A review of the Bosch PBD-40 Drill Press

[@patatje1434]

i've had this machine for several years and never even noticed the depth reading. very useful. great machine, i absolutely love it

[@melainekerfaou8418]

Note that for me the depth reading drifts whenever the machine is running. So while it's good for setting up the depth stop, I can't use it to freehand a hole.

[@garyfontanini9646]

The best review of the Bosch drill press I've seen and I've seen a few, very well presented. I've had this drill for a while and have fitted a forklift steering wheel knob from amazon to the drill wheel (as per another review), it works great and makes moving the drill up and down much easier..

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

Thank you - I’m quite new to this so you’ve made my day! I must take a closer look at that steering wheel knob.

[@andygray7478]

Hi, can I ask where did you get the forklift steering wheel knob for you bench drill, hope you can help with this

[@peterbaker4650]

I've this drill press a couple of years and I believed the depth reading to be faulty (as lots of comments on forums) however having viewed your video it has become clear to me that is user error on my part and the function works correctly. I have viewed numerous videos on this product and yours is the clearest and most concise. User manual pretty much the worst i've ever read. My usage is general and do not pin point accuracy so this meets my needs. I am not a fan of the wheel as i often have to reset position for deeper holes I will have to look for the forklift steering wheel as that looks like it will solve the issue. Great video. Thank you.

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

Thank you for your nice comments! I’m going to do a follow up and test the depth gauge more accurately. Stand by!

[@zygmuntthecacaokakistocrat6589]

It's one of the few consumer drill presses that has the motor and quill moving on the column, rather than the table moving, making it ideal for woodwork, where you sometimes have to drill large flat or long things, so you put it on your bench, and bring the bit to the work, not the other way round. I have one, and I like it.

[@petrokemikal]

A comercial grade one will likley have the table move, for a very important reason, you might be trying to drill a hole in an akwardly shaped or long piece of metal, the moving table allows you to swivel it out so you can clear half the stuff likley to be on your bench beside the drill itself.. A table that doesnt move is only usefull if you drill small things on it, or somehow have a clearing either side of it big enough to insert long pieces of timber or steel which almost always isnt the case..

[@paristo]

It is a crime that this drill doesn't get more reviews and presentation. For the price, it is very affordable for features. Considering that you can pay 100-120 € for a belt driven drill in same size. This one offers the electronic RPM adjustment, automatic torque/speed compensation/adjustment when torque increase while drilling, the great depth measurement (I just drill to debt without physical stop unless I need to repeat the hole multiple times) and super easy drill bit changing. And it is even easy to take on top of large boards by having that drilling hole at center. The table is as well clever, for drilling circular objects like pipes and you get anyways all needed from it. There are few things I don't like, one is that depth for drilling is sometimes just little too narrow. So you can't drill deep enough hole in some cases. Other is that the depth wheel is sometimes annoying when you need to drill deeper, as you need to grab it with other hand to pull some more, but that is really problem when you don't have it bolted on your workspace, as otherwise it will move. And third thing is really that it is so enjoyable and simple to use that you like to use it more when not even needed.

[@melainekerfaou8418]

Funny anecdote. I've had many drill bits come loose and fall off the chuck with this machine. It was very frustrating. I would tighten the chuck until my hands hurt, to no avail. One day I opened the manual to find the section about chuck disassembly and maintenance. There is no such section but I found something much better: the red ring wasn't just for decoration, it was for locking the chuck. Locking the chuck. And I had been that close to calling up Bosch to tell them there was something wrong with the machine they'd sent me.

[@mikeyb9819]

I must admit to ‘having a go’ with any new toy before reading the manual. Often, the consequences are similar to the one you describe. My wife usually reminds me with this acronym whenever I commit this, in her view, cardinal sin; “RTFM”. I think you’ll guess the meaning.

[@Jiriki999]

Quick tip to remember with Bosch machines, anything red is movable or lockable. Handles, locks, switches, etcetera.

