Very nice; great page as well. I have been looking around for a while for a plan for a good drill press table and played with my own designs as well. The C-Clamp routine gets old sometimes, especially when you run out of hands.
Are you satisfied with the table? Would you do it again?
Paul
On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 16:55:32 GMT, "Bob" calmly ranted:
Yes, much better. One last item, Firefox blocked Anne's page as a popup. I noticed that the other pages were directly linked while that one opens an additional window.
I know, and I was giving you a hard time about it.
--- - Friends don't let friends use FrontPage -
Nice web site. Apparently both of the Davis' are talented.
I counterbalanced pretty easily and cheaply. I attached a small metal pully to the back of the drill press head clamp point, then crewed a 3/8" eyebolt into an existing threaded hole in the back of the table. I ran a length of
1/8" steel cable from the eyebolt up through the pully and back toward the floor. About 3' from the floor I crimped a loop in the cable and put a heavy 18'" rubber bungee from the loop down to the bolt that secured the post to the base. I might replace the bungee with a weight some day but this $10 lift system works pretty well.
I am very, very pleased with the enhancement of a drill press table. Just about any kind of table with a fence and T-track clamps is a big improvement. I haven't used the vertical side much but when I do, its a lifesaver.
A+ features:
Pretty but non-essential
Nice, but a lot of work
Essential but missing
Note that the center part of the table (between the two T-tracks) is actually removable, but I just cannot bare to drill into a nice piece of baltic birch. I also think that having to unscrew to replace it is a pain in the butt. I'm going to make a drop-in rectangle section with replaceable plywood or MDF insert.
Bob
Hmmm. Bummer. I set it up to open as a new window on purpose. I did not realize that would trigger a pop-up blocker. I guess I'll undo that setup. Anne would not be happy. :-)
Bob
Take another look and be sure to check out Anne's paintings. Very nice!
Bob, I don't see anything special to position a stop block. Do you just clamp them in place? I'm thinking of putting a T slot on the face to hold a small block. Or possilbe a flip stop, but I don't think that much sophistication is needed.
Do you move it much? I was thinkin gof just putting a couple 5/16" bold countersunk and wing nuts on the bottom.
Allows the fence to be set back more? I was thinking about that as it would move the track back past the post.
I think it would depnds on the height of the fence. Mine is low and the chuck clears. If higher, the notch wold be a good idea.
Hmm, maybe a track down the center to allow for a clamp and any place?
Agree. I did not think about this before. Thanks for the tip.
My original concept was very simple. Just a flat melamine covered board and a couple of T slots. This takes it to a little higher level. I may make the simple one and then add as I go and then make a "final" version incorporating all the newer idea. Ed snipped-for-privacy@snet.net
I've never used a stop on the fence. Maybe its because I don't have one. I cannot think of when I would use it, except (like the table saw) to make repetitive holes in similar pieces. A simple stop with an F-clamp will be what I'll use until I see the need. It would be easy to add T-track on the existing fence.
I have to move it to use the vertical fence. Just last night I had to drill some carefully placed 5/8" holes in the end of small block of wood. I used the vertical fence and I'm impressed with how well it works, once set up. The only way to do an equal job would be with router/jig or a horizontal boring machine, which I don't have.
For horizontal use, I find myself occasionally sliding the table forward or backward an inch. As I think about it, the T-track beneath is overkill if you just plan to use only horizontal. Go with your idea and add T-track later if you find the need. T-track is big pain - I used a dado blade which worked well, but I hate the labor of setting up a Dado blade.
It gives an extra inch or so. I guess I'd probably miss it, if it were not there. When you move the table too far back, the raise/lower handle on the drill press bangs into the table.
Not a good idea. I don't want to end up accidentally drilling holes in the center mounted T-track. I'm in the "thinking-designing" phase and will come up with something or find a website that already had the great idea. It amazes me how many drill press tables slap T-track around the periphery - useless in my opinion. Also some of the drill press fences are festooned with T-track. I see it on a table saw or router table where you are moving wood past the cutter, but a drill press????
Melamine is fine if you have it or like working with it. It serves no real added value on a drill press because you are not sliding wood across the table. Its pretty, though. Actually a drill press table is as low tech as it gets - just be sure its reasonably flat and stable material.
Bob
I've done that a few time. It is handy for repetive things like countersunk holes in a table top slat. I move it tot he left stop to drill the right hole, the right stop for the left hole.
I can get small pieces (most less than 24") for free. Even made a table top with a larger piece that I got. A display company in the same building as our company often has some nice trash.
I'll take a piece if I like the color. They did some work in Barney purple. I passed on that stuff.
what I have now is a mill-drill. it has a large cast iron table with T slots milled into it- the table is about half taken up with slots. it allows positioning clamps, fences, dogs and whatnot anywhere on the table. very convenient.
T-track on the table makes more sense than a lot of T-track on the fence to me.
Bob
I use my shopsmith for a router/drill press... So damn nice having the rip fence and miter fence for lining up repetitive things like hardware holes in drawer faces and things like that... For stops, I either lock the miter fence or use a clamp (the "squeeze" type") over the fence with a block of wood..
I've also made a couple of expanding stops that sort of resemble bench dogs.. they can slide in the miter fence slots and lock where you need them...
BTW: as long as the poster is building his own table, he might as well have slots on the table surface to hold feather boards, right?
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