Tilting table on drill press - necessary?

[Cyrus Brewster 7]

How many utilize the tilting function of the table on their drill press. I have the opportunity to pick up a 15" General 340 for less than $500 which seems like a decent deal. After speaking with the gentleman selling it, I was informed that the drill press came with the metal working table option - it does not tilt.

To be honest, I have yet to use this option on my current drill press - although it is possible. I have it set perfectly perpendicular to the quill and do not want to mess with it. However, I also do not want to be without it should the need arise.

In the off chance I may need it, I could always slap a jig/table together to get the angle I need. I can think of a couple of ways I could do it. It is just that I am in the market for my last drill press and this one is bullet proof.

[Joe Shinall]

I've had my Rikon drill press for 6 years now. It's a radial drill press. The table does not tilt but the head does. I bought this to be able to do 45 degree drilling. It felt so cumbersome I built a table that I can adjust the tilt of. That table has been on a shelf for 6 years now. I have yet to use the press for a 45 degree hole...

I bought a 2nd Rikon drill press, newer model, also radial and it does both head tilt and table tilt. Still have yet to turn that table 45 degrees...

[paul cottingham]

In the 10 or so years I have owned a drill press, I have never once tilted the table. If you need to, buy a tilting drill press vice.

[Jeff Erbele]

Yes I have drilled holes at various angles. I have a Shopsmith Mark V. While it has various limitations, when it comes to drilling, that is one of it's strong suites with a vertical drill press, a horizontal boring mill and a tilting table. I understand that is comparing my apples to your oranges, but it works well and is a feature I really like.

Angled chair backs and angled legs on chairs or tables are a couple of projects where one might have a need.

The thing with tilting tables is positioning your work piece becomes more challenging as the angle increases. Then a tilting head becomes more attractive.

Not having a tilting head or tilting table is not a show-stopper. Should the need arise, you can use a tilting vise, build a fixture or an adjustable table that sets on top of the drill press table. Also depending on the drill press, you could modify the table or possibly buy a replacement table with the tilt feature.

[Bill Huber]

I have an old Craftsman that does not have a tilting table, I bought it in 1972 and have needed to tilt the table 3 or 4 times for metal work and I just used a tilting vise.
Now that I am doing woodworking I have made a table that goes on the main table for stools and chair legs and has done a good job, but I will say I have not had to use it that much.

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[CPeter James]

What you really want is one of these.

CPeter
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[Dave Zellers]

Speaking of stools, until you expand that picture, it looks an awful lot like a toilet seat. :)

[Cary Falk]

I have never tilted my table. As others have said, there are other ways to skin a cat.

[Prashun Patel]

To beat a dead horse here: use a ramp.

Drilled holes usually need to be perfectly angled. relying on the table and a protractor or profile gauge is harder (for me) than cutting a perfectly angled ramp on the table saw.

On my dp table, the most important thing is size, ability to clamp, and fence (in that order).

[Jeff Duncan]

I have tilted my table to get an angle, but it's pretty uncommon....maybe twice in the last decade? I've also used it however to rotate the table to be perpendicular with the quill, which I consider more important than just getting an angle for my work. It can be very handy if you ever find yourself needing to drill into end grain of longer pieces, or other odd jobs where a piece may be too large for the table. I've done this a bit more often, but still fairly infrequent. To be honest it's a tough call, for myself I think I'd prefer to have the flexibility to do more with a tool, and good quality drill presses are not at all rare. On the other hand if you really like this General and think it will do all you need it to......

good luck,
JeffD

[Chris Fournier]

The answer to your question has more to do with what you make than the tilting table feature usefulness. My DP has a tilting table and I use the feature several times a year or more. I make some unusual items in my shop. If I turn the table 90 degrees I have a poor man's horizontal machine etc. It's a useful feature for some but a good DP is useful with or without the tilting table. If you have a good deal take it!

[Mike Cutler]

Unless you're willing to spend some serious $$$$, for a machine like the one CPeter James posted, the table tilting function on a typical drill press is pretty crude. Not much repeatability, or stability. It's better to set it perpendicular to the bit travel and have a known reference. Use a machinist tilting vise for the work you need to drill at an angle with, or make a jig if it's fairly large.

