Description
What is the best speed to run your drill press?
Simple. As slow as possible.
Yes, I know there are speed charts telling you exactly what RPM to use for different bits, different sizes and different materials. And technically, those charts aren’t wrong. Bit diameter, material, feed rate and RPM all affect cutting speed. But think about what those charts are actually doing. As the bit gets larger, or heat becomes a bigger problem, what do they tell you to do?
Slow down.
Instead of telling us the exact speeds we need to be running our bits, those charts are really answering,
“How fast can I drill?” Instead, I think there’s a better question to ask:
“Why drill fast in the first place?”
When I’m drilling wood, I’m not seeing how fast I can knock a hole out. And while I’ve heard the argument that a production shop needs that speed, unnecessary speed is also one of the ways we create problems. What I’m worried about is a clean hole, keeping the bit cool, and making that bit last.
Every sharp woodworking drill bit I’ve used will cut at a slow speed. It might take longer, but faster doesn’t make the hole better. It just makes the hole faster.
And I tested this.
I took pine and hard maple and drilled them with several different bits at three speeds: the recommended speed from the charts, the fastest my drill press would go at 3100 RPM, and the slowest it would go at 300 RPM.
Then I examined them under a microscope.
Sometimes the recommended speed looked better. Sometimes the fastest speed looked better. Other times I found slow speeds looked best. And then when I tried to repeat some of the results, I got different results altogether.
From my findings, there just wasn’t enough difference in the quality of the holes to convince me that chasing the recommended speed did a whole lot.
But there are advantages to slowing bits down.
As a bit spins faster, its cutting edges travel farther through the material in the same amount of time, which can generate more heat. And heat is universally known to damage cutting edges.
I’ve also found slowing my drilling speed makes it easier to control, less likely to burn the wood, and with larger bits I throw less sawdust and particulates into the air.
And just to drive the point home, I pulled out an old drill bit covered in dirt and rust, set the drill press to its slowest speed, and drilled hard maple and pine.
Both holes came out beautifully.
So after spending decades using a drill press and seeing these results, I keep my drill press slow.
Take your time and let the bit cut.
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