18" Variable Speed Drill Press - 1 HP 1 Ph 115/230V - PM2800B Reviews

3.4 Rating 5 Reviews

About Woodcraft:

Woodcraft Supply, LLC is one of the nation's oldest and largest suppliers of quality woodworking tools and supplies. You'll find Woodcraft stores in more than 70 major metropolitan areas across the U.S.; and Woodcraft annually distributes 1.5 million catalogs featuring more than 10,000 items to all 50 states and 117 foreign countries. The Woodcraft catalog is a standard among woodworkers as the most complete offering of first rate products for woodworking available anywhere. Woodcraft also publishes six issues of Woodcraft Magazine annually.

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Phone:

800-535-4486

Location:

1177 Rosemar Rd,
Parkersburg
West Virginia
26105

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“This drill press would not be worth it if they gave it away for free. If you currently own one you should call and ask for your money back. Itâ€™s absolute junk. I have never met a single person with this machine who hasnâ€™t said it is a complete waste of money. The fact that Powermatic is still willfully selling this machine is a shame. This machine should be recalled worldwide. I have spent more fixing my two 2800Bs than they originally cost to purchase. My Powermatic dealer who also did the warranty work and regularly services all of my Powermatic equipment said that he repairs these drill presses all the time. He now refuses to sell anyone this machine because he is convinced they are an engineering nightmare and complete junk. I own two 2800B drill presses and they were both a colossal waste of money. The factory paid for a repair on one of the drill presses in the first 6 months. The first repair was under warranty to replace a cracked pulley in drill press #2. Then drill press #1 had an issue with the on off switch where it completely fell apart. I was able to put it back together but at this time it no longer works. The laser guides are poorly made and never stay aligned for more than a couple days. Fast forward a few more months and now drill press #1 has a stuck pulley. The same machine repair company that did the warranty work came out and repaired that pulley but said that unfortunately I would need to replace the belts because if they wear even a little bit more, the speed control will no longer work. Drill press #2 is still operational but the speed only runs at 1200 RPM and it will also need a new set of belts. One set of belts is $296.41. In addition to the nonstop repairs on these machines, there are also a few major issues that just canâ€™t be fixed and should be considered major design flaws. 1st- the spindle, arbor, and chuck are poorly machined causing wobble and vibration. 2nd- It is completely impossible to square the table with the bit. The way the column and rack attach to the table makes it very hard to maintain a square setup. 3rd- The fence is very cheap aluminum that bows easily and canâ€™t be squared at all. Even if you get it square, as soon as you tighten it to the table the face of the fence is no longer parallel with the bit because the bottom of the aluminum fence on both machines is not flat. 4th- The depth stop is so cheap that it could never possibly be accurate. Every time you drill into something using the depth stop it moves a little and by the time you have drilled something 10 times it is completely inaccurate. 5th- many of the small plastic accessories loosen up over time and just fall off. Things like the decal for the lights on the switch panel has fallen off of one machine, the cover that goes on the side of the handle to cover a nut keeps falling off. Itâ€™s all just so cheap. I should have sent these back when they arrived with missing parts, but I didnâ€™t think it was a big deal at that time. As a side note, I have a large wood shop with over $40k in just Powermatic equipment all purchased new in the last 4 years. I have always used and liked Powermatic equipment and thatâ€™s why when it was time to replace the older equipment that was not cost effective to maintain, I purchased mostly Powermatic equipment. Powermatic continues to claim they are the â€œGold Standardâ€”

