Drill Press Table

[Derek Cohen]

A couple of weeks ago I took advantage of a Black Friday sale and purchased a Nova Voyager drill press for a great discount. This replaced a Taiwanese model I had for 25 years. Yeah, I know this machine is OTT, but it is an amazing tool. For those who are not familiar with the Voyager, it is a computerised, variable speed drill press with a 2 hp direct drive motor (240v). I have already used it to determine the ideal speed for a selection of forstner bits, and then drill to a preset depth, and stop automatically at that depth.


Putting it together was .. uh ... a little scary. The motor section is extremely heavy, and I was concerned that I would drop it in my usual clumsy fashion. Anyway, it was put together without mishap. A Nova fence was one of the freebees thrown in ...


https://i.postimg.cc/3J6kBpjs/5.jpg


Nova recommend that one not use a mobile base, however I need to do so since my machines occupy one side of a double garage, and some machines need to be mobile. The drill press is one. The ideal mobile base is as low to the floor as possible. A low centre of gravity is more stable, but also you do not want to raise the drill press up too much as the controls and computer screen may be moved out of your comfort zone.


https://i.postimg.cc/Xq1ptBRy/1.jpg


Steel mobile base on lockable wheels ...


https://i.postimg.cc/jdCWPvf6/4.jpg


This post is more about the table I built for the drill press. Some may be able to use the ideas here. Most of the ideas are old hat, but there are a couple of novel ideas. My old drill press used nothing more exciting than a piece of plywood over the cast iron table. Somehow it was sufficient, although the work holding sucked ... and this is what I wanted to address here. Plus, the sacrificial board became chewed up and useless very quickly, and I had an idea to improve on this.


I was not crazy about the cast iron table as a work surface. For a top I found in my local salvage yard a 18" x 25" UHMW slab 30mm (1-1/4") thick. This is about as perfect a table top as one could get - it is very resistant to damage, and yet will not damage wood placed on it.


It planes without any tearout :)


https://i.postimg.cc/7ZckvvWY/DP13.jpg


The first task was to dado in aluminium tracks for the fence and hold downs, and then to create a circular mortice for a sacrificial section ...


https://i.postimg.cc/PrZkZV3C/DP1a.jpg


Using a power router to waste UHMW is an interesting experience - lots of plastic string everywhere, and dust control was not working well. The circular recess was time consuming and finicky. The template began as a 2" forstner cut hole. This was then progressively widened to 4" using a rebate and a flush cut bit in the router table. Finally, the template was used with a pattern cutter to create the circular recess, above.


The circular sacrificial disks are 1/2" thick MDF. I found it quicker to saw them fractionally oversize on the bandsaw, and then turn them on the lathe ...


https://i.postimg.cc/nVXxVhqY/DP2a.jpg


Here now is the basic table ...


https://i.postimg.cc/zXT93bvW/DP3a.jpg


There is a cut out at the rear for the winder ...


https://i.postimg.cc/fL6rRDhB/DP4a.jpg


Now why did I choose a circular sacrificial section? I have seen many drill press tables using square sections. I cannot recall seeing any with round disks (unless it was dedicated to a sander, but that is not the same thing). The drill bit is not centred on the square. Instead, it is moved to the rear of the square. That way one can rotate the disk four times after it becomes holed. My objection to this design was that one only obtained four points, and as soon as one section became holed, it could no longer back up the drill.


Now a circular disk, on the other hand, has an infinite number of positions (infinite until the circle is completed). Just rotate as much as you need. More work to make, but better in the long run.


https://i.postimg.cc/ZYGGTFb4/DP5a.jpg


Here is the finished table ...


https://i.postimg.cc/Gmr6DLTf/DP6a.jpg


The Nova fence came with those twisty levers. They are useless ... difficult to achieve the ideal tautness and hard to get to behind the fence. I replaced them with the long knobs. These needed to be cut down by 3/4" to avoid fowling the downfeed handles.


https://i.postimg.cc/nhkgYyvh/DP7a.jpg


The tracks not only hold the fence, but also Incra hold downs ...


https://i.postimg.cc/G3yfS8kN/DP8a.jpg


... and even the Micro Jig clamps for taller boards ...


https://i.postimg.cc/8ztXrhSF/DP9a.jpg


I hope there is something you can use.


Regards from Perth


Derek

[Steve Eure]

Nicely done. I have one that I made out of 2 - 3/4" baltic birch plys. I had to put another t-track down the center up to the sacrificial board to hold down smaller pieces that my clamps would not reach. I had the same problem with the raise and lowering handle getting in the way. My solution is to rotate the table on the cast iron table and it moves far enough for clearance.

