GMC LSR13DP Drill Press: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
A benchtop drill press from GMC, which went into receivership in 2008. Old drill presses are worth keeping if the quill is sound.
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The LSR13DP was a benchtop drill press from GMC, the Australian budget brand placed in receivership in 2008.
Drill presses age well
Of all the tools on this site, drill presses are the ones most worth keeping. They are simple: a motor, belts, pulleys and a quill. Nothing about the design has improved dramatically in decades.
The check that decides everything is quill runout. Put a straight rod in the chuck, spin it by hand and watch the tip against a fixed point, or use a dial indicator if you have one. Visible wobble means either the chuck, the arbor taper, or the quill bearings.
Chuck and arbor are replaceable parts — a JT33 chuck and arbor are generic. Worn quill bearings are a rebuild, and on a budget press that is the end.
The other checks: the table should lock without drooping, and the column should be free of rust so the table still raises.
The upgrade that costs nothing
Most drill presses are let down by their tables, not their spindles. A wooden auxiliary table with a fence and a replaceable insert makes a cheap press far more useful — it backs the exit of the hole, gives you a fence for repeat distances, and supports long work.
That is a better first spend than a new machine.
What to buy
The WEN 4214T, linked below, is a 12 in variable speed benchtop press with a cast iron table, 5 Amp motor and a 5/8 in chuck.
Variable speed by dial rather than by moving a belt is the feature worth paying for. Drilling a large Forstner bit wants a much slower speed than a small twist bit, and a machine where changing speed means opening the cover and moving a belt is a machine that gets run at the wrong speed.