Drill press table lifter

[Tmate]

My old Walker Turner drill press has a column that shows its age. It is fairly easy to lower the table, but tough to get back up.

I solved this problem by attaching a $59 bottle jack for an engine hoist underneath the table. The table weighs enough to compress the jack when I open the valve. It hangs free and sits on a rubber pad at the base. If I want to turn the table, the jack swings freely with it. I have a two piece clamping shaft collar that keeps the table from dropping when turning it. I hang the handle on a nearby 2x4 stud. This is stupidly simple, but I thought I would share it.

 

[hman]

Nice! I've seen a number of drill presses that lack table cranks.

 

[rwm]

I always thought it would be super slick to do that with an electric actuator!
Robert

 

[Ken from ontario]

That's a better /less expensive solution than buying the actual lifting mechanism but it is available for those who want to stick as close to the original look as possible, here's the one I recently found locally ,the seller claims it fits a few old models like Buffalo, Rockwell, Delta.etc:

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[AGCB97]

I always thought it would be super slick to do that with an electric actuator!
Robert

When I built the table for the Powermatic 1200, it came out very heavy so I used a long piece of threaded rod and an old unused drill motor for a lifter. The nut is loose captured on the table and there is a ball bearing thrust on the bottom. It still allows the table to swivel almost 180 degrees.
Aaron

 

[hman]

Adam Savage, of Mythbusters fame, has a website in which he shows off the various projects he's done. Just a couple days ago, he documented the addition of a table lifter (from Ebay) to his older Powermatic drill press:

Adam Savage's One Day Builds: Drill Press Modification! - Tested

Adam upgrades his shop's powermatic drill press with a crank to raise and lower the table, but the crank he has isn't made for his particular model drill press. The restoration and install of the crank goes by fast and works out well, but it ends in the unexpected breaking of another part...

www.tested.com