WEN 4208T Drill Press | Unboxing, Setup, & Test

Unboxing and setup of my new WEN drill press.
Products Used*:
WEN Drill Press: amzn.to/3sudTuB
Digital Angle Gauge: amzn.to/3nyFO8M
Milwaukee Drill Bits: amzn.to/2TssR2e
Forsner Bits: amzn.to/31OW7oy
Gearwrench Combination Wrench Set (Metric): amzn.to/37LedLF
Tekton 16oz Rubber Mallet: amzn.to/3e3dh6q
Raven Gloves: amzn.to/3yiBezD
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[@rgetty]

Just got one of these - my first drill press. Thanks for the video - super helpful. One detail that has changed in the design is that now there are TWO set screws on the right side for fixing the head to the column instead of one set screw on each side.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Fascinating! Thanks for the update! I’m not surprised they iterate the design that quickly. Hope you like it as much as I have!

[@SkyfalconTin]

Its small and affordable for my new workshop. Fit perfectly in this this tiny room. Love to see videos about Dewalt power tools. Your awesome!

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Thanks! I appreciate the positive feedback 😊 Happy Woodworking! Josh Northwest Craftsman

[@rowdydog]

Thank you, I just bought this drill press and your video was great.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@estherdaum1230]

Thank you for explaining so clearly how to set it up. This helps a lot

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@johncammarata7064]

Thanks for the video! Good level of detail (not too much, not too little)

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Thanks John! I appreciate that and am glad you found it helpful!

[@emconsultant]

I just ordered one on amazon, after watching your video. Thank you for reviewing!

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Glad you found it helpful! Hope you love it!

[@tgafire87]

Thanks for the review. I’ve needed a press and I think this is the one.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Of course! Glad you liked it! This press has been great to me. I did have the chuck fall off again, so be sure to thoroughly clean the shaft.

[@justralph1]

Good vid. I bought one and followed your directions. Worked out great Thank you.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Glad to hear it! Hope you get lots of great use from it!

[@merlinmass9257]

Thank you 😊 I was just looking for something to drill holes in the wood for the candles. Thanks for the video.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Glad I could help!

[@Congaboy55]

Great video. I'm getting one right away.

[@dusty4c]

This was great! I bought mine for crafting. Your video was very helpful.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@cliffeck6104]

Hey Josh, Nice Video, you are so professional and your delivery is excellent. Well done. Cliff

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Thank you tons Cliff! How’s your shop coming along?

[@larryb1153]

I've had this same drill many years and still love it. Recently added the Wen drill press table. Also noticed you have the same router table...which i love too.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Glad I’m not alone in loving these tools! Thanks for the comment 😊

[@stevesiefken6432]

Great video, informative and concise. 👍🏻

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Thanks Steve!

[@LivingOnWheels]

Video quality is improving nicely! Should be a very handy tool to have.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Thanks! I’m really happy with how this came out and am excited to have this tool!

[@omokaroojiire]

Excellent video, covered all the basics. Thanks for posting.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Glad it was helpful!

[@omokaroojiire]

@@NorthwestCraftsman Extremely helpful! I didn't know where to begin, but you helped me immensely. 👍

[@1rustytree]

Good video! I just rolled the dice on one of these on Amazon!

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Awesome! Hope you find it as helpful as I did!

[@nore8141]

Great video and commentary thanks 🙏

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@troymiller3989]

Awesome thanks! Was just installing the chuck but unsure how much to tap it so you tube lol

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Yea, they don’t give a good metric for how hard to. For reference, I haven’t had any issues with mine since I installed it.

[@MrFmccarty]

Thanks a lot more relaxed about this unit.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Not a problem! I do love having this guy in my shop. Not fancy but is better than drilling by hand

[@stans6582]

STRAIGHT TALK .........good info.......no bs .....................Thanks

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Thanks Stan! Glad you liked it!

[@tinymotogarage]

Useful, thanks. Looking at one for my small shop.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@Des-q1v]

Thanks for your help

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Glad I could help!

[@woodwisdomnonsenseandcats4203]

Thanks for the thorough, easy to follow video. I’m sold and I’ll be sure to use your affiliate link.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Thanks! I’m glad you like the video and appreciate your support!

[@808zhu]

Thanks. Been looking at this..

