must have accessories for a drill press??

[kooshball]

I just picked up my first drill press this week (DL 16.5" floor press) and am getting it ready for action. I am thinking about buying a mortise attachment but what else should I pick up so that this tool can be as useful as possible (excluding the lathe attachments)

Thanks

 

[froglips]

Drill bits?


Sorry, I couldn't help myself

I'd caution you on the mortise attachment. Many have had less than satisfactory results.

I would recommend something called a "no-bit" and a dial indicator. The combo make testing and adjusting alignment much easier.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[jimwill48]

Don't know about the mortising attachment, most say they are pretty worthless. The one thing you do want is a good drill press vise, I like the ones that have y & z slides. A good table also comes to mind.

James

 

[Bigdog72]

Forstner bits and good table

 

[Joe Scharle]

Sanding drums, mops are good to have.

 

[Ken Massingale]

Put the $$$ for the mortise attachment aside and add some to it as you can and get a Mortise Pal. The original version can be had for $100 or less if you look around and are patient.
As said, forstners and build a good table with plenty of room, t-track for hold-downs and a good fence.
Learn which speeds to use, especially for the forstners.

Enjoy the DP, IMO they are one of the most useful tools in the shop.

 

[brian_hunt]

Get some Freud forstner bits and some good chisels instead of that mortising attachment. I just picked up the new hold downs from Rockler - it's very frustrating to try to clamp wood to the drill press table without them!

 

[FredP]

make or buy a nice table for it and get a DP vise. very handy.:icon_thum

 

[CarvedTones]

I love my little microplane rotary rasps. Kind of like sanding drums but less dust.

Pick up one of the little disk sander attachments that has a screw and washer that holds a rubber disk. It can sand stuff that isn't perfectly flat and you can make a little circle of ply or MDF to use for honing tools that attaches to the post.

 

[walnutjerry]

Like anything else--------gear the DP accessories to what you want to do. If you do not do much mortise and tenon joinery the worth is questionable. It takes a little time to install it on the drill press and then get the fence set up, etc, I have had one in the past--------I now have a dedicated mortise machine, I like it better. Both will do a good job if the chisels and bits are sharp and the fence is parallel to the square chisel. A good table with fence will probably be the biggest advantage for you.

Jerry

 

[cpowell]

Forstner bits and good table

+1

DPs aren't made for side loading applications such as drum sanders, etc. Your best bang for the buck by far would be to get some decent bits (twist, forstner, etc) and build a nice table for it.

I have used mine with drum sander sleeves. Just not nearly as good as an OSS. Paper loads quickly and wears out because the drum sits in one place and all of the sanding action is in a limited area of the drum. This is one of those cases where if you aren't careful you will spend half the price of the Rigid OSS on different DP attachments and still not be satisfied. Still, I managed with the sleeves for a while. I may still have them.

I finally bought the Ridgid OSS at HD when it went on sale. Much better than the DP.

As for mortising I'd caution that the DP is NOT designed for the forces employed while mortising. If you use someone's dedicated mortiser before you buy any DP attachments you will see what I mean.

Chuck

 

[kooshball]

Thanks for all the answers; it looks like it will be a fence, a vice, forstner bits and drill bits to start.

 

[DaveD]

I find a the vise grip type of drill press clamp to be one of the handiest clamps if you drill all kinds of miscellaneous stuff. Particularly if your goal is to just stop it from spinning.

 

[Charles Lent]

Peachtree www.ptree.com offers an excellent plan plus a kit consisting of all of the T track and hardware to build it. It has a side wing that is excellent for drilling long vertical holes in lamp parts, etc. I bought the kit at the wood show in Charlotte and built one out of cabinet birch about 8 years ago. It was reasonably easy and I'm still happy with it.

Charley

 

[jmauldin]

Check out Rockler. They have some great accessories for drill presses. BUT, FORGET about a mortising attachment. A drill press just isn't made to handle the stress needed for a mortiser. Save your money and by a dedicated mortising machine.
Jim in Mayberry

 

[Dusty Sawyer]

IMHO, the two best things you can get for your drill press are

1. A good magnetic light so that you can see the holes you're making - costs about $15-.
2. A magnetic tray like the ones they sell for $5 on sale at Harbor Freight to keep you from loosing things. We all put stuff up there, might as well be smart about it.

David

 

[Gofor]

IMHO, the two best things you can get for your drill press are

1. A good magnetic light so that you can see the holes you're making - costs about $15-.
2. A magnetic tray like the ones they sell for $5 on sale at Harbor Freight to keep you from loosing things. We all put stuff up there, might as well be smart about it.

David

:icon_thum:icon_thum:icon_thum Now, just WHERE did I put that chuck key? I just used it a minute ago!! (BTDT)

Go

 

[Canuck]

Lot's of great suggestions here.:icon_thum

I bought one of these retractable chuck key holders.....

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10762&filter=Retractable Chuck Key Holder

Finally. I know exactly where to find the chuck key! It's hanging right where I left it and it retracts out of the way when I'm done changing bits!

Build yourself a woodworkers DP table with hold downs and a nice adjustable fence! Indispensable!

Wayne

 

[sapwood]

. . . .
Build yourself a woodworkers DP table with hold downs and a nice adjustable fence! Indispensable!

Wayne

+1 You can search Member Photo galleries for some excellent examples.

Roger