Powermatic PM2800B Review for Pro Wood & Metal Workers

If you are a woodworker, you must be searching for a drill press which will be a value for money. But it’s really tough to find the worthy one as drilling wood and metal is not a piece of cake.

One must have proven expertise in drilling, and the drill press will complement his/her skill. Powermatic has been producing drill presses for a long time. The powermatic PM2800B drill press can be an excellent choice to care the woodwork and promote your creativity.

People may have different opinions about the efficiency of Powermatic PM2800B. But, we will try to analyze the facts and figures to come up with a complete review.

Don’t opt for a low-cost drill press to save money. Low-quality drill presses can’t perform heavy duty works. On top of that, they often get damaged and need to be repaired for further uses. You’ll require both more time and money ultimately.

That’s why choosing a drill press capable of producing supreme torque power.

Key Features of Powermatic PM2800B

Powermatic PM2800B is especially notable for its design, power, accuracy, performance, and safety. Let’s get a full overview of the Key Features of Powermatic PM2800B.

1. Powerful Motor

This drill press comes with a powerful motor having 1 HP (15.0 AMP) inductive engine. This full packed power allows the machine to get an average motor speed of 1725 RPM.

It can achieve a maximum speed of 3000 RPM. This is considered to be one of the most suitable benchtop drill presses.

2. Variable Speed Controls

A digital display of RPM reading allows the user to know the spindle speed. Thus, one can get a full range variable speed without changing any belt.

As different types of woods need to be dealt with different techniques and speed. This adjustable speed, ranging from 250-3000 RPM, can save time and make the drilling smoother.

3. Adjustable Table & Fence

It has an adjustable table and a fence. The adjustment width of the table ranges from 14 inches to 30 inches.  One can adjust the fence system to get a 90-degree angle slant to the table. It helps the user align the stock as per need.

4. Adjustable Material Stop

This Powermatic PM2800B has adjustable material stop feature. This helps to make the repetitive actions quick and accurate.

5. LED Light and Laser

It has two LED lights and laser guides attached to the machine. The LED lights provide lighting around the work piece.

And the dual laser guide system helps the user make accurate holes in the wood or metal.

Specifications at a glance

Pros

• It has great usability.
• Powerful motor enables it to accomplish heavy duty tasks.
• It has dual LED light and dual laser guide system.
• Adjustable table, bench and motor speed make it more flexible.
• This drill press has 5/4” keyless chuck structure.
• It has a digital RPM readout option to control the speed easily.

Cons

• The machine is too heavy.
• The assembling process is painstaking.
• It often produces loud noise with a vibrating sound.
• Continuous usage produces excessive heat.
• The price of the Powermatic PM2800B is a bit high.

Our Findings

The theoretical data will never reflect the original review of a product. That’s why we put these products in the test to know what really happens. We received this product just fine without any damage. I, along with one of my compadres, put this thing together.

1. Performance

To speak the truth, we were a bit disappointed at first. It started with an annoying rattle coming from the motor. And, it vibrates horribly when running at higher speed. Some loose bolts promote the noise.

Other than this, everything was up to the mark.  The adjustability of the fence and the table is really nice and effective. The table is large enough, and the dual laser guide is pretty cool. The LED lights are of no mentionable use.

You can make accurate holes in wood and metal with great speed using this drill press. It works great as a woodworking drill press.

2. Ease of use

The assembling process of this drill press is quite troublesome. Once you can put this whole thing together, it will be very easy to use this drill press. The table and the fence can be easily and quickly adjusted to align the stock.

The readable display enables a user to control the speed as per the requirement. Thus, this machine has great usability.

But it is tough to move the setting due to the heaviness of Powermatic PM2800B.

3. Price

Powermatic PM2800B is really costly compared to other drill presses and woodworking tools. That’s why people expect more from this powerful tool. It will cost you more bucks than other products if you want to get one.

How to Use and Maintain Powermatic PM2800B?

1. How to use this product?

To use the tool at first, you need to assemble all the components together. Avoid using a steel hammer directly against the chuck because this may damaged it. It’s better to contact a qualified electrician to sort out the electrical connections.

Ground the machine properly to get rid of potential injuries. Change the speed only when the tool is operational. Do not look at the laser beam directly as it produces radiation. Never put your hands on moving pulleys and belts.

Make sure that the electrical connections are disconnected before starting the maintenance process.

2. Proper maintenance

To get topnotch performance, you must conduct regular maintenance inspection. Clean the sawdust after every time you use the tool. Don’t use hands, engage a cleaning brush.

Apply oil to the quill and column to reduce the rate of weariness and prevent the chance of forming rust.

Clean up the pulley regularly and apply grease to the rack on the column. Check the bolts, belts, pulleys regularly to find out if anything is wrong.

You can spray protective sprays or apply the wax paste to the metal surface to protect it from rust. Avoid wax that contains synthetic ingredients and silicone.

Who is it great for?

This product is the best choice for professional woodworkers. If you want to create holes through a hard and solid surface, you’ll not get a better tool than a drill press. Passionate woodworkers can’t think of a day without having a drill press around. This product is ideal for making accurate holes in wood with great power and speed.

Customers Feedbacks

This tool is good but not good enough according to the reviews of the verified users. There are less than 50 reviews on Amazon, and the overall rating is 3.3/5. That implies the whole story.

The Powermatic PM2800B comes in a great design and powerful motor that it works excellently for short drilling. It performs worse if the drilling continues for hours. People are not so content with the performance. The main complaints are about the noise and vibration this machine makes.

Our Final Thoughts

So, you have the insights into every detail of this power tool, and that leads us to a final verdict. If you are a passionate woodworker, maybe, you’ve been waiting for this ever since you passed the product details. Here it is.

The amazing design and usability are the main selling point of this tool. It works great for short drilling. If you want to use it for hours, you must consider the heat and noise factors. This is the best choice as a drill press if you can cope up with these two things. But if you want to get a smooth and noise free power tool, you may search everywhere, but all efforts will end in vain. Power tools will produce heat and noise, that’s quite usual. Keeping this in mind, you can consider Powermatic PM2800B as your next drill press.

FAQs

1. Does this tool have a friction controlling quill lock?
Ans: It doesn’t have a conventional quill lock. But you can control the friction by using the upper and lower stop. Also, the chuck is keyless. You can tighten the bit by rotating it.

2. Are 220V outlets compatible with Powermatic PM2800B?
Ans: Yes. According to the information provided by Powermatic company, you can use a 220V outlet for this tool.