Drill Press Table

[Dave Fritz]

It looks like the drill press is made for metal workers and woodworkers have to modify them to use with wood. I just got a new Jet 12 inch bench top drill press after my old Delta let me down. The table has a slide out feature but it looks like it could be removed pretty easily. I’m wondering if anyone has a recommendation for a drill press table?

[Mike Cutler]

Dave

I have an Incra drill press table. It's been on my drill press for twenty years or so.
here is a web photo of it, as Incra no longer makes it.
https://www.google.com/search?q=incra+drill+press+table&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=PTiFOPpRWboa6M%253A%252CE13FBzsi0TY9TM%252C_&usg=__4wzqIlMJomxkg04AX9VisF7HutQ%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjW1Kj58PjbAhXEtlMKHQDyBCoQ9QEIkwEwAg#im grc=PTiFOPpRWboa6M:

Rockler and Woodpecker make similar tables, or you could just make your own based on these designs.

[Dave Richards]

I have the drill press table (https://www.woodpeck.com/wpdrillpresstable.html) from Woodpeckers and it works quite well.

[glenn bradley]

Some DP's have tables built for woodworkers in that they tilt forward and back as well as side-to-side, offer t-slots and so forth. Even though mine had one of these I bought a table to attach to it. I have the same one Mike has but, it is unfortunately no longer offered. I got mine about 12 years ago and it has been great. there are several good ones out there but, you could really make one that has just the features you want pretty quickly if you have the materials. If I had to go out and buy the track and fixtures I could probably buy for about what it would cost to make so buying makes sense as well.

388706 . 388707

The tracks can help in adding dust collection and can allow a variety of fences and odd-ons.

388709 . 388710

388712 . 388711

[Jim Becker]

You can buy various commercial drill press tables from woodworking vendors or you can make your own. It's a nice shop project, so the latter isn't a horrible idea. And you can make it the size that works best for you. I made my own many years ago out of simple plywood, routed "tee slots" and a scrap oak fence...it's still going strong after over 18 years or so.

[Bryan Lisowski]

I bought one from HF and it works fine, the bigger problem is my drill press itself.

[Stan Calow]

AFAIK, All the commercially available tables I've looked at, are made to be attached to the existing metal table. So removing the original one is not necessary.

[Dave Fritz]

Thank you for all the replies. I had an inexpensive HF one on my old Delta but it looks like the Woodpeckers DP3 will work. My local Woodcraft has it in stock so it will be pretty easy to get. I'm giving my old one along with the Delta to my son in law otherwise it looks like I could make it work. Thanks again.

[Charles Lent]

I built my drill press table for my floor standing drill press from plans and a hardware kit that is offered by Peachtree Woodworking https://www.ptreeusa.com/drillPress_tables.html I built mine about 20 years ago. You will find the kit down this linked page under the ready made tablese. The the table T track and hardware kit for it is shown there. The plans for it aren't shown, but are included in the kit. I have been reasonably happy with the one that I built for what it is, but it's really intended for use with a floor standing drill press. Mine is on my floor standing Delta with the included forward and side tilting table, so I can tilt the drill press table forward and reverse the fence if I want to drill pocket holes, etc. The wing on the left side makes drilling the long center holes for lamps quite easy, but I'm not all that happy with the clamps so I tend to use other types. I also cut a curved notch in the top fence, so I could extend the drill chuck lower without it hitting the fence. The top has a replaceable insert in the center, and the base has a chamber with a port on the right end for attaching a vacuum. The bottom of this wooden table has T slots as well, so I use long bolts in these T slots to attach it to the drill press table. This lets me loosen and slide the wooden table left and right as well as forward and back for those odd requirements, like drilling the lamp holes.

I have two Delta bench standing sized drill presses too. One has no table and gets used for general use. The other has a simple table attached for doing very small work ( I make wooden jewelry). This table is just a piece of 3/4 cabinet birch ply attached to the drill press table with toilet bolts that are countersunk in the table top. The fence on this table pivots on a bolt in the rear left corner of the table, and the right edge of the table is cut in an arc, so a wooden clamp on the right end of the fence can be used to lock the position of the fence anywhere along this arc. The top of the fence has a T slot extrusion and I have a wooden stop that slides along the fence and locks in place with a knob and bolt into this T slot. I got the original idea for this table from a youtube video. Here is a link with pictures. https://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?39033-A-Different-Kind-of-Drill-Press-Table Here is a link to the original idea for my table. It's his second table in the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnx041pWc-k at about 0.29 seconds or here in more detail https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc9yx1PPj1c

Charley

[Wade Lippman]

Oh come on! You are a wood worker; make your own. Only parts you need are a few pieces of track.

[Dave Fritz]

Well Wade, it looks like I'll have to. The Woodpecker's DP3 is only the fence. Got a fairly simple plan off line.

[Shawn Pixley]

Built my own a while back. Just recently, I built a rake and splay jig for leg through tenon boring for a bench I am building. Dust control is the weakness of my build. Otherwise, flat, square, tracks, fence with tracks, stops and hold-downs. Consider removable, rotatable, replacable, through bore plate / disc. You don’t want the arc of shame across the table.