Here's my stand and why.Part I.

Quest for the ultimate stand I could afford.

 Its been a very long since I bought anything big from oversea.My past big spending was 5 years from Stewmac when I started my journey as a wannabe guitar tech.A year after that I bought myself a drill press locally which was a normal thing to get when one venture into this field.The drill press was bought in haste and soon after I came to realised not all drill press are created equal.I have a bit of buyers remorse but I was not entirely disappointed about my mistake.This thing happen for a reason more overly when you're buying a piece of machinery that you know nothing about.

 I didn't loose a lot with my old drill press as it's able to aid most of my drilling chore but I had to pass all work that involve bridge mount drilling particularly on a Strat,Tele and LP type guitars.My drill press didn't have enough throat to column for it.However Floyd Rose stud drilling didn't face any problem. I should've known about this from the beginning.It's not only about drilling down,the space needed is important too.Well what's done is done.Time to look for another Drill Press or Drill Stand + Power Tool Combo.Unlike before I'm doing as much research as I could before parting my money which I would share as we go.

The machine has to have no less 150mm of throat from spindle to column.However manufacturers sometime omit the Throat measurement with Swing factor as that would make the number look bigger and better.When you see Swing,divide that by 2 then you would get the actual Throat clearance.In German a drill press throat is written as "Ausladung".Yup,my research in the subject has made me pickup german.At least a word or two.Don't worry about the other part..As the ausladung increases so does the size and features.













As usual my search began locally from the comfort of a cyber cafe.Between MYR800 - MYR2000 had fruit many choices.Some models from the likes of Boky,Dacho etc did fit my criteria.Among them all I had my eyes on a Hitachi B16RM.Its has what I need,furthermore Hitachi is a familiar name, but the thing is it's heavy and tall.It alone would take up a significant space in my tiny workshop.Wherever should it stood its going to be just it and there can be nothing else there.I wish there's a bench top version of it.At this point I'd moved my interest toward modular stand or fixtures.Something that would accept the normal hand drill,discrete and mobile.Something that requires two things to make it work.If one of it has design flaw I'm able to say "Aha! you fucked up real bad here,I'm reporting this to the world but will email your company the post link".

Hence broadening my search in the web/youtube brought me to some sites in Europe,Germany to be exact. I stumble upon several drill stand fixtures which are quite genius in its own right.To begin with I never thought few companies are actually serious about making it,I mean given the prices of some of these drill stand you might as well be better off with an actual drill press itself.I guess there's many out there like me that don't want anything tall and heavy in there workshop as well.This is the time I've pickup a few german words.Below are some of my finding and my thought about them.


This is a Proxxon MB200 copy sold by Aliexpress.It's the lightest stand here.3Kg of birds feather.I didn't bother to even consider this stand but it's still a cheap mistake if it did came short of your expectation.The throat is 124mm and the swivelling plunge ability factor is a bonus for any hobbyist.Could be good for PCB drilling.Unlike the Proxxon MB200,this accepts any 43mm drill and comes a collar mount reducer for smaller power tools.You could buy the same stand in green from Banggood.




The Wolfcraft 5027000 with its car parts like name is a solidly built stand with all metal contruction but with only 130mm throat factor it made me question myself whether it's worth the money and future regrets.It weighs a beefy 7.1Kg.I'm sure it's as good as any drill stand from Germany.I think I saw this stand sold by Ace Hardware 10 years back.Back then I didn't gave any thought about it.It must've been the price that putted me off.It comes with 10 years manufacturer guarrantee.







  Weighing a good 6.6Kg,the Record DS19 has the ability to swivel from 0 to 90 degree but lacks the throat depth that I need.At only 125mm I would take my money elsewhere.If weight isn't a factor get the Chinese made instead.Nothing againts Record Co itself.I'm sure your other products are good but this isn't one of them.At least to me.






I have to confess,the first time I heard the name Metabo,I thought it was Chinese or at best Japanese as like Makita of Japan.No sir, its German like most stand displayed here.The Metabo DS890 has the furthest throat of 165mm with a substancial weight of 5.5Kg.From the get go it's practical not to mention its unique column placemen in the base corner.Thumbs up.Who makes for who here?








 I have to confess,the first time I heard the name Bosch,I thought it was BOSS of Japan.No sir, its German like most stand displayed here.The Bosch DP500 has the furthest throat of 165mm with a substancial weight of 5.5Kg.From the get go it's practical not to mention its unique column placemen in the base corner.With its clamping lever attached at 3 strategic spots,you could now put away that hex wrench.2 Thumbs up.Who makes for who here?

Personally the Proxxon BFB2000 is the most interesting drillstand among all.It's a part of a design from Proxxon that combines 3 important elements to become a Mill/Drill system.The best part is you could buy the drill stand,milling motor or XY table complete or seperately.The stand weighs at 6.5Kg making it a no nonsense tool.All the drill stand here has the depth stop pin but this one has a few more things up its sleeve.You could do fine feed drill/mill.It can be swivel.The precision(I think) milled dovetail allows for smooth drilling plunge to any angle you need.Despite having just 140mm of throat,with a bit of positioning of the work piece.It's still workable on Strat and LP."Tools with character".This sure fits my character.Maybe one day.


For some of us that has the money to blow on a stand.Something that would be the talk in town but would look good in the living room too.The DUSS KB43 is the crème de la crème.Although the throat is just 140mm,it's priced between EUR490 to EUR640(depending on model) each making it the most expensive and heaviest drill stand in this category.The drill stand alone weighs 15Kg.Well that explains where those money went into.Would I buy this if I had the money? of course I would.I'm a tool loving guy.The DUSS KB43 has a realistic tool usage value compared to Gibson Les Paul R7,8,9 put together.This is not just a piece of stahl.It's a piece of German Prazision Werkzueg.It's the Porshe of bohrstander.Precise and practical that anyone can rely on.Click here to buy.



It's believed to be of Russian origin.Brand,model and specs are unknown.Quiet a good design.Rumours has it the company stop making it due to low demand.To whoever that owns the rights of this drill stand,here's a tip.Sell the design to the Germans and they will sell to the world with quality or licence it to the Chinese and they will sell like hot cakes but be quick about it.Cause once they see this,it's a matter of time before they figure out its mechanics.By then it's to late and not one cent given.
 Anyway I could be wrong about its nationality.Someone shed some light please.




 In part 2 of 3 I'll be writting about another type of drill stand which cost much much lesser than any of the above.Its pros and cons too,leading to part 3.What I went for and why.So see you in the next series.

Stand,Over is better than Under.
yustech