JET JDP-17 Drill Press: How the Range Breaks Down
You are standing in front of a full-height floor press with a red cast-iron head, a laser crosshair, and a crank that raises the table, and you want to know whether the JET JDP-17 drill press is the one machine you buy once and keep. The short version: it is a 17-inch floor model built for woodworking, with a 3/4 HP motor, 16 speeds, and a genuinely deep 5-inch spindle travel that lets you bore through thick stock in one pull. This guide breaks down its real specs, how it runs, and where it sits against its JET siblings so you can match it to your shop.
A floor drill press is a column-mounted machine that bolts to the floor and drives a chuck on a vertical spindle. The JDP-17’s 17-inch class refers to swing: the spindle centerline sits far enough from the column to reach the center of a board almost 17 inches wide.
The specs that define it
Direct answer for a spec sheet reader: the JET JDP-17 (JET stock number 716300) is a floor-standing 17-inch drill press with a 3/4 HP, single-phase, 115V TEFC motor, a poly-V belt drive, 16 spindle speeds, a 5-inch spindle travel, and a 5/8-inch chuck. Its published swing is 16-7/8 inches and its speed range runs from about 210 to 3500 RPM.
| Spec | JET JDP-17 (716300) |
|---|---|
| Type | floor standing |
| Swing | 16-7/8 in |
| Spindle travel | 5 in |
| Speeds | 16 |
| Speed range | about 210 to 3500 RPM |
| Motor | 3/4 HP, 1Ph, 115V TEFC |
| Drive | poly-V belt |
| Chuck | 5/8 in |
| Table | 14 x 19 in, tilts 90 left and right |
| Column diameter | 3-5/32 in |
| Spindle distance to table (max) | 30 in |
| Warranty | 5 year |
Those numbers come from JET’s own product listing and the machine’s operating and parts manual, so treat them as the baseline and confirm against the plate on any unit you buy, since JET has run more than one 17-inch variant.
How the 16-speed drive actually works
Question owners ask: are the 16 speeds a gearbox or belts? They are belts. The JDP-17 uses a poly-V belt across stepped pulleys, and one of its better design touches is one-handed belt tensioning, so you lift the guard, shift the belt to a new step, and retension without wrestling the motor across a slotted bracket. That range, roughly 210 RPM at the low end to 3500 at the top, covers large Forstner bits in hardwood at the slow steps and small twist bits at the fast steps.
The 5-inch spindle travel is the headline. Many presses in this class give you 3 to 3-1/4 inches, and Fine Woodworking’s roundup noted JET’s longer quill stroke as a real advantage for deep work, while also flagging that even this is short of a 6-inch stroke some users prefer. If you drill deep mortises or thick laminations, that extra travel is why you would pick this over a shorter-stroke machine.
Setup, table, and the working features
Answer first on setup: bolt the large cast-iron base to the floor, mount the column and head, install the chuck on a clean spindle taper, then calibrate the twin-laser crosshair. OSHA treats anchoring fixed machinery as a requirement, and a top-heavy floor press is exactly the kind of machine that rule targets.
The daily-use features are where the JDP-17 justifies itself. The 14 by 19 inch table has twin T-slots and tilts 90 degrees left and right, so you can clamp fences and angle work. A built-in LED light kills shadows in the hole, the Xacta-X laser system marks bit center, and a paddle-style off switch with a safety key lets you slap the machine off and lock out unauthorized starts. The depth stop handles repetitive drilling to a set depth. Chuck-key storage and set screws round it out.
Honest named flaw: the crank-operated table is stiff to raise, lower, and especially to swing to one side, and owners report the rack-and-pinion binding when a large auxiliary table is mounted, with the crank sitting close enough to the table to be awkward. It is not a dealbreaker, but you feel it every time you reposition. Who should skip this: if you only drill small parts on a benchtop footprint, a floor JDP-17 is more machine, weight, and height than you need, and a benchtop JET will fit your shop better.
