# Making a new drill press table?



## Finster (Mar 6, 2017)

I have a cheapo Cummings drill press. It's good enough for my wood working. The part I really hate about it is the round table. I was thinking it would be easy enough to make a square one, face cut the top  and mill slots for T-nuts. A pretty simple project actually. The question is, do you think there would be any problem making it out of 1" plate steel? I was going to try and find some cast iron plate but that is proving difficult and expensive. The table will only be 18X18 or so. I can get steel plate pretty cheap I believe. Does anyone know of a reason I should not use mild steel?


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## Cobra (Mar 6, 2017)

The issue may be the stability of the plate as you machine it.
It may require that you heat the plate prior to any machining to remove any stress.


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## rrjohnso2000 (Mar 6, 2017)

Any reason not to build it on top of the current table. You could get by with less thickness. I would think steel plate would work just fine


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## wawoodman (Mar 6, 2017)

Are you trying to make it strong enough for metalworking, or just better for woodworking? If the latter, you might just use 3/4 or 1 inch MDF, and fit it with T-slot from Rockler. I use this setup to hold guides on my Williams and Hussey molder, and it works really well.

http://www.rockler.com/universal-t-track-universal-t-track


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## Finster (Mar 6, 2017)

wawoodman said:


> Are you trying to make it strong enough for metalworking, or just better for woodworking? If the latter, you might just use 3/4 or 1 inch MDF, and fit it with T-slot from Rockler. I use this setup to hold guides on my Williams and Hussey molder, and it works really well.
> 
> http://www.rockler.com/universal-t-track-universal-t-track


It will be used for both but mostly wood working.


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## Finster (Mar 6, 2017)

Cobra said:


> The issue may be the stability of the plate as you machine it.
> It may require that you heat the plate prior to any machining to remove any stress.


Well that is possible. I'm going to have to drill a center hole first and weld a shaft on it to fit the drill press holder. I figured after that I can set it up on the mill using the shaft then face cut it so the surface is 90 to the shaft. If you get what I'm saying. So you think I should anneal the plate first? Or do you think the welding would take care of that for me?


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## Cobra (Mar 6, 2017)

Finster said:


> Well that is possible. I'm going to have to drill a center hole first and weld a shaft on it to fit the drill press holder. I figured after that I can set it up on the mill using the shaft then face cut it so the surface is 90 to the shaft. If you get what I'm saying. So you think I should anneal the plate first? Or do you think the welding would take care of that for me?


I would suggest that you will have to anneal after the welding and before the finish machining.


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## wawoodman (Mar 6, 2017)

Honestly, I wouldn't go to that much trouble for that drill press. Just my opinion, of course.


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## Finster (Mar 6, 2017)

wawoodman said:


> Honestly, I wouldn't go to that much trouble for that drill press. Just my opinion, of course.


Normally I would agree however, it's more of a play project giving me a chance to play with my mill and improve something I already have. I would much rather but a nice press with variable speed but it's that pesky money thing. Some day maybe....


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## f350ca (Mar 6, 2017)

If you have welding capabilities I'd make it from thiner plate, maybe 1/4 or 3/8 and web the bottom to the shaft for mounting it. The webs should stabilize and stiffen it. A plate the size you mention would be 92 pounds.

Greg


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## Finster (Mar 6, 2017)

f350ca said:


> If you have welding capabilities I'd make it from thiner plate, maybe 1/4 or 3/8 and web the bottom to the shaft for mounting it. The webs should stabilize and stiffen it. A plate the size you mention would be 92 pounds.
> 
> Greg


Sounds like an idea but I still need the T-slots which is why I was going with the 1 inch. I figure after machining everything, it would cut the weight down by 30-50% just as a guess. I could web the 1 inch plate on the mill in spots to lighten it. Maybe a combination of both ideas will prove ideal.


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## Glenn Brooks (Mar 6, 2017)

Hmmm, your proposed plate will be massively heavy if made of 1"steel.  Very difficult to mount and support that much weight on the existing end bracket on your DP column, I am guessing. It  also might throw off the weight and balance of the drill press, causing it to be potentially unstable and fall over in use.  A real pita. 

Maybe an alternate material would be to use 1/2" or 3/8" aluminium  plate, and forgo the the Tslots in favor of plain slots.  You will never need clamping power of t slots with drill press operations, unless you get into the big industrial grade models with power down feeds and hogging out 1"-2" diameter holes.  A lot of times I use C Clamps to hold work on my DP tables. Sometimes for smaller stuff, just hand hold work mounted in a small 3" vise. 

