# Drill Press decision, Jet JDP-12 vs. Craftsman 21914



## the202 (Feb 11, 2011)

I'm in the market for a new drill press. I am looking at a Craftsman 21914 and a Jet JDP-12. I was wondering if anyone has first experience with either of these models. I can get the Craftsman for $206 or the Jet for $290. They both have a laser alignment system and a work light. The appeal of the Craftsman is the LED depth indicator, and it's a slightly lower price. The Jet on the other hand seems to have a more substantial build quality and a variable speed mechanism.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


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## papawd (Jan 5, 2011)

I would go with the Jet , Craftsman tools as of late leave a little to be desired , however I do try and support Sears when possible because of there support of our troops ..... Both would be good for the money, with that being said I would still take the Jet .. I have a Ridgid drill press which works really well just picked it up at Home Depot for $200 ....Just my 2 cents & good luck with whichever one Ya go with


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Mike


I have the Craftsman and it's woodworkers dream, I almost got the VS Jet but I said how many times do I reset the speed, not to many ..and it is so easy on the Craftsman if needed..

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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

Mike - you don't mention what you'll be expecting from the drill press, so it's difficult to provide sound guidance. For example, is the objective to drill small holes in pine, or will you be using 3" Forstner bits in hard maple? Will there be any metal work in the future? 

Bench-top drill presses tend to be under-powered for many tasks, and lack the accuracy, versatility and robustness of the better floor-standing models.


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

I have the previous edition of the craftsman 12", was about a $100 second hand purchase. It was in like new condition, and so far I've been very happy with it. 

You can usually get a lot of drill press on Craigslist for under $200 if you're willing to put a little effort into cleaning them up.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Ralph

Say what ??? ,,I'm just asking why ,a floor model is better than a bench top, apples to apples , they use the same head on both models don't they.. ??

Note..I drill 1" thick steel on my Craftsman and no problems and I also chuck up 1/16" drills bits and smaller bits with a extra chuck I pop in place.
I also use the 3 1/8" Forstner bits on the drill press with no problems..  and 6" holes saws. all on a bench model.


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Ralph Barker said:


> Mike - you don't mention what you'll be expecting from the drill press, so it's difficult to provide sound guidance. For example, is the objective to drill small holes in pine, or will you be using 3" Forstner bits in hard maple? Will there be any metal work in the future?
> 
> Bench-top drill presses tend to be under-powered for many tasks, and lack the accuracy, versatility and robustness of the better floor-standing models.


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## MikeMa (Jul 27, 2006)

I would agree with Bob, the DP is one of the few tools that differences between a bench top and floor standing DP is minimal. 

I have had a bench top Craftsman DP for about 5 years now, and that thing has done everything I have asked of it without complaint. I have been progressively swapping out my bench top power tools with floor models (bandsaw being the latest as of this weekend!) and the DP is not on the replacement list. In fact if I ever get a floor model DP, I will probably continue to use bench top one as well.


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## the202 (Feb 11, 2011)

Ralph, I will be using this press for general purpose drilling such as pen blanks, shelf pins, forstner pockets and occasionally, sheet metal. I recently sold my old drill press, a Craftsman 12” bench-top, because it only had 2¼ inches of travel. My shop is small so space is a consideration and for my basic needs, the two models I listed in my original post should be more than adequate.

Bob, since you own the 21914 can you tell me if in addition to the digital depth display, is there also some kind of mechanical depth stop for repetitive drilling…in other words, will I have to look at the depth readout for every repetitive hole or can I set it once and then mindlessly drill dozens of holes without using the display?


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Mike

Yes, it has a neat mechanical depth stop also, quick and easy to set with just one hand, right on the pull down handle, once you find the depth you want just set the mechanical depth stop and you are set to drill the same, over and over..


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the202 said:


> Ralph, I will be using this press for general purpose drilling such as pen blanks, shelf pins, forstner pockets and occasionally, sheet metal. I recently sold my old drill press, a Craftsman 12” bench-top, because it only had 2¼ inches of travel. My shop is small so space is a consideration and for my basic needs, the two models I listed in my original post should be more than adequate.
> 
> Bob, since you own the 21914 can you tell me if in addition to the digital depth display, is there also some kind of mechanical depth stop for repetitive drilling…in other words, will I have to look at the depth readout for every repetitive hole or can I set it once and then mindlessly drill dozens of holes without using the display?


