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Thread: Sherwood/WoodRiver Drill Press Fence Kit

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
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    Perth, Australia
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    Sherwood/WoodRiver Drill Press Fence Kit

    When I purchased the Nova Voyager drill press as a Black Friday discount in November 2019, one of the discounts was a complementary Nova fence (this usually sells as an accessory). I built a table and added the Nova fence. The table is built from a 18" x 25" UHMW slab 30mm (1-1/4") thick I found in my local salvage yard.



    It is a rather simple and basic fence. I found it too short. I also wanted to add dust extraction, and this looked like more more item to add (along with the Wixey laser and a table light - more in a while).

    Then I came across the Sherwood drill press fence kit at Timbecon. This is badged WoodRover drill press table in the USA. There is a video made by WoodCraft ...



    It looked to be all that the Nova fence was not. Specifically, it has length ...



    It also has a sliding sub-fence, which opens up to a dust collection port ...



    This will keep the dust and shavings down when drilling with all drill bits, especially forstner bits, and also should enable the drill to double as a spindle sander (I would not wish to use one without dust control.

    Adjustment is at the rear ...



    This works well using the T-track I had installed.

    Here is the Wixey laser I installed earlier this year ...



    The down light is a rechargeable bicycle light, which I attached with a rare earth magnet. You can see how well it works. Cheap too ...



    The Nova Voyager is a really wonderful drill press, and the new fence looks like it will be a good match.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Columbus, OH
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    3,063
    That's pretty weird Derek. I was just looking at that very fence on Woodcraft's site this morning because of the dust collection. I'm figuring it's a lot easier to spend $80 than to figure out how to build the fence myself. I would want a second stop, but I don't know if that is offered as an accessory. Hopefully my local Woodcraft is open this week so I can look at it.

    Nice idea adding the light. I haven't used my Voyager much yet, but I did want to light up the table somehow.

    Thanks!
    Brian

    "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger or more complicated...it takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." - E.F. Schumacher

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    65,688
    I like that setup...very practical. I've been thinking about doing a similar setup for my DP, especially since I seem to be using it more these days on certain kinds of projects.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
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    Jim, Brian echoed my thoughts when I saw this fence: it would cost more and require a lot of effort to attempt to put it together from parts. it is cheap for what it offers. I have always built fences (built the fence for my router table from aluminium section), but buying this was a no-brainer (but I forgot to ask for commission for this review ). It is well made and certainly does not feel cheap. The MDF sub-fence is not my idea of Heaven, but it makes sense - although a sliding aluminium sub-fence would definitely be sexier!

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2020
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    Tennessee
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    This is terrific! I need to do something with my drill press. My setup is minimal and very poor. Thanks for posting this. I'll work towards this solution.

  6. #6
    My drill press was pretty much the first piece of equipment that I souped up in my shop. I built an auxiliary table with a fence that was a quick adjustment. A LV machine tape in the fence and off I went. Saved me hours and hours over the years. Eventually I made a fixture for my dust collector hose that could be moved on the pillar or column, I agree those forstner and saw tooth bits cough up a lot of chips. I have recently replaced the drill press with a Bridgeport style mill which seems like overkill but it really has been fantastic. Super rigid, potential for great accuracy, generous work envelope and since I work in wood metal and plastic it always brings it to the task.

    After wood working for several years and beginning to understand the equipment that we use I concluded that the drill press was the trickiest piece to buy right and a truly good one is north of $2500.00 CDN new anyways. I never saw that coming in the beginning.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
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    Perth, Australia
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    Chris, I believe that the drill press is the most underrated machine in the workshop. My previous one was a basic 3/4 hp 16 speed Taiwanese machine I purchased 25 years ago. In addition to drilling holes accurately, it was a buffer, sander, grinder, sharpener, and (rather poor) milling machine. The Nova Voyager is something else again.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post
    Chris, I believe that the drill press is the most underrated machine in the workshop. My previous one was a basic 3/4 hp 16 speed Taiwanese machine I purchased 25 years ago. In addition to drilling holes accurately, it was a buffer, sander, grinder, sharpener, and (rather poor) milling machine. The Nova Voyager is something else again.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek
    I wholeheartedly agree Derek! Or because it's a drill press would that be "holeheartedly"? The chasm between consumer grade and industrial grade requires bags of $$$. Not that we need industrial for WWKg though. Is your Nova made by the same company that has made lathe chucks and centres? I bought some Nova woodturning accessories and I recall that they were made in your hemisphere. They were and still are working perfectly in my shop. If your DP is made by them then I bet it is great!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
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    9,469
    Chris, yes, the Nova Voyager drill press probably shares the same motor as the Nova Saturn lathe.





    Both variable speed, 2 hp, direct drive. From New Zealand.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  10. #10
    Ah, neat! Thanks for responding to my question.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2019
    Location
    Lafayette, CA
    Posts
    832
    My drill press, a 16-1/2" Delta 17-965, has not been on any voyages, except from China to Amazon Tool Crib to me when I bought it in 2002. To change speeds you open the top and move 2 belts among 3 sheave sets. It has a legitimate 8-1/4" throat capacity, and at a humble 3/4 HP has never bogged down regardless of bit size, hole depth, or sanding drum diameter.

    Delta drill press.jpg

    I lived over fifteen years without a decent fence or table, so a few years ago I made this simple setup:

    fence 1.jpg fence 2.jpg

    The dust collection is a welcome convenience, but the fine 2-axis adjustability is the best part. I used the lower left setup to lock in the position of a round oak 5" handwheel. It also winds down about 24" or so for end holes.

    If I had it to do again, I'd have left a recess in the middle of the fence for boring holes close to the edge of work. Derek's split fence idea is probably the optimum design. As it is, I prop the work up on plywood scrap layers as needed to raise it to near the top of the fence. Problem solved.

    Like others on this thread, I also greatly appreciate the utilitarian value of a drill press in the shop. I used it to make cherry shelf pins for a cabinet I keep threatening to finish.

    IMG_4687.jpg IMG_4688.jpg IMG_4690.jpg
    Attached Images Attached Images

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