Drill press table rigidity

mkirsch

Well-known Member
I finally figured out why any holes I drill in steel always seemed to wander off the mark and/or come out completely crooked...

The stupid cheap drill press table flexes when I put any appreciable pressure on it!

Short of buying an impossibly heavy production drill press or a mill, has anyone ever done anything to their drill press to reduce or eliminate the flex? Maybe some sort of "kick stand" under the table?
 
I have a heavy compound vise bolted to the table on my drill press. Since this drill press does not have any crank mechanism to raise and lower the table, you have to loosen the table clamp and pick it up yourself.
I keep thinking I will find one of the long stroke hydraulic jacks, like you see used on an engine hoist, and mount it under the table so I can use it to raise or lower the table. That would also solve your problem by adding stability to the table.
 
Dont feel alone. I had same problem with one of
them. What you will find is when you find is that
they flex everywhere, you just notice the table
because it is the worst place. Fix that and then
the next place, usually the column will get you
and if it isn't that the slop in the spindle gets
you. I know you dont want to hear it but the best,
easiest fix is to sell it and buy a used
industrial quality drill press. They can be found
very reasonable if you shop and dicker with the
owner. Check Craigs List and used machinery
dealers. Ebay is the worst place to look price
wise. I paid less than $700 for a Do-all like the
one pictured which I realize is still a chunk of change but the only time I think about it is when I am writing about it,,,
bg_2503_1.jpg
 
I don't demand much from my drill press, as long as it does better than a hand drill. Bottom line - they are rarely designed for high precision work.
 
Quick fix would be a hydraulic jack like stated below. You could use a piece of well pipe and a regular bottle jack.

I really have not had that type of problem. I use an old buffalo drill press for some fairly precision straight holes if a mill is not open. I use a dial indicator to check square/tram the table if it has to line up with other holes. I have to put a pipe cheater on the clamp handle to pull the front of the table in.
 
I bought an old walker turner from the school system that I use. I like stuff that was made in the 40s and 50s as opposed to newer stuff. Stuff was built like tanks back then.
 
Is the table square to the spindle to start? Many are not. Are the drill head and the table both tight to the column? Most new tools need to be adjusted, aligned and tightened to get the best performance from them. I would not blindly trust that a used machine is setup properly, it does not take long to check it.
 

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