# Drill Press Table



## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

I decided to redo my drill press table. As many of you know the table that come with the drill press are not designed for woodworker. The first one I made I was happy with but decided to improve on things. After using this I can honestly say I know what I would like and things that I never used. My old drill press table was simple and easy to build. I have used many of the same features for the new one and decided to run hardwood around the outer edge for added strength. 

I had a warping issue with the old one so on this drill press table I thought I would use two layers of 3/4" good one side birch plywood with hardwood edging.

I have taken pictures to document my progress.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

Here are the other shots of the DPT (Drill Press Table) makeover.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

I have an issue with the table bowing right now. I am trying to use standard birch plywood and perhaps I may need to revert to using 1" MDF for greater stability and flatness. I am hoping like hell the Alder wood I am using for the edging around the Drill Press Table (DPT) will help take the bow out of the table top.

Time will tell but in the last two pictures you can see the extent of how much the table is out of flatness.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Nice Job Dan. I have a 16.5" Delta and the table on it wasn't made for metalworking either. I bought a cross slide vise for it and had to mount it on a board so that I could center it under the quill.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

Makes you wonder if the people who make the tools ever tried using them. I understand R&D and the process in designing things but it has been how long since drill press tables were built. More and more woodworkers are coming on stream given the price of the tools have come down making it more affordable for your DIY's like myself.

What are your thoughts on laminating the top surface? Should I or is it better to leave it bare plywood?


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## NoChatter (Dec 4, 2010)

Looking good man. I just found a used Grizzly bench top and I am going to make a top for it so thanks for sharing your ideas. Had you thought about a piece of angled stock for the bottom to keep it flat. Even good aluminum will work. I just tried a piece at the borg and it was only 1/2 angled aluminum and it would not budge with 200+ lbs. of force,especially a short piece.


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## IC31 (Nov 16, 2012)

That drill press looks very much like a later version of my Harbor Freight DP.

Your mod is well thought out - but that dam' bow !!!! If I were to make a similar arrangement, I would find a piece of 2x2x1/8 or 3/16 angle iron to bolt on the bottom side to keep the table straight. You may have to re-make that top to get it straight though as I found with the warped 'cabinet grade' plywood in the table saw cabinet I just made. No amount of 'heroic' measures with many clamps helped - so my project is what it is and a couple of gaps will never seen by anyone else. 

I may just have to upgrade my DP in a similar manner though it is used for steel/automotive work as well and will have to be easily removeable


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

When and why did it bow? Was it the glue that caused it?

Would it have not bowed if it was clamped to something known to be flat while it was drying?

I recently glued two 3" wide strips of 3/4 ply that were bowed before I started, but I clamped them to something that was known to be flat hoping to straighten them out, and they came out straight. I oriented them so that the edges touched and they bulged out in the middle.


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## rwl7532 (Sep 8, 2011)

I'm waiting on Quillman to show and tell.
Drill Press Essentials


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Hi Dan. My table was just a piece of 12mm ply that I used to clamp a piece of 2 x 4 to as a fence and was starting to bow. I pulled it of last week to build one similar to yours.

After I spent an hour making sure the metal table was plumb to the chuck, which it now is, I decided to leave it bare for the time being.

I felt it was more important that the chuck be dead square.

The table has been added to the 'to do list'..........

Yours would be better than any I made......


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

Dan I was just looking at a table in MLCS but couldn't justify not making one myself. Two questions: In picture 7 you seem to have routed out the bottom to sit on the table however you also have tee tracks to attach it to the table. Wouldn't the tee tracks sit out side of the table edge? Question 2 is it necessary to have the top tee tracks as long as they are or would just a few inches from the back (long enough to reach the center of the quill) be all that is needed? In other words do you ever have a need to move the fence in front of the quill?


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

Chris Curl said:


> When and why did it bow? Was it the glue that caused it?
> 
> Would it have not bowed if it was clamped to something known to be flat while it was drying?
> 
> I recently glued two 3" wide strips of 3/4 ply that were bowed before I started, but I clamped them to something that was known to be flat hoping to straighten them out, and they came out straight. I oriented them so that the edges touched and they bulged out in the middle.



I used contact cement to attach the two pieces of 3/4" Birch. 

