Trick for re-aligning DP table to same horizontal position?

marinosr

Richard
Corporate Member
I've run into the following problem a few times, and I wonder if anybody has a trick I can use to solve it...

My drill press table isn't rack and pinion driven, so it can swivel freely around the column. I want to be able to clamp a workpiece to the table, drill a hole, then move the table vertically while maintaining the same dead-on radial position, so that if I drill again, I'm dead on the center of the previously drilled hole. Is there some easy trick to do so that I can't fathom? Thx.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
Not without modifying your drill press. You would need some point or bar to contact for registration.
 

Dave Richards

Dave
Senior User
Instead of moving the table, how about making a sort of platform with risers that can be located on pins? Set the table at the lowest position you might want it and add risers under the platform to raise it up as needed. I could do a sketch if you need clarification.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
Or you could drill a 1/4 inch hole in the table and use a rod to re-center the hole. it could be off to the side or in some place not in the way.
 

nn4jw

New User
Jim
Even with rack and pinion table lifts the rack is usually floating and will swivel some on the column. I get around that problem by using a Grizzly G8750 compound slide table to reposition in the x-y axis to get the bit to reenter the hole properly. Not exactly a cheap option but there are also compound cross slide vises out there that are a little less expensive and should do the job too, depending on the size object you are drilling.

Or you can manually release the clamps, lower the bit into the hole after raising the table and then reclamp while the the bit in the hole keeps everything aligned. Any number of ways from free to expensive to skin that cat.
 

marinosr

Richard
Corporate Member
Even with rack and pinion table lifts the rack is usually floating and will swivel some on the column. I get around that problem by using a Grizzly G8750 compound slide table to reposition in the x-y axis to get the bit to reenter the hole properly. Not exactly a cheap option but there are also compound cross slide vises out there that are a little less expensive and should do the job too, depending on the size object you are drilling.

Or you can manually release the clamps, lower the bit into the hole after raising the table and then reclamp while the the bit in the hole keeps everything aligned. Any number of ways from free to expensive to skin that cat.

When faced with this situation, I'm usually lowering the table to a sufficient extent that the original bit can't reach the workpiece, so I can't use the original hole as a reference.

Dave I think you have a good idea.

My other thought was that I could just scribe a line down the column, and then scribe a perpendicular reference line on my table. Just make the two lines touch and voila it's referenced. I just can't think of a great way of scribing the line on the column so that it's exactly straight down the column (i.e. doesn't spiral down the column slightly.)
 

Gotcha6

Dennis
Staff member
Corporate Member
Even with rack and pinion table lifts the rack is usually floating and will swivel some on the column. I get around that problem by using a Grizzly G8750 compound slide table to reposition in the x-y axis to get the bit to reenter the hole properly. Not exactly a cheap option but there are also compound cross slide vises out there that are a little less expensive and should do the job too, depending on the size object you are drilling.

Or you can manually release the clamps, lower the bit into the hole after raising the table and then reclamp while the the bit in the hole keeps everything aligned. Any number of ways from free to expensive to skin that cat.
Hoses clamps around the rack and column, set at your maximum height and depth for the given task works for me.
 

Dee2

Board of Directors, Vice President
Gene
Staff member
Corporate Member
Chuck a cheap laser light and index a cross hair on the table. The cross hair could be a simple (drilled) dimple in a board that is indexed to the table. Simple dimple - sounds like a country song.
 

Dee2

Board of Directors, Vice President
Gene
Staff member
Corporate Member
Or, chuck a plumb bob string?
if you chucked a drill rod and put a bushing in the DP table that had an id to capture the drill rod would it hold the table straight when raising and lowering?
 

Rick Mainhart

Rick
Corporate Member
Buy (or make) a lab jack similar to

1570753311646.png


Attach to your drill press table, and adjust the height as necessary.

There are many out there ... here's the link to this one:


Regards,

Rick
 

marinosr

Richard
Corporate Member
Ah now we're really getting into some overengineered ideas! I love it! I use those lab jacks for liquid N2 dewars at work, but I think they'd vibrate a lot under load from a twist drill. I just used angle aluminum to scribe a line down my column though. Worked like a charm, esp after rubbing a little black paste wax in to make it more visible. Thanks everybody for the ideas!
 

Michael Mathews

Michael
Corporate Member
another thought is to put a pair of hose clamps (one at the top and one at the bottom) of the rack after you're lined up and ready to drill your hole. That might hold the rack in one place and allow you to crank the table down and back up to the same location.
 

Gotcha6

Dennis
Staff member
Corporate Member
another thought is to put a pair of hose clamps (one at the top and one at the bottom) of the rack after you're lined up and ready to drill your hole. That might hold the rack in one place and allow you to crank the table down and back up to the same location.
But the OP's DP doesn't have R & P.............
 

Gotcha6

Dennis
Staff member
Corporate Member
I have seen articles that showed how to add an additional indexing rod to a DP so as to address this issue. It's basically a smooth rod running through a bracket attached to the table and clamped to the DP column in parallel. Think about it a little and I'm sure you can realize a solution......
 

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