Need some ideas on modifying an old Drill Press

This seems to be a good Idea ,probably easy to make your self.

That was probably me and I posted pictures on the binaries woodworking site too. That worked pretty well until I put a heavy woodworking table on the drill press then it go hard to handle again. Also the bungees stretch over time making periodic replacement necessary.

I saw a separate post with pictures of a solution using a simple trailer tongue jack. The fellow mounted the jack beneath the table on a block that put the jacing range within the usual adjustment range for the table. He also kept a second block near by for higher adjustments. This gets you closer to the ease of a cranking table adjustment and it won't drop if you let go.

RonB

I had a Rockwell that had the same problem. I installed a pulley back at the motor above the table clamp's back bolt. I used a piece of wire rope fastened to the bolt on the back of the table clamp, over the pulley, to a piece of pvc pipe (4" as I recall) that I filled with melted wheel weights. Play around with quantity of lead until you find a reasonable counterbalance to the weight of the table. I had made a large table top with built in "rip guide" so it took a lot of weight. It worked fairly well, but when I replaced the dp I made sure I did get a crank up table set up.

Could you just put an automotive scissors jack under the table?

However the above is useless because: 1) Mine has a solid 2.3/4"diameter column 2) That weight looks no where near heavy enough. Especially with the large compound table and 6" machine vice on top.

Drill press is a very old "Progress" floor stander I picked up on ebay for 56 quid.

I been looking for a way to arrange that too but it needs a lift travel of around 2'6"

-------------------------------- "Stuart" wrote:

-------------------------------- Two approaches come to mind.

A little slow but it will get the job done.

#1 would be safer IMHO.

Lew

A wimsheild wiper motor geared (chain drive) to the handcrank rack and pinion originally installed.

The lack of rack and pinion is the problem. Many drill presses used to be made its way.

Indeed and that is the problem.

Thanks all.

I did come up with an idea, abeit a slow process. I took a piece of pipe with a flange on the top that will go under the table. Then I run a threaded rod inside of it. On the bottom of the threaded rod I put a washer larger then the OD of the pipe and a nut below it. I mount the bottom of the threaded rod to a 4x4 to raise it up. By running the nut up and down the threaded rod I lift the pipe and table up and down. Now if I could just find a very course thread rod and nut.

-Jim

Have you tried your local hardware store or big box store. They have several sizes of rod with thread sizes nearly the same as pipe thread.

The easyriser is useless to me because my drill has a 2-3/4" D /solid/ column and that weight doesn't look heavy enough but your suggestion has given me an idea. I wonder if something like this:

Put a boat winch on the top of the prill-press post and hook the cable to the table - or better yet put the winch at the bottom, and a pulley at the top.

wrote

Good idea! I may use that!

I didn't know you hung out on this group! Good to see you over here.