The plwood must have bowed prior to the glue. To recitfy the warp I have placed two pieces of wood to elevate the table up off the workbench, I then used 6" C-clamps and clamped the middle of the board causing it to bow down and hopefully take out the warp. It is sitting overnight and after I get off work today I will remove the clamps and see how it is.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

mgmine said:


> Dan I was just looking at a table in MLCS but couldn't justify not making one myself. Two questions: In picture 7 you seem to have routed out the bottom to sit on the table however you also have tee tracks to attach it to the table. Wouldn't the tee tracks sit out side of the table edge? Question 2 is it necessary to have the top tee tracks as long as they are or would just a few inches from the back (long enough to reach the center of the quill) be all that is needed? In other words do you ever have a need to move the fence in front of the quill?


The T-Tracks on the bottom piece are used for hold down clamps to secure it to the Drill Press table. This allows the table to be removed quickly in case I need to drill metal and not require the table. I will post pictures for you to see what I am trying to explain. Pictures are worth a thousand words.

The t-Tracks on top will stop short and not run to the front. As you stated they only have to be short to allow the fence to get to the quill ( thanks never knew what it was called till now :yes4

I will also have a T-Track running perpendicular to the table width wise. This will allow more clamping and the use of feather boards if the need arises.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

NoChatter said:


> Looking good man. I just found a used Grizzly bench top and I am going to make a top for it so thanks for sharing your ideas. Had you thought about a piece of angled stock for the bottom to keep it flat. Even good aluminum will work. I just tried a piece at the borg and it was only 1/2 angled aluminum and it would not budge with 200+ lbs. of force,especially a short piece.


Thats is an excellent suggestion, thank you. I had to do something similar to the cabinet I buil tout of 3/4 MDF next to my tablesaw. 

Thanks for the reminder, if the clamps I put on last night do not work I will have to resort for "Plan B".

The Collective think tank this forum has is enormous and very helpful. Thanks to people like you it certainly makes the learning curve a lot less "steep"!


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

TRN_Diesel said:


> I used contact cement to attach the two pieces of 3/4" Birch.
> 
> The plwood must have bowed prior to the glue. To recitfy the warp I have placed two pieces of wood to elevate the table up off the workbench, I then used 6" C-clamps and clamped the middle of the board causing it to bow down and hopefully take out the warp. It is sitting overnight and after I get off work today I will remove the clamps and see how it is.


Dan,

Do you think that the contact cement allowed them to slide against each other for the warp to remain?

In other words, do you think that if you had used something like titebond and a flat surface, that would have held them together better and not allowed the warp to overpower the bonds of the contact cement?

This question relates to a thread that Jerry recently started asking about using other types of glues or sprays for face gluing 2 pieces.

Please don't think I am passive agressively criticizing your method or or choices you made, because that is truly not my purpose. I am just trying to get your real world insight into the situation you find yourself in and learn as much as I can from it. Thanks.

Re attaching it to the DP's table, I embedded tee-nuts in between the 2 pieces of ply lined up with the holes in the table. Then a 1/4-20 and a knob hold it down. Just another cheap way to skin the same cat.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

NO worries Chris. The contact cement worked very well and I prefer it over Titebond personally. The Titebond I find creates a slippery surface and is tougher to lineup the two pieces. The contact cement in my opinion bonds right away and ensures a tight bond (no pun intended)

The plywood pieces were slighly warped prior to the glue up. I knew this and wanted to experiment and see if I can recitfy the situation. I could of spent the extra money and bought Baltic Birch which is dead flat and stable but hell where is the fun in that? Goes without saying you get what you pay for and hence the $32 sheet of plywood over cabinet grade plywood at $90 a sheet or Baltic Birch. 

I am confident I can fix this and I am looking forward to the finished product. I will use some of the black laminate I have left over from my Work Mate project and finish the table top was as well as the fence with it. Black on black with grey T-Track, it will look sharp and hopefully provide me with years of service. If not I go back and buy some MDF or Balatic birch. In end its all good cause I get to try new things and learn from my mistakes.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

Tonight I came home and decided to show you how I clamped the DPT to try and flaten it out. I am going to head over to buy some AL angle iron just in case this fails. I also got another order for a bird feeder so I will pick some more cedar up


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

Dan, those are some big mother c clamps!


