# diy wooden X-Y table and rotary head



## SparkyOR (Oct 15, 2009)

Not sure if this is the best category for this,...I had a small Harbor Freight Mill for awhile, didn't use it enough to keep the money out of circulation, so I decided to make a wooden X-Y table for my vintage bench drill press. 
I have done some "wood milling" with it, as well as sanding parts feeding it with the cross feed, and cutting arcs with the optional rotary table. What do you think?


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## Dr.Zook (Sep 10, 2004)

Great work Jim. That's using the ole head.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

That's a great idea Jim and with a custom designed router table to accommodate it could have lots of uses, especially in the X direction for mortice and tenon joints. Well done.


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## Duane867 (Oct 25, 2008)

Awesome !


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## Noob (Apr 18, 2009)

Congrats on a clever design. Could you show some bottom shots? I'd like to see how the X and Y slide axis are connected together.


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## istracpsboss (Sep 14, 2008)

Well thought out. However, IMHO you should only use it for light work, as the bearings in drill presses are not designed for lateral pressure. 
Normal motion in a drill press is up and down, which is what the bearings are designed for. Milling machines use bearings suited to side pressures.

Cheers

Peter


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## SparkyOR (Oct 15, 2009)

I will post photos clarifying the interconnection between the X and Y slides. basically it consists of a dovetailed hardwood slide, in the center is a 10mm dia steel furniture connector (1/4-20 threaded) used for knock down assembly.
My old Delta Milwaukee drill press has much stouter contruction in the head than do most of the modern Chinese imports. And I use slow feed rates, and am not likely to mill steel. But I do like to push the envelope and see what breaks, then address that:moil:
Thanks for the feedback!


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## Noob (Apr 18, 2009)

istracpsboss said:


> Well thought out. However, IMHO you should only use it for light work, as the bearings in drill presses are not designed for lateral pressure.
> Normal motion in a drill press is up and down, which is what the bearings are designed for. Milling machines use bearings suited to side pressures.
> 
> Cheers
> ...


I would imagine if he doesn't try to hog out a 1" deep slot at one time but instead does that in steps it would probably be alright.

A little off topic (but somewhat related) but that is one of the reasons I have hesitated on using drum sanders designed for drill presses. I have a benchtop Ryobi drill press, and was wondering if it could handle one of these: Rubber Sanding Drum Set


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Paulo

For a little bit, the dress press is not the same as a mill 

========

A little off topic (but somewhat related) but that is one of the reasons I have hesitated on using drum sanders designed for drill presses. I have a benchtop Ryobi drill press, and was wondering if it could handle one of these: Rubber Sanding Drum Set[/quote]


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## SparkyOR (Oct 15, 2009)

Somebody needs to tell this guy he can't do that!
Milling instruction video: Milling on the Drill Press by Jose Rodriguez

When using it for stock removal, I make shallow passes, about .030" deep. When using it for drum sanding the ends of stock, about the same. One place where it is most useful is accurate drilling,...I clamp a digital caliper on it, (or 2).
I have used a rechargeable drill with a hex socket to power feed it when routing wood, it's a bit over stimulating.

Why didn't I just buy a crossfeed vise? X-axis range, weight, accuracy of adjusting ways on Chinese vises looks pretty dodgy, and I remember seeing old articles for making wooden lathes and cross feed vises and couldn't resist the bug. Everything came from the local hardware store, mostly 1/4-20 fasteners and threaded rod, plus a couple of those special "bed nuts". I don't know what they are actually called.


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## SparkyOR (Oct 15, 2009)

The hardware bit I used are sometimes called cross dowels...
Evenfall Woodworks » Using Cross Dowels
They are handy in other jigs.


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## gregW (Mar 14, 2007)

Jim,
Nice job..that's a pretty slick setup!


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

SparkyOR said:


> Somebody needs to tell this guy he can't do that!
> Milling instruction video: Milling on the Drill Press by Jose Rodriguez
> 
> When using it for stock removal, I make shallow passes, about .030" deep. When using it for drum sanding the ends of stock, about the same. One place where it is most useful is accurate drilling,...I clamp a digital caliper on it, (or 2).
> ...


I have a mill/drill which is a converted Chinese multispeed drill press, I do light milling on brass and aluminium, whilst the quill bearings are quite hefty, the shaft isn't hollow and so a draw bar can't be fitted, but for wood, I really don't see a problem. For heavy milling I use the metal lathe with the milling slide.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

H7979 5-1/2" x 12" Compound Slide Table
G5757 Compound Slide Table

The drill press that have a round table top will rotate. so no need to add a "rotary" fixture, it's built in.

