How Good is the PowerMatic® 2800 Drill Press?

The PowerMatic® V2800 18” Variable Speed Drill press is designed for the woodworking shop. Does it live up to its promise?
A kitchen has it’s “work triangle” comprised of the sink, stove, and refrigerator - hopefully with lots of countertops throughout. These three are primary kitchen assets and not only do we need them, but they need to be arranged in close enough proximity to make the kitchen efficient.
The maker shop is like the kitchen. For woodworkers that use power equipment, there are primary pieces of equipment. There are varying opinions on what are the most important pieces of equipment to have, but some of the candidates are a table saw, drill press, bandsaw, jointer, thickness planer, router table, and miter saw. When budget or space won’t allow a broad compliant of tools, we’ve seen some brilliant workarounds and substitutes.
In our setting, we’ve come to depend heavily on the PowerMatic® Variable Speed 18” Drill Press. Ours is about 10 years old, with a newer model available (PM2800B). There have been some mixed reviews on the newer model. We can only convey what we’ve experienced - which has been very positive.
In this episode, DirtFarmerJay shows you some of his favorite features of this drill press and why they are important to him. Whether you are considering buying this model drill press or not, these are worthy features to consider.
See firsthand how the “on the fly” variable speed feature works, the safe placement of the power switch, the integrated dust collection fence with built-in t-tracks, hold down slots, changeable insert, and adjustable tables wings. Other standard features include a laser crosshair where the bit will drill, depth stop, keyless drill chuck, digital RPM display, and dual-LED downlights. Our model is a 1 hp, 110V single phase.
This is a premium tool and well built. It currently retails for about $1600. We bought ours used from someone that took good care of it. We ended up with a great tool for substantially less. You might consider that route!
Check out a couple of our favorite drill press accessories - hold downs as well as a Lee Valley® column-mounted accessory holder - at this link: (COMING SOON!)
We built our own heavy-duty mobile base for our drill press - and you can too! Check out this episode on the build at this link: (COMING SOON!)
We love the fence and integrated dust collection system that comes with the V2800 (not available with the current model), but found the adjustment knobs difficult to access and use. We created a simple solution that has made the fence a delight to use. See what we mean by visiting this link: • Fast Drill Press Fence...
Having great tools makes time in the shop more enjoyable and accurate, which is highly valued by those of us that want to JUST DO IT YOURSELF!

[@larrymoore6640]

Nice job of explaining the operation of this drill press. I learned to use one in wood shop in school but now a days the children will never get the same chance because they eliminated the shop classes. What a poor decision.....

[@cbrSpeedster1]

Nice video. I also bought mine about ten years ago and haven't had a bit of trouble with it. Gotta love powermatic.

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Right on. Thanks for watching and commenting! Best, DFJ

[@billystray7007]

I just bought one of these exact models at auction. Although it was labeled as a 2800b, i realized this morning its the earlier model 2800 I haven't yet picked it up. After reading the comments here im hoping its not riddled with similar problems. I know im gonna lube up the pulleys right away. Wish me luck !!

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Let me know how it turns out. I've been very happy with this machine and it serves me well. I hope you have the same experience. I agree that the first thing you should do is maintenance the machine so runs as it should. Best, DFJ

[@Mrmojo20_]

Noticed your truck 🚚 driving around in town and followed your channel o also waved at you when you were turning right..

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Mrmojo20 - thanks for joining our viewer family. I remember seeing you as we were turning to go to my favorite orange-themed store! Best, DFJ

[@stevensrspcplusmc]

It’s a great drill press, I almost bought one ! You owe it to yourself, to look at the nova DVR voyager drill press, I bought one and it’s awesome and is in same price range.. it uses a variable frequency drive and it’s awesome! You always have the right speed for the bit you are using , no pulleys to mess with! Speed is 0-5800 rpm, it’s a beast ! It runs like a CNC machine!