[@bobsage4963]

Kudos for your honesty, here! :-)

[@richardstewart6900]

As the old adage goes "If all else fails, RTFM!" 🙂

[@martinthomas5194]

Nah I strongly disagree - instruction manuals are not for real men. We make mistakes, we cuss, we re-do (multiple times!!!), we complain to ChatBot, we review KZbin; only then do we read the instructions…..😂

[@neilgillies6943]

I've had one of these for a while, greatest thing since sliced bread, no more stupid belt changing for speed and all the other bells and whistles, BUT one of the great things folks miss is that you now have the workoiece material at the permanent fixed height you need, so build yourself a small MDF box stand to suit your own physical height at your workbench - no need to move the base up or down now!

[@JimboJet737]

It’s a shame Bosch hasn’t done a Bosch “Professional” blue version of this. Could be a little larger/ rigid with better runout and features such as tapping and improved handle. Would be a hit!

[@martinsvensson6884]

..and a quiet motor.

[@Andrew-vx2ls]

Very useful review and much clearer than most that I have seen. 73 dB is very roughly the sound level within a modern car at say 120 km/h. There is a review in French covering issues on the run out and changing the bearings etc, but for most peoples use this looks good equipment.

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

Thank you!

[@paulhume8083]

Great review. I've been thinking of replacing my old cheap pillar drill from Aldi and didn't even think of the features this one has so thanks for this video. Quick tip: You don't need a fancy expensive decibel meter nowadays. I've got a free app on my phone that works just fine for stuff like this. Maybe when you do a follow up you could include it?

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

Thanks! Yes, I’ll take a look at a decibel meter app for the follow up video.

[@donnyo65]

It's much quieter than my old belt drive pillar drill - I'm going to get one. I will keep my old drill as it's quite large and copes with bigger stuff and steel in particular, but this will be much more useful for woodwork and lighter stuff which i do mostly.

[@user-ld8ii5nv1r]

Great toy! I enjoyed both your video and the toy I bought.

[@aaandis]

It is a rather nice drill press. I have had for years and years now. Glad to see others seem to enjoy this model. A small comment, if I may - at 13:47 you are zeroing on the tip of the wood drill bit, the full diameter holw will be less than 15 mm. To get the exact 15 mm, you would either need to plunge the tip of the bit into the wood, or measure on the side of the board with the flat part of the bit.

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

@@aaandis Yes, you’re quite right - I don’t take into consideration the point of the drill bit! I do fix this on my whiskey smoker video though when I use a forstner bit, and point out that I need to press the point into the wood to make it level with the chipper. It’s a great drill, the more I use it the more I like it!

[@alsaffarstudios]

Very useful video, I got this drill for some time now. Honestly I was doing all my work thru normal measuring. Now I knew after watching your video I am sure it will be more accurate drilling. Thanks again for sharing this video with us.

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

Thanks!

[@Kynosys_]

I also use two. This is one of my favorite small drills. I enjoyed the video. thank you

[@grahamcooper445]

Really precise and informative review - I'm buying one. Subscribed - thank you 😊

[@steven_vogt]

Vert nicely presented overview - very much liked the pace and style. I just picked up one of these drills this evening for a DIY project this weekend - the compact format particularly fitted my needs for what will probably be very occasional use. I have subscribed and am looking forward to seeing more from you 👍

[@SimonHollandfilms]

i like mine...couple of grumbles...one the drill looses alignment if you re position the hight and secondly the laser is not accurately aligned. one wish list improvement...i wish the column was higher.

[@StevePotter]

Great drill, well reviewed. I stripped the lower red handle and it took months to convince Bosch to honor the warranty and send me a new one. Between local and distant Bosch reps, everyone passed the buck. So watch out and make sure the handle is well seated before applying torque to it. (it has a spring that allows you to pull it out a bit to set it at a different angle)

[@oo0Spyder0oo]

Bought this in the Black Friday sales last year at 40% off, absolute bargain at around $260 at the time. Very happy with it and no wobble with drill bits that my other pedestal drill press has at much higher price. The only gripe I have is that when you lower the head you cut off the intersecting beams of the laser, which was visible in this video also. But impressed with it other than that.

[@se38005]

I considered this drill a couple of years ago, but I found that when the drill was not running, there was considerable wiggle in the chuck. Tested several drills, all were the same.

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

Interesting. I’ll take a closer look for my follow up video. Thanks!

[@MalcolmHayes-zy5nx]

Finally got around to drilling the round wooden balls some good some not so good but on the hole not to bad thanks again did go with some of your tips

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

Hope I was able to help!

