I recently purchased a WEN 4214 drill press for home workshop use. This drill press will be used for both metalworking for my Jeep projects and with woodworking projects. I thought I’d share some photos of the unboxing and initial setup of the drill press. The link above is an affiliate link, and I will recieve a small payment if you choose to purchase through it. This review is not in any way influenced by the affiliate program. I needed a drill press, and this is the one I chose.
I was doubtful of this drill press at the price point, and purchasing through Amazon was not my first choice. But the overall positive reviews and writeups from both Woodworking Toolkit and The Spruce convinced me to purchase it. The Prime Delivery from Amazon had it on my door just a couple days after ordering, and it arrived in great condition - both well packaged and undamaged.
Quick Review
I have not used this drill press much yet. It certainly spun through softwoods with a 1” spade bit, and had no issues with a 3/4” step drill bit in 3/16” steel bar. I can’t imagine needing anything more than that for the kinds of projects that I do.
I think this WEN 4214 drill press is a fantastic choice for a hobby workshop. I suspect that it will show its limitations when drilling larger holes in metal, but that with patience it will be enough for the home shop. I’ve got a couple of furniture projects coming up, and I will update this review once I’ve had more time with it. I also plan to build a small cart for it, and I might share some photos of that as well.
For a more in-depth review, check out this review at The Spruce.
Unboxing
On my workbench after delivery:
The drill press was well packaged in styrofoam. All of the exposed metal had a coat of protectant grease and there was no rust on any of the parts.
The motor and head unit were fully assembled and required very little setup.
WEN 4214 Details
The small parts were well packaged, and the arbor was smooth without any nicks or scratches. The chuck was a little crusty and needed some brake cleaner and fresh grease to move freely. I still hoard little hex keys that are sent with new products, and while I did use them for installation, they didn’t fit the laser alignment tool as well as my higher quality ones.
The drill press has some nice touches that I would not expect at this price point. For instance the locking handles for the platform have been plasti-dipped and have a nice rubberized grip.
Assembly
The assembly is very straight forward, and the manual is thorough with good illustrations. The assembly isn’t much more than 4 bolts to connect the post to the base, and putting the platform and head on and tightening their set screws. I did add grease to both the head and the platform where there was metal on metal contact. This drill press will live in an unheated space and it seemed like the thing to do.
Close Up Photos
The plunge handles are easy to install and the motion is smooth. The return spring is adjustable and mine from the factory felt perfect.
The speed controller and depth stop are both easy to setup. The depth stop could certainly be a little more precise, but it’s easy to use and adjusts on both the high and low side.
The platform has a nice machined finish on it and is remarkably flat. With a straight edge and feeler gauge I only found one small dip of 0.0025”.
The speed control works well and is easy to use. You can read the speed display, and they’ve included a small chart of drilling speeds if you don’t have your Pocket Ref handy.
The speed display is front and center and easy to read. It doesn’t jump around and is nice and bright. I certainly would not have expected it at this price point.
The drill press light is quite nice, and is positioned well enough that it doesn’t cast any harsh shadows on your work.
The laser works shockingly well. From the factory it was about 1/16th out, and it was easy to align. You only need to loosen a couple of set screws and twist the laser lens until they cross on target.
I’d read a review that someone had arbor runout problems. I don’t have a dial indicator here, but with my calipers the runout was smaller than what I could measure. It appears to be quite true.
Here’s one last glamor shot of the drill press.
