It’s 8am; you’re standing in your garage clutching a chunk of stubborn oak. And there’s that drill press again, the Masterforce, and it hums as the bit bites into wood, and you wonder if the whole thing will rattle to pieces under strain. What will happen?
Will the whole thing rattle to pieces under the strain? If you’re new to shop ownership, you know the feeling: you purchase tools to create stuff, not fret over how well they work. Is this a durable drill press?
Is it a Masterforce drill press? That answer comes from understanding where the lines between practicality of use and long-term viability lie, hobby or pro? In many ways, durability is never black-and-white when it comes to machines.
It is never just a yea or nay. Your application, how often you use it, and the price will determine if you’ll feel confident about machine. Masterforce tends to be one of those brands that show up in your local big-box store as part of some basic tool package deal.
Between an industrial-grade machine such as Bridgeport and a drill press secured on a wobbly piece of wood, Masterforce sit somewhere in the middle. The trick to appreciating any investment is knowing where that sweet spot lies. Where do we find truth in a drill press?
Evaluating Masterforce Drill Press Durability Features
Masterforce Drill Press Brand Overview
Let’s start with the casting. Usually, the head and base are cast iron on Masterforce models. This is not some moddern marketing fluff.
Cast Iron Frame Construction
A cast iron frame absorbs vibration. Vibration ruins surface of what you’re cutting and wears down your bearing over time. What if the frame was made from thin steel or plastic?
It will flexes. And that results in a bit of wobble. And wobble equals damaged workpieces and broken bits.
The cast iron construction is heavy enough to keep machine planted. You can feel how solid it is under a hand, especially when there’s downward pressure applied. The quality of the motor determines how much work you can do before it burns up.
Motor Power and Performance Limits
All the Masterforce machines I’ve seen have been universal motors ranging from 1/3 to 1/2 horsepower. Plenty for light aluminum, plastic and wood. They are not designed for hours of drilling holes through steel.
Under a heavy load you’ll see the motor slow down some. That is normal for that class of tool. You give up ease of repair and speed range for the ability to fix cheaply when things go wrong.
The motors is pretty basic. They’re not going to be as strong or as smooth as a dedicated induction motor like what comes on a Jet or Skil press but they cost less to get fixed if needed. Getting enough is your purchase goal, not excess power.
Table Alignment and Stability Adjustments
Where many budget machines eventually fall short is in the column and table alignment. Typically a benchtop-mounted column is fixed in place and won’t spin on a Masterforce drill press. That make the design simpler and means fewer things can go wrong with it.
Likewise, the table is cast iron, which is nice. Slots is provided for securing your work. But sometimes out of the box you’ll find that the locking mechanisms feel a bit loose.
After using it for a few weeks, go ahead and snug down the quill lock and table lift bolts. This is not because anything is defective. Metal will settle just a tiny bit.
A little adjustment goes a long way toward maintaining its shape. There is a less obvious consideration with durability, heat. Small motors gets hot.
Heat Management and Quill Care
Let the drill down after drilling several holes and give it a rest before drilling again. The metal parts expand from heat. The quill can bind due to heat expansion.
A seizing quill can ruin spindle bearings. This is not unique to Masterforce. This happens with any little drill press.
When the machine tells you it’s had enough, listen to it. Feel the head housing. Is it warm?
Hot? Stop. This is a good habit for all tools.
It extends the life of any tool… Whatever the brand name may be on the side of the tool. Does it hold up then?
Durability for Home Workshop Use
Yes, if you are in a home workshop situation; if you’re a weekend warrior, or even if you do some light fabrication in a small job shop. If you know what it can and cannot do, it’ll last years. Ten hours straight drilling through steel, dropping it off a forklift, it won’t stand up to that.
For 90 percent of folks, though, it will give you an accurate, stable platform for your work. And it does so at a price that doesn’t break the bank. This is what value looks like.
And when you go back later and pull that oak piece out of the vise it better stand up and have the hole cut clean. That’s the test. You don’t need a museum piece to achieve good results.
You just need a tool that tells you honestly what it does well. The Masterforce drill press tell you honestly what it does well. It’s a workhorse in the average garage.
Keep it clean, treat it with basic respect and it will outlast most of the projects you throw at it. It has the durability you’re seeking. You should of used it wisely, as the durability you’re seeking is already there, waiting for you to use it.