[@MalcolmHayes-zy5nx]

No problem thanks

[@Gloomendoom]

Good review. I bought one just before Christmas when the Amazon price dropped to just under £200. Overall, I really like it. However, I didn’t get on with the standard Rohm keyless chuck so swapped it for a keyed one. I also swapped the wheel for more conventional turnstile levers (£15 aliexpress). The lasers also needed adjusting, but that was an easy job.

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

Wow, you got a good price there! I don’t mind the wheel, although ask me again in a few months!

[@d7samurai]

i'd like to do that with mine. which (röhm?) chuck did you change to? and was it difficult? did you notice an improvement wrt runout?

[@Gloomendoom]

I wrote a long and detailed reply yesterday but it is gone today! in short… No, the chuck didn’t improve the runout. It was an easy change. You need a 1/2”x20UNF thread.

[@user-ld8ii5nv1r]

I used this tool for a few days before returning it to Amazon. The tool itself is excellent, but after drilling a few metal holes, I was unable to unlock the bit without using another tool each time. Additionally, the drill suddenly stopped working, even though I was only using it for light-duty tasks. I decided to return it but am considering purchasing it again, as I suspect I may have received a secondhand item given the poor condition of the box.

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

@@user-ld8ii5nv1r sorry to hear that- I hope the replacement works better. I only use it for wood so can’t really compare, but I’m really pleased with mine still!

[@eb9338]

Just bought this drill press. Love it

[@christopherwalker283]

I have owned one of these for the past 4 years and the only issue I have is the chuck runout which for normal work is OK buy for precision drilling is so-so.

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

Good to hear it’s been reliable over four years of use!

[@DreynHarry]

i have it for a year now, I love it - the laser is precise, the spindle is nicely centered and you dont have any vibrations on your table. it is silent... very!!! the potentiometer for regulating the speed is very finely adjustable. ONLY downside... you can not reduce the enough to use it as a thread cutter - thats a pity. never the less, I do not be sorry buying it.

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

Great to hear you still love it after a year. I’m going to do an update later to see how I’ve got on with it, but so far I love it too!

[@ncc714]

I have the Aldi version, it doesn't as mny features but for the price it was fine for me. I nearly didn't buy it because of those who said it was noisy but it hadn't bothered me at all

[@sirkildalot8409]

Really good review. Thanks.

[@4DXTProductions]

Had mine for today's now. Love it

[@MrMollyMoff]

I have this one really nice machine I did, however change the chuck because the old one kept on getting stuck. The new one is much more accurate and can handle the smallest drillbits up to 13 and it’s easy to tighten and loosen.

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

Good to know if I need to change it in the future.

[@askme2469]

I wish there was a US equivalent for this drill, its features are super nice.

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

Yes, someone else mentioned that - I’m really surprised they don’t as Bosch do sell tools on your side of the pond. Maybe something to do with different power systems? You might need 240 volts, but then many people do have that in their workshops.

[@martinsvensson6884]

I've had mine for 10 years now. Good machine for the price. Didnt find anything else that matched it at its price point. The display is starting to give up now though. So you cant see the depth and rpms. That's pretty bad I must say. Maybe they have a better one in the current ones I dont know.

[@tiger2too18]

Can you fit mortising chisels for cutting mortises to this machine? Useful for a Secondary School wood shop?

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

A good question! I’ll look into it for my follow up video.

[@gillesrenaud948]

Good morning from Montreal Quebec, I have notice the licence plates from Quebec! This Bosch press drill is not available in Canada i think? Merci

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

Bonjour! I lived in Montreal for a few years when I was little, such a beautiful city. Sorry to hear it’s not available in Canada, I’m surprised they don’t sell it.

[@AdaptingCamera]

The PBD 40 has some very weak points. One is the chuck, which I changed and that was a huge improvement. Here is a video about how to change the chuck: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHTUh6KXfLt-bsk Unfortunately, the machine is very noisy. The noise is caused by sloppy bearings, vibrations and the gear box. Not easy to fix, but since the machine has a gear box, I guess it is not fixable at all. When the machine is new it is acceptable, but it gets noisier all the time, even if you grease the gears. The biggest problem is that rack. The machine head wobbles and there is no adjustment for the wobble. The play is simply huge. That resulted in my decision of finally dumping the machine. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXrWg3x6mdVja9E

[@Selkian]

You could have upgraded the chuck to one with extreme precision for a small cost. There are plenty of videos on this. I have just got mine and was prepared to upgrade my chuck based on the runout comments like yours. My use will be mostly for woodwork. Mine is spot on after a couple of days of testing for accuracy in hardwood, ply and softwood.

