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Bench Drills

Bench drills (also called drill presses or pillar drills) are the workshop drilling solution for precise, repeatable holes at controlled depth and perfect perpendicularity - the accuracy that a handheld drill simply cannot match. This is the collection for metalworkers, joiners, model engineers, mechanics, hobby workshops and small production facilities who need proper drilling accuracy rather than freehand approximation.

You will find compact bench-mounted drill presses for small workshops, hobby use and light joinery, plus heavier pillar drills with larger chuck capacity and more powerful motors for metalworking, structural steel and continuous production drilling. Key features across the range: chuck capacities from 13mm (1/2") through 16mm (5/8"), motor power from 400W entry-level up to 750W trade specification, variable speed control for matching drilling speed to material and bit size, depth stop for repeatable hole depth, tilting table for angled drilling, and standard 240V mains power for UK workshop use.

The brands here are the ones UK workshops trust: Einhell (the German value specialist, with the TC-BD and TE-BD ranges), Faithfull Power Plus (the British trade reference for workshop machinery), plus alternatives from DEWALT, Makita and Record Power across the wider workshop machinery category.

Bench Drills
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Bench Drills – Product list

Bench drills and drill presses at MTN Shop UK

A bench drill (drill press, pillar drill) does one job very well: it drills holes that are perfectly perpendicular to the workpiece, at a controlled depth, at a speed matched to the material. That precision matters for anything that has to fit together on assembly (motor mounts, machined components, joinery hardware installations, engineering fabrications), for anything where hole depth needs to be repeatable across dozens of parts, and for any material where a wandering hand-held drill would ruin the workpiece (thin sheet metal, hard steel, small precision parts). If you are drilling more than the occasional hole in a workshop, a bench drill pays back the bench space quickly.

Einhell TC-BD and TE-BD range

The Einhell bench drill range covers two families for different workshop scales:

  • Einhell TC-BD 450 (450W, 240V): the entry compact bench drill for hobby workshops, model engineering, small joinery and general light use. 13mm chuck capacity, five-speed range, tilting table. The right specification for occasional use where full trade capacity is not needed.
  • Einhell TE-BD 750 E (750W, 240V): the higher-specification variable-speed bench drill with a 750W motor for continuous use and harder materials. Electronic speed control gives fine adjustment for metalwork, hardwood and thicker steel sections where a fixed-speed drill would either burn the bit or slow to a stall.

Faithfull Power Plus drill presses

The Faithfull Power Plus range covers the trade specification for regular workshop use:

  • Faithfull DP13597E (13mm, 400W, 240V): the compact bench drill for smaller workshops, with the standard 13mm chuck capacity that handles most drilling in wood and metal up to 13mm diameter.
  • Faithfull DP16720E (16mm, 600W, 240V): the heavier specification with 16mm chuck capacity for larger diameter drilling in steel, hardwood and structural work. The larger chuck fits Morse taper adaptors for taper-shank drill bits, extending the capacity beyond what a keyed chuck can handle.

Choosing chuck capacity

  • 13mm (1/2") chuck: the standard capacity, handles drill bits from small pilot sizes up to 13mm diameter. Adequate for most hobby, joinery and light metalworking use.
  • 16mm (5/8") chuck: extended capacity for larger diameter bits, engineering work and structural steel. Also accepts Morse taper adaptors for taper-shank drill bits that go well beyond 16mm.

Choosing motor power

Motor power determines what you can drill through without stalling, especially at larger bit diameters and in harder materials:

  • 400W to 450W: light workshop use, hobby engineering, model making, softwood and thin sheet metal. Adequate for occasional use.
  • 600W: mid-range for regular workshop use in softwood, hardwood and mild steel up to typical 13mm capacity.
  • 750W and above: continuous workshop use, hardwood joinery, structural steel, larger diameter drilling. The right specification if the drill is used daily rather than occasionally.

Speed control and material matching

Drilling speed matters as much as bit diameter and material choice: run a large bit too fast in steel and the bit overheats, blues the temper and goes dull within a few holes; run a small bit too slow in wood and the bit wanders and tears the fibres instead of cutting cleanly. Fixed-speed bench drills use a stepped pulley system with typically five to twelve speeds that the operator selects manually before drilling. Variable-speed models (like the Einhell TE-BD 750 E) use electronic speed control for fine adjustment during the cut. As a rough guide: fast speeds (1,500 to 3,000 rpm) for small bits and softwood, slow speeds (300 to 800 rpm) for large bits, hardwood and steel.

