Drill Press Stand Attachment for Hand Drills

Mount your hand drill into a dedicated drill press stand that converts it into a miniature drill press with guided vertical travel.

How It Works

A drill press stand is a frame with a vertical column, a spring-loaded carriage, and a base plate. You clamp your hand drill into the carriage, and the column constrains the drill to move only straight up and down. This gives you drill-press-level perpendicularity using your existing hand drill. Higher-quality models include depth stops and adjustable angles.

Instructions

1. Secure the drill press stand to your workbench with clamps or the integrated mounting holes
2. Mount your hand drill into the carriage clamp, ensuring it is tight and the chuck faces straight down
3. Insert the desired drill bit and tighten the chuck
4. Position the workpiece on the base plate under the drill bit
5. Set the depth stop if your model has one
6. Pull the feed handle or press down to lower the drill into the workpiece. The column keeps the travel perfectly vertical
7. Release the handle and the spring returns the drill to the up position

Tips

• Quality varies enormously between brands. The Wolfcraft 4522 and similar mid-range stands ($40-80) offer significantly better rigidity than budget models
• Check that the stand is compatible with your drill's collar diameter before purchasing — most are designed for 43mm collar drills
• For best results, clamp or bolt the stand to a flat, stable surface
• A stand is particularly valuable for repetitive drilling tasks where every hole must be identical
• Some models allow the column to be tilted for angled drilling

Common Mistakes

• Not securing the stand to the workbench, which allows it to rock and negates the accuracy advantage
• Buying the cheapest possible stand, which often has excessive play in the column and produces holes no straighter than freehand drilling
• Overtightening the drill clamp and cracking the drill's plastic housing
• Expecting bench-drill-press precision from a lightweight stand — these are good for woodworking but may not have the rigidity for metalworking