Drill press aggravation fixed

Bob D · 2021-03-24T22:47:06+00:00

The second big power tool I bought years ago was a floor drill press. Its been ever faithful and still does the job. But two things about the drill press that have always aggravated me: 1) chip collection and 2) track mounted hold down clamps.For chip collection, I have tried all manner of hoses connected to holders, fences, etc. The problem is that a drill press presents an infinite challenge in terms of hose locations, type bit used, shape of the work being drilled, etc. I asked Leon what he does. He said he just has his wife hold the vacuum hose. The only thing that works consistently for me is to hold a vacuum hose crevice nozzle near the drill bit. But that is only possible if you have a cooperative partner, or your work is so securely clamped that you can operate the drill press with one hand.I built a decent drill press table with tracks years ago and I have tried many styles of track clamps. They all worked well some of the time. But there are those occasions where the clamp is not tall enough, or the track is in the wrong position. Also, the setup time was aggravating.I finally came up with an idea, triggered while drilling more dog holes in my workbench. I love Leevalley dog hole hold down clamps. Why not see if they will work on the drill press? So I drilled 8 dog holes in the front edge of my drill press table. Voila! They are super strong clamps, fast to set up and do not ever interfere with the drill press handle. They are expensive and not for everyone. But I am very happy with the solution.Here's a link to a photo of the setup.

Mar 24, 2021 Last reply: 5 years ago 23 Replies

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Leon 5 years ago

I have not seen that!!! And while we are at it, what kind of Festool drill is he using???

I have seen a similar Festool device that is similar for holding up crown molding on one end.

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krw 5 years ago

No idea but it looks clunky to me.

It's good for holding a level too. Great for hanging pictures.

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Bob D 5 years ago

When I look at the heft of my DC impeller, I have a hard time believing that metal shavings are going to do much to harm it, especially considering the cyclone installed upstream.

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Bob D 5 years ago

I don't think they are going to be very hot by the time travel in an air stream to the vacuum cannister.

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