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Glad I could help!

[@VIDEOLA1]

EXCELLENT!! 👍🏽👍🏽

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Thanks! I’m glad you liked it!

[@williamkincade-o2l]

I just got one of these and cant wait to use it. I've used drill presses before so this is pretty straight forward but your video helped me understand the chuck installation. But one question, can you add a second column. I haven't unpacked mine yet so I don't know if the column is threaded or not.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Glad I could help! Unfortunately with your second question, I am unsure and not near enough to my shop to check soon.

[@crispa1861]

Thx for sharing this. It's the most direct to the point, and informative set up video on this particular model. Can't wait to use mine when it gets here this weekend. Anyone know how long the power cord is? Trying to decide permanent location in relation to an elec. outlet. Thx

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

I’m glad you found it helpful! I don’t have the exact length but it’s something like 4’. If you need more accurate than that, let me know and I’ll measure it next time I’m in my shop

[@nutsocket]

very good video thanks

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@kristinesaffert5820]

Great video . I’m wondering if you’ve ever used a three-quarter Forstner bit and if you have how did it handle that

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Great question! I have used up to 1-1/4” Forstner bits in softwoods without issue, had to peck at it a little but it was doable.

[@HomestyleWoodCrafts]

Great review. Thank you. I am looking to buy a drill press and have looked at several WEN models, but am not sure which model to get as this will be my first drill press. I am wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing why you selected this model?

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Thanks! Glad you found it helpful! I chose this one primarily because of the price point. I just needed the capability in the shop and wasn’t planning to drill metals which may require a more powerful motor with more speed options. Ideally I’d like a floor standing model with more capacity for drill depth (how deep the drill can go) and workpiece depth (drill to column distance).

[@keniatamaradasilva6793]

Hi, thank for the video, helps a lot 🙌 I bought that machine to make big holes in driftwood for my plants. But since is my first time starting learn something new I would like to ask your advice for the pieces a need to buy and connect to the drill for the holes in the wood. Sorry, my language is Spanish and is hard to explain in English 😓 I hope you understood Kenia Da Silva

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

¡Hola! Tú habla ingles bien 😊 How big of holes are you looking to make?

[@Brad87788]

Great video, thank you. By the way, which forcener bits do you recommend for this drill press?

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Great question! Below is a link for the more complete set of what I use. Work great for me. amzn.to/3lOWGM9

[@dana.3273]

Awesome video! Do you have to have the depth stop in or can you remove it? Trying to drill through a 2.5 inch piece and it won’t go all the way through. Trying to make my first woodturned pen

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Hey Dan! Thanks for the question, glad you liked the video. I think you can remove it or just the stop nuts but I'd need to check. I get a little wary trying to push it past the depth stop because that may lead to instability. If you have it jigged up under the press, you can always readjust the table height to finish out the drilling operation. I do this often. If you need a one and done drilling operation, I think you'll need a different drill press.

[@alfriderwolf]

Do you have a video for installing the 24" table? DPA2513

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

At this point I do not. My apologies

[@nikkicade1236]

Do you have any recommendations for what to use to hold down a 2 inch wood sphere while drilling?

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

That’s a fascinating question. Round objects are tough to hold, spheres even more so. I haven’t needed to but if I did, a drill vise should be able to get enough purchase on your sphere to keep it from moving. It will also depend how big a hole you’re drilling. If a big one, you may need to create a jig that hugs the sphere and then use some blue tape and super glue to temporarily secure it down.

[@norcalbowhunter3264]

This looks exactly like the harbor freight press they sell just with a different color scheme. I wonder how you feel about the press after having had it for a year. I’m currently looking for a budget friendly press.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

I’m sure it’s made by the same folks or the factory next door 😂 seems to happen a lot in China. After a year, I still love it. It provides me much more precision than a handheld drill though, I will say it can get a little anemic when using larger forstner bits with hardwoods. That being said, I’d still buy it again.

[@jtplumbing6592]

Have you heard of any way to put a quick lock Chuck on it?

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

I haven’t! And actually I haven’t heard of that before but the idea sounds great! Sorry I couldn’t be of more help!

