Drill Press Table

©2011 NEWCASTLE WOODWORKING

NEWCASTLE WOODWORKING ™Seaswift Investments LLC

DRILL PRESS TABLE

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION NOTES

AND ENGINEERING DRAWINGS


DECK DETAILS

Material

The deck is made from ¾” MDF (medium density fiberboard). It meets the requirements for this application because it is smooth, flat and easily worked. It is readily available, inexpensive and made from recycled material.

Its relative poor rigidity is not an issue because it is well supported by the original drill press table. Its heavy weight is not a disadvantage in this application.

Suitable partial sheets of ¾” MDF (2’ x 4’) are available from builder’s supply stores and most lumber yards.

Clearance for Table Raising Crank

When the drill press table is in place, there must be sufficient clearance for the table-raising crank to raise and lower the table without banging your knuckles. These cranks are unique for each drill press so a fit check will be necessary on your drill press.

T-Slots

This design features 4 t-slots.

The two that run fore and aft are used to clamp the fence in position (behind the spindle) and for normal deck clamping (in front of the spindle).

There is a transverse t-slot through the center of the table, used primarily for stop-blocks to locate the work on the table.

There is another transverse t-slot near the front of the table, to be used mainly for clamping work to the deck.

These t-slots intersect in several places. While extruded aluminum t-slots are available, we recommend against their use whenever the t-slots intersect. We have had poor luck trying to make a smooth intersection with aluminum t-tracks, even when purpose-made for intersections. For

that reason we have used routed t-slots, which make excellent intersections, in this design.

Sharp, Clean T-Slot Intersections

Using Router

Expendable Center Square

There is a cutout for an expendable center square to be cut from the same material as the deck. Usually drill bits will drill slightly into this square when drilling through-holes on the drill press. This backing helps prevent tearout on the lower side of the drilled hole.

This cutout will be finished on the router table. We have opted for a simple radiused corner design for the cutout because this results in the smallest gap in the deck.

This means that the expendable inserts will have chamfered corners to clear the radiuses in the cutout.

Attachment to Drill Press

The table will be attached to the original cast iron table on the drill press.

FENCE DETAILS

Material

The thickness of the fence at the middle is a prime design consideration because the fence reduces the available clearance between the spindle and the column. A thicker fence means a greater reduction.

DRILL PRESS TABLE TA11030.DOCX


We have used a 2-1/4” high Rockler Multi-Track aluminum extrusion for the fence (available online at rockler.com, part number 35605). It has 2 t-tracks in either side plus another t-track in each edge. It is 36” long (we have cut it to 28” long for this application) and ¾” thick.

The aluminum extrusion should provide a fence that is straighter and more rigid than a fence made from a wood product, and without being too thick.

A somewhat similar extruded product is Woodpecker’s Super Track SPT-36 (available from carbideprocessors.com, amazon.com and elsewhere).

The t-slots in the face of the fence are used for attaching stop-blocks, just as the ones in the deck. The t-slot in the top of the fence can be used for a flip-stop if desired.

Potential Interferences

Depending on the design of your drill press, there is a potential for the fence to cause interferences, with the chuck or the pinion shaft handle, as sketched below.

Potential Interferences

Chuck

The fence could potentially interfere with the chuck during

drilling when using a short bit and drilling near the fence.

The fence described here can be mounted flat to the deck if desired to avoid this possibility.

Another option is to stand the work off the fence by trapping a piece of scrap between the fence and the work.

Pinion Shaft Handle

Some drill presses have exceedingly long handles on the main pinion shaft crank. Perhaps these are needed to provide extra mechanical advantage when drilling metal, but they might be so long that the fence will interfere with them when using a short drill bit. This needs to be determined before making the fence.

If there is interference, the options are to reduce the fence height, to cut a notch out of the fence to clear the handles or to shorten the handles.

We opted to shorten the handles by removing the knobs and arms, replacing the arms with shorter sections of threaded rod (covered by a section of plastic hose to improve the appearance) and reinstalling the knobs on the threaded rods.

Fence Attachment

Rockler makes brackets for attaching this fence material to the t-tracks in the deck (item number 33338). These can only mount the fence upright.