5 Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU BUY! This drill press would not be worth it if they gave it away for free. If you currently own one you should call and ask for your money back. Itâ€™s absolute junk. I have never met a single person with this machine who hasnâ€™t said it is a complete waste of money. The fact that Powermatic is still willfully selling this machine is a shame. This machine should be recalled worldwide. I have spent more fixing my two 2800Bs than they originally cost to purchase. My Powermatic dealer who also did the warranty work and regularly services all of my Powermatic equipment said that he repairs these drill presses all the time. He now refuses to sell anyone this machine because he is convinced they are an engineering nightmare and complete junk. I own two 2800B drill presses and they were both a colossal waste of money. The factory paid for a repair on one of the drill presses in the first 6 months. The first repair was under warranty to replace a cracked pully in drill press #2. Then drill press #1 had an issue with the on off switch where it completely fell apart. I was able to put it back together but at this time it no longer works. The laser guides are poorly made and never stay aligned for more than a couple days. Fast forward a few more months and now drill press #1 has a stuck pulley. The same machine repair company that did the warranty work came out and repaired that pulley but said that unfortunately I would need to replace the belts because if they ware even a little bit the speed control will no longer work. Drill press #2 is still operational but the speed only runs at 1200RPM and it will also need a new set of belts. One set of belts is $296.41. In addition to the nonstop repairs on these machines, there are also a few major issues that just canâ€™t be fixed and should be considered major design flaws. 1st- the spindle, arbor, and chuck are poorly machined causing wobble and vibration. 2nd- It is completely impossible to square the table with the bit. The way the column and rack attach to the table makes it very hard to maintain a square setup. 3rd- The fence is very cheap aluminum that bows easily and canâ€™t be squared at all. Even if you get it square, as soon as you tighten it to the table the face of the fence is no longer parallel with the bit because the bottom of the aluminum fence on both machines is not flat. 4th- The depth stop is so cheap that it could never possibly be accurate. Every time you drill into something using the depth stop it moves a little and by the time you have drilled something 10 times it is completely inaccurate. 5th- many of the small plastic accessories loosen up over time and just fall off. Things like the the decal for the lights on the switch panel has fallen off of one machine, the cover that goes on the side of the handle to cover a nut keeps falling off. Itâ€™s all just so cheap. I should have sent these back when they arrived with missing parts, but I didnâ€™t think it was a big deal at that time. As a side note, I have a large wood shop with over $40k in just Powermatic equipment all purchased new in the last 4 years. I have always used and liked Powermatic equipment and thatâ€™s why when it was time to replace the older equipment that was not cost effective to maintain, I purchased mostly Powermatic equipment. Powermatic continues to claim they are the â€œGold Standardâ€”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

DH From Fulton

Verified Reviewer

“I had planned on upgrading my standing drill press and was set on buying a direct drive model available from another manufacturer. After reading some reviews, particularly some of the reported issues with software upgrades, I broadened my search. Probably a reflection of my age and disposition. I am annoyed at my computer and phone constantly needing to be updated, I didnâ€™t want to deal with this for my shop tools. A key feature I was looking for was a model that made changing speed easy. The inexpensive model that I have had for 20 years had pulleys where you adjust the belts to get the desired speed. I would usually not bother and would leave it at 900 RPM since this covers the most common speed for drilling wood. I have a variety of bits sizes and types and was not really getting the best out of them. I found the PM2800B was offered with a variable speed that is adjusted by a simple external handwheel. I spent a lot of time digging through reviews and had a few concerns with this model also. I had to go look at one in a store before deciding. I ended up ordering this model and here are some thoughts after assembling and using for a brief period of time. Every review tells you to have 2 people to put the head on this unit, they are right. With the variable speed transmission, this is a beast. Weight of the entire press is 260# and at least half has to be in the head unit. My oldest son and I along with my wife were able to get it installed. The biggest issue is finding a good way to raise it to the top of the post while balancing the awkward heavy unit. If you can lick this, the rest can be done by a single individual. I had also read of having difficulty with installing the table, it weighs a good 30-40# and the manual directs you to put the rack inside the collar attached to the table then put all this combined assembly over the top of the post. I found if you remove the table from the collar (single bolt), it is much more manageable. If you have a second set of hands, you donâ€™t need to remove the table. When assembling with one person I found myself one hand short when attempting to hold the rack against the spur gear inside the collar while balancing the table and installing over the top of the post. When you start the drill, it was set at 3000 RPM which is the top end of the speed range. I have seen comments about this press being loud, I would attribute this to the variable speed transmission on this unit. It is still one of the quietest power tools in my shop. It is rated at 1 HP, 15 Amps at 120V which is twice what my previous press was rated for (which is interesting since it claimed to be a 3/4 HP press:)) The light that comes with this press is fantastic. I will be disappointed with anything less going forward. The depth stop works well for me. Looking at some of the reviews, others had issues. I felt this is one of the most important features of a drill press and it would be a show stopper for me if it didnâ€™t work. . I looked at one at a Woodcraft Store and found it to be readily adjustable and can be finely adjusted to make small changes in depth. The table is solid and adjusts up and down very easily. The center opening on the table arrived with a square MDF or Plywood spacer about 5/8â€”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Rt From MELBOURNE

Verified Reviewer

“Part of the instructions do not tell you to remove column ring, then slide table over column and replace ring which take about three people.Also that the drill press head can not be lifted to fit over the column, it must be put on by laying the column on its side and placed in hole after set srews are unlossened, and three or four people to lift it, very very heavy.”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“Iâ€™ll start by saying no I own multiple PM tools. I have the 20â€”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago