A drill press is a useful item, but usually found only in the workshops of the more serious do-it-yourselfers and commercial workshops. A drill press is used to drill evenly spaced, accurately angled holes through materials. Drill presses don't do much besides drill, but some drill presses come with attachments made for sanding and shaping.
Safety
Never turn on the drill press if the bit is coming into contact with the material that you're drilling.
Never wear a neck tie and avoid wearing gloves while drilling.
When drilling through metal, use a clamp to hold the metal into place.
Wear safety goggles.
Drill Speeds
A drill press may drill through different materials by varying its speed. Drills often have between 5 and 12 speeds.
The more speed settings a drill press comes with, the more materials it may drill through without damaging the bit or the material.
Bits
Bits come in steel, titanium, cobalt and carbide-tipped.
Titanium is stronger than steel and will stay sharp for a longer period of time, and carbide-tipped bits are even stronger than titanium.
To drill through metal, use cobalt.
Deburring Tool
When a hole is cut in material, the top is usually clean and smooth, while the bottom of the hole is full of shards and loose material. In this case, a drill press deburring tool is used to smooth out the bottom of the hole.
Depth Stop
Set the depth stop to prevent a drill bit from cutting beyond a certain point in the material. Most drill presses will come with a depth stop.
Threading
Use a hole tap to thread a hole that has already been drilled. This is also something that may be done by hand, but the drill press ensures greater accuracy.
Angled Drilling
In order to get an angled hole through your material, tilt the table. Clamp the material to the table if the angle is too steep, to hold the material in place.
Other Uses
With appropriate attachments, the drill press can also sand and shape wood, and even sharpen blades.
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