This is a shop fixture that’s worth getting started on immediately. Stationary drill presses are definitely not set up for DIY woodworking. The cast round table below the chuck isn’t woodworker friendly or even metalworking friendly. Once you build this fixture you’ll love its adjustable fence for drilling equally centered holes and the stop block that lets you make repeatable drilling operations in conjunction with the fence. The hold-downs are great for holding items still for delicate or precise hole drilling. Best yet, this jig is a project you can work on in your spare time over a couple days and complete for less than $50. The most expensive items are the T-track and the hold-downs. Follow the step-by-step drill press table plans for details to build your own.
Figure A – Here is the construction of the drill press table. The base and fence are made from two layers of Baltic Birch plywood for rigidity.
Figure B – Drill press table dimensions
Layout the drill press table with your framing square
Start by cutting two pieces of 1/2″ Baltic birch plywood at least 1/2″ larger than the finished dimension of the table as shown. This will enable you to trim the piece to final dimensions after gluing. Mark the center and then mark the cutout for the replaceable drilling square. Check your drill press for the dimensions from the column of the drill press to the center of the chuck. Mine is about 6 -1/4”. It’s nothing to get too precise about, a 1/4” difference one way or the other will still be fine. If the plywood has a slight warp, check out the text below for how to deal with it.
Create a finger hole for the replaceable drilling square
Drill a 1” hole 3/8” deep into the upper base layer to provide a finger hole to help remove the drilling square.
Cut through the plywood with a jigsaw
Cut through the upper plywood layer with a fine-toothed jig saw along your guidelines for the replaceable 4” x 4” plywood insert.
Spread the glue
Spread glue over the lower plywood layer of the drill press table. I used an old membership card cut with a pinking shears to help spread the glue evenly.
Pin the halves together before gluing
Pin the halves together with a 23-ga. pinner after positioning the panels on your table saw top. The pins will keep the plywood panels from drifting while you pile on weights.
Use cauls to distribute pressure
Place straight cauls onto the upper and lower plywood layers so pressure can be placed evenly across the entire surface. Don’t forget to put a later of wax paper or something similar between the plywood and your saw surface so glue squeeze out doesn’t get all over the saw table.
Stack heavy weights
You can see I stacked it pretty high to get enough weight onto the cauls. Use at least 60-pounds of weight, and let it sit for at least three hours.
Scrape away dried glue before it hardens
Scrape the glue from cutout before it gets hard. Check the glue frequently for it to be the right consistency for scraping. Too early and it’ll just smear. Too late and it’ll be too hard to remove.
Match dado blade depth to your T-track
With your table saw unplugged set your dado blade to the height of the T-track. It’s better if the depth is a hair deeper than too shallow. You don’t want the T-track to be above the tabletop at any point.
Dado for the T-tracks
After cutting the glue up to final size (Figure B), set the fence 5-3/4” from the fence and plough your dado. Move the workpiece through slowly and steadily and let the dado blade do the work. Make this cut from both ends, following the lay out in Figure B.
Figure C – Fence Parts and Assembly
Make the warps work for you
Mate the surfaces for the fence just as you did for the tabletop so any warps oppose each other.
Clamp the parts to a flat surface
Clamp the fence halves to the top of your table saw in order to keep them perfectly flat. It’s best to cut the pieces oversize slightly and then trim them to size once the glue has dried.
Use a drum sander to smooth curves
Cut the lower fence base to size and then cut the semicircle in the rear. The 2-in. radius semicircle makes it easy to remove the fence portion of the drill press fixture while it remains mounted to the drill press platen.
Get your dado depth just right
Trim the upper fence to size and then plough a dado for the T-track. Next, glue and clamp the upper fence to the lower fence.
Cut braces to reinforce the fence
Cut 2-1/2”x 2-1/2” triangular fence supports from the left over ½” plywood. Glue and pin them in place. Set the assembly aside to dry. The outer supports are placed 1-1/2” from the ends of the fence and the inner supports are 8-1/2” from the edge. After the glue is dry use a hand saw to trim the overhanging points off the fence supports.