How low do the RPM's go on the General? I know my next drill press will need to go <200rpm to spin bigger bits. It'll probably be a milling machine though, and not a drill press.

[CPeter James]

Actually, the big Delta Rockwell/ Walker Turner radial drills are getting to pretty common. The going price is around $600 to $800. They go from 175 rpm to 8,200 before you add the VFD. Really handy for doing chair legs and such. I have two other drill presses in my shop, a 17" Delta and and mill/drill, but the radial is my go to machine 90% of the time. Someone on this forum led me to these machines and I am glad they did. There are 4 on E**Y right now. A couple are reasonably priced.

CPeter

CPeter

[Art Mann]

I have a drill press with a tilting table and I have never had it at any angle other than 90 degrees. If I needed to drill holes at some other angle, I would build a fixture like Bill Huber's.

[Bill ThompsonNM]

Speaking of stools, until you expand that picture, it looks an awful lot like a toilet seat. :)
Hmm, that's an idea. Bubinga toilet seats. String inlayed toilet seats... For those of you who have already filled the house with furniture or are looking for a new product. . .

[Mark Wooden]

Since the table on the press is an option, buy it and stay on the lookout for one that tilts. When you find one install it under the one on it now. Chances are you'll never need it, but if you do, you'll have it.

[glenn bradley]

You can always work around it. I find the forward tilt on my table to be more useful than the left or right tilt.

[John Downey]

For years I never used it, but lately I've been using the table vertically so often that I'm thinking of getting another drill press :D

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[Cyrus Brewster 7]

What you really want is one of these.

CPeter
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Yep - I do want one of those. And I have been on the lookout for one. I actually secretly hope I do not come across one because I would have a hard time fitting it into my shop.

Building something like Bill's toilet set is the perfect solution. Thanks all.

[Peter Quinn]

As others have noted you can certainly drill angled holes a variety of ways on a drill press, many more accurate than your average tilting table allows. Without a rack and pinion arrangement and a good readout, its a hunt and peck at best. I just make a carriage using the SCMS, clamp it to the table, or make some sort of ramp for longer work. The one useful thing which I have utilized is the ability to turn the table perpendicular and do end grain work. It hasn't been a large part of my work but its been very handy on occasions. Imagine fitting baluster bottoms for dowels, say two flights worth. Much quicker with the press than by hand. If this never comes up in your work, than it could easily be irrelevant.

[Charles Lent]

I don't tilt my drill press table very often, but some years ago I frequently needed to drill end grain. Switching the drill press table from horizontal to vertical and back became a problem, so I bought this hardware kit and plans from Peach Tree Woodworking www.ptreeusa.com . It mounts easily to most drill presses and gives both a horizontal and a vertical work surface with T tracks to make clamping easy. The only time that I tilt my drill press table now is when I need an angle other than 90 deg.

http://www.ptreeusa.com/drillPress_Acc.htm#1011

Charley

[Mark Carlson]

Seems like tilting drill press tables are as useful as tilting jointer fences. You might use it once a year if that. I'd want a table I could adjust to 90 though.

~mark

[Brian W Smith]

1947 Walker Turner,32 sp(16 spds on pulleys with a 2 spd motor) radial here.The one with the "full base".Sporting a German,air over hyd vise more often than not.Will post a pic when I figure out how to?The other DP is also a W/T('51),but a 20" with production table.

We do a lot of precision drilling and will almost always opt for some sort of sine plate....or big 90* angle plate for edge work.The radial gets turned but only because there just isn't any other way?Which is maybe a cpl times a year?

[Matt Kestenbaum]

That's a great drill press fixture. We can't see fixed edge, but I assume it is hinged so that it cannot rake AND splay?

[HANK METZ]

Been woodworking for decades now, never ever had an occasion to tilt the table, always found more expedient ways to drill such. Lately though what has been more important to me is throat depth, just picked up a 1954 Duro benchtop model with a 7" capacity, got rid of my 5 year old benchtop H.F. at 4" (actually made a profit on the sale too.).

[Dave Lehnert]

If the table does not tilt,is it possible to square the bit to the table if needed?