[Tony Shea]

That is an incredible setup Derek. The drill press is stunning and the table is perfect! That's a great find at the scrap yard to find that piece of UHMW that thick. My only issue would be how slick that must be in use. Where you are clamping most of the work down anyways it shouldn't pose that much of an issue. That would make an incredible router table top!

[Derek Cohen]

Interesting idea for a router table top, but in reality it is not a slick surface. Perfect for drill press. Also, here there is the advantage of support from the cast iron. It is thick, heavy and stiff. However, I do not know how it would behave with a heavy router on top.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Tom M King]

Could you just cut the disposable inserts with a hole saw, without the centering drill, on the drill press?

edited to add link to plug popper: https://vsctools.com/shop/the-plug-popper/

[Paul F Franklin]

Lots of great ideas Derek, thanks for sharing them! How do you hold the top to the drill press table?

[Brian Tymchak]

Nicely done Derek! I was wondering at the top of your post how you were going to handle the height adjustment handle issue. Think I'll borrow that idea when I build the table for my Voyager next week.

[Mark Daily]

Great idea using round sacrificial wood instead of square- thanks for sharing!

[Jim Becker]

That was a really good tool enhancement project! Scoring that material was great and clearly, it's perfect for the task.

[Derek Cohen]

Could you just cut the disposable inserts with a hole saw, without the centering drill, on the drill press?

edited to add link to plug popper: https://vsctools.com/shop/the-plug-popper/

Tom, I did consider a hole saw. I am not sure it would work with UHMW, even if I could have found one 4” wide. The Voyager certainly has the power to drive it, however cutting UHMW is different to wood. The UHMW does not slice and dice easily. Just routing it out was heavy work.

When drilling it - for the corner cut out - it was necessary to use cutting fluid. The 2” forstner bit heated up, and the Nova stopped the drilling process twice as it could “feel” it overloading.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

Lots of great ideas Derek, thanks for sharing them! How do you hold the top to the drill press table?

Paul, you will note in the original photo that the cast iron top has slots. I tapped in aluminium threads on the underside of the UHMW top, and then bolted it through the slots. It is secure and unobtrusive.

https://i.postimg.cc/k42xQ1hY/DP14.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Tom M King]

Tom, I did consider a hole saw. I am not sure it would work with UHMW, even if I could have found one 4” wide. The Voyager certainly has the power to drive it, however cutting UHMW is different to wood. The UHMW does not slice and dice easily. Just routing it out was heavy work.

When drilling it - for the corner cut out - it was necessary to use cutting fluid. The 2” forstner bit heated up, and the Nova stopped the drilling process twice as it could “feel” it overloading.

Regards from Perth

Derek

I meant to use a hole saw to make the inserts?

[Derek Cohen]

Tom, I can see a hole saw working, but I have not come across a 4” diameter to date. It would be expensive as well.

I was planning to build a circle cutting jig for the bandsaw - still will ... one day. It just seemed quicker to use the template to mark a few disks, saw them out on the bandsaw close to the line, then trim them on the lathe. A few minutes for four inserts, all fitting perfectly. These should last quite a long time.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Bill White]

Derek, did you make a "stop" to keep the inserts from spinning. Maybe a detent ball/spring in the insert the would register in the tabletop?

[Derek Cohen]

Bill, the Nova fence comes with a flip stop (see the early photos). I plan to build something to replace this as it is too chunky.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Doug Dawson]

You did a nice upgrade. That was my main beef with this press. They raised the street price by US$400 or so, and they're still using the base and table for a US$500 press. This is what "should have been in the box". I found the as-supplied table etc to be at least _functional_, if less than ideal, so concentrated on the chuck, because I do more machine work.

When all was said and done, what advantage did this new custom table give you, besides looking cool? (Again, this should have been an out-of-the-box experience.)

[I'm very thankful that I got it at last year's price. Otherwise it would not have happened, quite determinedly.]

[Jim Becker]

Derek, did you make a "stop" to keep the inserts from spinning. Maybe a detent ball/spring in the insert the would register in the tabletop?

Since the tooling would enter the inserts off-center in his design, they are not going to spin.

[Phil Stone]

Since the tooling would enter the inserts off-center in his design, they are not going to spin.


I have this circular insert design in my dp table, and Jim is correct. It's not an issue.

[Derek Cohen]

Since the tooling would enter the inserts off-center in his design, they are not going to spin.

