# "Design review" for drill press cabinet/stand plan



## thistlefly (Dec 2, 2008)

Progress on completing my shop has slowed to a crawl in the last few months, with job craziness and illness. I finally took the time to plow through all the Google Sketchup tutorials on the site Sketchup for Woodworkers - Home, and to use the tool to design a four-drawer cabinet base for my benchtop drill press.

If anyone has questions or suggestions, I would appreciate them. First, I want to make sure the construction is appropriate for the overall weight it will bear around 100 pounds with the drill press and storage), and second, I'm interested in hearing what others might have done differently.

A few Sketchup views and comments are in the next message. I'll be adding dimensions and printing cut lists before getting the lumber and starting the work, but I wanted to get some feedback before going further.

Thanks-

Bob


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## thistlefly (Dec 2, 2008)

*Image files of some Sketchup views*

The main structural members are 3/4" plywood. I was planning to use either Baltic Birch or ApplePly.

The first image is a perspective on the "complete" plan; I didn't add drawers yet, again because I'd like to see if I want to change the plan first after feedback. The top is from a 1.5-inch slab benchtop I yanked from a Costco steel-leg workbench. Not really needed for a stand like this, but why not? 

The second view has the top hidden, showing the frame beneath it (made from 3/4" by 3" stock); I'm planning on using loose tenons. Again, maybe not necessary, but good practice for my first serious project in quite a while, and first crack at loose tenons.

The third image is a flat-on view of the back. I'm rabbeting the sides all the way down (1/2" in), and currently plan to use 3/8" thick stock rather than 1/4" just for added strength. This view also shows the second frame, made like the top one but with the appropriate dimensional change. This sits under the bottom plywood piece, adding support and thickness for the roller wheels I plan to mount.

The last view is one of the sides. It shows the rabbet at the top for the frame inset, as well as the dado 3/4" up from the bottom for the inset plywood bottom piece. The bottom frame sits directly under the plywood bottom, and is not inset into the sides.

I spent a fair amount of time on this model, most of it fiddling around with precise positioning of adjoining parts. Two tips I can pass on which would have avoided 80% of this time: First, working in perspective is great most of the time, but switch to a 2-D view in order to line up parts in the same plane :wacko:. Second, when you're moving a part into place to align with its "neighbor," be sure to drag the part being moved _by the corner that you want to "dock" to the other part(s)._ I don't recall that being mentioned in the tutorials I watched, but it turns an imperfect 15-minute headache into a perfect 3-second operation. No kidding. 

I'll look forward to any suggestions or comments... but for now, I'm almost as delighted as if I were displaying the finished product! :dance3:

Thanks-

Bob


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## MarcoBernardini (Jan 26, 2010)

I'm thinking to add to my drill press cart a very thin drawer for the bits, routing some "cradles" into a piece of MDF 15 mm thick.
Deep drawers are generally useless, for drill press tools.


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## thistlefly (Dec 2, 2008)

I hear you, and had the same thought... but I decided to go with multiple drawers anyway. I used the approach of gradually-increasing drawer sizes moving downward that I found recommended in several books... and it looks nice. 

The thing is, my "emerging shop" is one which occupies the borders of our two-car garage. While I currently have one half of it occupied with bench tools and boxes, drawers will always have a good use for _some_thing.

For the drill press cabinet, I do need a place for larger drill-related things such as the portable "press" that attaches to my drill to get correct angles (including perpendiculars) with the portable drill, and a right-angle attachment for that drill as well. I also have multiple large "boxed sets" of drill bits, and those that are rarely used will likely go in the bottom drawer.

I figure that if I have leftover space in this set of drawers, I can use it for general-purpose tools that have to go _somewhere_, but which aren't specific to any one tool or use. Markup, measuring, whatever. Eventually I might have too many drawers, but right now that sounds like nirvana.


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## vredav (Sep 6, 2009)

I was thinking of building a cabinet similar to yours.
With very little extra room in my garage I have to move things around. 

I was worried about being top heavy. 
I suppose if you fill the bottom drawer with enough weight it should be OK.

What height are you think of. 
I have mine drill press set on a temporary table with the drilling area about stomach high and I am wondering what other people have theirs set to.

David


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## thistlefly (Dec 2, 2008)

The top-heaviness is definitely a concern, though I _think_ there shouldn't be any significant sideways torque on the top.

My drill press is 86 pounds, and is about 37" in height. (I'll also be attaching a drill press table that will add some weight around the midway point.) The cabinet as shown is 27" tall overall, and the casters I'll be installing are 5" tall, so the height will end up being 32." The width of the cabinet is 18", though the top is 22" wide.

32" is low for the typical benchtop, but for bench tools such as drill presses I think it's more comfortable. I'm currently using a Tika portable bench for the drill press which has a height of 32", which is where I got the height for the plan.

Thanks-

Bob

Putting the concern about top heaviness alongside the observation that tall drawers are not useful for a lot of typical drill press tools, I'm thinking that the lowest drawer would be a good place for things such as my (heavy) corner clamps and other largish items that are on the heavy side.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Don't put the bottom drawer in place just fake drawer front than put in some sand bags in the bottom of the cabinet for some mass to keep it upright, they do like to tip over with the mass up high...  not the normal but if put on some long stock on the press they do like to tip over...

========


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## MarcoBernardini (Jan 26, 2010)

bobj3 said:


> Don't put the bottom drawer in place just fake drawer front than put in some sand bags in the bottom of the cabinet for some mass to keep it upright, they do like to tip over with the mass up high...  not the normal but if put on some long stock on the press they do like to tip over...
> 
> ========


The bottom of the stand can also be made with a 1" or 2" iron sheet... saving some space for a drawer and keeping the barycenter pretty low. No need to use a single sheet: even thin layers can be stacked, to make a sort of iron plywood.
For long stocks the best solution, anyway, is to use separate rollers.
Another thing to take in consideration: to bolt the drill at the top of the stand I used an iron flat, 5 mm thick, long as the top width. In this way the solicitations are spread on all the surface, like using humongous washers.


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## vredav (Sep 6, 2009)

Hi Bob,

Were you going to mount the back of the drill press against the back edge of the cabinet.
This might allow you to rotate the head and drill taller pieces of wood.
I read about that somewhere.

David


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