Use a centerpunch to mark holes
Mark the holes for the mounting screws into the T-track. The holes should be located every three inches along the T-track. Start in the center of each length and work your way along to each end.
Drill and countersink holes into the metal track
Drill the T-track with a 3/16” drill bit followed by a 3/8” countersink bit. Use #8 x 5/8” flat head screws.
Use flange bolts for T-track knobs
5/16” closet flange bolts are made for fastening your toilet to the closet flange on the bath floor but they work great for T-tracks. I used these 3” long bolts for the fence clamps. They fit into the track and then are sleeved with some ½” tubing to fit into the PVC piping. The piping lifts the knobs of the fence clamping knobs so they’re easy to reach. See Figure C for details. You can cut these to length by threading on a nut, clamping them in a vise and then cut to length with a hacksaw. Simply back the nut over the cut end to restore the threads.
Set up the fence locks
Drill 7/8” diameter recess holes for the fence clamps, 3/16” deep and centered 7/8” from the back edge of the fence base. Be sure to locate the hole center 6-1/8” from the side edge of the fence or directly above the center of the T-track. Drill 5/16” diameter holes for the t-bolts. The ½” OD rubber tubing keeps the bolt centered inside the pvc tubing.
Mounts the assembled drill press jig to your drill press.
Use lag screws or hanger bolts to mount the fixture to your drill press. I first bolted a scrap of 3/4” x 12” x 12” plywood to my drill press table, then screwed my fixture to the plywood scrap. It’s solid and I don’t think I’ll be removing it any time soon. As a woodworker, why would I?
Sources
Hold Down Clamp #35283
Universal T-track #22104 (1pc)
Universal T-track #26420 (1pc)
1-800-279.4441
T knobs #972 (3pcs)
1-888-512-9069
Thank you very much for this plan, have just about finished mine and am very happy with it, again thank you for sharing
Offer any designs for a benchtop drill press!
Neat plan! Thanks
Looks simple enough to construct. Just purchased new DP and need a table and looking forward to putting this together.
I’m sure that I’m reading this wrong. on page 3/49 it says to mark the4 center and the mark the cutout for the replacable drilling square. how far in do you put the finger hole?
Hello David,
Here’s what the experts had to say about your question:
You want to center the finger hole on the rear line where you will install the replaceable insert.
Please let us know if you have any further questions
Sincerely,
Paul
Wood Workers Guild of America Expert
I can’t seem to find the link to download these plans
Hi Nikki. There is not a separate link for the plans. Everything you need will be in the instructions. Let us know if you have any questions.
Sarah
Woodworkers Guild of America Video Membership
Nice job thanks
Can not load half of the images, especially the ones with the overall measurements. Would be great to have actual plans to download.
Hello Paul,
I’m sorry you are having issues with these downloads, I have logged into your membership and I too have the same issue and have sent this to support to be fixed I will email you when I have a resolution.
If you have any other concerns, please contact us at 1-855-253-0822, or chat with us on our site.
We greatly appreciate your business!
Sincerely,
Joan
Woodworkers Guild of America Video Membership
I really liked your plans for the table but I had to downsize considerably as my bench top drill press is not very big. I ended up with a 9×9 table & a 2 inch tall fence. I located 2 tracks for the fence & clamps to share. The fence also has a track for a stop block to ride in.
One idea I would share concerns the stand-off posts for the fence tightening knobs. Instead of using steel or plastic tubing, & rubber hose, etc., I cut 2 lengths off an old broom handle & carefully drilled them on center for a 17/64 hole. This avoided tubing & pipe, etc. Washers on either end of the wood dowels protect the soft wood.(Don’t tell the wife about her broom, please?)
looks great I will jump on it quick like a bunny
Looks like it will be a great drill press table I will get on it quick like a bunny
Ok it is a nice piece, but, if you don’t have half of the equipment you use to make this how do you make it or is there another plan with something a little similar but easier/ symple to make
like to build
I can not down load these plans with photos. Help
Hello Jack!