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Juts a add on

The drill press is very accuracy. the SMALL drills bit I use on the drill press now and than for drilling out the hole on brass jets on carb.jobs.

The picture below also show the pocket holes in cabinet doors plus it's very easy way to make a router table cabinets, 3 cabinet doors and a face frame and you have a router cabinet in a snap..all out of scrap MDF stock...

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## jcr3 (Mar 12, 2011)

hi,
I do not have 1st hand experience with either drill presses mentioned, but if you are planning to spend $206-$290 + tax, then I would look for a decent drillpress on Craigslist, pawn shops or classified ads, and it would probably cost you less than $200. There are alot of people where I live that are hurting for $$, so are dumping their tools for gas money


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## the202 (Feb 11, 2011)

In my first post for this thread I included a picture of what was supposed to be a Jet JDP-12 but is actually a Jet JDP-15M. I have attached the correct picture of a Jet JDP-12 to this reply.

Last evening, after work, I went to my local Woodcraft store for a close-up, hands-on look at the Jet JDP-12. For the most part, I had already decided on the Jet, and the up-close inspection was going to be just a formality. To my surprise however, the Jet had a lot of problems, more than I was willing to overlook.

The fit and finish is what you would expect for a sub $300 press, but not what I’m used to from Jet. In particular, the castings were terrible, the table and base plate surfaces - although machine ground - were extremely course. The body had casting slag everywhere and the entire machine was covered in a mixture of yellow-ish paint and grease (more than normal for a new machine). The rack and pinion table adjuster was so far out of mesh that each full, downward crank (counter clock-wise) would result in the table “pausing” then dead-weight dropping about a ½ of an inch. Additionally, after cranking the table lock handle to its tightest position, the table still rotated on the column sleeve horizontally (left to right) and racked vertically. I was sure that either the table assembly itself, or the gear rack was the wrong item, perhaps from another model or brand (inadvertently installed on this model), the Woodcraft associate assured me that was not the case. 

This drill utilizes a variable speed pulley system to accomplish the “on the fly” RPM adjustment. It consists of front and rear pulleys that are spring-loaded and can essentially change their diameter by compressing or expanding. Because of this, the pulleys do not provide a smooth, continuous surface for the belt to travel on, but rather an interlocked series of metal fingers. When running the machine with the top cover open, I was able to see a small, but continuous stream of belt shavings being nic’d away at every revolution of the “fingered pulleys”. This explained why the top enclosure was full of black, rubbery dust. I verified that the pulleys were in perfect, planar alignment, so it’s possible that since this is a new “demo” machine, that dust was a normal artifact of a new belt being broken in. 

Another problem – at least for me – was the plastic lid. I had read in some reviews that the plastic lid was very thin and susceptible to cracking, and after close inspection I agree. I’m used to seeing plastic enclosures and covers on modern tools, but this lid was extremely thin and seemed brittle. Unlike other JET tools, the main body casting and the lid were an off-yellow color, not the pearl white color of the rest of their line.

Another oddity was the electronic RPM display. It was mounted on the plastic face assembly – crooked. The thing is, it’s not screwed in place, nor stuck into place with adhesive, instead it does fit perfectly into a plastic opening – made just to accommodate its rectangular shape, no wiggle room. The plastic opening was cast into the plastic assembly – crooked. The face assembly was otherwise mounted securely and square.

The sales associate told me that the three chrome handles used for rotating the quill were too thin and had been breaking off under normal use for other customers. He also added that all the red handle-knob caps would have to be glued in place after they fall out. (3 caps on the rotator and 1 on the variable speed handle). 

The final issue for me was the table. It uses a t-slot system and has no through holes other than the center which isn’t a huge problem, but troublesome nonetheless if you want to mount a drill press table. 

Overall, I was so unimpressed I decided to pass. Please note that I’m not trying to provide a review of a product that I never got to actually try out in real life. Instead I wanted to share my experience with this model and point out that although some of my issues with this press are trivial; others are deal-breakers regardless of the price. And I have no doubt that there are plenty of people who own this machine and are perfectly happy with it, and may not be as picky as me, or may have a much better unit than the one on display at my local store.