Anyway, aluminium would allow you to make about any size table, with no real weight restrictions, or weight and balance problems.

Just a thought...

Glenn


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## silence dogood (Mar 7, 2017)

The trouble with a drill press table is that it is cantilevered.   In other words, the table is supported only on one side.  With the weight of 1" thick steel table and the downward pressure from the drill itself, it will be very difficult to drill perpendicular round holes.  One way to fix that is put blocks or better a jack in the center and under the table.  However, if this is a bench model, then you may not have enough room.  In your case, since you mostly do woodworking,  I'd make it out of a lighter material  as suggested by Glenn.  I forgot which video, but  Tubalcain talked about the weights and forces that drilling puts on the table.


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## Finster (Mar 7, 2017)

Glenn Brooks said:


> Hmmm, your proposed plate will be massively heavy if made of 1"steel.  Very difficult to mount and support that much weight on the existing end bracket on your DP column, I am guessing. It  also might throw off the weight and balance of the drill press, causing it to be potentially unstable and fall over in use.  A real pita.
> 
> Maybe an alternate material would be to use 1/2" or 3/8" aluminium  plate, and forgo the the Tslots in favor of plain slots.  You will never need clamping power of t slots with drill press operations, unless you get into the big industrial grade models with power down feeds and hogging out 1"-2" diameter holes.  A lot of times I use C Clamps to hold work on my DP tables. Sometimes for smaller stuff, just hand hold work mounted in a small 3" vise.
> 
> ...


Very good points glen. I had thought of aluminum but was worried about deforming the T-slots with use. I guess I could go with just slots I would prefer T-slots for some of my other tooling however. My mortis jig comes to mind. I guess the first step would be to take off the existing table and weigh it to figure out what I have and therefore, where I'm headed.


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## hanermo2 (Mar 7, 2017)

As they said.
I needed a wide plate, to support pieces 2400 mm long.

So I made my plate about 58 cm mm wide and 400 mm deep.
On a 120 cm wide carriage.
It runs on 4 hiwin 15 mm linear rails/carriages, gets me good straight lines of holes.
Carriages are on top of 30x80x1200 mm tool steel flats.
No shimming or measuring or adjusting rails is needed.

Plate is 15 mm thick steel, 20x40 cm pieces, 2 of, bolted, 2 on top of 1 ( 30 mm total thickness) 20x70 cm bottom piece, modular in 3 parts, square.
This allows me to clamp tall vertical bits, through the holes.
I can remove any 1 piece, and still use it.
Takes about 1 minute with lion battery hex-bolt drivers, 4 bolts.

The linear plate/carriage is mounted to the stand, not the drill press.
So no bending of the dp, and no torsion.
About 110 x 120 cm stand, the DP is in the middle.
Stand is from 100 x 100 x 4 mm steel, welded, classical 8 tubes square/square/square.
After stand, everything is bolted with 8 mm SHCS.
Everything has 2 or 3 directions of reinforcement for rigidity, so I can safely remove any  singe piece by unbolting 4 or 8 bolts.

And the stand can be adjusted 10-20 cm up or down.
I use the original round cast-iron dp plate to hold the rig up, or pull it up, or lower it, via the handle, then through-drill and tap new holes as needed, to the 4 vertical legs.
Takes about 2 hours to make a new range vertically, 4 x 4 holes hand drill 7 / 8 mm, tap, bolt in.
Some of my pieces were 20 cm tall (or a bit more).

Oh, and rollers at bottom, so I can kick it out of the way at need.
And led worklights mounted to the stand, via small vertical standoffs, 2x2 cm steel pillars.

I used 100x15 mm tool steel flats to mount the linear-platten, crosswise and crosswise in z, x, y.
My pieces can be 60-80 kg in mass, so rigidity and safety was a major concern.
About 500€ in bits, 1 week / 40 hours work, here and there.

It was very worthwhile, probably 
9.5/10 in usefulness, 
9/10 in results, 
9/10 in bang for buck.
Sloppy paint, somewhat rusty, somewhat git-r-done.


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## Glenn Brooks (Mar 7, 2017)

Hanamero,  pictures! Pictures or it didn't Happen !!