What kind of error message are you receiving?
Sincerely,
Jessica
Woodworkers Guild of America Video Membership
Hi Guys. Great Plan. Where can I get/buy a copy including all the pics please?
Hi Rodney. Thanks for your feedback. The online article is the only version of this project that we have. Hopefully you will find what you need within the article. Best of luck with your project.
Thanks
Paul-Woodworkers Guild of America
Thanks
I have learned a lot since joining. Thanks
Ok, I’ve logged in, and did a hard reset of the page as suggested in the comments, and I’ve searched everywhere, and I still can’t find the download for this great project that I’ve been needing to make for quite some time. Can you please direct me to the download link. Thank you very much.
Hi Dave. There is not a separate PDF for this. Everything that you should need for this project is in the article itself. If you have any questions, please give our customer service team a call at 1-855-253-0822.
Sincerely,
Jean Woodworkers Guild of America Video Membership
Instead of a wood fence you can get some more versatile aluminum fences from a place like https://8020.net/framing-options.html?p=2 . The advantage is that it has tracks on all surfaces, they are fairly flat (not perfectly flat but close enough) and the material can be tapped. It only about 10 us for a 2′ fence. There are available in both metric and imperial units. There are other sources for extrusions its just the one I knew. I have gotten heavy duty aluminum extrusions 12′ long for my jigs.
I don’t see anything that states how you attached your new table to the existing metal table.
I just found the answer to my question in one of the discussion questions. Thanks anyway. This is great information and I look forward to seeing more like this. Is there an online file containing more of these types of projects at WWGOA????
Hi Gary. If you enter the subject matter you are looking for in the search box in the upper right hand corner on the site, this will bring up all of the videos we have pertaining to that subject. If you have any questions, please contact our customer service team at 1-855-253-0822.
Thanks
Jean-Woodworkers Guild of America Video Membership
Like io get plans and material details to build one
Hi Richard. To access the plans you will need to log into your account with your username and password. If you have any questions, please contact our customer service team at 1-855-253-0822.
Thanks
Jean-Woodworkers Guild of America Video Membership
I have an older Sears Drill Press, and the rack is missing (I assume it broke before I got the drill press). Sears no longer makes the rack, so moving the table up and down is a chore, to say the least. Does anyone have any ideas, short of buying a new Drill Press?
There are a number of online sites that sell tool parts, such as Toolpartsdirect.com to mention one. Ther are only a few basic designs for drill presses out there so replacement parts tend to be universal, depending on the size of your press.
Rebuilding my workshop after a fire. I like the idea of an expanded space for my drill press.
Put freezer paper under your glue up and you”ll have a lot less clean up. Glue won’t stick to the shinny side of the paper which means the paper won’t stick to your project or your work surface. The shinny side is a plastic coating so unlike waxed paper it won’t rub off on your project.
Really great looking Drill Press table. Very useful for more than just drilling holes. I will have to build one for mine
The plans look great. I wish there was an option to download the plan to a PDF file that I could save to my PC or and option to print them out.
Use your browser print function and select one that prints to a PDF (my PC has a printer “Microsoft to PDF”). Worked perfectly.
On a Mac, when you select the print command, there is an option at the bottom left of the print window to “Save as PDF.”
Nice easy plans
I have been looking for a good drill press table I can make this looks like the one !
Greetings, can’t seem to find a material list for this project… is there one? Thanks, Jim sawdustjim6@gmail.com
Hi James. There is not a separate PDF, as everything that you should need for this project is embedded directly into the article itself. Let us know if there is information missing that you need for this build.
