X / Y Drill press table

Thanks for your service from another Norton owner-1966 Norton 750 G15CS (36 years) With the above mentioned XY table and a dial indicator attached to help with the true position, you should be good to go!:encourage:
 
Last edited:
I purchased a very nice large X-Y table for my drill press a few yrs ago on Craigslist for pretty much the same reasons.
Got it home, while setting it up, noticed it was marked in metric, not imperial.
The fellow agreed to take it back, my fault for assuming it was marked imperial.
A month or so later I found a good deal on an RF-31 mill.
I made room for it and use it all the time.
Of course YMMV.
I also had a ‘74 MK1A Commando 850 for many yrs.
I became a good Norton mechanic while owning it.
 
Steve-F said:
Thanks for your service from another Norton owner-1966 Norton 750 G15CS (36 years) With the above mentioned XY table and a dial indicator attached to help with the true position, you should be good to go!:encourage:
Click to expand...
Thank you Steve -F and Manual Mac
I did love those Nortons. In 1977 I started the Central Ohio Norton owners. The very first organized chapter under the USNOA banner.
Been to many Norton rallies. The furthest one I was able to attend was Colorado. Seeing 50 or more Nortons going up the Pikes Peak run was a sight to behold. I always rode to the rallies. My own bikes never failed me. But, seemed like I was working on some ones Norton at every nightly stop over. Those were the days. Fit as a fiddle and bullet proof. Sure isnt like that anymore.
 
T
mikey said:
I have this one and it's not trash, fairly solid, has adjustable gibs and the handwheels are calibrated in 0.001" increments. They can be adjusted to work pretty well. The table itself is about 36# and is cast iron. I use a Palmgren drill press vise on it and can easily get 0.005" accuracy with this set up. No, not as good as a mill but for drill press, yeah, its pretty okay.
Click to expand...
Thanks Mickey,
I have looked at that table. Some of the reviews are a little sketchy ,like most of the Chinese made stuff.
Take a look at trick tools. Ellis DP X/Y Table. P/N 1003 Ell. Yes it is $400. But the NO JUNK Guarantee has me looking.
Not a lot of detailed information. Worth a phone call though.
 
mickri said:
Went online and looked at the savage target action. Interesting that it has 3 trigger guard screws instead of the usual 2. I take it that the middle screw is still in the middle and that you need to move the two outer screws closer to the middle screw by .505. Hence the need for .005 accuracy. I think that there are several ways you could do this on your lathe. If there is no barrel on the action you could make a fixture that would hold the action crosswise on your tool post. Then you could move the action using the cross slide to the correct position to drill the holes. Or you could hold the action in a truing fixture with a drill chuck fixture on the compound and use the compound to move the drill chuck to the correct position to drill the holes. By using your lathe you can save the money for the x/y table to go to a small bench top mill.

Here is a thread on a truing fixture https://www.hobby-machinist.com/thr...chuck-for-truing-receivers.90726/#post-831023

Here is a thread on a drill chuck fixture. https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/shop-made-axa-toolpost-cross-drilling-fixture.49064/

By using the compound and cross slide you can get .001 accuracy.

You could also drill the new holes in the stocks. That would be easier than drilling the action. Put a transfer button (wrong term) in the two outer screw holes and tighten the action in place with the middle screw. Then drill your holes. Make the holes slightly oversize and epoxy bed the new holes. I would try this first before trying to drill action.

Just thinking off the top of my head on ways to do this.
Click to expand...
Thanks mickri,
There certainly isn't anything wrong with the top of your head. The tool post cross drilling fixture is very doable. And, re drilling all of the stocks would be the easiest. I want total versatility. Any barreled action in any stock when ever the need arises. Probably should take the path of least resistance. I still have my heart set on a X/Y D/P table. Just which one ?
 
I suspect all of these tables are made in China nowadays, with all that that implies. Then you have to consider just how accurate your drill press really is and if your vise can actually hold a part accurately when you tighten it. By the time you accurize your DP, buy a good xy table and a good vise, you're well on your way to the cost of a decent benchtop milling machine. Just saying.
 
I agree with mikey. Drill presses even good ones are not made to the precision you are wanting even with a good x/y table. And you will fall into the trap of pushing your drill press to do more stuff that should really be done on a mill with only so so results.

I would try drilling the stocks first and glass bed in the new holes. That will get you a perfect fit.
 
Have to pipe up here. Relatively recently went through this. I too was in mill denial. Thought one was out of my reach.

Drill presses typically don't have very good spindles. Yes, you can make it have low TIR by upgrading your bearings. With all the time and $ you put into it, plus getting a decent xy table and vise, you might as well get a mill that can hold far better tolerances. I tried to use a drill press for "precise" work. It was an exercise in utter frustration. Rarely got the precision I was looking for.

Despite thinking it was impossible for me, I ended up getting a small mill. Much happier now. Far easier to drill or mill "on target". Relatively precise work is not a problem any more. Don't' regret the purchase one bit.
 
Ok Guys I get the message. I will see if we can make it happen. Any recommendations?
I really would like one step up from a bench top.
 
What's your budget?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top