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## Silverbullet (Mar 7, 2017)

You could make what you want in layers . A full size 18" x 18" x 1/4" thick , three  middle pieces 5" x 18" x 1/2" thick . The top three pieces 5 1/2" x 18" x 1/4" spaced to make your tee slots . You may have to change my dimensions there off the top of my head but I think you get the idea. Bolt or weld up to you. If you bolt any hiccups can be remade . Plus the STEELS cheaper that way . Why I don't know but thick plate cost so much more.


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## Glenn Brooks (Mar 8, 2017)

Finster said:


> Very good points glen. I had thought of aluminum but was worried about deforming the T-slots with use. I guess I could go with just slots I would prefer T-slots for some of my other tooling however. My mortis jig comes to mind.



I wonder if you could make one or two removable t slot fixtures out of 1" x 1" square stock and mount them in the regular table slots on an aluminium table, with nuts and plates on the bottom to hold in place??  Use em when you need em...

Glenn


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## pineyfolks (Mar 8, 2017)

Glenn Brooks said:


> I wonder if you could make one or two removable t slot fixtures out of 1" x 1" square stock and mount them in the regular table slots on an aluminium table, with nuts and plates on the bottom to hold in place??  Use em when you need em...
> 
> Glenn


That would also allow you to use a standard endmill instead of purchasing a t-slot cutter just for one job.


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## Finster (Mar 8, 2017)

pineyfolks said:


> That would also allow you to use a standard endmill instead of purchasing a t-slot cutter just for one job.


You mean that would give *my wife* an excuse not to let me by a T-slot cutter for just one job!  Meh, I buy a lot of machining end mills and such off of E-bay.  Yes, I get taken every now and again but I've gotten some really good deals for pennies on the dollar. I'm not building anything to fly to Mars with, mostly I help out my neighbors with fixing their farm equipment and such so mirror finishes aren't a big deal normally. That being said, used end mills usually work for me pretty good as well as other cutters. I think the best deal I got on E-bay was a Blake Co-Ax indicator like new, in perfect condition, not even scuffed, that works perfectly for $127 with shipping included. That was a heck of a deal I thought.


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## Rustrp (Mar 12, 2017)

I've read, and I think you should go for it. The worst that could happen is you will get some good experience. If you plan on using A-36 plate I wouldn't be to concerned about anything unless the piece is cut from scrap trench plate. Welding the sleeve on the back side will get you minimal distortion. I can't imagine you would need more than a 3/8" (overkill) fillet weld to attach the sleeve. Preheat the plate up to 100-150 deg. and if it's cold out do a little preheating (more overkill) and if you're still concerned about any residual stress, peen the weld. I'm guessing you would face the top last so any distortion caused by relieved stress cutting the t-slots would be machined out. 

Yes, the plate weighs 92#  but that's only 41# on either side of center and there's a 41# counter weight in every direction. Also, how many times have we put something that weighs 92# on our drill press. I'm sure you will take 5-10#'s out when cutting the slots. If I had concerns with the weight at all it would be the amount of overhang cantilevered out past the base (front & sides), but this is easy to fix by adding to the base. 

I think the drill presses with round tables are the direct result of the cost to machine and it's easier to machine the round casting. The round tables limit clamping abilities especially when you plan to dedicate it primarily for wood. 

Go have fun, and we'll be waiting for updates.  -Russ.


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## jmarkwolf (Mar 13, 2017)

rrjohnso2000 said:


> Any reason not to build it on top of the current table. You could get by with less thickness. I would think steel plate would work just fine



My old Delta Rockwell drill press has a larger removable "top plate" as rr suggests.

My dad made it, or had it made, many years ago from aluminum.  I use both the original table and the top plate, for various applications. The original table has the slots, the top plate does not.

It works very well. I can take pics if you'd like to see them.


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## 4GSR (Mar 15, 2017)

If it was me, I would make a spindle piece that would fit the hole in the bracket on the DP.  Either make a flange to weld to the spindle piece or make it one integral piece.  Then bolt the table top to that.  That way, if you wanted to replace it with a new top or something different like a fixture, it would be real easy to do.  I've seen people weld a piece of 3/4" or 1" plate on the end of a piece of 2" or 2-1/2" pipe, when cooled, would have a slight bend of .015" to .050" in the plate.  No problem to fix if you have a lathe with a big hole in the spindle, but if you don't what do you do to fix it? Ken


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## benmychree (May 25, 2017)

I made a new square table for an antique drill press; the original was nearly drilled in half on an arc shape;  I made a wood pattern of it and had an iron casting made and machined it just like the original, minus all the drill divots; one could hardly tell it from the original part.  Pattern work is quite easy once the requirements of the foundry are known; most of what I needed to know came from books on patternmaking and foundry work from the early 1900s; my first complicated pattern job was a steam cylinder with 5" bore with all the steam ports cored in place; all the info necessary to construct the pattern came directly from the book.  I then went on to make patterns for a complete marine compound engine of about 10 HP with most all the parts made from castings, the two throw crankshaft with throws at 90 degrees, made of ductile iron, the cylinder block with 2 cylinders and ports and HP piston valve cored all in one piece.