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

Chris if your going to clamp you have to go big or go home! 

Tonight I got the edging made and attached using biscuits. 

I started making the fence tonight. Once the laminate is done I can cut the dados for the mitre slots on the table and fence. This will be my first time using the double slot style from Lee Valley so I will try it on a scrap piece to make sure I have it dialed in and hopefully only have to do it once.

Have a look at the pictures with captions to explain what I have done thus far.


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

what are the dimensions of the table?

and is the fence front 2 pieces of 3/4" ply glued together?


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

DPT is 18" x 34 3/4" 

Fence is 2 3/4" tall x 34 3/4" long (2 pieces of 3/4" Birch plywood glued together).


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

Got a lot done on the DPT today in the shop.

I worked on routing the recess in the center of the table, made the fence and cut the Aluminium.

I have taken pictures showing you step by step how I did it. Sorry for the number of pictures but I wanted to make sure I was clear for anyone else trying to do this if it is their first DPT build.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

Here are some more pictures, I did warn you there were a lot of pictures.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

More pictures.


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

As Harry would say "a picture is worth a 1,000 words"....

Never too many pictures. Gives all of us beginners something to go by.



> I have taken pictures showing you step by step how I did it. Sorry for the number of pictures but I wanted to make sure I was clear for anyone else trying to do this if it is their first DPT build.


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Outstanding job Dan!!!! You got all the bases covered. I can't wait til you put a few miles on her and see if you might have done anything different. This one is getting bookmarked.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

James I am glad you agree and I hope it helps you if you decide to build one if you haven't already.

Thanks Bill it has been very enjoyable to build this and I hope it performs as intended. I will try and get the lamination for the fence finished tomorrow and will build some matching stops to use.

I re-used the old t-tracks and I may install the new ones because I require a stronger track. The old one does not incoporate the double track which hold in the track. In this instance I need the added strength to secure DPT to the existing table.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

*Drill Press Table Completed*

Got back from Jasper late last night so I could finish the Drill Press Table today. 

I laminated the font face of the fence as well as the back. 

I used 1/4-20 threaded inserts to attach the Aluminium fence.

I had to replace the T-Track in the bottom with the double slotted T-Track form Lee Valley. Took a little extra time but now it is rock solid and the t-track does not pull out now.

On the back side of the fence I used bigger knobs, my fingers can grab them easier. The fence now is very easy to adjust and move. I may rout another dado on the topside of the fence but will wait and see if I require it.

I will make new stops for it as well and post them when I have built them.

I am very pleased with the outcome and look forward to using my new DPT.

Thanks for stopping in and seeing my latest project. If you have any question please do not hesitate to drop me a message or post in this thread.

As usual I have included pictures showing my progress along with captions explaining what I did.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

Old drill press table versus new drill press table


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

great! my office is remodeling and i grabbed a bunch of right-angle aluminum they were discarding. i intend to use it similar to how you used it for your fence.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

Well done Chris, this Aluminum stuff is pricey, it cost me $22.00 for it but I am glad I used it. There is no flex in the fence like my old one. Everything can be removed and re-used on a new fence if need be.


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## greenacres2 (Dec 23, 2011)

Nice table Dan. Your photos are excellent, an i for one appreciate the quantity.

Side effect of looking at the pictures--yours and others--after about a year of woodworking, i've come to realize that i need more natural light. I've been watching Craigslist for a deal on windows, not that i need another project but light is way too important!!


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

Earl

Light is so important and I did my lighting based on an article out of Fine Wooodworking magazine. I have three rows of light in my shop, each row has (2) eight foot lights with (4) T8 bulbs. I do not require task lighting and I am glad I went with the extra lighting. As we get older we also find we require more light. 

The window you see in the back ground was bought at a place in Edmonton called Home Re-Useables. They recycle home building supplies and I bought the window for $25.00. I had to make the brick mold on the outside of the window but it takes in light due to the southern exposure. 

If you have the extra height in the ceiling in your shop I would recommend putting in long narow horizontal windows. This way you still have the use of the wall for storage and hanging jigs or cabinets. But this is off topic for this thread and you may want to have a look at my other thread where I showed how I built my shop.


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## jholly (Nov 18, 2012)

Thanks for all the photos. It will help when I build mine.


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