Thanks
Paul Woodworkers Guild of America
I was able to print the whole article by using the browser print function. On Google Chrome it can be found in the tool bar by clicking on the three vertical dots at the extreme right. When you click “Print” you will get a preview of what’s to print and how many pages will print. Click “custom” and enter 1-16 to save paper! Unless of course you want all of the comments. Otherwise scroll to the comments you want to save and select that page to print separately or use the clip function to extract and print it as suggested earlier.
When I try to click on the images an error message pops up saying that the images cannot be loaded. Could you please look into this? They aren’t really big enough to see the dimensions otherwise.
Dear Shaun,
Thank you for contacting us. I’m sorry you are having trouble viewing the images for this plan. We have tested this plan successfully. What device are you using to view the plan?
You may need to refresh your page when looking at the plan or clear you cache and try using a different browser.
http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser's-Cache
Sincerely,
Taylar
Woodworkers Guild of America Video Membership
Really impressed by how straight you can cut. Is there a way to accurately cut out the bit which takes replaceable inserts where the drill comes down? I’m not sure I could manage with a jigsaw and don’t have a CNC router. NB Ticket 23223
Dear Shaun,
Thank you for your patience. In response to your question-
You might consider using a thicker piece of material, such as 3/4″, that would have less flex to it. I’ve never tried this so I can’t say what quality or safety issues it might cause, but with thicker material it seems possible that it might help.
We’d love to have you be a part of our community. We are convinced you will enjoy the benefits of becoming a member and having access to the best instructional how to videos and professional tips. We would like to offer you a special promotion for your first-year membership.
https://go.wwgoa.com/C15959
Sincerely,
Paul
Woodworkers Guild of America Video Membership
Shaun, you could clamp a piece of wood to the table to use as an edge guide for your jigsaw to keep the line straight.
Love this design, I am considering using it myself. Could you please tell me how you cut the radius out of the two corners without damaging the rest of the plywood? If I were to use a router and circle cutting jig, I would have to make holes in the plywood and there is a chance I will go too far and cut into the straight pieces beyond the curve.
Hi Shaun. I’d suggest cutting with a handheld jigsaw or a bandsaw. Leave the line, and sand to the line after the cut.
Thanks
Paul-WWGOA
It would be nice if the pictures were linked to properly so they would show up in the article.
Ticket 21564 where can I purchase 5/16 x 3 inch closet bolts
Dear Gary,
Thank you for your patience. In response to your question-
Here are some that are 3-1/2″ long, and can be cut to length as described in the article:
https://amzn.to/2TLoEEW
Sincerely,
Paul
Woodworkers Guild of America Video Membership
A testament to a great add on for any woodworkers shop.This table has been in the making for 4 years now. I just completed building my second one (with a bunch of modifications). Well done!
This is one of my much needed projects in my shop. The design looks great
Looks like a pretty good design. But, if you make the table dimensions a bit smaller (yeah, that’s a drill pun), you can get by with one 48″ t-track and save a bunch of money. 22″ wide x a hair shy of 13″ deep (to accommodate for blade width of the 2 cuts). Like many of the other commenters, I also have the Craftsman 10″ press and the crank is blocked by the table. I’ll attach mine with toggle clamps on the bottom for quick release so i can raise and lower the table as needed.
excelent
I’ve been all over this but I cannot see the purpose of the 4″x4″ removable cutout.
Why is it there and what does it do?
Other than that it looks to be a very useful jig and I will be building it.
When the insert gets full of holes from the drill bit penetrating your project piece you can replace it with a fresh one.
Also, if you are using a sanding cylinder as pictured at the top of the article, you can remove the insert and lower the sander below the top surface allowing you to sand right to the bottom of the workpiece, as well as allowing you to use a fresh part of the sander.
I am not able to download the plans for this table top.
Hello. I am sorry you are having trouble downloading the plans for this table top. Please try hard refreshing the page or try using a different browser. If you are still having trouble downloading the plans please contact our customer service team at 1-855-253-0822 and they will assist you.
