Obey the Drill Press Speed Limits

If your drill bits are sharp, but you're experiencing tear-out when drilling holes, there's a good chance that the drill press speed is set too slow. There are several factors that determine the proper drilling speed, including the size and type of bit, plus the density of the material being drilled. The chart below provides a range of drill press speeds that should work well.

Type of Drill Bit	Size of Drill Bit	Hardwood Speed (rpm)	Softwood Speed (rpm)
Brad Point	¹/₈″–¹/₄″	1000	2000
	³/₈″–¹/₂″	750	1800
	⁵/₈″–³/₄″	375	1600
	⁷/₈″–1″	250	1000
Forstner	¹/₄″–³/₈″	750	2200
	¹/₂″–⁵/₈″	500	2000
	³/₄″–1″	500	1600
	1¹/₈″–1¹/₄″	250	1000
	1³/₈″–2″	250	500
	2¹/₈″–3″	250	250
Spade Bit	¹/₄″–⁵/₈″	1800	2200
	³/₄″–1″	1600	1800
	1¹/₄″–1¹/₂″	1200	1600
Countersink	Fluted	1000	1200
Countersink	Shearcutting	800	1000

Have a nice weekend,

Wyatt Myers
Online Editor, Workbench

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