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## Silverbullet (May 25, 2017)

benmychree said:


> I made a new square table for an antique drill press; the original was nearly drilled in half on an arc shape;  I made a wood pattern of it and had an iron casting made and machined it just like the original, minus all the drill divots; one could hardly tell it from the original part.  Pattern work is quite easy once the requirements of the foundry are known; most of what I needed to know came from books on patternmaking and foundry work from the early 1900s; my first complicated pattern job was a steam cylinder with 5" bore with all the steam ports cored in place; all the info necessary to construct the pattern came directly from the book.  I then went on to make patterns for a complete marine compound engine of about 10 HP with most all the parts made from castings, the two throw crankshaft with throws at 90 degrees, made of ductile iron, the cylinder block with 2 cylinders and ports and HP piston valve cored all in one piece.


Do you mind if I ask , the cost of the casting , the pattern I can figure . But wonder if the casting would be worth making in batches of 10 or so. You know sell the others to pay for it.


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## chips&more (May 25, 2017)

benmychree said:


> I made a new square table for an antique drill press; the original was nearly drilled in half on an arc shape;  I made a wood pattern of it and had an iron casting made and machined it just like the original, minus all the drill divots; one could hardly tell it from the original part.  Pattern work is quite easy once the requirements of the foundry are known; most of what I needed to know came from books on patternmaking and foundry work from the early 1900s; my first complicated pattern job was a steam cylinder with 5" bore with all the steam ports cored in place; all the info necessary to construct the pattern came directly from the book.  I then went on to make patterns for a complete marine compound engine of about 10 HP with most all the parts made from castings, the two throw crankshaft with throws at 90 degrees, made of ductile iron, the cylinder block with 2 cylinders and ports and HP piston valve cored all in one piece.


 Did you find a foundry in California? And what are they pouring?


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## benmychree (May 25, 2017)

It has been 20 years since I did the job, and I do not remember the cost; the foundry I used was Ridge Foundry in San Leandro, they are still in business and unfortunately have gotten to expensive, charging a $250 minimum for a two part mold; a few months ago I had some work done there involving two big (about 75 lbs each) bearing caps for a steam donkey, and a large and small faceplate and steady and follow rest for a 9" old Monarch lathe, the total was about $950 for the lot; they pour class 40 iron and several grades of ductile iron and they have a separate facility at Angels Camp where they pour steel castings.   Right now I am dealing with another foundry near Lodi for some clutch parts for the donkey; I am told that they are more reasonable on price, but have not heard from them yet as to price. 
I favor castings for my projects for the sake of originality and looks, plus the ease of removing excess weight without having to make chips out of it, so machining time can be held to a minimum. weight is a large consideration for a drill press table that has to be lifted up and down, except of course it has a screw device to raise and lower it; also steel tends to gall or scratch when work is dragged over it, cast iron does not do that to much extent.


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## benmychree (May 25, 2017)

The other foundry where I am getting the steam donkey parts cast is Sunset Foundry in Valley Springs Ca.  Incidentally you guys out there should look up Sturgeon's mill, which is near Graton and Sebastopol Ca.  It is a steam powered circular sawmill where I volunteer, and run the steam engines that power it, and that is where the steam donkey is that I've been working on; it steams up and the engine runs, but we have been working the clutches over that engage the twin hoist drums; it has over a mile of 1-1/2" wire rope on one drum and was used to drag logs to the sawmills on skid roads.  Just Google Sturgeon's Mill to find their web site with their schedule of run weekends, the next one is June 17th and 18th. we run from 10 to 3:00 and lunch is available on site.


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## Superburban (May 26, 2017)

I got a cheap 10 or 12 inch lathe face plate off e-bag. I think it has a 2" threaded hole, and 8 Tee slots. I made an adapter that threads into the face plate, and fits into the table arm on the drill press.


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