I Finally Finished the Drill Press Table

[Donn]

Here it is, with a variety of clamps, stop block and hold down items installed in the 4 t-tracks and on the fence:



In the center of the fence, set at two different levels are the hold-downs I used the small pieces of rosewood. The DeStaCo toggle clamps in the foreground can be set up at several different heights with anywhere from 0 to 6 3/4" riser blocks. I replaced the nuts on the toggle spindle with wing nuts for easier adjustment:



Top left is a Mahogany riser, which enables the hold-down to take more than 1" thick material, like this drum sanding elevated table:

[Jim Ledger]

If those tee-tracks came through the front you could just slide the clamps on and off instead of unthreading them every time. Easier to sweep out the sawdust too.

[Peerie Maa]

Damn, now he tells me.



I've just finished building something that would have gone with your pole lathe.

[Donn]

If those tee-tracks came through the front you could just slide the clamps on and off instead of unthreading them every time. Easier to sweep out the sawdust too.

They're open at the back, behind the fence. I'll bet there's no time difference at all between unthreading/rethreading and loosening & sliding/sliding & tightening.

I don't sweep out the sawdust, I vac it out.

[David W Pratt]

Nice!

[John of Phoenix]

That'll get the job done. What are those odd red clamps called?

[Donn]

Those are Woodpeckers 'Knuckle' clamps. Very functional.



They're on sale right now.

[Mrleft8]

LOL! Too bad you used a piece of sheathing ply for the table....

[Donn]

LOL! Too bad you used a piece of sheathing ply for the table....

"LOL!"

That's just the top 1/2 inch, because it matched the depth of the t-tracks. Under it all is 3/4" 14-ply, like the drum sanding deck.

[Rum_Pirate]

Nice work. Well done.


Hope you get a lot of use out with it.

Don't forget to post some pics.

[B_B]

Nice!

+1!

[Nicholas Carey]

If those tee-tracks came through the front you could just slide the clamps on and off instead of unthreading them every time. Easier to sweep out the sawdust too.

They're open at the back, behind the fence. I'll bet there's no time difference at all between unthreading/rethreading and loosening & sliding/sliding & tightening.

I don't sweep out the sawdust, I vac it out.

I'd just run the T-track the full-depth of the table and have done with it. You can remove stuff from either end and...it's easier to do. Two passes with the router or dado set and Bob's-yer-uncle.

Still, nice job!

[The Bigfella]

They're open at the back, behind the fence. I'll bet there's no time difference at all between unthreading/rethreading and loosening & sliding/sliding & tightening.

I don't sweep out the sawdust, I vac it out.

Stop being a cheapskate... hire an illegal immigrant to do the cleaning. It'll help kickstart the economy.

Nice work btw....

[BrianW]

I don't sweep out the sawdust, I vac it out.

Stop being a cheapskate... hire an illegal immigrant to do the cleaning. It'll help kickstart the economy.

Nice work btw....

"Vac" is a real person.

[Paul Pless]

I don't sweep out the sawdust, I vac it out.

Sounds meticulous. or, what, no air compressor???

[Donn]

One of my shop vacs has a remote in the nozzle end of the hose. I usually take that hose with me to the table saw and drill press, so I can clean up the dust while I'm there. Sometimes I clamp the nozzle down behind the drilling point, and get the shavings as they come off the bit. It makes it easier to see what I'm doing. It's also very helpful when using a sanding drum in the drill press.

[Mrleft8]

Another thing you might want to try (or not) is cutting a shallow 1/8"X1/4" deep grid in that table, and drilling a hole in the bottom that is the right diameter to fit the tapered end of your vac, that doesn't quite breach the top surface, but does create an interface with the grid. A vacuum hold down for those times when you don't need the crushing strength of those hold downs on the T-track.

[Jim Ledger]

A vacuum hold-down. Doug? That's a bit of overkill, don't you think? After all, it's usually not that difficult holding pieces in position for drilling...no need to go to such absurd lengths for what is an essentially safe and simple operation.

[Paul Pless]

Tool Definitions, Drill Press:

A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, splattering it against that freshly-stained heirloom piece you were drying.

