For an amateur its often difficult to remember what speeds to set the pillar drill for various materials, bit types and sizes so I began searching online for a comprehensive list. Well that was easier said than done, many sites offer either lists or charts, some are wood only, some metal only, others only cover specific bits and most are in imperial.

So I set about to produce my own, its a combination of several I found online and links are at the bottom to the main ones although I looked at dozens so know I’ve missed a few.

Click the image below to download a PDF file you can print out for your workshop.

Sites I used for reference:

https://www.fnal.gov/pub/takefive/pdfs/Drill_Press_Speed_Chart.pdf

http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodworking-tips/techniques/drilling-boring/drill-press-speed-chart/

http://store.curiousinventor.com/guides/drill_speed

Plus various manuals for pillar drills from a number of manufacturers.