PM 2800 Drill Press Question

[Mike OMelia]

I imagine this issue comes up with other drill presses. My gear rack on the post likes to warp outwards (when lowering the table). I've have seen this before. Is there a way to minimize this?

Mike

[Greg R Bradley]

The horrible gear rack was one of the 3 big reasons that I returned my PM2800 for a Delta 17-959L. That part of the mechanism was inferior to the Rigid that Home Depot was selling for $299. I looked at the table on the PM2800 and was very impressed. I didn't think to raise and lower it in the store.

[Mike OMelia]

Well... if the issue is that the rack is too soft or flexible, that can be fixed, right? I just need to buy one that is made of a higher grade material. Is this possible?

Mike

[Paul McGaha]

How old is the tool Mike?

Is having Powermatic fix it under warranty possible?

[Mike OMelia]

No, its out of warranty and it is most def a design issue. The rack is WAY too soft. A much harder steel would do the trick, The table is quite heavy. I would be happy buying a new rack (if I could)

Mike

[Mike OMelia]

Anbody ever tried this??

http://www.onlinetoolreviews.com/reviews/easyriser.htm

Mike

[Callan Campbell]

My previous 17MF Jet was like your description until I adjusted the collar slightly downward for more pressure on the rack so it didn't flex as much. My new 20" Delta does seem stronger in this part of the DP design, but now I want to look at the Powermatic at my local Woodcraft to see what you're running into.

[Greg R Bradley]

The rack needs to be strong enough that it can raise the weight of the table plus any accessory table you add plus the weight your workpiece. Before I took home the Delta 17-959L, I set a Delta spindle sander on the table and moved it up and down with the crank.
It appears that the PM2800 rack is about half the thickness of the Delta - looking at the thickness of the rack minus the thickness of the gears. Half the thickness means one quarter the resistance to bowing assuming the same material.

There might be the chance that PM has improved the rack material. They can't make it thicker without redesigning the lift mechanism. Having a rack made out of high quality material and hardened would cost about the same price as the drill press. They would be much cheaper in quantity if you could find others that wanted them.

[Tom Hintz]

I've had my PM2800 for like 4 or 5 years now and though I also adjusted the top ring down slightly (it just seemed a tick loose to me) the rack and table have been fine with no issues raising it up and down at all. I do run it up and down with a bunch of metal on it for metalworking projects so I do load it down quite a bit and it still runs smooth in both directions.

[Mike OMelia]

I will try adjusting the collar down a bit. But not sure it will help. Imagine if the rack were rubber. And the table was way down low. Then as you tried to crank the table up, the only thing that would happen is you would pull the rack down instead of the table up. Thats what it looks like to me. The material is too flexible to support the weight of the table. My table those extension arms... so its rather big. I have seen this exact same problem on other 2800s.

If it is not possible to buy a better rack () I may look into other options.

I really appreciate your thoughts on this.

Mike

[glenn bradley]

WMH Tool Group has really been trying to repair their image lately when it comes to service. I would be tempted to drop them a line with your observations. You never know and it couldn't hurt.