[Jim Ledger]

Like a vacuum clamp is going to help there...that's what the post is for, you put the bar against the post. If it's long enough to hit you in the chest, it's long enough to rest on the post. Then you keep hold of your beer in your free hand.

[Gerarddm]

Well done, but this would have been more appropriately posted in Tools/Techniques, rather than Bilged.

[Canoeyawl]

One of these will pretty much eliminate the need for all that other stuff.

[Jim Ledger]

Those are certainly handy, CY, but a fence is very useful. Boring for cabinet hinges comes to mind. A bigger table is sometimes called for. A nice piece of flakeboard will make a good table, and a 2"x2" piece of pine or fir, or poplar in a pinch, will make a suitable fence. A couple of c-clamps and you're good to go.

[Paul Pless]

A nice piece of flakeboard will make a good table, and a 2"x2" piece of pine or fir, or poplar in a pinch, will make a suitable fence. A couple of c-clamps and you're good to go.

perhaps Donn could re-name this thread, 'Drill Press - Bling'. . .

[Bruce Taylor]

A nice piece of flakeboard will make a good table, and a 2"x2" piece of pine or fir, or poplar in a pinch, will make a suitable fence. A couple of c-clamps and you're good to go.

That's how I roll.

I have yet to Dingo myself on the drill press...but I keep mine geared pretty low. I could use one of those vises, though.

[Jim Ledger]

Taylor, we all know how you roll, and bling's got nothing to do with it. If you could sharpen a screwdriver into a vise, I'm almost certain you'd have one already.

[Bruce Taylor]

Taylor, we all know how you roll, and bling's got nothing to do with it. If you could sharpen a screwdriver into a vise, I'm almost certain you'd have one already.

I do have one...it's attached to the end of my left arm.

[Canoeyawl]

Those are certainly handy, CY, but a fence is very useful.

That's what C-clamps are for...

[Jim Ledger]

Gotcha.

I'll tell you what else is handy on a drill press...a big wood handscrew clamp. You can clamp small parts in one and then c-clamp the whole lot to the table. Quick, too.

[Bobby of Tulsa]

I have never used such a small drill press, All the parts I drilled required a crane to place them. Lots of steel shavings and oil.

[wardd]

I have never used such a small drill press, All the parts I drilled required a crane to place them. Lots of steel shavings and oil.

radial drill?

[Donn]

All the parts I drilled required a crane to place them.

Whooping?
Sand Hill?
Blue?
Wattled?

[TomF]

I understand the allure of tools all too well - nice job. Whatcha gonna make with that purty thing?

[PeterSibley]

A vacuum hold-down. Doug? That's a bit of overkill, don't you think? After all, it's usually not that difficult holding pieces in position for drilling...no need to go to such absurd lengths for what is an essentially safe and simple operation.

Aw come on , this is Donn's drill press !

[Paul Pless]

I understand the allure of tools all too well - nice job. Whatcha gonna make with that purty thing?

Holes, duh. . .

[TomF]

Holes, duh. . .

lol! Yeah, but holes in what?

[David G]

Donn,

I've been trying to make whatever comments I make about your shop setup adventures as positive as I can. But I can't help but laugh at some of your efforts. Don't get me wrong... I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing because it all reminds me of my early days in woodworking. I think maybe we all go thru a period where we're not sure what's required. We simply don't have enough practical experience to make our jigs, fixtures, & tool setups.... elegant. Effective without being overly complex.

It seems to me that you're at that stage now. But you'll develop a better sense of things as you use the tools more. So don't take the sniping from Lefty, Ledger, or myself too seriously. It's just that we're a different point on the continuum of experience - and sometimes it's difficult to bridge the gap and provide useful advice.

The only thing I'd continue to suggest that you keep in mind is that complex gadgets and contraptions soon lose their luster.

[Donn]

..don't take the sniping from Lefty, Ledger, or myself too seriously...

Yeah...it's not like anything y'all think or say matters.

