Jig to drill a 40" bar with a 13" bench drill press

[awander]

What is the diameter of the bar that needs to be drilled?

How large a hole are you drilling(diameter and depth)?

Is the hole to be centered on the bar, or will it be offset? Is there more than one hole to drill?


If just one hole, centered on the axis of the bar, and the hole is not too large in diameter compared to the bar diameter, I would:

-swing the drill press head to the rear.

-drop a plumb line from the center of the chuck and mark the spot on the floor. Draw a circle on the floor a little larger than the bar diameter, centered on the mark you made.

-place the end of the bar inside the circle.

-hold the bar with one hand, and guide the top end of the bar(with a suitable center-punch at hole location) into engagement with the drill as you lower the drill press spindle with the other hand.


If you are worried about the bottom of the bar moving around, you could center-punch the center of the bottom of the bar, drill a small center hole, and make up a small center to be mounted on the floor, and hole the bar in position.


This method is commonly used on the lathe, with the bar held by a tail stock center, and the drill in the lathe chuck or the headstock center.

 

[Marco Bernardini]

Latest news: wifey wisely suggested me to tilt the table.
Since I never tilted it, I didn't thought of that. I have the luck my drill table can make a 360° turn, so this almost perfectly solves my problem.
Just "almost", because I forget I made the top of the cart recycling the "sink hole" from an Ikea kitchen countertop, so the quill don't hang outside as it was in my original project, but this is a minor annoyance (just 2 more holes in the top with a Forstner bit to bolt the drill base in the right place).
In the photo below I placed a scrap of "tinfoil" pipe in the vise, to show how I'll keep the pieces I'll have to work.
The pipe clamp on the column will keep up the table support, leaving it free to rotate around the column.



Thanks to everybody for all the precious suggestions!

Marco