[@DirtFarmerJay]

I took a look at their website. Looks like a great tool. Thanks for calling it to my attention. Best, DFJ

[@Jhihmoac]

Woww! Almost everything P-Matic features these days looks like it utilizes either the old Delta or Rockwell/Delta Brand floor model designs... The drill press is no exception!

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Crazcompart, thanks for writing. I think it is a combination of good design early on, the form and function of the machines. Because each of these machines has certain functions to perform, that certainly has a lot of influence on the form and manner of design of each. Whatever the major influence is, these machines are fun to use! Best, DFJ

[@NickElliottuk]

I have exactly the same drill press, here in the UK, but labelled as Jet, rather than PowerMatic. The only difference is a slight change to the stop/start buttons, and my RPM range is 330 - 2500, I guess due to having a different (240V) motor. Oh, and mine has a clear plastic hinged guard in front of the chuck - but your machines never have guards in the US, I've noticed! :-) I did the same thing with the fence adjust knobs, but also had to cut a slot out of the fixed piece of the fence, on which the 2 extendable 'wings' slide, in order to allow a decent gap for the chips to pass through. It looks like the previous owner did the same with yours already. Both sets of LEDs blew within a few months of ownership, but I just unsoldered them and replaced them myself, rather than return the whole thing. Probably poor quality LEDs, I guess, or maybe they were being overdriven. The replacements have been fine so far. So my overall impression has been: a few niggles to overcome, but otherwise a great asset in my workshop.

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Nick, greetings to you there in the UK. Thanks for watching our video and taking time to share your experience and insights. I'm considering altering the lighting system on mine or augmenting it as the lighting is that effective as is. I really like this drill press. I too think it's a great asset in the shop. We are working on a mobile base for the unit and will post an episode on that as well. Thanks also for being a subscriber/member of the DFJ viewer family. That means a lot to us. Cheers - DFJ

[@rogue277]

Specs for PM2800B say it goes down to 250 rpm, but this one in the video only goes to 400. Is PM2800B a different model?

[@DirtFarmerJay]

rogue277 - thanks for watching our video and taking time to write. First, if you are considering acquiring a Powermatic drill press, I think you will be pleased with your decision. It's a very nice machine and a pleasure to use. As for the difference between the PM2800VS and the current PM2800B, there are several enhancements, ranging from a keyed chuck, instant depth stop nuts, and and even lower speed level than the 400 rpm on my machine. The 250 rpm is indeed the new spec for this machine. I hope this helps! If you do acquire the new model and put it to use in your shop, write me at [e-mail] and let me know about it! The best to you and yours - DFJ

[@markkoons7488]

Jay, my PM2800's drive is noisy as hell. With the shroud removed it is obvious that the the sheaves are out of plane with their mates. I can't see how to remove the belts (which are being turned into a fine powder) so I can see what I can do to rectify either sloppy assembly or poor design. Can you help? I replaced the slipping keyless chuck with a pair of the best Jacobs chucks.

[@shaunb837]

Did you work out how to sort this, Mark? I have an ~8 year old UK version of this (Jet JDP-2800VS) and when I try to use speeds below 1000rpm there is a clonking sound coming from the drive area but I can't even work out how to get the top cover off yet :-(

[@markkoons7488]

@@shaunb837 First, the cover. Depending on how similar the two machines are, use a #3 phillips screwdriver down those 3 deep cover mounting screw holes. Three weeks ago I tried to email Powermatic. The effort resulted in an endless loop of requests for more information on the complaint page. Each attempt cleared all the blanks I'd already filled out. When I tried to call I got messages saying all lines were busy. My assumption was that the owners of the Powermatic name are dodging an irate public. Yesterday, though, I got an email telling me to call a customer service number, that the problem is too complex to sort out via email. I note two things: #1... I've been on multiple sites bad-mouthing this drill press and Powermatic's "customer service". My presence has been intentionally obnoxious to Powermatic's reputation. #2... The other is that the problem in the drive train goes beyond the steps of the pulleys being on different planes. They are on divergent axes for which there is neither adjustment nor shaft enough to convert to a set of stepped pulleys manually changed. I've heard of Powermatic replacing the entire head of these machines, the only fix. We'll see what happens in my case. Depending how similar our machines are, I'd suggest trying the same tack with Jet.