Thanks
Jean-WWGOA Video Membership
Great design much kudos;) dood
Very nice project. Good work.
I’m confused by the drawing of the fence…If the fence is brought back all the way back to the drill press shaft, won’t the clamps be past the back of the track on the table unless the table is also notched and set back past the post??
Hi Marc, The clamp hold-downs for the fence can be brought back to the rear edge of the fixture. The cut-out for the fence assembly allows you to approach the shaft and then remove the fence from the backside if necessary.
Paul-WWGOA
Looks good &solid
I just built this table from your plans…it’s great. However, I’m glad I read the comments first: there were some valuable insights that allowed me to make a couple of changes that might help the next person. I also had some ideas of my own to add.
1) To save a glue-up step, include the fence in the sizing of the plywood boards; it can be ripped away later.
2) Build a riser box to elevate the new table above the drillpress table elevation crank (2” risers sandwiched between ½” plywood worked perfectly for my Delta table-top drillpress). It also provides a nice space to store bits and small parts. Make the top of the riser box extra wide to allow securement of the new table to it. Carriage bolts attach the bottom of the riser box to the metal table via the slots already there. Extra-wide washers ensure the nuts won’t push into the slots.
3) After cutting the insert hole (make it a bit off-center so the insert can be rotated as needed to extend its life), apply blue painter’s tape to the bottom plywood piece before gluing. Incise the tape with a sharp knife along the margins of the hole with the boards aligned, then remove the excess before gluing. After gluing, peel-away the tape to leave a clean bottom. If you use screws instead of nails to hold the pieces together during the glue-up, they can be aligned temporarily and separated again as needed here, and below. Cut extra inserts from the same stock as the main boards to ensure identical thickness when a new insert is eventually needed.
4) Imbed T-nuts inside the plywood sandwich to accept bolts to mount the new table to the riser box. Bolts can be inserted up through slots cut in the flanges of the top of the riser box to securely attach the box to the table. To keep the bolts from pushing the plywood apart, bore up into the top piece about ¼” before inserting the T-nuts and gluing. Make sure the T-nuts are located outside of where the T-tracks will be inserted in the top. Insert bolts up into the T-nuts during the gluing to ensure glue stays out of the threads. Wooden bow-clamp cauls can ensure adequate pressure for gluing without pressing up on the temporary bolts.
5) Use 2 ½” long pieces of 1” wooden dowels center-bored for the bolts as the fence attachment knob standoffs instead of PVC pipe and rubber tubing. A simple jig (1” shallow hole in a wood block clamped to the table; a long drywall screw inserted at 90-degrees keeps the dowel from spinning) can hold the dowel pieces securely while boring the center-holes with the drillpress.
Thanks for some excellent suggestions. I especially like the 1″ dowel idea, and also the T-nuts. Cheers.
Me encanta la mesa de trabajo, para hacer manualidades
I built your drill press table and it works quite well; Much better than my previous one. GREAT plans!
I made some changes which may interest you:
1. I was afraid the insert-removal finger hole would get in my way. Therefore I drilled a 1 inch hole in the lower plywood layer beneath the intended insert. A dowel and a light tap from beneath the table pops the insert out. (If one is careful you can drill this hole to line up with the center hole in the d/p cast iron table allowing the insert to be replaced without actually removing the wood table.
2. While assembling the upper and lower plywood layers (after the insert hole had been cut), I laid one on the other and drew the outline of the insert on the lower lawyer. Removing the upper layer revealed the area I didn’t want to coat with glue. I extended the drawn lines a couple of inches (as guides) and covered the insert area with blue masking tape. I glued up the area as you did but without worrying about getting glue where the insert would eventually go. Once the upper and lower layers were glued up and dry, removal of the tape revealed a clean no-glue zone.