So round two tonight, I’m going to take a look at the aforementioned Craftsman 21914, a 12” bench-top Delta and a floor standing Porter Cable. Where I live there is a Rockler store, a Woodcraft store, a Sears tool center, and a Lowes all within a ¼ of a mile of each other.


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

bobj3 said:


> Hi Ralph
> 
> Say what ??? ,,I'm just asking why ,a floor model is better than a bench top, apples to apples , *they use the same head on both models don't they.. ??*


Generally not, at least not with the "better" floor-standing models I'm talking about, which are made for industrial, not hobbyist use.



bobj3 said:


> Note..I drill 1" thick steel on my Craftsman and no problems and I also chuck up 1/16" drills bits and smaller bits with a extra chuck I pop in place.
> I also use the 3 1/8" Forstner bits on the drill press with no problems..  and 6" holes saws. all on a bench model.


Among the benchtop models, the Craftsman is among the best, power-wise. Although the Sears page is silent on detailed specs, according to the the Fine Woodworking review, it's 2/3 HP, compared to 1/3 - 1/2 HP on several others.

Login - Fine Woodworking


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi

The floor models are higher in the price the norm, but if one wants a floor model it's easy to make one for peanuts , see my uploads for a how to..

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## the202 (Feb 11, 2011)

Well after much ado, I decided on the Craftsman 21914. It took about 30 minutes to assemble, and 3 hours to clean, lube and wax. *Bob*, I see what you mean about the radial stop lock, it works great and I like that you can also set a stop to prevent the quill from retracting. 

The suicide knob is very unique, I’m surprised you don’t see that feature on every drill press, it works great. The digital depth gauge will take some getting used to, but so far its been very accurate. The laser set-up is a breeze, it works every time since the laser assembly is mounted above the chuck on the quill column – it moves with the head assembly so the cross hatch is always in reference to the bit. The flexible LED light works fine; it’s not super bright but does the job. So far there appears to be no run-out but I haven’t put it through its paces yet.

My only complaint thus far is you have to turn on three separate switches, the light, the laser and main power to get everything going. Those issues are pretty minor though, and the suicide knob more than makes up for it. So I’ll see how this model holds up over the next few months.

Thanks everyone for your comments and input.


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## the202 (Feb 11, 2011)

Wow, I just realized my new drill press looks like General Grievous from Star Wars.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Mike


That's great , I did have a error with the laser box, not to sure if I broke it with a bump from stock or the screw driver by getting it over tight, but I did fix it with a longer screw and a bigger washer, the box is hard plastic and it's not the best but with a longer screw it's fine now..


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the202 said:


> Well after much ado, I decided on the Craftsman 21914. It took about 30 minutes to assemble, and 3 hours to clean, lube and wax. *Bob*, I see what you mean about the radial stop lock, it works great and I like that you can also set a stop to prevent the quill from retracting.
> 
> The suicide knob is very unique, I’m surprised you don’t see that feature on every drill press, it works great. The digital depth gauge will take some getting used to, but so far its been very accurate. The laser set-up is a breeze, it works every time since the laser assembly is mounted above the chuck on the quill column – it moves with the head assembly so the cross hatch is always in reference to the bit. The flexible LED light works fine; it’s not super bright but does the job. So far there appears to be no run-out but I haven’t put it through its paces yet.
> 
> ...


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## sourdough (Jan 31, 2010)

Just an observation. I am STUNNED at what you found with the Jet unit! I have a Jet T-saw and some other stuff and it has been first rate for close to ten years. It is hard to imagine seeing something like you did, which was obviously a piece of junk.I'm grateful my old 250 lb. Chicago 5-speed serves me so well that I doubt I'll ever need to be drill-press shopping. Egads.....what has happened to Jet!!
No...wait.....don't tell me.....it's now being made in......


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## Hermansclork892 (Aug 9, 2014)

I have the older version of the craftsman, I think the 21914 which is the same but without the digital display. It's ok I guess. Got it because it was realy cheap and got very good reviews. I don't really use it that much so it meets my needs fine but I'd say its a pretty decent machine. No complaints with it. 

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My Choice


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