I've been wanting to get a drill press for a while but don't really know what to look for in the specs department. I've used some real beasts in the past but for my own projects I won't be doing much other than wood (probably no more than 6") and relatively thin metal (probably no more than 1/2" aluminum or 1/4" steel). Any suggestions for features or specifications?
Honestly, I believe you'd be fine with any decently reviewed machine for hobby use. I have a simple Skil that's been with me since I got my workbench, and as long as I chuck the right drill bit and adjust the belt for the right speed keeping in mind the material I'm drilling, clean holes get made. It really is more about the bits and the speed for the material. Ideal travel distances to suit your intended projects, a solid adjustable table, and a truly straight plunge are what I'd start with in mind. For industrial applications you'll start looking into bearings, runout issues, speed range, etc. but I'm assuming this is for small scale.
@DPatten Yes it's small scale. I don't have any idea about power, rotational speeds, variable speed capabilities that I should be looking into for the materials I plan to use.
Variable speed is nice with a dial/digital read so you can crank to speed and see it's correct. Bit types can vary slightly for speeds with materials depending on the maker, but you ca find a number of maker-provided speed charts for various bits and materials. Right off here's a general pdf link that gives a broad range of bits and speeds for materials: https://www.fnal.gov/pub/takefive/pdfs/Drill_Press_Speed_Chart.pdf
@DPatten Excellent info, thanks. Unfortunately I still don't know what to look for in a power range. For example how much power does it take for to hit those speeds in the materials I'll use. The ones I've been looking at are in the 1/3HP (~250W) - ~1/2HP (350W) range.
Nothing to worry about. Even a 1/3 hp 120v motor can get you speeds from 700~ to 3000~ by either adjusting the belt or dial.