[@ErikWagler]

Whats a fair price for one of these in good condition? Or perhaps what was original MSRP?

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Erik, it's not real clear what the original MSRP was, but indicators are it was around $1100. If I remember correctly, we paid $800 about 4 years ago. Hard to tell what they go for now, but we've been very happy. We've read some negative comments on the speed change on the fly feature, but as long as you observe the absolute rule of making speed changes ONLY when the machine is running, and keeping the spindles the variable pulleys are affixed to, you will have no problems. It's a solid machine, and it's become an important part of our maker space. Let me know how this turns out for you! Best, DFJ

[@ErikWagler]

DirtFarmerJay thank you! I found a nice one on Craigslist in great condition for 600$ but I think someone else snagged it

[@michaelthomas4639]

Hi Jay -My Powermatic PM2800B drill speed won't go faster then 500 RPM without throwing its front 28x8x790 belt. My PM2800B was purchased new and has very few hours of use. I replaced both expensive front and read belts (2 belts total over $300!) using the correct replacement directions as described in the Powermatic manual. The front belt continues to jump off the front spindle pully even after the new belts have been correctly installed. Does anyone have a clue as to why my press is throwing its front belt as I try to exceed a RPM of 500?

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Michael, I'm sorry to hear about your experience with this machine. It sounds like you have been very thorough in your approach to installation and such. Nonetheless, I know of only three reasons that a machine will throw a belt. 1. The centerline of one pulley is not in line with the other one, so the belt "climbs out" of the groove. It's likely that the two pulleys are not remaining coplanar as speed adjustment is made. 2.) tension is not maintained, so the belt comes out of the pulley groove and again "climbs out." I don't think that is the issue here, but it could be. 3.) the vertical axis of the shafts of the two pulleys are not parallel to each other as the speed is changed, again giving an edge of the pulley to grip and be thrown. Unless there is significant play in the spindle bearings, this seems unlikely as well. You'll need to continue to work through a process of elimination and isolate and address the problem. With the cover off, and exercising due caution, you can first off run the press and see where the belt typically "exits." Once you determine that, you can then further isolate the problem. Let's see what other advice gets posted. I hope my comments have been of some help. This is too nice of a machine to not be enjoying it! Best Regards, DFJ

[@michaelthomas4639]

@@DirtFarmerJay Thank you for the quick response Jay. You are half-way correct in your diagnosis of the cause of my belt jumping. I learned a better lesson: Before you order new expensive belts first call the tech support team over at Powermatic's JPW Industries! The tech person advised me to put 3 drops of 3 in 1 oil on the top and bottom of the pullies on the center shaft (the shaft/pully system that makes the PM2800B's variable speed system work). After oiling I gave the pullies a light tap w my rubber mallet and the springs popped the pullies back into place. Even better was JPW took back my un-needed replacement belts and charged me only a 25% restocking fee. My press now works like a champ.

[@DirtFarmerJay]

@@michaelthomas4639 - excellent! Glad you found out how to bring your drill back to top-notch performance. I, too, have had excellent interactions with the PowerMatic/JPW team. Glad it worked out, and I'm going to be sure that center shaft on our press is lubricated properly. Best Regards, DFJ

[@tkarlmann]

No spindle lock for height?

[@DirtFarmerJay]

tkarlmann - my oversight. There is indeed a simple but effective spindle lock that is part of the depth-stop assembly. There are two nuts above the spindle flange and one below. This allows you to set how far down you want the spindle to be by setting opposing nuts above and below the spindle flange. My apologies for the lapse. I'll put a note about this feature in the video description. Thanks for watching our video and taking time to write. Best, DFJ

[@greysonvalleyrrbarnesville152]

It's called a CVT clutch.

[@coreygrua3271]

Interesting, if only from a mechanical point of view.