[@lauraa.3593]

Great Video! Thanks! I have this same drill press, and I like it a lot. One thing that, I don't like that much is the table; it's so hard to add a table top; the groves on the bottom are neither a good fit for small nor large bolts. so, if you ever a) come up with an idea of building a table top, with fence, etc; would love to see your video b) build a stand for this drill press, would love to see your video

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Thanks Laura! Both of those are great ideas!

[@melcastro5402]

How does the table holds? It doesn’t have locking teeth to hold the working table from sliding

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Great question! It’s a friction lock. When you turn a bar on the back about a quarter turn, you can slide it up and down, when it’s retightened, it’s impossible to move

[@heronalexandria300]

How the hell do you secure the speed box? Once you take that fastener out, it’s impossible to secure it again. It uses a loose nut inside the casing to secure it. Any ideas?

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Great question! I did the same thing. It’s not a screw’s off type of securement. Screw the fastener in and then just lift up, it has a clip on the inside that will grab and hold it shut. It’s a slip grip connection

[@user-vu3sb5em9i]

Hi Josh, I’d like to use a drill press to better drill 1/2 bore in ceramics figurines for crafts. I need the accuracy and stability. Do you think this is suitable for this task? Most of the figurines are 6” or less. Thanks you!

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

I think you’d be able to use it but most of your accuracy will be from having good bits that don’t require you to wrench on the drill press.

[@terrytorbeck4756]

Nice video, very hopeful information before put mine together. just curious, did you clean any of the parts before Assembly, if what did you use.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Hey Terry! Glad you found it helpful! I did clean most of the metal parts with Lacquer Thinner because that's what I had around the shop and it'll strip any residue off.

[@terrytorbeck4756]

@@NorthwestCraftsman thanks, i had some low odor mineral spirits that i ended up used on some if the parts and brake clean on chuck & spindle. keep up the good content 👍

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Those ought to do the trick! And thanks for the compliment! It’s been a ton of fun so far 😊 Happy Woodworking! Josh Northwest Craftsman

[@The_Butcher-k31]

Would it be okay to drill thick aluminum with this thing??

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Great question! I’d say yes but it will struggle if you are drilling larger holes.

[@diysolaradventures7894]

Question did u tighten the chuck onto the spindle before u hit it with the hammer or do u hit it first then tighten the chuck ?

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Great question! I did not tighten the chuck prior to tapping it on.

[@diysolaradventures7894]

@@NorthwestCraftsman oh ok yea that was puzzling me lol

[@mnrodriguez]

What press vise would fit this drill? I don't know the dimensions of the openings...Thanks!

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Good question, which slots are you looking for measurements on. I can grab them for you in the next few days if you’d like.

[@jacobdinwiddie1035]

I noticed when you opened the belt housing cover, two little washers and a cap but flew off, I had a similar issue when I was setting up mine. I can’t find any literature on how those fit back in or if they are necessary. Any advice?

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Great question, yea, it was a mistake on my part to unscrew it. It's just a snap clip with the metal piece inside. All you need is the inside nut to hold the bolt secure and "snap" over the metal flange. May not need washers for it.

[@jacobdinwiddie1035]

@@NorthwestCraftsman thank you for the response! I will take another look at it tomorrow.

[@TOLbuckIfan]

@Northwest Craftsman same here. I had to rewatch your video and I saw the washer fly out as it did for me too. I just put the cap on the bolt while it was in the cover and closed the lid. Just a friction closure is all it is:) Thanks!!!

[@nickdarpino]

Do you know the dif between the wen 4206 & 4208T. I'm interested in buying one or the other. Thanks in advance

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Looks like the 4208 has slightly higher chuck capacity at the low end (down to 1/20 vs 1/16) but slightly lower RPM’s. Honestly doesn’t seem like a strong difference from why I’m seeing.

[@MikeNBikes]

Thanks for the video. I have a local guy selling one and I am very interested. I would be riding my motorized bike to him to get it. I can fit everything in my bookbag other than the head unit. In your opinion, how heavy is it? Do you think it's too heavy to fit in a milk crate? The milk crate is secure to the back rack of my bike which I've carried some super heavy things in before.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Great question! Milk crate should be fine tied down and yea, everything else should fit in a large book bag 👍 Have fun with it!

[@th3b0yg]

How much does it weigh, and how easy is it to change the height of the table? I can see how you change the table height, but it didn't look like it moved very easily.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Probably weighs 20lbs but I’d need to actually weigh it to be sure. Height adjustment is actually super easy, this style of securement just binds easily if you don’t lift from the center of mass on the table.

