How to use a pillar drill: bolt, clamp, then drill
Updated: 2026-10-21
The first hole is usually a hinge or a bracket, and the bit looks safer than a pistol drill because the column holds it square. How to use a pillar drill is still a sequence: fix the machine, prove the guard, clamp the work, set the depth on a scrap, then drill and wait until the chuck has stopped. The [Bernardo pillar drill comparison](/hub/workshop/bernardo-pillar-drill) is for choosing a model. This page has no ranking. Unplug before you touch the bit or the belt, and do not hold the work in your hand. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
The first hole is usually a hinge or a bracket, and the bit looks safer than a pistol drill because the column holds it square.
The first hole is usually a hinge or a bracket, and the bit looks safer than a pistol drill because the column holds it square. How to use a pillar drill is still a sequence: fix the machine, prove the guard, clamp the work, set the depth on a scrap, then drill and wait until the chuck has stopped. The Bernardo pillar drill comparison is for choosing a model. This page has no ranking. Unplug before you touch the bit or the belt, and do not hold the work in your hand. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Depth | Guard and switch | Weight | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  SIP SIP Pro B20 bench drill | 80 mm travel, depth stop | NVR, guard, interlock | 48.5 kg | 8.0 | about £434.75 | View offer |
 Bosch Bosch PBD 40 bench drill | Digital reading | Not named | 11.2 kg | 9.2 | about £279.94 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Einhell Einhell TC-BD 450 bench drill | Depth stop and display | Not named on the listing | 13 kg | 8.6 | about £123.93 | View offer |
On this page
Fix the drill and prove the guard
Bolt a bench drill down before the first hole. HSE says a static machine should be fixed. A head around 11 to 15 kg walks when a bit grabs. Use coach bolts into a solid top, not a clamp that creeps. A floor drill needs a stable stance, ceiling for the stated height, and a path that is not the walkway. Fit the chuck guard and close the belt cover. SIP listings name a pulley-cover interlock and an NVR switch, so a power cut leaves the drill off until you press start. The heavy Draper names a no-volt switch and a chuck guard. Prove it with no bit cutting. A KATSU review describes a belt-cover cut-out that would not start, and an Einhell review a broken catch. Do not bypass a dead interlock. New machinery in Great Britain should have UKCA or CE marking, a declaration and English instructions. A hobby shed is not automatically a PUWER duty.
Clamp, centre and set the depth
The next failure is the work spinning. Hackspace Manchester’s note is blunt: clamping is mandatory because a drill grabs thin metal, and the same grab happens in pine at breakthrough. Vice the work to the table. Hands stay on the feed handle, and a glove near the chuck can wind you in. A centre punch gives the point a place to sit. A laser only shows a dot. Put scrap under the exit. Set the depth on a trial piece, lock the stop, drill the scrap and check it with a rule. The Einhell names a depth stop and a display. The Bosch names a digital reading and not a separate mechanical stop. A KATSU bullet of 50 mm is a short stroke. A deeper hole needs a different machine.
Speed, feed and switching off
Seat the bit fully and turn the chuck by hand with the power off. Larger holes want a pilot. DIY Doctor’s order is fasten the machine, choose the bit, clamp, set the table and the speed, then drill. Softer material goes faster. If the bit squeals, stop rather than lean harder. Change a belt only with the plug out, then close the cover before you restore power. The Bosch two-speed gearbox still wants the chuck stopped before you shift. Let the drill cut. Forcing a stall on a 350 W head is part of how Draper 38255 reviews describe a chuck that comes off. Ease the feed at breakthrough, wait until the chuck stops, and brush the swarf away.
When you stop and get help
Stop if the plug, the fuse or the earth looks wrong. A Buyfun review describes a lead with no fuse and an earth pin that is not solid brass. That is a return, or an electrician, not a workshop trick. Stop if you cannot tell a failed interlock from a dead winding, and do not defeat the switch. Stop if the column is bent, as one KATSU review reports, or if the chuck releases in the cut. If employees use the drill, a competent person under your PUWER arrangements should take it. Structural steel and a production run are outside a hobby sequence. An ordinary shed hole is bolt, guard, clamp, depth on scrap, and hands off the chuck.
Common questions
Can I hold the workpiece?
No. Clamp it or vice it. A bit grabs on breakthrough, in metal and in wood, and a hand is not a clamp. Keep hands on the feed handles, and keep gloves, loose sleeves and loose hair away from the chuck.
How do I set a depth stop?
With the power off, lower the bit to the depth you want on a scrap piece, lock the stop, and drill that scrap. Check it with a rule. Some listings name a mechanical stop and a display. The Bosch listing names a digital depth reading without a separate stop. Learn the control on your own machine.
When do I change the belt?
Only with the plug out or the machine locked off, and only with the chuck stopped. Close the cover before you restore power. If an interlock means the drill will not start, find the fault. Do not wedge the switch, and do not grab a moving belt.
What should I wear?
Eye protection, hair tied back, and no loose sleeves or gloves near the chuck. Hearing protection helps on a noisy hobby head, which Einhell reviews mention. The guard stays on. Clothing is not a substitute for a clamp, and a glove can wind you into the chuck.
What if the drill will not start after I close the cover?
Treat it as a fault. A review on a KATSU in this set describes a belt-cover cut-out that would not start the motor. Check that the cover is actually seated, then stop. An interlock that you bypass is how a belt meets a finger.
When should someone else take over?
When the lead or the earth is wrong, when a guard interlock has failed, when the drill is work equipment under PUWER, or when the job is structural steel. A first hinge in softwood follows the sequence on this page. A production run does not.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK and manufacturer sources from the research digest, last checked on 21 October 2026.
- HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- HSE: Work equipment and machinery introduction (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- HSE: UK law on the design and supply of machinery (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- BSI: BS EN 12717:2001+A1:2009, safety of drilling machines (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Bernardo: bench drilling machine TB 16 T, 230 V (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- ManoMano UK: pillar drill buying guide (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- DIY Doctor: using a pillar drill (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Metaldrilling.co.uk: drilling mild steel (retrieved 21 October 2026)