Check this out. Drill press mod..

[woodchucker]

No this is not necessary, but it seemed like a cool idea...

[krw]

I'm surprised Wixey hasn't come out with one.

[Jim Artherholt]

Wixey does have a digital depth gauge, ostensibly for a router table. It is easily modified for a drill press. The readout can be located within about 3 feet of the sensor so it can be easily viewed.

Jim

[krw]

Yes, I have one of those (planer, too) but I've never put it on.

[woodchucker]

Well, my all in cost is about $14 Wixey, would be about $69.

Nothing against Wixey.. I would like to have their planer module..

[krw]

The problem I have with the Harbor Fright digital calipers is batteries. They eat them and it seems it's always dead when I want to use it. Bought a dial caliper, instead.

[Bill]

Yes. After using mine twice, I went through 2 batteries. Loosing the digital readout doesn't render it useless though. Just depends what you need. Gosh, maybe I'll start watching the auctions for a dial caliper... : )

Cheers, Bill

[Larry W]

Never really thought about before seeing your drill press mod, but the idea of using the cheap calipers and dial indicators available nowadays for instrumenting common shop tools opens up quite a few possibilities...

[woodchucker]

If you decide to use stainless calipers, get a cobalt drill bit. I tried drilling my stainless and just dulled a bit. So I went with the composite caliper.. Works fine, actually has an auto off. And another neat feature for a drill press is everytime you turn it on it zeros... meaning where ever the quill is it's at zero.

For a planer you would want one that does not zero.

[woodchucker]

I agree, that's why I built the separate power supply so a AA delivers power, and an on off switch. I like analog anyway, but for this purpose analog would be useless, I want to just hit zero... no fiddling with turning a dial.

[krw]

Hmm. Didn't even think about that. I have a Wixey saw fence that goes through batteries, too. It's not nearly as bad as the HF calipers but I should be able to hide an AA somewhere on the thing.

[Bob La Londe]

That's a handy trick I've seen done on lathe tailstocks before.