We didn’t use these, rather making our own brackets out of aluminum angle, allowing the fence to be mounted either vertically or flat on the deck. Details of the brackets are included in the attached fence drawings.



Flat and Upright Fence Attachment

We fastened the fence to the deck t-slots using t-bolts and tall post knobs – tall so that they are easily accessible above the fence. Examples are Peachtree PW6113 and Rockler 81505.

ALTERNATIVE FENCE DESIGN

We have included a design for an alternative fence in the attached fence drawing. This fence is made entirely from MDF and can likely be made from scraps left after cutting the deck.

It attaches to the same t-slots as the aluminum fence. Also, the same cautions about interference apply.

It incorporates a single t-slot on its face for attaching a stop-block.

The center section of this fence is a single thickness of MDF to avoid overly reducing the spindle to column space. Therefore, it is not suitable for applying large pressure forces against the fence because the fence could flex.

ACCESSORIES

Various accessories can be made or bought for the drill press table. Some of these include stop blocks for the fence and for the deck, expendable centers, and mounting arrangements for dust collection fittings.

We have provided sketches of the shop built parts for these accessories in this document.

Possible purchased accessories include t-clamps and dust collection fittings.

Examples of clamps include Incra Build-It Clamps, Rockler hold-down clamp 35283 and Grizzly Model H0879.

We suggest the use of 2 fittings for 2-1/2” vacuum hose for attachment with the bracket shown in the attached drawings. Examples are Woodstock W1042, Grizzly G2977 (also by Woodstock), Rockler 92031, McMaster-Carr 2221K46 and Woodcraft 85O13 (that’s an O, not a zero, in the part number).

WORK SEQUENCE - DECK

Please refer to the Deck Detail drawing, attached.

Deck Plate

Cut the basic 28” x 18-1/8” deck on the table saw. Don’t cut the corner chamfers yet.

Center Hole

Layout and mark the center hole outline with a pencil.

Drill 2 holes, large enough to accept your jigsaw blade, within the outline near opposing corners. You probably will not be able to use the drill press for these holes because of the large edge margins, so use care to keep the drill vertical.

With the jig saw, rough cut the center cutout. Leave about 1/16” excess material on the sides for cleaning up with the router.

We will use an outline template, fastened to the surface of the table, to guide the router and finish the center hole as shown below. We will follow the template using a flush-trim bit in the router.

Layout for Final Cut Of Center Hole



Cut four pieces of thin scrap (1/4” Masonite (tempered hardboard) is ideal) to serve as sides of the template. Cut two of these pieces to be accurately 2-5/8” long (the finished size of the cutout).

Carefully lay out your 4 pieces so that they form a square that is 2 5/8” on each side and aligned with the outline of the center cutout.

Fasten these strips to the deck with double-backed carpet tape as shown below. Only small pieces of tape are required, but be sure that all surfaces are dust-free before sticking them down.

Fit a 1/2” diameter (or smaller) flush-trim bit into the router table and adjust the height so that the bearing rides on the edges of the template pieces when face up on the router table.

With this setup, make the final cut around the center cutout with the router.

When finished, slowly pry up the template pieces, taking care not to pull up the table surface with the tape. (If you damage the surface, use the other side as the top).

T-Slots

For cutting the t-track slots, we suggest the use of a T-slot router bit such as Rockler 26099 or Whiteside 98-389. These bits require the least setup and the finished slot can be cut in 1 pass.

If a t-slot bit is not available, a keyhole router bit such as Rockler 92035, Vermont American 23116, Woodcraft 501021 or Lee Valley 16J70.02 can be used. These require 2 passes on the router.

Prior to cutting any slots with the router, we suggest always making a pass down the center of the slot (shallower than the final depth) with the table saw before moving to the router. This improves chip clearance

on the router and greatly reduces feed pressure and tool temperatures.

On the Table Saw

If using a t-slot bit, the full 3/8” width of the top of each slot must be cut with the table saw before moving to the router. The cut should be deeper than 3/16” but shallower than the finished depth of the slot.

If using a keyhole bit, only a single table saw pass along the centerline of the slot is required before moving to the router. The cut should be shallower than the finished depth of the slot.

