Bosch Bench Drill PBD 40 (710 W, Maximum Drilling Diameter In Steel/Wood: 13 mm/40 mm, Drilling Stroke 90 mm, In Cardboard Box)

This is a superb all-round pillar drill from Bosch. Out of the box it is easy to set up. The ability to adjust the height of the drill and manual depth-stop is great. There is also a digital depth gauge which is easy to use and excellent for repeatable holes. The whole unit is well constructed and well thought-though. The only thing that some may not like is the wheel used to move the drill up/down. However, I have quickly got used to this and now rather like it.The machine is pretty quiet in use. The chuck allows a wide range of drill bits/forstner bits etc to be accommodated. The work clamp is excellent - quick and easy to use and very effective. It has a very wide range of speeds - all easily adjusted via the control knob.All in all, I am exceptionally pleased with this - highly recommended.

Excellent bench top drill press. Little to no set-up time out of the box. Everything worked first time and extremely easy to use for the first time. Very high build quality and feel. Lots of variety in speeds and simple to set your desired depths and stops. I have not had a problem with any projects that I have used it for, it has been able to manage anything that I have asked of it. Not too loud, but as with all power tools, ear protection is advised.

The media could not be loaded. I've now had this for 4 months, so i would like to think I can now give a sensible, calculated review.The drill arrives in 2 main pieces. All you need to do is attached the base plate to the drill, tighten up the allen screw, and you're good to go.You can bolt the base plate to your work surface, via the 4 corner holes. It also comes with a clamp that fits on the bottom of the pillar. It's not really necessary to the work I do, but it seems to work ok.Operation of the drill is super easy. On the right hand side you have a 2 speed selector switch.Speed 1 giving you a speed of 200-850 rpms, and speed 2, 600-2590 rpms.There is a useful little table on the side of the drill, giving you recommended speeds for drilling aluminium and steel. (With wood, you can pretty much drill as fast as you like.) Although I tend to go slightly lower then they recommend, particularly with large bits into steel.(Whenever you are drilling metal, don't forget to use lots of lovely cutting fluid, to help to keep your bit cool).Adjustments of speed is via the main knob on the front. It's very good under load, with the drill constantly adjusting the speed as the torque increases and decreases to keep it at your dialled in speed.It also has a very accurate depth stop, which you set with the upper of the two column levers. You can then switch the display from showing rpms to mms. I've found it very accurate, with great repeatability. I didn't think I would be using it much but, due to it's accuracy I use it a lot.It also has a built in light (very useful), and a built in laser (not so useful, but still nice to have). These are turned on and off by separate switches on the front.It also has a very good emergency stop button, where you can just hit the on/off button to turn off. You may find that like me, you turn it off this way a lot of the time.The chuck isn't the best, and my original intention was to swap it out, for a more accurate model. However in use, it works well, and as you can see from the attached video, on my drill the run out accuracy is around 0.01mm. Which for a drill at this price is pretty amazing.The only quibble I have with it, is that the smallest bit it accepts is 1.5mm, and I know there will be occasions, where I will want to drill 1mm.The controlling handle is something I don't particularly like. There is a reason that every other pillar drill has always had a 3 spoked handle, and that's because it works the best.For drilling wood, the provided handle is fine, but when drilling big holes in steel, you need a lot of downward pressure, and with the wheel type, I find that difficult to consistently achieve. I swapped mine for a traditional 3 spoke, and for me, it works a lot better. It's an easy swap.Overall, I'm very happy. The drill has a powerful 710w motor, a lot more powerful than any others at this price.Ergonomically it works really well, and certainly in my case, is super accurate. I would happily recommend it.I hope you found this review helpful.A small update. I've now had this drill for 2 years, and it is still working wonderfully. I've not had a single issue, and its had a lot of use. Very pleased.

Getting used to moving the drill head to set the position is easy, just remember to release the depth stop (or put it high) so that you can then move it to actually drill. Love the variable speed and the one-knob controls.Setting the clamp is a bit stiff on the shaft (I want to try some machine wax to see if that helps). The laser cross is good, and the built-in light. Simple safety cut-off, just press the control knob to stop everything. Some complaints about drill bit wobble, but I've not found that, and I find the wheel easy to use.The parallel guide works OK, my only complaint is that the high side of it gets in the way of the clamp, if you are working with something lower - I was working with 26mm wood, and the fence is higher, so had to turn it around and use the edge of the flat side. Not a big deal, and no doubt if it was 25mm high, others would have the same issue with 24mm stock...First job was to drill and countersink 42 4.5mm holes 8mm from the edge of the timber - worked a treat and fully justified the purchase, so very happy bunny here.