Holes & mortises · review
A €115 pillar drill that publishes its depth, its speed range and its chuck capacity — and states all three plainly.
The end of it The cheapest of the European machines in this group, and one of the best documented. For small work it is hard to fault.
Every figure is a manufacturer specification, read off the listing itself, and the judgments are ours — drawn from how the specification behaves in this class of machine and from what long-term owners consistently report. Where a figure is missing, we say so rather than fill it in.
450 W, five speed steps from 600 to 2,650 min⁻¹, a maximum drilling depth of 50 mm (1.97 in) with an adjustable depth stop and a depth indicator, a keyed chuck taking 1.5 to 13 mm (0.06 to 0.51 in), a ball-bearing spindle, a table that is continuously height adjustable and both rotates to 90° and tilts to 45°, a three-arm rubberized feed handle, a hinged chip guard and a switch with no-volt release. Part number 4520592.
A drill press exists to make a hole perpendicular, and to make the same hole again. The specification that decides what it can do is how far the spindle travels in one plunge: that is the thickness you can drill through without moving the work, and every time you raise the table and re-enter a hole you risk the alignment the machine was bought for.
The second number is the chuck range. It caps the shank you can hold rather than the hole you can bore — large Forstner bits are commonly made with reduced shanks for exactly this reason.
Einhell publishes the depth figure here, which is more than most listings in the class manage, and 50 mm (1.97 in) is a modest number stated honestly rather than a large one left out.
It is the smallest motor of the seven drill presses here and it sets the limit on large bits. A 13 mm (0.51 in) twist bit in timber is comfortable; a large Forstner bit at low speed will need a light feed and patience. For the work this machine is actually bought for — dowel holes, shelf pins, hinge and hardware recesses — the power is not the constraint. The 50 mm (1.97 in) depth is.
A hinged chip guard and a no-volt release both address the same thing: a drill press grabs on breakthrough, and a workpiece held by hand becomes a spinning lever. Clamp the work, and let the guard do its job.
| Motor | 450 W |
|---|---|
| Speed range | 600 to 2,650 min⁻¹, five steps |
| Maximum drilling depth | 50 mm (1.97 in) |
| Chuck capacity | 1.5 to 13 mm (0.06 to 0.51 in), keyed |
| Table | Height adjustable, rotates to 90°, tilts to 45° |
| Part number | 4520592 |
| Amazon reference | B0987VJLBD (identical on 6 markets) |
| EAN | 4006825649871 |
No. The listing carries part number 4520592 and reads TC-BD 450, a pillar drill. We name the product the listing names rather than the one the search asked for.
Drilling through anything much thicker than 45 mm (1.77 in) in a single plunge. You can go deeper by raising the table and re-entering, and every time you do that you risk losing the alignment the machine exists to guarantee. For furniture hardware and dowel work it is ample.
On a machine at this price, five belt steps are honest and reliable, and 600 to 2,650 min⁻¹ covers a large bit in timber at the bottom and a small one in steel at the top. Cheap electronic variable speed tends to lose torque at the low end, which is exactly where a large Forstner bit needs it.
A listing is not an offer: the reference exists on these stores, availability changes daily.
7.2/ 10
The cheapest of the European machines in this group, and one of the best documented. For small work it is hard to fault.
Shelf pins, dowels and hardware holes — accurate shallow drilling on a small bench
Specifications: the manufacturer sheet for woodworking machines and the matching Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure on this page names its source.
710 W · 90 mm (3.54 in) quill · 40 mm (1.57 in) in wood
The longest stroke of the European bench drills here — 90 mm (3.54 in) — and the only one that states its capacity in wood as well as steel.
Best for: Deep holes and large Forstner bits — the work the cheaper presses cannot reach
8 in · 620–3,100 rpm in 5 steps · 150 mm (5.91 in) quill claimed · 2.5 A
An eight-inch press claiming five point nine inches of spindle travel — more than the floor-standing machine on this shelf.
Best for: The smallest sum that puts a press with a tilting table on a bench — with the travel figure confirmed first
≈ $97
630 W · 60 mm (2.36 in) depth · 16 mm (0.63 in) capacity
A pillar drill that states its drilling depth and its maximum bit size — and is nearly twice the price in Britain as in Germany.
Best for: Repeat drilling to a set depth — shelf pins, dowel holes, hardware
Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.
