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Tool: 20 in. Smart Drill Press JDP-20S Shop Now
Manufacturer: JET Tools
MSRP: $2399.99
At first glance, a drill press seems like one of the simplest tools in the shop: a motor turns a spindle, the spindle turns a bit, and a hole appears. In practice, though, drilling clean, accurate holes across different materials and bit types is far more nuanced. Feed rate, spindle speed, depth control, and material choice all play a role in getting clean, accurate holes.
Jet Tools recently introduced a drill press designed to take some of that guesswork out of the process. The JDP-20S, which Jet calls their Smart Drill Press, adds a suite of user-focused features that elevate what’s traditionally been a very analog machine. After spending some time with it, the name makes a lot of sense.
The most obvious difference is the touchscreen mounted on the front of the head. This interface is where you control the machine’s smart functionality. You simply select your material, bit style, and bit diameter, and the JDP-20S automatically calculates and displays the recommended spindle speed.
Once you’re ready to work, the main screen provides real-time feedback including current bit depth, target depth, spindle RPM, and motor load, along with controls for the laser guide and work light. One standout feature is auto-start: begin feeding the quill and the motor turns on automatically; retract it, and the motor shuts off. Pair that with the digital depth stop—which halts spindle rotation at a preset depth—and repetitive drilling operations become faster, safer, and far less tedious.
While the smart features are impressive, they wouldn’t matter much if the machine itself felt flimsy. Fortunately, that’s not the case. The JDP-20S is a solid, stoutly built drill press that feels every bit as capable as it is intelligent. Smart tools are clearly the direction the industry is heading, and if the JDP-20S is any indication, the future shop is going to be filled with some genuinely exciting machines.