[@diysolaradventures7894]

Can this drill holes in those 3.2v lifepo4 battery cells i think those are soft aluminum on the cells i need to make screw holes for the bus bars

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

I don’t imagine this drill would have any issues with Al.

[@diysolaradventures7894]

@@NorthwestCraftsman ok thank you I appreciate it

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Not a problem!

[@slbentley]

It’s been 5 months. Have you given it much use? Any pros/cons? Looking for a light duty drill press for some Christmas projects I’m starting on. LOTS of drilling with a spade bit and what I’ve done so far isn’t as accurate as I would like. Also looking for an excuse to buy a new tool :)

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Great question Scott! And good find on the vise! I do love this drill press for light to medium duty work. I have tried to more aggressively drill with a 3/8” forstner bit in pine and the belt started slipping so I had to ease up a little. A spade bit may cause you problems with this guy unless you ease it in. Hope that helps! Josh Northwest Craftsman

[@slbentley]

@@NorthwestCraftsman Thanks for the quick response. My spade is just 5/8. Wonder if just a regular twist bit would run easier. Still considering it. I’m making spiral wooden Christmas trees and having to drill out the holes with my drill, on what feels like 800,000 slats has me rethinking my life choices.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Hahaha, oh do I know the feeling 😂 the drill is certainly an excellent entry level choice. If I had some spade bits I’d test it for you but alas! No bits. I’d love to see some photos of the trees when you get done with them! Shoot me an email if you can. Josh Northwest Craftsman

[@henryhorvath1863]

How did it hold after 1 year? thinking about getting one.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Holding up great! I don’t use it more than a couple times a week but it does what I need 👌

[@HighTone45]

I know you want to use your new gadgets but a good ol square works better than new digital levels you can never trust the levelness on a sub floor or a garage floor they usually slope garage floors

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Totally agree that a good mechanical square works as well or better in many situation but I would like to clear up a misconception. Most of the digital angle gauges don't measure with respect to the floor. I have to zero mine out on the reference surface which sets that angle as "zero" and then any change is shown. For example, on my table saw, I'll zero it out on my cast iron top and then measure my blade so the angle I see is the angle of the blade with respect to the table top.

[@ryanw1112]

Do you still like it? I was worried about how far down i could drill into a pice of wood with this press, but it looks like you could drill into a 2x4 just fine. Have you tried using it for anything bigger than that?

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

I do still like it. It’s not as powerful as some others I’ve used but for the projects I do it’s great. It does struggle with larger diameter bits like forstner bits and hole saws but I expected that. All standard drill bits have been fine regardless of depth, just need to do the normal chip clearing (up and down).

[@ryanw1112]

​@@NorthwestCraftsmangood to know. Thanks

[@cebuanostud]

Do you recommend the drill press after using it for a while? thanks

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Great question! It depends on your use case. As an entry level, wood, drill press for small but precisely placed holes, it’s perfect 👍 once you want to start hogging out large amounts of wood (3/4”+) or want to work with hardwoods or metals, it starts to feel a little anemic. For my needs, it was perfect as I just needed small, perpendicular holes in my workpieces.

[@cebuanostud]

@@NorthwestCraftsman Thank you for the reply. I just need a more stable and accurate tool other than my hand drill for small proj. This might be perfect for me as well.😁

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

I’d say so! And at this price point it’s hard to beat!

[@stevesiefken6432]

Have you had a chance to use this drill press with larger forsner bits? Did it bog down? Looked like it handled the smaller forsner bit well. Any experience with hole saws? Thanks!

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

I haven’t actually had a chance to test that but can do so pretty quickly. I’ll let you know how it goes 👍

[@stevesiefken6432]

@@NorthwestCraftsman I’d really appreciate it! When you bought this drill press, what were the other one you looked at? What made you decide to buy this one? Did you look at the Ryobi? Thanks!

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Hey Steve! Just got a chance to test this. Forstner bits up to my biggest (1-3/8) were no issue in hard or softwood. Hole saws were another story, a 1” did okay without binding but anything larger stuck. Did a small amount of research but went off of Amazon reviews and price mostly. Plus I had purchased a Brad nailer from WEN that I was pleasantly surprised by.