=========


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## Noob (Apr 18, 2009)

bobj3 said:


> H7979 5-1/2" x 12" Compound Slide Table
> G5757 Compound Slide Table
> 
> The drill press that have a round table top will rotate. so no need to add a "rotary" fixture, it's built in.
> ...


Throw in $14-$16 for shipping plus another $20 for a drill press vise and shipping and it starts adding up (obviously for some that's nothing, for others that's alot). I applaud Sparky's inventiveness.

I will throw out another option if it's alright though. In a Popular Woodworking article, they show one of the compound slide table you posted and then show how to mod a cross sliding vise to save money. 

Basically you disassemble a vise, drill and tap two 1/4-20 holes, and re-assemble it and you have a better vise. In that article it's not for milling though, they use it for making mortises. Make a hole, slide the piece over, and make another hole.

The Grizzly vise the used in that article opens to 3 3/4", but the Harbor Freight vise is assembled the exact same way and will work if you choose to make one.

5" Cross Slide Vise
6" Cross Slide Vise

Popular Woodworking 3-D Mortising Upgrade


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

"I applaud Sparky's inventiveness"

I do also  

http://www.routerforums.com/attachm...8-cross-slide-vise-benchtop-mortiser-1389.jpg

http://www.routerforums.com/tools-woodworking/16839-cross-slide-vise-benchtop-mortiser.html

=======


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## SparkyOR (Oct 15, 2009)

Harry
I really admire how neat and tidy your drill press area is. I keep hoping someday to put things in such good order, but I guess that's not who I really am.


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## SparkyOR (Oct 15, 2009)

Harry,
I like the drill column bit holder. Can you show a downward shot? looks like you can move it and the platform around. Clever. Did you make the drill indexes?


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## Noob (Apr 18, 2009)

bobj3 said:


> "I applaud Sparky's inventiveness"
> 
> I do also
> 
> ...


Bob, I should have known you and somebody else on here already modded a cross-sliding vise. Do you ever sleep?


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## mikered86monte (Feb 12, 2010)

hey can you send me plans for diy wooden X-Y table and rotary head?

send to [email protected]


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## Stefang (Feb 10, 2010)

This looks like a great idea Jim. I'm very interested in this and would sure appreciate more details if you care to share them with us. I'm thinking here about the part we can't see. It might be handy to use with an overhead router mounted to the drillpress too.


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## billybuck (Feb 13, 2010)

from "new kid in town", former machinist...(just joined,remember me?)...with my background I imedeiately noticed the "digital read-out"...this is going to be fun!
Gotta' make chips!...Gotta' make chips!...


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## SparkyOR (Oct 15, 2009)

I'll try and post more photos this weekend, working get's in the way of the fun stuff.
and then there's doing taxes....


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## lawrencel (Apr 26, 2010)

looks great. did you only use square ways on your table or any dovetails? any uhmw strips for gibs? 
you also mentioned a rotary head. do you have any pictures of that?
i'm also interested in elevating my woodworking to the level of machining, so making screws, nuts and gears all out of wood to be able to make wooden machines, or a machines out of a combination of wood and metal, all with 1/1000" accuracy. have you seen matthias wandel's machines or steven garrison's wood gears?
anyone else interested in this type of stuff?


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## Dr.Zook (Sep 10, 2004)

Hello Larry. Welcome to the RouterForums. Glad to have you as a member.


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## SparkyOR (Oct 15, 2009)

*getting back, better late than never?*

Hi Larry
The mechanism is basically built using hardwood runners on the outside, cut at 30degrees to make dovetails. The hardwood center blocks are cut at the same angle. Centered in each block is one of those 10mm cylindrical nuts that are cross drilled and threaded 1/4-20. The runners are held down to a ply base at 3"intervals with flathead 1/4 screws and locknuts. If minor adjustments are necessary, a little tapping with a mallet will suffice. particular care in drilling the hold bolts (2 to 4) to fasten the sliding block to the stage above them.
If you do some searching you can find reprints of old magazine articles on making crossfeeds for lathes to enable them to cut metal. Same sort of construction. Mathias Wandels tools are beautiful, past my present level of attention and time.


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## louis5377 (Feb 8, 2012)

Thanks Sparky for posting more pics....It clears things up enough for me to give it a try. Very well thought out...I needed a plan or idea for my wood lathe. The compound milling vice I have from HF does not work because the controls do not clear the headstock. Biulding one of these will let me get close up to the stock. Thanks for taking the time to post.


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## dick in ia (Jul 23, 2007)

Jim,
Nice job..I can see plenty of uses for your jig. Keep up the good work.

Dick
__________________


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## olwudwurker (Mar 16, 2011)

Way to go Sparky. Great idea. Keep 'em coming.


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