Depth stop and tilting table

Two features that separate a bench drill from a hand-held drill:

  • Depth stop: the adjustable stop on the quill that limits how far the drill descends into the workpiece. Set it once and every subsequent hole is the same depth: essential for blind holes (holes that do not go all the way through), for dowel holes in joinery, and for any production run where consistency matters.
  • Tilting table: the worktable that tilts up to 45° left and right for drilling at angles. Used for pocket screw holes, angled joinery, engineering fixture work and any drilling where the hole is not perpendicular to the material face.

Bench drill vs pillar drill vs floor-standing

  • Bench drills: the compact format that mounts on a workbench, typically 500mm to 800mm total height, 40kg to 60kg. Right for most workshops.
  • Pillar drills (extended column): longer column between motor housing and worktable, for taller workpieces. Still bench-mountable.
  • Floor-standing drill presses: full-height freestanding drills, 1,500mm+ tall, 80kg+, for production use, engineering shops and continuous industrial applications.

Safety and installation

Bench drills are workshop machinery and installation matters:

  • Bolt to a solid bench: the drill vibrates when running larger bits and will walk on an unsecured base, ruining the accuracy and creating a safety hazard.
  • Chuck guard in place: most modern bench drills come with a transparent chuck guard. Do not remove it - loose sleeves, watch straps and jewellery caught in a spinning chuck cause serious injuries.
  • Workpiece clamped: hold the workpiece in a drill press vice or with clamps to the table, not by hand. A grabbed workpiece spinning against the operator is one of the most common bench drill accidents.
  • Eye protection: always wear safety glasses when drilling metal - hot chips fly off unpredictably.
  • Regular inspection: workshop electrical equipment should be PAT tested per the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 for commercial premises.

Choosing the right bench drill

  • Hobby workshop, model engineering, occasional use: Einhell TC-BD 450 (450W, 13mm chuck).
  • General workshop with hardwood and mild steel: Faithfull Power Plus DP13597E (400W, 13mm) or Einhell TC-BD 450.
  • Regular trade workshop use: Einhell TE-BD 750 E (750W, variable speed) or Faithfull DP16720E (600W, 16mm chuck).
  • Larger diameter drilling and engineering work: Faithfull DP16720E (16mm chuck for larger bits and Morse taper capacity).
  • Continuous production or floor-standing needs: see our wider workshop machines category.

Related categories

The Bench Drills collection sits under our wider power tools category and alongside our other drill types: powered drills, drill drivers, percussion drills, SDS drills, combi hammer drills, rotary drills, angle drills, mixer drills and electro magnetic drills. For the bits themselves see our bits and bits and holders collections. For the wider workshop machinery range, browse our workshop machines and bench and universal grinders.

For trade orders, workshop kitting, apprentice training centres or specific Einhell or Faithfull Power Plus references, request a quote and our team will get back to you with availability.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bench drill, drill press and pillar drill are three different names for essentially the same machine: a workshop drilling tool with a motor at the top, a column, and a worktable at the base, where the drill descends vertically onto the workpiece via a lever-operated quill. Bench drill is the term more common in UK trade contexts, drill press in US and engineering contexts, pillar drill in older UK terminology. All three refer to bench-mounted drills; floor-standing drill presses are the taller freestanding versions for continuous production use. The choice between them is about size and capacity, not fundamental design.
The chuck capacity is the maximum diameter drill bit shank that fits into the chuck. A 13mm chuck (the standard capacity on most bench drills) handles bits from small pilot sizes up to 13mm diameter, which covers most drilling in wood, mild steel and general workshop use. A 16mm chuck extends the capacity to 16mm bits and also accepts Morse taper adaptors for taper-shank drill bits (used for larger holes in steel and heavy engineering work). For hobby workshops and general joinery, a 13mm chuck is enough. For engineering work, hardwood joinery, structural steel and larger diameter production drilling, the 16mm chuck is worth the price difference.
Fixed-speed bench drills use a stepped pulley system with typically five to twelve speed settings that the operator selects manually before drilling, by moving the drive belt between different pulleys. This is reliable, low cost and adequate for most workshop use. Variable-speed models (like the Einhell TE-BD 750 E) use electronic speed control that adjusts continuously during the cut, allowing finer speed matching to material and bit size. For hobby and occasional use, fixed speed is fine. For regular workshop use where you switch between drilling small bits in wood and large bits in steel throughout the day, variable speed saves the time spent changing belt positions and gives more accurate speed matching.

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