JET 12-Inch Benchtop Drill Press, Variable Speed, 1/2 HP, 115V 1Ph (Model JWDP-12)

This is my first drill press. From lots of choices, I decided on this Jet. Now I’m not one to love high end equipment and decided to go with this because of the easy change of RPMS and digital read out. Just seems like a hassle to have to change the belt to adjust RPM as many bits and materials all vary. This Jet performs with accuracy, is stable and has many advantages. You might think it’s expensive but compared to the cheaper presses this one was worth the money to upgrade to something that was more durable and dependable!

Jet has been around for a long time and makes some great products. This is the reason I went with this drill press.Showed up a day early, box was completely intact. Packaged nicely. No defects and it works perfectly.

I do very little bench press drilling and when I do, it is for woodworking. I looked at a number of manufacturers and despite never owning a jet anything, I decided to give this unit a try. It’s solid. The laser guide is surprisingly useful. Despite being at the low end with respect to horsepower, it can handle most woodworking tasks and is still light enough for me to move off the bench when I need the room. The only time it has bogged down on me at all was when using a very large hole saw that exceeded what this is intended for. It still got the job done, just had to go a little slow. Anything else has been no problem. If I had to nitpick, I find the crank to raise and lower the platform a little on the sloppy side, but not a big deal and very secure once tightened again. Over all, I’m pretty happy with it. It cost a bit more than I had wanted to spend, but is far sturdier than anything I looked at retail. Maintenance has been pretty easy too. The belt is easy to access and adjustments are quick. I’d buy it again.

This replaces a cast steel Craftsman drill press that has been in service many years . Not as heavy duty as that one but a very good replacement . Also a very nice look for updated drill press . Wasn’t sure about ordering without seeing in person but very happy with purchase .Good instructions & very easy to assemble parts . Would buy again

Exactly what I was hoping for at this price. I mostly use a press for hardwood and 1/4” or less hot rolled steel. This press is great for these. On a magnetic base dial indicator, I get .001 runout on the top of the arbor and .002 on the shaft of a chucked Freud forstner bit.The overall build and speed control is great. If I had to nit pick, the table requires t nuts as opposed to through bolts, but this gives you the option for a cooling system for metal drilling. The chuck is great but has some metal cuttings inside that I wouldn’t expect (pic). These don’t affect its functioning. The arbor had one nick large enough to catch my fingernail on (pic), but it obviously didn’t have a big effect on runout.I’d love to have a $2k drill press, but for my needs, I’d rather have this press and $1600 in my pocket.

Generally, the JWDP-12 drill press seems to be very well made and can be set up to do accurate work. Like any other tool, some time spent ensuring that everything is set square is worthwhile. In this case, I found that the initial set up was very straight-forward.I like the table post holder as it allows me to use a cross-slide vise from another manufacturer, one that also offers a mount for the vise that fist the same post configuration.I found the laser cross-hair to be very close, the chuck set in place accurately, and any run-out is nearly imperceptible.The only negative for me, and it is a minor one, is that the table is not adjustable to 90 degrees. I do have a work-around for that, but it would be nice if the table could be set to a vertical position.

I have been using the drill press for a couple of months now. I do mostly woodworking but have used it for some light metal work. Works just fine and I love the ease of changing speeds (that alone made it worth the money for me). Only thing that I don't like is that the gear track used to raise the table is only attached to the column at the base. That results in some play at the top, but most of the drill presses that I looked at were made the same way. In other reviews, some of the new owners placed an Allen screw through the track at the top to anchor it. If it bothers me enough I may do the same thing, but for now I am using it as is with no major problems. The drill press is a little pricey but I love it and would buy it again.

Arrived in good shape, well boxed and with foam inserts for protection during shipping.All parts accounted for. Lightly oiled for rust protection. Easy assembly.I had looked at a Sears model earlier in the week. It had a nice machined table with holes and slots. It would have been easier to bolt clamps etc to the table. Didn't realize Jet had t-slots. Will have to buy a set. :( Not a big deal. I will probably drill and tap some holes in the table to make clamping easier and more versitile. I do like the oil moat around the table. It will make cleaning a little easier. All in all, i am quite satisfied with this purchase.One person said that the digital readout stayed on all the time. I found that by turning on the light, then shutting it off, that the digital readout also shut off.