# New Drill Press Table



## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

I replaced my old table with one I made from ShopNotes Issue #94.
It has a lot of features such as:

 large table (15x28 inches)
T tracks for hold downs or jigs
Four openings for using common bar clamps to hold the work piece in place.
Fence with T track for mounting stop blocks for repetitive drilling operations (Future Project)
Dust collection box - works great!
Replaceable inserts make it easy to switch from drilling to sanding, or just replace an insert that has been damaged.

The plan called for two pieces of 3/4 inch Baltic Birch. Whew! That stuff is expensive. Recently, I bought a piece of 5 x 5 1/2 inch BB so I made my table out of two pieces (1 inch thick total) and laminated a piece of white Formica to the top. I think it is going to work out just fine.

Another feature included in the plan is a small drawer which is part of the dust collection box. I decided to skip it because I am building a cabinet for the drill press and it will have plenty of drawer space. I blocked off the box just in front of the insert opening.

First time I used it for sanding, the dust collection worked great. It is hooked up to my ShopVac via a shop made adapter. Don't laugh, it works just fine.. When I was drilling a hole in the insert prior to the sanding operation, the ShopVac was moaning and groaning, but the instant the hole saw broke through the piece of mdf, all was right with the world. The ShopVac sighed a big sigh of relief and all the dust immediately disappeared.

Here are some pics of the finished project and some of the construction.
Hope you like them.
Mike


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## bdusten (Mar 22, 2013)

Very nice!


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Some good ideas, there, Mike.


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## Mike Wingate (Apr 26, 2009)

Nice build, now make a fence running on your blue T-slot. Such an advantage.


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## geoff_s (Apr 14, 2012)

I like the wide slots for clamps. I might just modify my drill press tables that way.


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## ronheb454 (Apr 8, 2013)

Hey that looks great, gave me alot of good ideas thanks for sharing.


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## GulfcoastGuy (Feb 27, 2012)

Excellent table. Good photo sequence on the build.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

MT Stringer said:


> The plan called for two pieces of 3/4 inch Baltic Birch. Whew! That stuff is expensive. Recently, I bought a piece of 5 x 5 1/2 inch BB so I made my table out of two pieces (1 inch thick total) and laminated a piece of white Formica to the top. I think it is going to work out just fine.


I think it's going to work out just fine also. Nice table. That's just one of the many reasons I consider plans just guidelines, the originator always thinks they know what's going to work best, and that's not necessarily so.


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## Gaffboat (Mar 11, 2012)

Very nice, great photos. The clamp slots are a nice idea.


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## neville9999 (Jul 22, 2010)

Nice work top Mike, I would be happy to have one the same, and the other Mike, I like yours as well as the drawer is very neat. Neville


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## Gsamiotes (Aug 20, 2012)

Great looking table. I can see how something like this would make things easier than what I currently have on my drill press (simple piece of plywood with a clamp on guide for a fence). Can you provide any more details on the construction of the replaceable inserts that you made for it?

Thanks.


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## adot45 (Feb 6, 2013)

Great looking table, great build pictures too. Thanks


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## Mike Wingate (Apr 26, 2009)

My drawer backs on to the dust collection recess from the round interchangeable inserts that suit my collection of drum sanders. The fence gives me a thicknessing sander option.


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## papasombre (Sep 22, 2011)

geoff_s said:


> I like the wide slots for clamps. I might just modify my drill press tables that way.


Hi, Geoff.

I´ll second that!!!


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## tediam (Mar 1, 2009)

I don't know about the gap between the table top and the tops of the tee-slotsl There is room for the tops on either side of the tee-slots to be pulled up into the gap during clamping, deforming them. Continual clammping and re-clamping, over time, will create work-hardening and eventually short cracks will begin to appear perpendicular to the length of the tops on either side of the slot. A simple fix would be to add the same laminate that is on the table top to each side of the tee-slot opening. There would be no upward pulling on the tee's tops that way. Instead, there would be a sandwiching action on the top sides of the slot openings - without deforming the them.


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## tediam (Mar 1, 2009)

Good work on the table. I intend to build one soon and I think this will be a good candidate as a plan.


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

tediam said:


> I don't know about the gap between the table top and the tops of the tee-slotsl There is room for the tops on either side of the tee-slots to be pulled up into the gap during clamping, deforming them. Continual clammping and re-clamping, over time, will create work-hardening and eventually short cracks will begin to appear perpendicular to the length of the tops on either side of the slot. A simple fix would be to add the same laminate that is on the table top to each side of the tee-slot opening. There would be no upward pulling on the tee's tops that way. Instead, there would be a sandwiching action on the top sides of the slot openings - without deforming the them.


No worries, Ted. If I tear it up, I will build another one. 

BTW, it has been working out great. I still haven't built a fence because I simply haven't needed one. When I drilled out the recesses (12) for the door hinges recently, I clamped up a temporary fence (just a straight board). It made the drilling easy and spot on.


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## Harrison67 (May 30, 2012)

"That's just one of the many reasons I consider plans just guidelines, the originator always thinks they know what's going to work best, and that's not necessarily so."





That's the way I always looked at plans, customize to your own needs.:yes4:


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

Update: I finally got around to building a simple fence - two pieces of maple glued and screwed together. I added a track to the top so I can use the swing stops from the miter saw station and table saw crosscut sled. There is no need for a tape measure because there is no way I want to change the settings on the stops. They work great on the other tools and my cuts are accurate.

Here are a few pics. I have a template set up for drilling the holes for cabinet hinges. It is a simple board with two holes drilled in the correct mounting position from each end of the door and spaced in from the edge a tad. Boy this was easy peasy. I lined up the board for both holes and set the fence. Then I set the two swing stops for the corresponding holes already drilled in the template.

I just swing one stop out of the way and drill all holes, then swap stops and drill the other holes. Perfect fit. It didn't take hardly any time to drill the 12 holes.

Hope you get some inspiration for your drill press.
Mike


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## BCK (Feb 23, 2014)

right on....does the job


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## mstrfnsh (Aug 19, 2013)

Looks like it works great, thanks for posting and all the pics,I really like it. Now after selling my milling machine I need to get a good drill press,your post give me food for thought. Al


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## BCK (Feb 23, 2014)

nice job..great ideas for clamps etc...


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

Great looking drill press table and well built! 

Do you plan on adding a fence in the future?


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

TRN_Diesel said:


> Great looking drill press table and well built!
> 
> Do you plan on adding a fence in the future?


Yes sir. I did. See post #19.
Thanks.
Mike


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

Oops I missed that page somehow. How do you like the Kreg stop? I love mine. I use it on my mitre station and my Super Sled. Great addition to the shop.


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

TRN_Diesel said:


> Oops I missed that page somehow. How do you like the Kreg stop? I love mine. I use it on my mitre station and my Super Sled. Great addition to the shop.


That's exactly where my stops came from. 
Mike


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