I totally mis-read your question, Bill. Jim is quite correct - the inserts cannot spin.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

...
When all was said and done, what advantage did this new custom table give you, besides looking cool? (Again, this should have been an out-of-the-box experience.)

...]

Doug, I like cool-looking tools, but my tools are not there to look cool. I build a fair amount of complex furniture, and appreciate the assistance that may be obtained from well-designed tools or fixtures. In the case of this (and other similar drills), the manufacturer may not be a woodworker or furniture maker, and does not build for my needs. You wrote that it would have been appropriate for the inclusion of something like this drill press table for the total price. I think that manufacturers sell for what they consider to be a competitive price - which is relative. It is likely that the addition of a good table would have then pushed the price too high.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Brian Tymchak]

Derek, I just noticed this morning that the chuck on your Voyager looks quite a bit different than mine. Is that the chuck that came with the drill press? Or maybe that's an aftermarket keyless chuck?

Thanks!

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Brian

It's a keyless chuck. I've been using this one for several years, and brought it over from my previous machine.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

Derek, I just noticed this morning that the chuck on your Voyager looks quite a bit different than mine. Is that the chuck that came with the drill press? Or maybe that's an aftermarket keyless chuck?

Thanks!

Brian - and all - a few more thoughts.

The issue of run out is quite complex, in my mind. I am not the expert here, and my thoughts just reflect my simple understanding.

We assume that run out is a function of the quality of the quill and the chuck. Simply put, can it hold the drill bit square? However, unlike router bits, which are short, drill bits tend to be several times longer, and have thinner shanks, and therefore there will more likely be poorer tolerances due to this ... the quill and chuck notwithstanding.

I've been using a keyless chuck for several years. I kept it when I sold my old drill press. The chuck takes the same quill as the Nova, and was directly replaceable. The chuck I have is a copy of an Albrecht ... Albrecht is THE chuck to have, but they cost between $500-$900. The copy would have cost me about $50 all those years ago.

I considered whether I should stay with the Nova keyed chuck, then looked at the name and looked up the price. It turns out to be also Chinese-made and quite cheap (about $50) .. not what I was expecting in a machine of this price. My thoughts were that the Albrecht copy I have must be a good one since I have not seen tangible signs of run out - no obvious wobbles, and the walls of drilling are clean - and there is as much (more) run out expected in the drill bits (I have some expensive and superb drill bits - more on these at a later time).

I needed to drill a 2" hole into the UHMW top. The depth stop was set for 25mm (the top is 30mm thick) - the top was flipped over and the cut finished from the other side. Drilled to 25mm ...

https://i.postimg.cc/63crdyXz/Drilling1.jpg

Close up of the walls ...

https://i.postimg.cc/qR4ch29z/Drilling2.jpg

This forstner but is one I have had for about 20 years, a cheapie from Carbatec, and recently sharpened by myself. I did not want to use my good ones on the UHMW. I think that it did a good job here.

Your thoughts?

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Doug Dawson]

Brian - and all - a few more thoughts.

The issue of run out is quite complex, in my mind. I am not the expert here, and my thoughts just reflect my simple understanding.

We assume that run out is a function of the quality of the quill and the chuck. Simply put, can it hold the drill bit square? However, unlike router bits, which are short, drill bits tend to be several times longer, and have thinner shanks, and therefore there will more likely be poorer tolerances due to this ... the quill and chuck notwithstanding.

I've been using a keyless chuck for several years. I kept it when I sold my old drill press. The chuck takes the same quill as the Nova, and was directly replaceable. The chuck I have is a copy of an Albrecht ... Albrecht is THE chuck to have, but they cost between $500-$900. The copy would have cost me about $50 all those years ago.

I considered whether I should stay with the Nova keyed chuck, then looked at the name and looked up the price. It turns out to be also Chinese-made and quite cheap (about $50) .. not what I was expecting in a machine of this price. My thoughts were that the Albrecht copy I have must be a good one since I have not seen tangible signs of run out - no obvious wobbles, and the walls of drilling are clean - and there is as much (more) run out expected in the drill bits.


Because this press reverses, I would have thought that a keyless chuck is less than ideal. If you never run it in reverse, okay. But for such things as tapping, removing broken fasteners, chip clearing, etc., you might. I agree that the Albrechts are nice.

[Mark Daily]

Tom, I can see a hole saw working, but I have not come across a 4” diameter to date. It would be expensive as well.