On the Router

Use a router table and fence for finishing the t-slots if possible. Otherwise use a handheld router against a straightedge clamped to the deck.

If using a t-slot bit, set the router fence or straight edge parallel to the slots, with the router bit centered on each of the table saw slots in turn. With 1 pass the slot is finished. Repeat this for each t-slot.

If using a keyhole bit, set the fence parallel to the slot and at such a distance that the bit will cut the outboard edges of the slot. Make the first pass. Then adjust the fence slightly as necessary to cut the inboard edges of the slot, and make the second pass. Repeat this process for each t-slot.

Rear Recess

If your drill press has something other than a 14” swing, calculate the depth of the rear recess.

For our 14” drill press (7” from spindle center to rear column) we have used a recess depth of 2-¾” (6-3/8” from the spindle center). This gives us as much clearance as practical for turning the table-raising crank without ever having an air gap under the ¾” thick fence – even when the fence is in contact with the column.



Cut the recess. We suggest using the same techniques as used for the center cutout (drill, rough cut, attach template pieces and finish with the router).

After cutting the recess, check the hand clearance for the table raising-crank when the table is in position.

Cut the Front corner chamfers

Cut the 45° x 1-1/2 corner chamfers. This should be easily done on the miter saw.

Attachment to the Drill Press Table

Align the drill press’ cast iron work table with the center of the spindle and lock it in position. Make sure that the table is square with a line from the spindle center to the column.

Locate your deck on the drill press with the square center hole directly under the spindle center. Clamp it to the drill press table. From underneath, mark the outline of the attachment slots onto the bottom of your deck.

Remove your deck and drill suitable mounting holes in the deck to align with the slots on the cast iron table.

We suggest the use of flat head machine screws with a large head. McMaster-Carr 90273A628 might be a suitable example.

We recommend against the use of carriage bolts. They can be used if you make an upper surface counterbore to fit the head, but the square anti-rotation feature will then be imbedded in the center of the MDF, which is less dense than the surface, and can turn to mush with repeated use.

On some drill presses, the slots are blind and do not go through the table. In this case you will need to fasten the deck down to t-nuts in the slots, or else just drill mounting holes in the cast iron table. Examples of t-nuts that might be suitable are McMaster-Carr 94750A582 and Woodcraft 130442.

WORK SEQUENCE - FENCE

Cut the Fence to Length

Please refer to the attached drawings.

Cut the fence to length on the table saw using a blade designed for cutting non-ferrous metals.

Since the blade is probably only for occasional use and the material is probably not thick, a blade of less than 10” diameter will probably be satisfactory, and perhaps a non-carbide blade such as a DeWalt DW3329, Black & Decker 73-187 or DeWalt DW9052.

Examples of carbide tipped blades are Bosch PS740NF and Freud D0756N.

Dress the sharp edges with a small file.

Note: The excess 8” of extrusion makes an ideal faceplate for a miter gauge.

Fence Brackets

We used 2” x 2” x 1/8” aluminum angle stock for the brackets.

First, cut the pieces to length. If the stock you are working from is short, clamp it to a crosscut sled or small parts holder when making the cut to avoid getting your hands near the blade.

Mark and centerpunch the holes. Drill the holes on the drill press using a drill press vise.

Fasten the fence to the brackets using ¼”-20 x ½” machine screws and t-track nuts such as Rockler 37732, Lee Valley 05J21.15 or Woodcraft 147922.

ALTERNATIVE FENCE

Cut the Face and Stiffeners

Please refer to the attached drawings.

On the table saw or miter saw, cut the basic shape for the rear stiffeners and the front face as shown on the attached detail drawing.



Drill the attachment holes in the rear stiffeners on the drill press.

Cut the t-slot in the front face using the same techniques as used for the table.

Dowelled Joint

We will use dowels to make a strong, simple joint between the face and the stiffeners. The dowels will help to keep the joint square.

With a dowel jig, drill the dowel array in the mating surfaces of the face and the stiffeners. We suggest the use of 3/8”dia x 1.5” dowels. Locate the dowel holes to suit the dowel jig being used.

There are many dowel jigs on the market, and they are extremely useful tools to have for the long term. After a lot of experimentation we use a Dowelmax, which is excellent, easily the best we have found, but also expensive.

