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Thread: A little drill press maintenance

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Colorado, USA
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    108
    Quote Originally Posted by Barry McFadden View Post
    Just a side note...... I lube the column on my radial saw and drill press with this Dri-Slide that goes on wet and quickly dries and does a great job of keeping everything sliding smoothly without attracting any dust. I've had it for years and think I got it at a Chrysler dealer but not sure. If it is no ;longer around there is probably something like it now.

    Attachment 471589

    I use the same for gears, and it can still be bought, ~$10:
    https://www.drislide.com/products/dr...moly-lubricant

    Found it was better than wax alone but not critical or anything. I got mine as a gift when a friend passed away and his widow gifted me some of his old WW equipment.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Cambridge Vermont
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    2,282
    If you haven't I would adjust the play in the quill. Most DPs have a way of doing it.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
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    Mark, thank you for this mod. I've been searching for a similar method - just did not think to secure the rack.

    For those who don't get it ... what happens when you need to replace a drill bit, and to do so you must raise (or lower) the table ? Well, the table wiggles from side-to-side and you lose the position of the bit.

    My drill press is a Nova Voyager. I built a very nice sub-table ..



    I would rather keep the square and use a second sub-table when drilling angles ...



    What I value is repeatability - the ability to return the drilling action to the exact same spot.

    Every single drill press I have seen or used has the same issue. The problem is caused by the round column. One individual has done what I would like to do, and that is swap to a square column. Here is a video demonstrating this ...



    I cannot do this with the Nova. Fixing the rack so that it does not move may be the next best.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Shorewood, WI
    Posts
    897
    I wonder how difficult it is to get sufficient precision to allow raising and lowering the table without affecting the hole center. It would be nice.

    I might use a machine screw rather than a rivet to make it reversible when that's wanted.

  5. #20
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    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alan Schwabacher View Post
    I...

    I might use a machine screw rather than a rivet to make it reversible when that's wanted.
    That is what I plan to do.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Jan 2022
    Location
    Stevensville, MT
    Posts
    33
    Derek
    Thank you. Very nice table you built. I also like very much the adjustable angle aux table.
    I like repeatability, and with the lube and alignment, the table moves up and down the rack so much easier.

    As mentioned about the quill, I check for perpendicular to the table regularly.

    Appreciate all the comments.

    Mark

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    172
    I just used a C clamp on the rack on my drill press. Easy and easily removed.

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Michigan
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    2,758
    Sometimes I swing the table out of the way so I can drill the end of something long.

    Sometimes I swing it out of the way to make a little elbow room for something I'm doing nearby.

  9. Quote Originally Posted by Keith Pitman View Post
    I just used a C clamp on the rack on my drill press. Easy and easily removed.
    That right there is pure genius!

  10. And when the hole has to be absolutely dead on center...the 45x centering microscope.

    scope01.jpg

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,469
    I tried two C-clamps today. The rack certainly was held firm. However the mechanism has slack in it, and there is about 5 or 6mm sideways movement.

    Mark, have you eliminated all movement? Even a little is too much.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  12. #27
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    Apr 2013
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    Quote Originally Posted by Charles Coolidge View Post
    And when the hole has to be absolutely dead on center...the 45x centering microscope.

    scope01.jpg
    That's a cool tool. Never knew such a thing existed.

  13. #28
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    Apr 2013
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    Okotoks AB
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    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post
    I tried two C-clamps today. The rack certainly was held firm. However the mechanism has slack in it, and there is about 5 or 6mm sideways movement.

    Mark, have you eliminated all movement? Even a little is too much.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek
    I don't see how one would eliminate play. The rack is not a precision machined piece. Securing the rack to the column is not a good strategy for keeping the table in a consistent vertical plane.

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Jan 2022
    Location
    Stevensville, MT
    Posts
    33
    I have no movement at all in the vertical/horizontal plane or side to side.
    When the locking bolt is tightened, no movement at all.

    1DA50942-978F-49AD-AB86-F3C85FC053D1.jpeg
    Last edited by Mark Brewer; 01-18-2022 at 3:52 PM.

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    2,758
    Precision is not easy too get. The square tubing in the video should have been milled.

    For a normal drill press, a keyway could be milled into the side of the column opposite the rack gear and into the clamp with the key captured in the clamp. It could be removable to allow table rotation.

    To allow easy movement the keyway in the column could be tapered so it is narrower at the bottom with a matching key.

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