# Improving cheap drill press, maybe?



## John TV (Jan 20, 2020)

So after drilling many less than accurate holes on my cheap floor model drill press and using an even cheaper HF drill press vice. I started to look how to improve my chances. 

I replaced the factory chuck with an older Jacobs 1/2 inch keyed chuck and that improved the run out substantially. 

Then looking at the cheap HF vice there was nothing on it flat or square so to the mill it went, and with milling and new jaws that vice is now fairly flat within a thou or two, and that's ok for my work. 

Now for the drill press table. I was able to shim that two within a thou or two also, again ok for my nuub level of accuracy. Measuring was done by sweeping a dial indicator mounted in the chuck. 

But here is where I could use some ideas. 

When I put downward pressure on the table, simulating a heavy drilling operation the table flexes down 4 or 5 thou. That is at the table edge, most likely about 2 thou at spindle. 

I am thinking I would like to make a table support to add some down force rigidity. 

First, is it worth it, or is .002 good enough?

Needs to be fairly quick and simple since height is adjusted often. 

Does not need to be engaged for every operation. Only those requiring a bit more accuracy. 

I'm thinking of a sliding ring that can be tightened on the column then a turnbuckle type bar that would push against the far side of the table at approximately 45 degrees. 

My mill (Van Norman #12) does not have a quill so any drilling is with the knee. So I would like to make the drill press reasonably accurate if possible. 

Any thoughts or other ideas? Has anyone had success doing something similar? 

Long winded,
John in Minnesota!


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## Packard V8 (Jan 20, 2020)

Alchemy is a discredited discipline.  Good older USA drill presses are still thick on the ground.  Why not send the Chicom down the road for whatever it will bring and apply that toward a more solid DP?

jack vines


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## John TV (Jan 20, 2020)

Loved that first line, Lol. 

Jack, I think that that USA drill press is in my future, just not sure when. 

I started looking online and at a local used equipment seller. Not giving them away in my area by any means. But need to start the coffee can "kitty". 

I need to be frugal for a while while we recover from helping a family member with crazy legal fees. 

So for the short term just looking for a little better performance. So far no out of pocket expense, and I'm still learning so it's fun just to try. 

John in Minnesota 



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## francist (Jan 20, 2020)

Maybe you can find an inexpensive camera tripod at a second hand store, the kind with telescoping legs. Strip one leg off, epoxy in a nut with some all thread or bolt, and then just stick it under the table when you need it. The built in clamps would be your coarse adjust, the nut and bolt for fine adjust. I’m thinking it would probably support quite a bit without slipping.


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## John TV (Jan 20, 2020)

Yes, a good thought and it would be a quick set up. May have to drop into a shop or two and see what I can find. 

It got me thinking maybe two poles, pipes or tubes that nest inside each other and drill holes every 6 inches or so then pin at close height and use your nut/ thread to fine adjust. Would not be as light or as fast as the adjustable leg set up though. 

Thanks For the thoughts. 

John


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## francist (Jan 20, 2020)

That would work too. They also make extendable poles for paint rollers but that would mean buying one.


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## John TV (Jan 20, 2020)

Oh I can always cough up a little money for tools without feeling too guilty, just not the low 4 figures they want for a fairly good drill press. At least not for a while. 

Paint stick idea may be the trick. Have to check that out. 

John


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## ttabbal (Jan 20, 2020)

If you have one around, a farm jack might work for holding the end of the table up. Think hi-lift, but more ghetto..


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## brino (Jan 20, 2020)

@John TV 

You did not mention if your current drill press has a table lock to the column.
Sometimes I leave my table loose and just use the rack and pinion for quick height adjustment.
However, I know that to get the table square to the drill bit I need to lock the table.

Mine has a split casting around the vertical column, and a handle with toggle around back.
Like these pictures I found online.....




-brino


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## Dave Smith (Jan 21, 2020)

John---I would use a hydraulic bottle jack with a quick range of 12 to 15 inches ---just make a base to set on the floor portion of drill to set the jack on---probably 4 cement blocks stacked would work good and easy to add or subtract for quick height changes---they are only $1 each and you probably already have hyd. jacks--good place to store them and add weight to your drill press---keep it simple and inexpensive---Dave


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## John TV (Jan 21, 2020)

Brino

Yes, I have a table lock and rack and pinion height adjustment. 
When I was measuring I first did it with table unlocked, then tightened the table lock and the table came up almost .025. Even locked the front of the table was the low spot. I was able to shim using the "angle adjust wheel to raise the front oh the table to within a thou or two. 

Thanks 

John


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## John TV (Jan 21, 2020)

Hi Dave, great to hear from you. Hope to see you soon too! Looking forward to hearing details about breakfast. 

Yes I do have a bottle jack or two, and blocks would be very affordable and the weight might help too. 

