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How to use a pillar drill

Updated: 2026-10-23

The first hole goes wrong in two ordinary ways. The work spins because you held it, or the chuck key stays in the chuck and leaves with the spindle. How to use a pillar drill, on a shed bench, is the order you do those things in, plus the moment you stop because the machine is faulty. This page is that order for these amazon.co.uk bench drills in October 2026. The [pillar drill comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/pillar-drill) is the table. We did not run a training course. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The first hole goes wrong in two ordinary ways. The work spins because you held it, or the chuck key stays in the chuck and leaves with the spindle.

Our top picks

Bosch Bosch PBD 40

Best overall

Bosch Bosch PBD 40
9.2/10about £279.94
View offer
Einhell Einhell TC-BD 450

Best value

Einhell Einhell TC-BD 450
8.8/10about £123.93
View offer
KATSU Tools KATSU 400 W bench drill

Alternative

KATSU Tools KATSU 400 W bench drill
8.4/10about £104.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Before the spindle turns
  2. 2.Clamp, then feed
  3. 3.Speed without an open belt cover
  4. 4.Stop when the machine is faulty

Before the spindle turns

A bent column, a hot plug, or a chuck that will not close on centre is not a setup you can drill through. Keep loose clothing, untied hair and gloves away from the turning chuck. On a keyed chuck, tighten all three holes, then take the key out. The Bosch PBD 40 chuck is keyless. A Buyfun digital review says that chuck is not keyless even though the bullets claim it is. Miniature presses do not describe a guard. Whether one should be plugged in at all is on the mini bench drill or pillar drill page.

Clamp, then feed

Do not hold the work by hand, and disconnect before you change accessories. The Bosch box includes a quick-release clamp. Other listings often leave work holding blank, so use a vice that cannot slide. Unplug, lower the bit to the depth you want, and lock the stop. On the Bosch, reviews describe a depth display. A stop wound so the quill cannot move feels like a dead machine. Reset it before you assume a fault. Peck in a deep hole or in metal. The Einhell manual gives about 70.8 dB(A) for that machine only.
Bosch Bosch PBD 40

Testsieger

Bosch Bosch PBD 40
9.2/10about £279.94
View offer

Speed without an open belt cover

On the Einhell and both KATSU column drills, unplug, open the cover, move the belt, close the cover, then plug in. Do not run with the cover off. Lowest stated steps are 600 rpm, 620 rpm and 250 rpm. The Bosch uses two gears and a dial, 200 to 850 rpm and 600 to 2,500 rpm, so you do not open a belt cover. Mild-steel speeds are on the pillar drill for metal page. If the honest speed is below the lowest step, do not invent one by riding the switch.

Stop when the machine is faulty

A depth stop that locks the quill is setup. A bent column is not. One review of the KATSU 400 W reports a bent pillar, and that machine goes back. Run-out, a chuck that will not release, or a motor or plug that runs hot are the same stop. Do not rewire the plug. A drill for employees or students is no longer a shed article. PUWER 1998 covers work equipment at work. On-site structural steel is a magnetic drill or a fabrication shop.

Common questions

Do I hold the wood, or clamp it?
Clamp it. A vice, or the clamp that came with the drill, keeps the work from spinning when the bit catches. Holding a small offcut with your fingers is how the piece leaves the table. The Bosch includes a quick clamp. On the other machines, budget for a vice if the listing does not mention one. Sheet metal is the strict case: if it can grab, it will.
What do I do with the chuck key?
Tighten all three holes, then take the key out before you switch on. A key left in the chuck becomes a projectile. The Bosch PBD 40 uses a keyless chuck, so this step does not apply to that one drill. If a listing says keyless and still includes a key, use the key and remove it. Put the key where you will see it, not in the chuck for a second.
How do I set the depth stop?
Unplug, lower the bit to the depth you want, and lock the stop so the quill cannot pass that point. On the Bosch, reviews describe a depth display rather than only a ring. If the handle will not move at all, the stop is wound down too far. Reset it before you decide the motor has failed. The stop limits depth. It does not hold the work.
How do I change speed on a belt-drive bench drill?
Unplug, open the cover, move the belt, close the cover, then plug in. The Einhell’s lowest stated step is 600 rpm, the KATSU 400 W’s is 620 rpm, and the KATSU 550 W’s is 250 rpm. Do not run with the cover open. The Bosch does not use this procedure. You select a gear and use the dial, and you still unplug while you change the bit.
When do I peck instead of pushing straight through?
Peck when the hole is deep relative to the bit, or when you are in metal and the flutes pack with swarf. Feed a short distance, lift to clear the chips, and continue. A shallow hole in softwood can be one steady pull if the bit is sharp and the work is clamped. Forcing a packed bit is how the motor heats and the bit blues.
When should I stop and not use the machine?
Stop if the column is bent, if run-out spoils the hole, if the chuck will not release or will not run true, or if the motor or the plug runs hot. Reset a depth stop that has locked the quill before you call that a fault. Do not rewire a plug. Return the machine, or leave it unused. A miniature press whose reviews describe an unfused plug belongs in that stop as well.

Related pages

Best pillar drill

Pillar drill buying guide

Pillar drill

Pillar drill for metal: what these UK listings state

Mini bench drill or pillar drill: two different tools

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 22 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in that digest.

  1. HSE INDG291: providing and using work equipment safely (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. Bosch DIY UK: PBD 40 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Einhell TC-BD 450 user manual (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Axminster Workshop AW315PD bench pillar drill (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Design and Technology Association: BS 4163:2021 in school workshops (retrieved 22 October 2026)