Benchtop Drill press dilema??

[NCTurner]

I need to drill some steel rods for boring bars that are longer than my benchtop DP will allow, are there any tricks to get around the allowable width between the base and the head unit?

 

[froglips]

Can the head be rotated such that it'd clear the base?

Another option would be to lay the drill press down, remove the base and rig it up as a horizontal boring machine.

Better still.... buy a new powermatic drill press!! That would also match your new lathe

Jim

 

[NCTurner]

I was looking at the DP and thinking I might be able to rotate the head and bolt/clamp the base to the bench, but didn't know if there was another way around the problem.

Man I lust for more PM tools, the lathe has been AWESOME!!!

 

[Bigdog72]

Swing the table out of the way and position drill press so that bar can be clamped on edge of bench (or whatever). You could also brill a hole directly in line with bit and.....

 

[Mike Davis]

I drilled mine in my wood lathe. :dontknow:

 

[timf67]

Heck, there are probably enough of us on here with full size drill presses that you could borrow time on one of them!

To answer your question though, I have a shopfox benchtop DP and I have done things that are longer that the head-base gap. I bolted mine down, but clamps should work. I rotated the head to stick out off of the bench and I used the edge of the bench to clamp my workpiece to hold it steady while I drilled. Worked fine.

 

[FredP]

I'm with mike. I have made several oland tools and a boring bar for my version of a hollowing tool all on the lathe. lock the bar in the chuck. make a steady rest [if you havent already] and put a drill chuck in the tailstock.
I lay paper towels across the bed to colect the shavings and to keep oil [for drilling metal you will want oil] off the lathe.

 

[NCTurner]

Tried the lathe wasn't real comfortable swing 18" of 3/4" steel without a steady(and did'nt need another project right now) but like the smacked a** I can be I didn't realize that all I needed to do to move the headstock on the drillpress was loosen a little set screw:BangHead::BangHead:, swing 30° and good to go!

 

[erasmussen]

I rotate the head on my bench top drill press every time I make a oland tool,
Just takes a min. when finished rotate it back.