On Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:03:52 +0100, Stephen wrote:

Hello,

I'm thinking it would be useful to have a pillar drill but don't know
much about them. What should I look for? What should I avoid?

I've got a bench-top one, but wish I'd spent the extra on a floor-
standing type, as there have been a few times when I've needed to drill
holes in the ends of taller objects and it would have been useful.

At least on the cheaper models, it seems there's a lot of rebranding /
badge engineering, so it's maybe worth shopping around for included
extras, better warranties etc.

The table on mine has a lot of bracing on the underside - good for
strength, but it makes clamping workpieces a fiddle at times. It's on the
to-do list to attach a solid bit of steel plate to the underside, but I'm
sure that some models come without this niggle anyway.

Someone else mentioned built-in work lights, but I find that mine casts
too many shadows due to the positioning of the bulb; I think I'd rather
that part of the development budget went elsewhere and it not have the
light at all - having good lighting around the bench works much better
IMHO.

cheers

Jules