck lowers by itself.  It makes adjustment difficult and setting the depth stop even harder.  Not to mention it is not very safe.

I really wanted to upgrade but could not justify it.  While looking online I found several that would work.  The WEN 10 drill press at Home Depot stood out.  Not because some of the new features that my old one did not have but because of the spindle travel.  It was 2 ½” while all the similar drill presses were 2 3/8”.  I know it is only 1/8” but that makes a big deal when a lot of my toy chassis are 2 ½”.  The other neat features include laser cross hairs and an LED light.  Not something I was looking for but a nice to have.

The drill press shipped to my house quickly and was undamaged which was a good thing.  The laser cross hairs line up with the hole.  They become a “V” when a drill bit is put in them.  It is also fairly accurate. The LED light worked.  At first, I was frustrated the LED light did not have an on/off switch.  I found it a couple of days later.  I was impressed how quite the machine was wen used.

Overall it was a good purchase.  We will see how long this drill press lasts.  The last one was almost 15 years.  No complaints from me except for the timing.