Milwaukee Mag Drill Review

Magnetic Drill Press

Working with steel construction often requires specialized tools such as a magnetic drill press. Right now at work our crew is building a very large steel building and today the guys needed to drill several holes in the “red” iron (structural steel beams). In fact, several of the holes needed to be done from below the beam in the upside down position.

One of the guys was complaining that it would take him most of the day to drill holes in steel beams especially upside down. I asked him if he’d ever used a “mag” drill and he looked at me funny. Needless to say today he found out how awesome magnetic drill presses are and why they are worth every dollar paid for them.

Magnetic drills are a very unique tool that works amazingly well. If you look in the photos you’ll see that the base of the drill contains a huge electromagnetic magnet that allows the drill to be “clamped” tightly to a steel work surface. In fact, the magnetic is so strong that it will hold the drill (weighs probably 25 lbs or more) upside down with sufficient clamping force to allow you to drill through steel!

Milwaukee 4270-20 9 Amp Compact Electromagnetic Drill Press

We happen to own the Milwaukee 4270-20 9 Amp Compact Electromagnetic Drill Press and it’s a fantastic piece of equipment. The Milwaukee mag drill has an amazing magnetic clamping force that keeps the drill in place no matter how hard you push the drill. One of the guys was hanging from the drill today when the magnetic was on and it held his full weight.

This drill features a very strong 9.0 amp motor allowing it to drill up to 1-1/2 in. diameter holes through 2 in. thick steel with annular cutters, or 1/2 in. diameter holes 4-1/4 in. deep with twist drill bits. The drill is ideal for remote steel fabrication work and site renovations where drilling structural steel is required.

I’m a huge fan of Milwaukee tools and this magnetic drill is no different. Our crews are hard on tools and it holds up to the abuse and keeps working like new. I highly recommend this magnetic drill if you’re working on jobs that require this type of equipment. You can buy the drill from Amazon at:

• Milwaukee 4270-20 9 Amp Compact Electromagnetic Drill Press

The drill costs just under $900 but it does come with FREE shipping!