Identification
A drill press is a type of drill that drills from a fixed working position. Generally it consists of two major parts, a standing column with an adjustable table on which the work piece can be clamped, and a drill head which can be moved vertically to the work piece.
There are a couple of key metrics when considering drill presses; usable work piece size, spindle socket size, drill rpm.
The size of the work piece that can be used on a drill press is determined by the height and the distance between the column and the drill (the throat). Typically there are floor standing models and workbench size presses.
The spindle socket size and type determines what drill tools can be used. Typically drill presses use the Morse Taper standard (or Morse Conus), a machine taper standard with different sizes. For more commonly used drill bits, a Morse tapered drill chuck is used.
The revolutions per minute (rpm) on most drill presses can be adjusted to match requirements for the drill and the material being drilled. Commonly this is achieved by either a belt pulley system or gears in the head, or with a variable speed motor.