[@AdaptingCamera]

@@Selkian None of my issues would be solved with a different chuck. I changed the original chuck to one which was very good, so I really don't get your point, since my problems has nothing to do with the chuck. Yes, for wood works this is an excellent machine if you can stand the noise. The machine is very noisy because of the metal gears, the sloppy bearings and the poor DC motor which uses brushes.

[@MalcolmHayes-zy5nx]

Watch your video great information just got one of these tried it today for the first time trying to drill wooden balls but exit hole spilts what would you suggest to stop splitting the wood

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

Hi - yes I had that problem to begin with. I now put a sacrificial piece of wood underneath what I'm drilling and this usually eliminates it, it certainly improves any splintering. Hope that helps!

[@MalcolmHayes-zy5nx]

@Mr.M_Woodwork thanks for getting back to me ill try that later. Regards mal

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

Just realised you said you were drilling through wooden balls (I read it too quickly!). However, I would have thought that using a piece of wood beneath it would still help. Other things that might help are increasing the speed of the drill and moving slowly through the wood, as well as using masking tape on the exit. Tell me how it goes!

[@MalcolmHayes-zy5nx]

Thanks again might be the weekend before I have another go at the balls but I will let you know either way regards

[@FatNormanCoathanger]

Why do videos of this type NEVER mention the distance between the shaft and the quill.?

[@stevenholden9520]

Nice well presented Vid, thanks for posting. You might want to view a very interesting video about wall mounting the PBD40 on the "I SIMPLY BUILT IT" you tube channel.

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

Thanks! Yes, I think I’ve seen that video, I’ll have to take a closer look - it might be a nice thing to do with mine. 🙂

[@PandorusFightStick]

so want this!!

[@peteturner8493]

I use to buy Bosch back when it was made in Germany, I avoid it now like the plague since they moved production to China I assume the drill is the same? Sorry you don't know what 73 DB means but then you of that generation....I would have thought finding out how square the drill is to the base would be more useful than sound levels??

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

Thanks, I’ll add checking that it’s square to my follow up video! I didn’t want to presume that everyone knows how dB works, so thought it would be a nice idea to compare it to something we all use and know how, approximately, loud they are.

[@peteturner8493]

@@Mr.M_Woodwork Sure the suareness accuracy will rely on the shaft being a good slide fit into the base anything else will more than likely show as an error in alignment...goes to where and who makes the item!

[@Corfine]

That drill is three hundred euro eight two in screw fix Ireland evolution drill magnetic six hundred euro

[@paulmeynell8866]

Pity the Chuck moves from side to side. Mine is bloody useless

[@sirihelp1]

Way to much column waggle

[@Mr.M_Woodwork]

Yes, I have heard that in other reviews. Mine seems okay, certainly for my use anyway. I imagine it could be more of an issue with metalwork.

[@docolemnsx]

I had some movement in the column recently but I just had to tighten the little screw at the bottom and that was it. Is it something else you're talking about?

[@mikegregory460]

not what i would call a drill press, too flimsy and underpowered

[@michab4083]

For woodwork it's perfectly fine. I wouldn't recommend it for (heavy) metal work though.

[@NickLM2008]

Suggest you use one first. It's much better than you're giving it credit for. But yeah, if you're doing industrial metal work it's probably not for you.

[@rickikilvi5406]

I have one and it's rubbish. Sloppy bearings, fiddly unergonomic chuck with limited tool depth. Laser innacurate and wide beam width. The hand wheel is just Meh !.

[@pietjepuk9575]

You can have it, do not want this crap, to low and silly turning wheel 🤮🤮👎👎👎👎

[@Gloomendoom]

The wheel is easy and cheap to change. As is the lowness. Mount it on something higher!

[@pietjepuk9575]

I mean the throat depth is to small 🙄🙄🤦‍♀🤦‍♀