If only being used for the simple edge-to-edge joint in this project, the Rockler 35242 jig would be an excellent, inexpensive choice.

We strongly recommend dowel jigs, like the above, that work from a reference face rather than the type that try to drill in the center of the edge.

These dowels will be blind (out of sight), so we suggest drilling the dowel holes in the face about 11/16” deep. Use a drill-stop on the bit to control the depth.

Drill the mating holes in the stiffeners deep enough to accept the rest of the 1.5” dowel length without bottoming.

Apply glue to half of each dowel and tap them into the shallower holes in the face until they bottom.

Apply glue to the remaining, exposed, half of each dowel and tap the

stiffeners into place. Squeeze the joints with clamps until the glue cures.

ACCESSORIES

Expendable Center Squares

We suggest cutting several expendable centers at the same time. These will be 2-5/8” x 2-5/8” squares made from ¾” MDF and with ¼” chamfers on each of the corners.

Expendable Centers

Cut a strip of ¾” MDF to 2-5/8” wide and as long as the piece that you are making it from.

With the end of the strip, confirm that it fits into your center cutout with a slip fit.

Then cut pieces off the end, each 2-5/8” long. A stop block on the miter sled will be helpful for this, and ensure that all the pieces are the same size.

Cut the chamfers on the corners. The parts are small so safety requires that this be done in a way that does not require holding the part by hand during cutting.

One method is by clamping the parts onto a crosscut sled as shown below. The stop-block on the miter gauge face ensures repeatability.

2.63

2.630.25



Cutting the Corner Chamfers

Stop Blocks for the Deck

We suggest making 1 or 2 simple stop blocks for use in locating work on the deck. Scrap ¾” MDF will work well for these.

We suggest making these should be narrower in 1 direction for different locations (reaching over the expendable center, near the edge of the deck, near the fence, etc.).

Stop Block for the Deck

They should have a 3/8” hole in the center for use with 5/16” t-bolts.

Stop Blocks for the Fence

Stop blocks can also be used on the fence to locate work.

For the fence blocks, the distance from the bottom surface of the block to the 3/8” hole should be the same as the distance from the deck to the centerline of the fence t-slot. This allows fastening the stop block with its lower edge down hard on the deck, thereby keeping it square to the deck.

For the aluminum fence this dimension is 1.5” and for the alternative MDF fence it is 1.25”.

Stop Block for the Fence

Dust Nozzle Attachment

A simple bracket can be useful for attaching dust collection accessories to the deck of the drill press table.

Dust Collection Attachment

The bracket attaches to the table using the t-slots in the deck. It attaches to a nozzle and to the dust collection hose with two 2-1/2” dust port fittings as described earlier in this document under Accessories.

Bracket for Attaching Dust Collection

Fittings

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This bracket can also be made from scrap ¾” MDF.

First, cut the 2 basic pieces to size as shown above.

Drill two 3/8” diameter holes in the bottom as shown for attaching to t-slots. Although the bracket needs only 1 of the holes for attachment, having another one available provides more flexibility for clamping location.

Drill a 3” diameter hole for the dust fittings in the back as shown. This can best be done with a 3” hole saw on the drill press with the work thoroughly clamped to the table.

Locate and attach the dust ports to the bracket around the center hole. We attached them with wood screws by offsetting the 2 dust ports slightly so that the screws did not interfere with each other from side to side.

The dust ports are angled. For flexibility, we mounted one of them clocked to the left and the other clocked to the right. By doing so, reversing the assembly provides additional flexibility for mounting location.

Mounting Holesto Match Drill Press

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8-13/169-3/16

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Drill Press Table - Deck DetailDwg: TD11048Scale: 1/5©2011 Newcastle Woodworking

0-3/8 (Typical)

Newcastle Woodworking™Seaswift Investments LLC

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Drill Press Table - Fence DetailsDwg: TD11053Scale: 1/5©2011 Newcastle WoodworkingNewcastle Woodworking

™Seaswift Investments LLC

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Fence

Rockler 35605 Aluminum Extrusion

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Fence Bracket(2 Pieces)

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Alternative MDF Fence

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3/8" Dia Dowel Array(See Construction Notes)

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Drill Press Table

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