Is the Delta 8-Inch Drill Press 11 900 Right for Your Shop?

The Delta 8-inch drill press, model 11-900, is a compact bench machine that keeps turning up secondhand precisely because it was built simply and built well. It is the smaller end of Delta’s bench lineup, a no-frills press meant for small parts and light drilling, and years after it left production it still does that job. The question is not whether the 11-900 is a good machine, plenty of them prove that daily, but whether its small size and modest power are right for the work you actually do. That is what decides if the 11-900 belongs in your shop.

The Delta 11-900 is an 8-inch benchtop drill press with a 1/3 HP induction motor on 115V, five spindle speeds (620, 1,100, 1,720, 2,340, and 3,100 RPM) via a stepped-pulley belt, a keyed chuck, and a small cast table. Its 8-inch swing reaches the center of an 8-inch board. It is discontinued, so support comes from archived manuals, used parts, and standard consumables.

Straight answer: the 11-900 is right for you if your work is small, wood and light metal parts that fit on a compact bench, and you value a simple, durable machine. It is the wrong press if you need a larger table, deep holes, or the muscle for steel and big bits, because its size and 1/3 HP motor are fixed, not adjustable.

What the 11-900 is built for

Think of the 11-900 as a precise little bench tool rather than a do-everything press. The 8-inch swing and small table are sized for parts, brackets, small boards, jig work, hobby pieces, and the five-speed, 1/3 HP induction drive handles those cleanly and quietly. The smooth induction motor is a real plus over the harsh universal motors on some cheap presses, and the simple belt-and-pulley speed change means there is little to learn and little to fail.

Within that lane, the 11-900 is genuinely satisfying: accurate, quiet, and reliable. The moment your work steps outside the lane, though, the machine’s size starts to fight you, which is why matching it to your work matters more than the machine’s quality.

Where its limits show

The honest limits are all about scale. The small cast table is cramped for anything wider than a bench part, so larger workpieces need an auxiliary wooden table clamped on. The short quill travel caps single-pull hole depth, making deep holes a staged job. And the 1/3 HP motor, smooth as it is, will bog on large hole saws or heavy steel. None of these are defects; they are the nature of an 8-inch press, and they only matter if your projects are bigger or harder than the machine was meant for.

Setup and parts

Setup is the standard bench routine, column, head, table, chuck, then belt tension and speed from the chart inside the cover. Because the 11-900 is discontinued, keep the wear items current with standard parts. The V-belt ages; for these 8-inch Delta presses a K26-size drill press V-belt is the common replacement once you confirm the length. The keyed chuck wears, and a 5/8-inch keyed chuck with MT2 arbor replaces it after you confirm the spindle taper, while a lost key is a universal ratcheting chuck key. A drill press vise makes the small table safer and squarer for the small parts this press favors.

The honest flaws

The flaws worth stating are the small table, the short travel, and the modest motor, all consequences of size, and one ownership risk: as a discontinued machine, structural spares like castings and pulleys are scarce, so a missing or damaged one can be hard to replace. Buy a complete, freely running example rather than a project, and accept that the machine’s capability is fixed by its 8-inch, 1/3 HP design.

Who should buy it, and who should skip it

Buy the 11-900 if your work is small and light, you want a quiet, accurate, durable bench press, and you find a complete running one. For hobbyists and small-parts work, it is plenty of machine in a small footprint.

Skip it if you need a bigger table, deeper drilling, or steel-drilling power. The 12-inch Delta 11-990 gives more reach, and a 3/4 HP floor press handles heavy work; a current variable-speed benchtop press adds convenience and support. Do not buy the smallest press and then ask it to do a larger machine’s job.

Conclusion: right for small work, wrong for big

The Delta 11-900 is a well-made compact bench press that fits a shop doing small, light drilling.

• 8-inch swing, 1/3 HP induction motor, five speeds (620 to 3,100 RPM), small cast table, keyed chuck.
• Ideal for small wood and light-metal parts; simple and durable.
• The small table, short travel, and modest motor are fixed limits of an 8-inch press.
• Step up to the 11-990 or a floor press for larger, deeper, or heavier work.

FAQ

What size is the Delta 11-900? An 8-inch benchtop drill press, reaching the center of an 8-inch-wide board.

What are the 11-900’s speeds? Five spindle speeds: 620, 1,100, 1,720, 2,340, and 3,100 RPM, set by moving the belt across stepped pulleys.

What motor does it have? A 1/3 HP induction motor on 115V, which runs quietly and suits wood and light metal.

Can it drill steel? Light metal, yes. Large holes in thick steel will bog the 1/3 HP motor and are better suited to a floor press.

What belt does it use? An 8-inch Delta press commonly uses a K26-size V-belt. Confirm the length against your old belt before ordering.

How is it different from the 11-950? Both are 8-inch 1/3 HP Delta bench presses from the same family; differences are minor variations in table, trim, and production details.

Should I buy a used 11-900? Yes if it is complete and runs freely. Avoid incomplete machines, since model-specific castings are hard to source.

References

• Delta 11-900 8-inch Bench Drill Press Manual (PDF): https://www.mikestools.com/download/Delta_Drill_Press_Owners_Manuals/Delta_11-900.pdf
• PartSelect, Delta 11-900 Type 1 drill press parts: https://www.partselect.com/Models/11-900/
• Delta Drill Press owner’s manuals archive: https://www.mikestools.com/Delta-Drill-Press-Owners-Manuals