3. I have to remove the woodworking table quite often for metal work and pulling or replacing the mounting bolts was a pain. Rather than bolting the wood table to the d/p iron table, I made a couple of lever clamps from aluminum tightened by 1/4-20 home-brew 3 inch knobs. (No one is going to look under there!) Two clamps were used so that only one turn is required of each to tighten or loosen the clamps allowing quick and easy removal of the table.
4. Second thoughts: I should have offset the insert an inch either right or left. This would have allowed the insert to removed, turned 90 degrees, and have a “new center”. I thought of this too late to incorporate it.
Hope this meets your approval.
Where did you get the 1/2 ” OD Rubber Tubing to go inside the PVC pipe for the extended knobs handles for the fence?
You might be able to find it locally at a hardware store or home center, or Amazon carries it:
https://www.amazon.com/White-SiliconeTubing-ID-Wall-Length/dp/B000FOWGGW/ref=pd_lpo_328_bs_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=DPBGJ4JD4N00QFGNCMH5
Happy Woodworking!
Kate
WWGOA Video Membership
I just completed this cool table to go on my new Wen Drill press. To attach it to the table I sat the table on the metal plate and centered it with the laser in the middle of the replaceable plate, then traced the 4 oval slots on the bottom of the wood table and inserted Rockler T-Track and used 4 bolts in the track to hold it down. This makes it easy to remove in the event I ever need to.
love the table
I built this table from your plans….great project!! Your plans were 100% right on….Thanks for the project!!
Wayne…..Tx.
I made the Drill Press Table … a wonderful addition in my shop. Instead of securing it with semi-permanent bolts from the underside, I installed 5/16″ threaded brass inserts to the bottom of the wooden base. Then I attach the wooden base to the drill press table using knobs with 5/16″ male threaded rod (Rockler). All 4 threaded inserts align with the slots in the drill press table, but I normally only use two at a time. Quick detachment, especially when I often switch from wood work to metal work, and prefer to NOT get oil and metal residue on the lovely wooden table.
How do I mount the shop made table to a circular drill press table. How do I ensure it’s square to the chuck and drill press itself.
Hi Aaron. Thanks for your questions. The mounting process should be the same regardless of the shape of the table. As the author describes, he bolted a piece of scrap plywood to the stock table on the drill press, then he used screws to attach this auxiliary table. In terms of squaring the table to the drill press, first look to see what adjustments are available on the drill press itself, then use shims underneath the auxiliary table to make any additional adjustments that are necessary.
Good luck with the project!
I like this. Made two, one for my son.
– I applied the glue to the upper sheet of table, to minimize glue cleanout.
– Also put masking tape on lower sheet cutout area and removed excess tape after scoring
Useful piece – I was enlightened by the analysis ! Does someone know where my company might be able to obtain a template KE P11 document to fill in ?
Hi, Ellen. Sorry, we do not have this information for you.
great informative steps for project. I am impressed.
Does the table get a 2″ or so diameter semicircular cut like the fence. The first picture shows them flush in the back. Thanks
Hi, Kim. It is not necessary to cut the semi-circle in the table. It is on the fence so that the fence can easily be slid off the rear of the table without interference from the post. While the fence and table are in use, they are both forward of the post.
Where is the print button for your plan or is there one??????
This is project is set-up with step by step instructions, and at this time, does not come with any printable material. If you have any questions on this project, please let us know and we would be happy to assist you.
If you have windows 7 you should be able to use the “snipping tool”….just drag the big plus sign to fit what you want to capture… can capture all screens as a picture works quite well. Hope that helps a bit
If you want to print this, in Windows, use Ctrl-p on the keyboard and this will pop up the print process which will send the whole article to your printer. Or if you have the CutePDF print function(it was a free download when I got it), then you can ‘print’ to the CutePDF printer and have a pdf file of the article.
Great plans!
I’m not entirely clear how the table gets attached to the drill press, though. You say that you attached a 12″x12″ piece of plywood to the cast iron table, but how? The cast iron table on my drill press has only one hole in it. Would I need to drill more? If so, how would I go about doing that? (Can you tell I am a new drill press owner? 😀 )
Thanks!