I was planning to build a circle cutting jig for the bandsaw - still will ... one day. It just seemed quicker to use the template to mark a few disks, saw them out on the bandsaw close to the line, then trim them on the lathe. A few minutes for four inserts, all fitting perfectly. These should last quite a long time.

Regards from Perth

Derek
Derek, just FYI, I found a Dewalt 4” bi-metal hole saw on Amazon for about $22 US. Home Depot carries Milwaukee for about the same price but I don’t know if you have them where you’re at.

[Derek Cohen]

Thanks Mark. I am, however, going to pass on a hole saw. The bandsaw/lathe method is not only free, but easier and also able to create precise-sized inserts - although I call the inserts 4", they are a tad larger (owing to the original routed template being a tad larger than 4" - it is not possible to be exact when enlarging holes using rebate/flush cut bits).

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jay Kepley]

421394421395

I made similar 4" round inserts. I used a circle cutting jig on my bandsaw, then sanded the perimeter. I then used a forstner bit to cut the finger holes. The insert is offset so that it can be rotated in the drill press table. The table itself is just double thick MDF treated with BLO.

[Tony Shea]

Derek, I'd love to know more about what Forstner bits you consider your good ones. I'm in the market for some decent Forstners and just can't decide which brand to go with. I'm tired of the cheapie Porter Cable set I have.

[Jim Becker]

Derek is halfway around the other side of the planet, Tony, so tooling available to him may vary from what we can acquire here in the US.

----

BTW, Derek...I'm now seriously considering making a DP table very similar to yours when I have a copious free moment. I really, really like the design and what I've been using (also shop built) has been in service for almost 20 years now.

[Frank Pratt]

Derek, I'd love to know more about what Forstner bits you consider your good ones. I'm in the market for some decent Forstners and just can't decide which brand to go with. I'm tired of the cheapie Porter Cable set I have.

Tony, I got a set of HSS forstner bits from Lee Valley several years ago & they've been very good. Most of the less expensive forstners are carbon steel, which just dies the second it overheats.Couple that with the tendency that forstners have of getting very hot & you get a bad bit.

[william walton]

If you can afford one, the Albrecht chucki is the one you want. During my machinist apprenticeship, a friend bought one. The price was about $500 back in the late 70's. If the quality is as good today, there is no equal.

[Derek Cohen]

Derek, I'd love to know more about what Forstner bits you consider your good ones. I'm in the market for some decent Forstners and just can't decide which brand to go with. I'm tired of the cheapie Porter Cable set I have.

Hi Tony

My favourite of the forstners are the Colts, which are made in Germany. Lee Valley sell these. I purchased some from them and others elsewhere.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

...
BTW, Derek...I'm now seriously considering making a DP table very similar to yours when I have a copious free moment. I really, really like the design and what I've been using (also shop built) has been in service for almost 20 years now.

Jim, thanks for the compliment. I plan to add the Wixey laser this weekend. I am wondering whether I can also configure it with a straight, "vertical" line (along the table). This will be useful when drilling for leg mortices. If not, I shall add a second laser for this purpose. I'll post later.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

If you can afford one, the Albrecht chucki is the one you want. During my machinist apprenticeship, a friend bought one. The price was about $500 back in the late 70's. If the quality is as good today, there is no equal.

William, I know ....I know ... :o

I shall do a test on the run out on my copy, and then decide. The chuck I have works so well ... if it is not broke ...

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Ralph Boumenot]

Hi Derek
do you have an pics of getting the drill press in the mobile base? Looking for ideas as I have a bandsaw to put in one.

[Derek Cohen]

What are you looking for, Ralph? I can take some photos when I install the Wixey.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Ralph Boumenot]

The drill press isn't something you can pick up and have your mate push the mobile base under it.
Looking for ideas on how to raise it and get he base under it. I assume you did this by yourself? The bandsaw is as big and clumsy to raise as the drill press I would imagine.

[Derek Cohen]

The drill press isn't something you can pick up and have your mate push the mobile base under it.
Looking for ideas on how to raise it and get he base under it. I assume you did this by yourself? The bandsaw is as big and clumsy to raise as the drill press I would imagine.

The short story: Size the mobile base, and bolt the drill press base to this, then add the tube, etc, etc.

What really happened .... :eek: ... the story is here: https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?278641-Anyone-using-a-mobile-base-under-a-Nova-Voyager-DP&p=2972126#post2972126


Regards from Perth

Derek

[Doug Dawson]

Hi Derek
do you have an pics of getting the drill press in the mobile base? Looking for ideas as I have a bandsaw to put in one.

