# The most pitiful drill press table you have seen in a long time ...



## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

I know it is pitiful, but it is 100 times better than what I had before (which was nothing), so I will share it anyways.

Please be easy on me 

The most basic and crappy drill press table you have most likely ever seen. It is a 1/2" piece of ply with 2 1/2" pieces on it, built up to make what you see here. It is attached to the press's table with the 2 carriage bolts you see in front.

Initially, the tracks were shorter, and i quickly realized that I had made them too short, so I lengthened the outside ones.

The tracks in the front are probably useless, but I glued them on and they really don't want to come off, so they are there for good. I probably should have looked at pics of tables others had built before I started ... I would have realized that no-one has tracks like that. 

I also need to finish the outside edges to bring them up to the same level as the rest of the surface. 









Also, probably the most basic fence you have ever seen. It's just a piece of 1x2 with holes in it and a couple of my home made knobs that attach it to the outer tracks. At this point, I just need something i can hold the workpiece against. I will probably realize soon how short-sighted and naive that attitude is.

At least I was thinking ahead a little because I have a replaceable drill landing zone that fits a 1x4 piece of stock.









A few pics of ways I wiil be able to use some of the hold downs I made that were modeled after deepsplinter's hold downs (props to deepsplinter for these awesome things!). You will notice that mine are more ghetto than his because I used 3/4" square stock and cut and glued them (I'm still not very comfortable using my router yet). The short ones are even open on one end as an experiment; I wanted it to be easier to flip them over without having to take the bolt apart, but I am not sure if they will hold up without being held together on one end. They are made from poplar, and seem to be holding up pretty well so far.


----------



## thrinfo (Jan 21, 2012)

If the job is done, what more can you ask, we work with what we got and can make great furniture.
So no laughing just, good job and well done


----------



## frankr4ever (Jan 12, 2012)

want to trade?


----------



## JudgeMike (Feb 27, 2012)

Way better than mine which I haven't made yet. I can see a few things which are obvious to me though, which I like, and will incorporate into my future table. First off you are very creative. I like your wooden, homemade I presume , knobs. Your homemade clamps can be used upright or upside down. I also like the idea of having no hole in the center of the table. You have the work piece itself raised with scrap wood. Thanks for sharing.


----------



## andysden (Aug 9, 2011)

Great looking if the poplar fails get some maple or hickory or even mohagany to hold down would be great for multi drilling setup keep on drilling Andy


----------



## The Warthog (Nov 29, 2010)

Don't be so hard on yourself. If it gets the job done it doesn't have to be pretty. My fence is a piece of wood with slots drilled in it that rides in the X shaped slots on the metal base table. No big deal. When I have time, I'll build something better. You've done a good job.


----------



## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Chris, I don't understand why you're down on yourself. That is actually a very clever device - with considerable multi-function capabilities! Your "replaceable landing zone" is something that is often overlooked and you've planned ahead to use a size of scrap that is readily available. Your use of T-slots is quite interesting and your photos do a good job of showing differing applications. I'll let you in on a little secret: I am a very successful inventor - with products sold world wide for almost 40 years, now. In my first few years I tried to make everything perfect. That attitude kept me working slowly with constant worry about something not working perfectly on prototype number one. As I've matured, I've developed a whole new attitude, which is to try a variety of things - many of my trials are wildly "ouside of the box". Believe it or not, I ACTUALLY BUILD THINGS WITH A HOPE OF FAILURE; I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but this attitude has served me well now for around 30 years. When something fails (and they do), I learn very valuable info that becomes mental data to make me smarter. It gives me a route to "accelerated experience". This is what the automobile business has been doing for many years - otherwise new models would be the same as the old models. It is all in your attitude - if there are features that need improvement based on your experience with the drill press table picture above, make note of these items - this is why I say, "Tweak Everything". The world is full of people that say "You can't do that", well guess what? Maybe you can do that with a new and innovative approach! You should be proud Chris of the product you've shown us here. I think it is really COOL!


----------



## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

you people are too nice. it's just that i see other people post their stuff and they are always well thought out and professional looking.

then i make one and it is, well, embarassing. but no worries ... i'm good 

thanks for the encouragement. i can and will keep working and make it better.


----------



## cchowland (Aug 2, 2011)

Looks alright to me and if it works its perfect.

Chris.


----------



## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Chris, it doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to get the job done. Maybe a look at my drill press table will make you feel better?

A 2-1/2" hole for the vacuum hose. Flipped upside down for hole sawing. Add a piece for drum sanding. Always just clamped in place. It doesn't get much simpler than this.


----------



## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

*tweaked*

I tweaked it a little ...

- The sides are now flush to the rest of the top.

- I put a ruler (the 61 cent one from Home Depot of course) on the front, lined up with the center of the bit.

- I had a home made t track i was playing with that just so happened to fit perfectly on the side, so now I have a place to store my hold downs.

It is getting there slowly ...


----------



## wbh1963 (Oct 11, 2011)

Chris,

Your set up is quite deluxe and well thought out compared to what I have been using.

Six months or so ago I got so tired of looking at a scrap piece of used shelf board (12in x .75 by about 50 in long) I decided to make it a 'sacrificial offering' to designing a 'multifunction table saw sled'. I had visions of a generic cross cut sled with a rear fence set up to accept sized keys allowing it to work as a box joint jig also.

It ended up on my drill press before I figured out how to put rails on the underside of it for the table saw's miter slots. With about 2 feet of surface in each direction heading out from the bit, it's a snap to poke holes in the end of a 4' long piece without needing to set up additional workpiece stands/supports. The first couple months I just clamped it down. Several weeks ago I did get motivated enough to pop a couple holes in it and bolt it down to the press table.

The downside to bolting it down is that now I cant move the fence closer to or further back from the bit just by loosening the clamps.

I'm still not sure what all I will end up doing for a 'long term' press table, but I do know that being able to use the milling machine vise I picked up last week will be a central feature of it. The jaws open to 6" and it has 7 3/8" of travel along both an X and a Y axis. Harbor Freight has them marked down to 69.99 from 99.99 and I dropped a 20% off coupon on them to kick it down to 56 bucks or so.

Link to the Cross Slide Vise page on HF's Website


----------



## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

OK. I'll say it.
That DP table is crap.
There. Ya feel better now? 
Now get to work making something.


----------



## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

AxlMyk said:


> OK. I'll say it.
> That DP table is crap.
> There. Ya feel better now?
> Now get to work making something.


Finally, someone being honest .... thanks!



the problem is, i don't have anything REAL to make, i'm essentially just wasting time screwing around in the shop with no REAL purpose.


----------



## wbh1963 (Oct 11, 2011)

Chris Curl said:


> Finally, someone being honest .... thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> the problem is, i don't have anything REAL to make, i'm essentially just wasting time screwing around in the shop with no REAL purpose.


Anything in the 'jigs & tabletops' area with inlaid T tracking is several steps up the evolutionary ladder from the bottom....


----------



## camerio1 (Mar 23, 2012)

Chris this is a very nice set up and soon you will be able to sell the concept so keep on going, it does not have to be nice looking but it sure has to work.


----------



## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

You have nothing to make (repair)?!! 
Does your wife know about this?


----------



## capt. lucky (Mar 4, 2012)

chris that is a nice job! there was a lot of thought went in to it. keep up the good work 
Ron :dance3:


----------



## NavyCharles24 (Feb 23, 2011)

It's nice to see the encouragement in this Forum. And the pictures of your personal Shop are very encouraging and insightful. Thanks.


----------



## blindsniper (Aug 21, 2011)

Dude, I see nothing pitiful about this. Well done


----------

