Thread: Drill Press Table & Fence

crowie, I tried to do that, years ago. Not worth the headache unless you need to make dozens of repetitive drillings and little else.
Even in that case, I've found it far easier to make a one-of-a-kind jig, clamp it to the DP table and drill 200 holes, all in the same place in each of the sticks. Then switch to a countersink bit and do it all again. I used to try to save the jigs but forgot what they were for. So now, I back out all the assembly screws, save them and the wood gets tossed in the bin.

I would agree with Robson.Except I seem to keep track of the jigs just by writing on them.BUT they take up too much room.So I toss them

Oh. I can label them? Then comes the search for "where is it?"

Hi crowie,
Not very encouraging responses so far. I deigned and made my own and would not be with out one. For wood work the little round standard tables are hopeless, with a bigger table you can just place the job on it and hold it in place in one plain and not have to balance it to keep it level as well.
Regards

Hi Crowie

Here is link to the Drill Press Table I made a few years ago.


https://www.woodworkforums.com/f155/t...tml#post188537

I just used a simple piece of chipboard bolted to the original table, to make it a little bit wider.

One thing to remember is to keep enough clearance for winding up and down.

Originally Posted by Barry_White

Hi Crowie

Here is link to the Drill Press Table I made a few years ago.


https://www.woodworkforums.com/f155/t...tml#post188537

Barry, Very nice, I love the use of the aluminium channel Has given me ideas for other jigs

Kat.

I built a table a couple of years ago, and have found it quite useful. I do intend to change it by fitting a higher fence, but otherwise am happy with how it works. A couple of alterations have already been made to the original design. First, I incorporated a cut out at the centre, with a drop-in sacrificial insert. Second modification was to extend the boss on the height crank to the edge of the table, and fit a more user friendly hand wheel to it. It simply runs in a wooden bearing piece. I waxed it before assembly, and figure that it does not do enough work to ever need further attention. I have found that I never refer to the measurement scales on the front to rear tracks. They are totally unnecessary.

If it helps to add to the ideas stack.

https://www.woodworkforums.com/f20/no-knobs-fence-38731/

Just ensure that you relieve the back fence on the DP to allow for the chuck to descend when drilling narrow bits.

Mine is very basic.

It's just a veneered chipboard cupboard door with a piece of 75 x 50 mm pine screwed to the back clamped to a 4" cross sliding vice permanently bolted to the DP table. The the 75 x 50 under the chipboard places the table just above the cross slider handles enabling the cross sliding action to continue to function so the whole table moves when the cross sliders move. This makes aligning small stuff to the centre line of the chuck much easier than moving the piece on a regular table.

Then if I need to drill metal held in the cross slider vice I just unclamp the table from the vice.

When I (rarely) need to use a fence I just clamp piece of wood to the table. Once again accurate fine scale positioning of the fence relative to the chuck is done with the cross sliders.

Hi Crowie, I made mine a few years ago complete with tracks and fence and drop-in sacrificial inserts in the centre, but never permanently installed it as:
a) it was too large and heavy
b) it was a pain to actually attach to my Hitachi drill press - the cast iron table did not lend itself to quickly bolting or clamping the table
c) it was a real pain to adjust the height of the table once fitted - clamping and winding handles very difficult to reach from under the table.
d) the sacrificial inserts were made dead centre, rather than offset, so it was not feasible to rotate the inserts as they become chewed up. Had to replace the insert every time

Originally Posted by JillB

d) the sacrificial inserts were made dead centre, rather than offset, so it was not feasible to rotate the inserts as they become chewed up. Had to replace the insert every time

That is a great idea Jill

I am going to use that on my new drill press. I like using a table and a fence. It can be a pain changing them over but for step & repeat work a table and fence can't be beat.

TT

Great thread, Pete. I've been thinking about a DP table for a while. (Each time I use it.)
I wasn't sure about design, hadn't got that far, but now I have a good basic grounding on the subject. Thanks all.

Edit: Love the idea of 'drop-in' sacrificial inserts. Would never have thought of it by myself.

Crowie,

Here is the one I built several years ago. As others have said I used mine for the first year and occasionally use the stop block for repeated holes, but I found center punching and brad point bits take care of most precision drilling.

Mine was suppose to have the replaceable insert in the middle but I didn't build it that way. I think I used plans from Shopnotes.

The base is 3/4" MDF as well as the fence. the back of the fence is a piece of pine. The T-track and knobs are from Rockler. Once or twice a year they run their T-Track kit on sale for like $15.99 instead of $29.99 and one year I ordered 2. In the bottom of the second photo you can see my shopmade hold downs.

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Bret