The metal table that comes with most drill presses has several slots or holes to fasten a wood platform to it using bolts, nuts and washers. If your drill press has a factory metal table without holes, you could drill some or get creative with ways to clamp or trap a wooden platform to the table. Here is a solution the might work if you don’t have holes in the factory table. (ZD: 3753)
Thanks for the reply.
My factory table has only one hole, at one of the corners. I am thinking of adding some short boards to the bottom of the custom-made table to form a frame that slips over the factory table. If I can’t build it such that it fits snugly enough to hold the table in place, I can add some clamps to further secure it. Should be a fun project.
Just made this table with a few “artistic differences.” I made my own hold down clamps and knobs from a piece of ash I had laying around. I have a photo if you would like to see it but can’t figure out how to post here.
is there a pdf instruction file?
There is not a separate PDF, as everything that you should need for this project is embedded directly into the article itself. Let us know if there is information missing that you need for this build.
thanks for responding.
love the site.
Very late comment/reply, but…
I’m printing this from the article itself & when printed “to PDF” the drop down menu “expands” into the pdf file overwriting parts of the article itself. In this case, a separate, downloadable PDF would not only be Handy, but for some OSes, necessary.
Hi Randall. Thank you for your feedback. I have forwarded your comment to the proper department. We value your opinion, and it will help with the development of our online streaming community. We will continue to listen and work hard for your complete satisfaction.
Sarah
Woodworkers Guild of America Video Membership
Rockler, no doubt has great products, along with high prices. I have enjoyed the video and made modifications to it. When you have to save up to buy screws to hold pieces of wood together, you have to consider every way to save money.
I made the table using dado’s and hardwood slides with clampdowns, using metal strips bent in vise and hammer and hack saw. I t may not be the beauty queen of the century, but it works and cost me less than $15.00. I really enjoy your video’s as a member, wish I could afford to enjoy the luxury of having some of the tools to harvest the products produced. I have a small shop, with basic tools, it’s 10′ x 8′. I guess at 73 it’s all the, Good Lord Jesus, figured I needed. I’m happy making a little dust in it.
God Bless you all and be careful, I just cut my wrist on a jig saw. ha ha ha, clumsy
Ed
Ed, at 78, are you still making dust safely? Just turned 73 and slowly getting a shop together.
Can anyone post a photo of the problem found with installing this table on the Sears craftsman 10″ drill press. I want to make this table and want to be able to fix the problem as I have the same drill press.
Ok I hate to say anything but what I think Wes is talking about is the table itself I have the same drill press and yes the adjustment for lowering or raising the table does not allow adjustment up or down what I did was took out the “T” over Center type bolt and replaced it with a bolt of the same size I had to look for it but I found it at my local hardware and machine tool store you just have to make sure of the correct size and length that allows you to lock it I hope this helps if not I’m sorry to but in.
Hi, Mike!
Thank you for commenting. Another reader sent this in via email. We will pass this information along!
Hi guys, thanks for the response! WWGOA, I think I just might have to cut the lowering level and modify it to work, that’s what I figured would be the case.
Mike, I’m not sure what you’re suggesting? Maybe your way would work too? What is the “T-over center bolt” on my press? I’d love to solve this without cutting my lowering lever down!!!! Thanks everyone.
It’s the bolt or fastener that you lock or unlock (tighten/loosen) to raise and lower the bed of the drill press
Oh, that makes sense, thanks for your help!
Hi, thanks for posting this. I just made this table (not the fence yet), and I can’t lower my press now because the table hits the lowering lever on my Craftsman 10″ press. Did you have to modify your drill press lowering lever to make this fit? Or am I missing something?? Thanks!!!