[@stevesiefken6432]

@@NorthwestCraftsman Thanks for the quick feedback, really appreciate it! Glad to hear the forsner bits worked,too bad about the darn hole saws. Still thinking about getting it anyway as I can see myself mostly using the forsner bits over the hole saws. All the best!

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

You as well Steve!

[@regionvoices6607]

Did that drill press come with a a vise too?

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Great question! Unfortunately it does not come with a vice

[@slbentley]

Looks like you can order it with a vice for $23 more (currently)

[@adamferguson2101]

How do you feel about this drill press 2 years later? Do you regret not buying something better or has it handled everything you throw at it?

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Great question! It’s handled all the normal stuff I throw it at but I’m certainly still looking for something with more power and vertical capacity. For most of your standard holes, this thing is great. For anything over 1/2” or something other than wood, I’d go with something that has more power.

[@adamferguson2101]

Wow! Thanks for the fast reply! I’m also considering the 10” vevor for $30ish more. I think you answered my main concern about the 8”. I’m drilling wood and acrylic so I think the power is more than adequate. I appreciate your honesty and quick reply!

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

@@adamferguson2101 oh yea! It should be great for acrylic! And for $30 more, that makes sense!

[@sw8741]

Have you tried drilling any metal with it? 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" mild steel?

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

I have not, though, I doubt it’d perform spectacularly given that I have had it lock up in some hardwoods.

[@sw8741]

@@NorthwestCraftsman Thanks, and thanks for the review. I ordered one and will test it and post back. Metal is a weeee bit different than wood. But it may work if you step the size of bits you use.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Let me know how it goes!

[@sw8741]

@@NorthwestCraftsman Received and assembled it today. It worked well enough for my needs. Started with a 1/4"bit and stepped up to 3/8" then 1/2" in 1/16th mild steel at the recommended speed.. Other than having to move the table and re centering between steps it worked fine. Didn't bog down at all. Then tried the 1/2" bit, no steps or oil on the 1/16th mild steel little problem. 3/8th bit, no problem. Then did the 1/2" bit on unistrut (1/16th also but maybe harder steel) with little problems. Then tried 1/4" angle iron with 1/2" bit and oil with little problem. 3/8" bit no problems. I don't have anything thicker than a 1/4" but for the most part 1/4" will be what I need it for. Maybe 3/8th mild steel. The "little problem" was bit deflection when applying force on the 1/2" bit. Mind you I didn't use new bits but ones I have sharpened, regular HSS bits. When the 1/2" holes were drill I still could move the bit up and down in the hole when done and the hole was round. That works for me! This was all using mild force. Drilling metal you do not want chips, you want a curlicue. That tells you you have the right speed and force with good bits, its the most efficient cutting. I had some curlicues but also chips. Could be too much force or the bits weren't perfect. There was 1 other problem. The set screw on the motor spindle become or was loose. The belt should be straight between the spindles but when setting up I noticed it was angled but didn't think much about it. At the end it was completely loose and I had to reset it. All in all its worth the price and it performed better than I thought.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

Man! Thanks for the awesome write up! Glad to hear it performed well for your metalwork! Mind if I point people here if they're asking about using this guy on metal?

[@escapetherace1943]

bro you actually followed the instructions? I just wiped off the grease I could from the outside and hammered that chuck straight on with my rubber mallet 🤣she works fine

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

😂 call me OCD but I always follow the manual when putting a tool together to make sure I’ve got a better shot at not missing something. 😂

[@ronaldpatton5668]

Not everyone uses a drill press for woodworking.

[@cyclicpsychorecondo3563]

Your mic is so sensitive I can hear your tongue slapping around the saliva in your mouth….

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

I’m so sorry 😂 I have been looking up how to kill this and apparently it’s a common issue if you’re dehydrated. Thanks for letting me know though, it’s comments like this that help me get better 😊

[@MrCaribe65]

Lol. It wasn't just me. 😂

[@MrCaribe65]

​@NorthwestCraftsman I think there are microphones that get rid of that. 😊 Great video nevertheless.

[@NorthwestCraftsman]

@@MrCaribe65nope 😂 not just you 😂 I hear it as well and I’ll do some more searching! I’d love to get rid of it for good