[Jim Ledger]

It's just that we're a different point on the continuum of experience -

And one of these days David G is going to post some pictures so we can see what those different points are.

Jim

[David G]

And one of these days David G is going to post some pictures so we can see what those different points are.

Jim

Jim - I'm 62, and have been doing this since '72 (and most of it owning the biz)... how about you... junior?

[David G]

Yeah...it's not like anything y'all think or say matters.

I didn't say you needed to be defensive and snotty... just acknowledged that you can and should take it with a grain of salt. If you really want good advice... show us your plans before you commence. But, doing it they way you do gives you a more direct and visceral learning experience.

[Jim Ledger]

Jim - I'm 62, and have been doing this since '72 (and most of it owning the biz)... how about you... junior?

Sixty, you've seen what I do and you have the advantage of me there.

[Donn]

Yer both kids. I'll be 65 next month, and retired almost 15 years ago.

[Bruce Taylor]

About twenty years ago, SWMBO made fun of me for embedding some brass rings in the handles of a tail vise I'd made. She kept asking questions about them until eventually I had to admit they served no particular purpose...I just thought they looked good. Since then, I've kept it simple, in case she ever comes into the shop again.

[David G]

Sixty, you've seen what I do and you have the advantage of me there.

All you have to do is look. There's a link to my website just below my signature. It's only a small sampling, but it gives some idea. The background is: residential cabinetry; commercial casework & millwork; furniture - plain & fancy; boats - new, interiors, repairs, and boaty bits (foils, spars, coamings, companionway doors, etc.); hardscaping (gates, gazebos, pergolas, etc.). I also did brief stints - in my youth - as a framer and a finish carpenter. Basically... everything from $15 drawer repair for the little old lady down the street to a $18,000 table for a wealthy art furniture collector referred by a gallery.

As a snapshot - I have several projects sold at the moment. A kitchen island 40" X 48" is happening now. The solid slab black walnut oiled top is held up by turned and lacquered cherry legs at the corners. The legs are notched (1/4 removed, except for the bottom 3") to receive a complete infill of painted and glazed cabinetry - doors and drawers on one face, wine rack and wicker basket slides on the back face, and open knick-knack shelving at one end. After that, I have two pairs of 10 ash oars to build. After that a full set of spars for a Welsford Navigator. After that, some repairs/restoration to a 60's vintage plywood runabout. After that, repairs to a fancy antique headboard. Not signed yet, but likely, are two Welsford boats, and some interior modifications to a locally-built 26' sailboat. As you can see... it's mostly boat-related, but I'm happy to do interesting cabinetry or furniture or hardscaping projects as they come along.

[Jim Ledger]

I've seen your website. Got anything else up your sleeve.

http://www.jimledger.com/

[David G]

I've seen your website. Got anything else up your sleeve.

http://www.jimledger.com/

What??? You couldn't match me in age and years of experience, so now you want a weenie-wagging contest? <G> No thanks. I guess the difference between 60 & 62 is that I've outgrown such shenanigans. I'm guessing, though, in general terms, that I couldn't match your skillset when it comes to the niche you've carved out for yourself. I appreciate good work wherever I see it, and you've shown some very nifty stuff here. I'm also guessing you couldn't match the breadth and versatility of my experience. I could be wrong on both counts, but I'm comfortable with that... junior.

[Sam F]

That looks very capable Donn - well done!

[Jim Ledger]

What??? You couldn't match me in age and years of experience, so now you want a weenie-wagging contest? .

I should have figured a weenie-wagging contest wouldn't suit you. Can't say I blame you there.

When it comes to pontificating, though, you the clear winner there..

[David G]

I should have figured a weenie-wagging contest wouldn't suit you. Can't say I blame you there.

When it comes to pontificating, though, you the clear winner there..

No doubt about it. We all have our specialties, eh? Speaking of which... with your acknowledged woodworking expertise... why do you chime in with advice so seldom abovedecks? You don't want people to go astray do you? Be mislead into thinking that Donn's way is the best way? Get in the habit of sharpening their laminated steel japanes chisels fabricated one at a time posthumously by guild masters... on the belt sander?