BaseThe heavy foot that supports the whole machine. Bolted down, it stops the press shaking.
ColumnHolds up the head and carries the worktable. A tall, round post.
WorktableThe table the work rests on, on an arm round the column. It moves up and down, swings aside, and on many presses tilts.
HeadThe top of the press, bolted to the column. It holds the spindle, the quill, the motor and the feed mechanism.
MotorTurns the spindle through the belt. An electric motor at the back of the head.
PulleysStepped pulleys on the motor and the spindle. Moving the belt to a different step changes the spindle's speed.
BeltThe drive belt from the motor pulley to the spindle pulley.
Feed handlesThree handles on a hub. Turning them lowers the quill and drill into the work, and raises them again.
Quill (sleeve)The sleeve round the spindle. It does not turn, but slides down to feed the drill into the work.
SpindleThe shaft that turns inside the quill and holds the chuck.
ChuckThe jaws that grip the drill bit.
Drill bitThe cutting tool that bores the hole, gripped in the chuck.
Depth stopAn adjustable stop that sets how far the quill can go down. Every hole is then drilled to the same depth.
How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-27. (1) US Army, TC 9-524, Fundamentals of Machine Tools (1996), chapter 4 (Drilling machines) and figures 4-1 to 4-5, https://archive.org/details/tc-9-524-fundamentals-of-machine-tools-1996 : a spindle holding the drill and revolving in a sleeve or quill that slides to feed the tool; the column supporting the head; the head of sleeve, spindle, electric motor and feed mechanism, bolted to the column; the worktable on an arm, adjustable up and down, swinging aside and tilting; the base, bolted to the floor for vibration-free work; the drill held by a chuck; the feed handle; the motor's drive belt from the motor pulley to the spindle pulley; the depth stop. (2) Wikipedia, Drill, Drill press, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drill : a base, column (pillar), adjustable table, spindle, chuck and drill head, driven by an electric motor; three handles on a hub that move the spindle and chuck; speed changed by moving a belt across stepped pulleys. Drill press, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drill_press : an adjustable depth stop. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-27. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
These are the parts of a drill press, or pillar drill, on a floor model seen from the side with the front to the right and the belt guard opened to show the belt.
Read the full guide
The frame
The base stands on the floor and carries the column. The head is bolted to the top of the column, and the worktable sits on an arm round it, moving up and down to suit the work.
Drilling a hole
The motor turns the spindle through the belt and pulleys. Turning the feed handles slides the quill down, carrying the turning spindle, chuck and drill bit into the work. The depth stop sets how far it can go.
To change speed on most drill presses, move the belt to a different step on the pulleys.
Questions and answers
What is the quill on a drill press?
The sleeve round the spindle. It does not turn, but slides down when you turn the feed handles, carrying the turning spindle and drill into the work.
What does the depth stop do?
It limits how far the quill can go down, so you can drill several holes to the same depth, or stop the drill going through the work.
How is a drill press sized?
By its swing, twice the distance from the chuck's centre to the column: a press with a 4-inch throat is an 8-inch drill press.