Sorry to hear you’re drill press configuration is not working. It could be that the feed levers on the drill press are longer than most. I do know that most feed levers unscrew from the hub mechanism and that you could shorten them but cutting them back. I hate to recommend these alterations in tools but if it’s the only way and you can still get your drill press to work well, you could give it a try. The other alternative is to trade your press in on another model that would work now that you can see what tolerances are needed between the drill press table and the levers.
I have the same problem. When I attach this (beautiful!) table to the drill press deck, the Crank to raise and lower the deck hits the table when turned. As I look at pictures of drill presses I see very few which do not have the crank behind and level with the deck. If you move the table far enough forward for the crank to work the fence is right under the drill bit.
I have the perfect solution. Build a tool storage section under the bottom center section of the table that will raise the table high enough to clear the handle.
I had a similar problem but the solution turned out to be rather simple. I cut a 3/4″ thick piece of plywood the exact shape as the metal table on the drill press and mounted it first and then the auxiliary table on top of that. The essentially acted as a giant washer and gave me the additional clearance needed. If you need more clearance than that, just add another “washer”.
You might try to loosen the table elevation clamp and swing the table out of the way. Adjust the drill bit and swing the table back. On most Craftsman drill presses, the elevation handle tend to interfere with the table. One other solution is to modify the table and fence to allow a notch on the right hand side to permit the handle to operate. Good luck.
FYI, the Rockler T-Track is pre-drilled for #6 screws at 4″ o.c. Where did you get or what did you use for the 1/2″ o.d. rubber hose for the 1/2″ PVC? I can’t seem to find.
I picked up my hose at an auto parts store. They’ll sell you small lengths of hose from vacuum hose to fuel line hose. Just find one that’ll be close enough to fit around the bolt and inside the pvc. The idea is just to center the bolt inside the pvc so the nut tightens equally on the rim of the pvc.
One more question. What is the purpose of the notch on the top of the fence? It looks like it’s about 2 inch’s at the bottom of the cut and then a 45 degree cut to the top of the fence.
Duane
The purpose of the notch is two fold. It lets my built-in light on the drill press illuminate the work area a bit better. It also helps if I need to drill a hole really close to the fence. In that situation, the chuck can hit the fence, not allowing the bit to lower into the work piece. With the cut-out at the top of the fence, I can get the chuck a bit lower. Sometimes I even need to elevate the work piece with a scrap board to keep the chuck from hitting the fence in those tight situations.
Thanks for all your help! Time to go make some saw dust.
In the picture it looks like you screwed the track on the fence but not on on the table surface. Is that correct? Also on the fence, did you use a cut downed closet flange bolt?
Duane
The T-track is screwed to the fence and the other two pieces of T-track are screwed to the table surface. I did use closet flange bolts from the local hardware store as part of the hold-downs for the fence. They work nicely.
How did you cut the t-track to size? Thanks! Great table
Hi, Adam!
You can use a hack saw for this, or as long as you use aluminum track, you could cut this on a miter saw as well.
To cut the t track I actually used my miter saw to cut.
Non-ferrous metals can be cut on a table-saw using a carbide tipped blade – Use as many teeth as possible (48+)
Be careful if you have a SawStop – I read somewhere that metal may cause the mechanism to engage and ruin the blade and the cartridge. Not sure if that is true, but I never wanted to test it…
Well, if the saw blade on a SawStop encounters conductivity above a certain amount, it triggers the trip. However, there is a simple override with a key when cutting wet wood (treated for example) or other conductive material.
The 5/16″ bolts work great with the 3/4″ wide track!
Nice, simple plans. However, the flange bolts are listed as 5/16″ bolts and the T-track is listed as 3/4″ track. If the bolts are to be 5/16″, then the track should be 7/8″ track. Or, if it’s a 3/4″ track, then the bolts should be 1/4″ bolts. Take your pick.
the width of the material comprising the t-track make up for your difference, and the 5/16 bolt I believe refers to the width of the shaft of the bolt, and not to the head of the bolt.