I will have to check if my jacks have a ram that has an adjustment screw top, if they do then I think I will try and see if it helps a bit. 

Without a screw adjustable ram though, I wonder if the upward force would be too great and cause an error by over adjusting. 



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## homebrewed (Jan 21, 2020)

You could use a stack of whatever's at hand, holding up a machinist jack under the front end of the table.  Machinist jacks are pretty cheap.  For even cheaper, a large bolt, nut and steel plate with a hole in it.  Your top block will need a hole in it large enough and deep enough to accommodate the bolt.  Face the top of the bolt for a smoother surface, thread the nut and drop it into the plate, which in turn sits on top of your top block  Adjust as needed.  If it's a bit too wobbly you could weld or glue the nut to the plate.  Farm "engineering" at work .

I made some barn jacks using a similar approach.  I faced some 3/4" bolts then welded them to 3" square steel plates, using 90 degree magnetic angle brackets to make sure the bolts were square to the plates.  Threaded a nut onto that, dropped a washer in, then another 3x3" steel plate with a hole large enough for the bolt to pass through.  This went into a hole drilled into the end of a 4x4  long enough to lift what I needed to jack up.  To lift I used two wrenches -- one on the head of the bolt and the other on the nut to keep it from spinning as I raised the jack.  The welds were ugly as sin but were good enough to do the job.


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## MikeInOr (Jan 21, 2020)

Do you ever use your drillpress table at an angle?  Have you thought of making your own non-tilting table with a much longer contact area with the drill press column and some extra braces?  I am thinking a foot long piece of pipe that has been slit to go around the column then some ears welded on for clamping the pipe around the column?  Then build your table off this piece of slit pipe with some 45 braces to the front corners of the table to eliminate flex.

Have you considered packing the column with cement for a bit of extra rigidity and extra weight? 

Just a couple thoughts.


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## John TV (Jan 21, 2020)

Thanks Homebrewed and Mike. 
Good thoughts all around. 

Mike the split pipe concept was what I had as a thought just to add braces but making a new table, that is something to think 

And no I don't use the angle adjustment and I've had this since the mid 80s. Unlikely to use it in the future. 

The cement filled column, didn't even consider that, but very interesting idea. 

Doing many of these things would be a fun challenge and may be projects in the future.

But for now, simple and cheap and relatively fast are the fixes I'm looking for. My nuub skills are growing and so are the lists of projects to consider. 

My conundrum. Accurate hole placement is most likely part of all of those future projects, so going up to the top of the thread, is it time to look for a better drill press all together? Start saving or start some of the suggestions above?

Thanks for everyone's thoughts. alchemy may be a discredited practice, how about plain old magic? 




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## David S (Jan 22, 2020)

Since you already have two drill presses, and I would consider 0.002" on a drill press pretty good.  For really accurate holes you already have a mill, why not just use that for the accurate stuff.

David


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## Superburban (Jan 22, 2020)

Center punching, and spot drilling first, can go a long ways to make up for a sloppy drill press.


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## John TV (Jan 27, 2020)

Sorry, for slow response, to last posts, site is back up again. 

I do use the mill for most accurate drilling but it does not have a quill so I have to raise and lower the knee. It's amazing how much cranking on the knee one has to do to get a few holes drilled. Almost like a good gym workout. 

Just have the one drill press and the changes made as above have helped a great deal already. The cheap vice was my biggest problem I think. 

I do center punch and center drill or spot drill almost all the time for metalwork. What was happening was a hole drilled in a small part, say .5 inches thick, would look good on the top but flip it over and you could see the hole placement was off. Not drilling perpendicular to the work. 

The cheap vice was way off. I never thought to check it. The bottom of the vice was not parallel to the drill press table and even the two sides of the vice "floor" were not on the same plane. 

So I would put a short part in the vice to one side so the hole I was about to drill would not drill into the vice itself and the floor of the vice was creating an angle. Milling the bottom and vice floor to the same plane helped a great deal. Lesson learned. 

And you are right, for most of my work, a .002 flex downward is more than accurate enough, but if one of these suggestions is inexpensive and fairly quick to set up I'll give it a try for those more precise holes. 

Thanks for the thoughts. I learn so much from this forum. 

John in Minnesota 


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## MikeInOr (Jan 27, 2020)

Keep the current drill press as is and put a power drive on the knee of the mill?  This might also make boring operations easier?  Just thought...

https://www.amazon.com/Mophorn-Z-Ax...chine+power+feed+z+axis&qid=1580186069&sr=8-1

https://www.precisionmatthews.com/shop/pf-z-al510sz/

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Feed-bridgetport-Mills-Feeder/dp/B00TAAPFUG






Hmmm... Power feed drilling and boring... I might need to add power feed to the knee of my mill!  LOL!!!


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