Re the drill press, most people would just assemble the base plate to mobile base (with bolts,) and then just assemble or reassemble the rest of the press on top of that. I used a (rigged) hoist for the head.

With a bandsaw that can't be disassembled easily, it may be easiest to tip it on its side and then bolt the base to the bottom, and tip it back up. It's easiest to do this with a hoist, and even easier to do the _whole_thing_ with a hoist, if you had one big enough.. You could do it with the help of a friend, but then you'd have to buy him lots of beers.

In the case of a Laguna 18BX (that I have,) you'd just lever it up and put boards underneath so you can add the wheels to it. That one is easy.

[Derek Cohen]

In the case of my bandsaw, a Hammer N4400, which is quite large, I cheaped out and made my own mobile base. This was about 10 years ago. It actually works very well, and so well that I have not been tempted to change it. Down side. it raises the work. This may or may not affect the ergonomics of your bandsaw. It has been fine for me.

A simple set of lockable wheels on a 2x4 ...

https://i.postimg.cc/tJ0D7pXN/Hammerwheels.jpg

To attach, I tilted the bandsaw (!), and bolted one side, then the other. All on my own - for some reason I could not convince my wife to assist, and the dogs were no bloody help either.

The upside of these wheels is that the bandsaw can be easily positioned in all degrees of the compass, which is not possible with the steel version, in the first post in this thread. The bandsaw is very heavy, and it is stable in a way which a drill press cannot be, and so this design - and method of attachment - works.

Here is another photo for context ...

https://i.postimg.cc/vZH3McVG/DP12a.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

Here is the test for run out for the Albrecht clone keyless chuck.

Set up ...

https://i.postimg.cc/2jshrLnZ/Runout1.jpg

I used a 1/4" shank carbide router bit as the test piece. This was a one-time test, so I may have had better results from another router bit, or from re-positioning it. It is what it is ...

https://i.postimg.cc/hPVxj403/Runout2.jpg

Results ...

https://i.postimg.cc/dVBy2Wp2/Runout3.jpg

This reads 0.045mm run out. That is 0.0017" run out. Is that good or bad?

My understanding is: there is run out that may occur with the spindle, then there is run out that will occur at the chuck and quill (which could also be measured separately), and finally there is the run out measured at the bit. The results here are a total of all these together. It was mentioned to me that around 5 thousands of an inch would be acceptable. I have 1 thousand inch.

The other item I attended to was to add a Wixey laser guide ...

https://i.postimg.cc/Z5ZNyk7Y/Wixey1.jpg

It tucks aware and is quite unobtrusive ...

https://i.postimg.cc/d0NZXhqD/Wixey2.jpg

It leaves a nice, clean line ...

https://i.postimg.cc/VNkbDqP3/Wixey3.jpg

... but it is a little wider than expected. The jury is out whether it is just a gimmick, or whether it will prove to be useful.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Brian Holcombe]

Start by checking runout inside the taper, then you move onto the chucked bit. I would re-chuck it a few times to see if the numbers repeat.

.0017" is probably fine for a drill press, .005" is not.

[Derek Cohen]

Brian, I received some feedback after I posted this account:

Albrecht guarantees their chucks to have run out of .0015" or less. I measured .0017" total for everything (spindle, quill and chuck together). I think that this is phenomenal.

Regards from Singapore

Derek

[Brian Holcombe]

I would expect them to have better runout than .0015” but I’ve never measured. I have three albrecht chucks, they are very accurate. So much so that I do not mind using them for boring small accurate holes when a weird size is needed.

[Dave Fritz]

Very nice Derek. I too appreciate your method of attaching it to the metal table. It does look like the knob to loosen the post would be difficult to get at but really I don't think you'd change that much once tight. Very nice top and post. Thank you.

[Tom M King]

I bought an Ellis chuck for my magnetic drill press. I never measured runout on it, but used it to run a 16mm straight chucking reamer through some wallowed out 5/8" holes in a tractor frame, and it seemed perfectly smooth. If you need a 3MT 3/4" chuck, and don't want to spend over a couple of hundred bucks, it's pretty good.

https://www.trick-tools.com/Ellis_Drill_Press_Chuck_4649_1150 I don't remember who I bought it from, but don't think it was that outfit. That was just at the top of the list of a Google Search.

[Larry Frank]

Interesting, I have the Voyager DVR with a similar keyless chuck. I measured run out at about 2 thousandths.

I put mine up on a base using a HF engine lift. The lift folds up nicely and comes in very handy from time to time