How it compares inside the JET range
Comparison of the picks against each other, not in isolation:
| Model | Class | Spindle travel | Speeds | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JET JDP-17 (716300) | 17 in floor | 5 in | 16 | longest stroke, laser and LED, poly-V drive |
| JET JDP-17MF (354169) | 16-1/2 in floor | (shorter) | 16 | 115/230V wiring option, woodworker table |
| JET JDP-17DX (354173) | 16-1/2 in floor | about 4-3/8 in | 16 | can accept a mortiser adapter, heavier at about 253 lb |
| JET JDP-15 benchtop | 15 in bench | (shorter) | multi | lighter, sits on a bench, less reach |
The JDP-17 is the pick if the 5-inch stroke and the laser-plus-LED setup matter to you. The JDP-17DX trades some stroke for mortiser capability and more mass, so it suits someone who wants square-hole joinery. The JDP-17MF is close to the standard 17 but with the 115/230V wiring choice. Step down to a 15-inch benchtop JET only if floor space and weight beat reach and stroke for you.
Conclusion: a deep-stroke floor press with one nagging table
The JDP-17 is a legitimate keep-it-forever floor drill press for a serious wood shop, and the 5-inch spindle travel is the feature that separates it from plainer 17-inch machines. It is smooth, well lit, and accurate to the table out of the crate, with a stiff table crank as its real weak spot.
- The 5-inch stroke and 16-speed poly-V drive are the reasons to buy it.
- The stiff, sometimes-binding table crank is the tradeoff you live with.
- Confirm the plate, since the 17, the 17MF, and the 17DX differ in stroke, wiring, and weight.
- Choose the DX for mortising, a benchtop JET for a small footprint, and the standard 17 for the deepest stroke.
You can check the current JET JDP-17 listing on Amazon here: Check on Amazon and the 115/230V JDP-17MF variant here: Check on Amazon
FAQ
How much horsepower does the JET JDP-17 have? It runs a 3/4 HP, single-phase, 115V TEFC motor driving a poly-V belt system. That is enough for wood boring and light metal, though it is not a metalworking machine at heart.
How many speeds does the JDP-17 have and how do you change them? Sixteen speeds, from roughly 210 to 3500 RPM. You change them by shifting the poly-V belt across the pulley steps, aided by JET’s one-handed belt tensioning, with the machine unplugged and the guard open.
What is the swing and spindle travel on the JET JDP-17? The published swing is 16-7/8 inches and the spindle travel is a full 5 inches, which is longer than most presses in this class and the main reason to choose it for deep drilling.
Is the JET JDP-17 a floor or benchtop model? It is a floor-standing model with a large cast-iron base. Bolt it to the floor, since a tall, top-heavy press should be anchored per OSHA fixed-machinery guidance.
What is the difference between the JDP-17 and the JDP-17DX? The standard JDP-17 has a 5-inch spindle travel and the laser and LED setup, while the JDP-17DX has a shorter travel near 4-3/8 inches, more mass around 253 pounds, and accepts a mortiser adapter for square holes.
What chuck size does the JDP-17 use? A 5/8-inch chuck on the spindle taper. Keep the taper clean and dry so the chuck seats without run-out.
What is the biggest complaint about the JDP-17? Owners most often mention the table being stiff to raise, lower, and rotate, with the rack-and-pinion prone to binding when a large auxiliary table is added and the crank sitting close to the table.
References
- JET Tools, 17-inch Drill Press (JDP-17, stock 716300) product page and specifications. https://jettools.com/17-drill-press
- JET, JDP-17 Operating Instructions and Parts Manual. https://s3.amazonaws.com/jpw-assets/a/6/b/a/a6ba12b92ce68d154b294eca43abeae20ad03583_716300_man_en.pdf
- Fine Woodworking, Jet Drill Press JDP17 review notes. https://www.finewoodworking.com/2005/10/25/drill-press-jdp17-review
- OSHA, Woodworking eTool: Drill Presses. https://www.osha.gov/etools/woodworking/production/machines-tools/drill-press
- CCOHS, Metalworking Machines: Drill Presses. https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/safety_haz/metalworking/drillpresses.html
