i have a 17" drill press and the rack gear that runs up the column where the
top end tucks under a ring is loose.
the gear does not lock in place so when i crank the handle to raise the table
up the column, it sways side to side. the gear doesn't get locked tight enough.
is there something im doing wrong or something that needs to be done different?
Member
They are all like that. It's so you can position the table anywhere you want to around the column. The table lock holds the table anywhere you put it, be it straight on or off to one side. The top and bottom of the rack gear slides in grooved rings and a little lubrication at these two points keeps it from catching.
Charley
so anytime i move the table i have to realign the laser? that sounds like a big PITA?
Member
Pretty much, yep.Originally Posted by Kevin Gregoire
Member
Yep, realign - realign - realign - and finally toss the laser. Punch where you want the hole and then line up a brad point to the hole. My Delta did not come with a laser so I added an aftermarket 'guaranteed' to stay in alignment. Same thing with my Bosch SCMS. I no longer will use any laser alignment that is not part of the purchased machine with a mfg warranty on accuracy.
Or, as they say, live and learn. Good luck.
Forrest
You can mark where the lasers cross on your table with a scratch-awl and align to that spot once the table is at the height you desire. The laser to bit position remains constant. I eventually found the thickness of the laser beam to be greater than the tolerance I was after in positioning my holes so, the laser alignment became moot for me. However, alignment is still reasonably important to me.
On my press I have a split fence as part of my add-on table. I slid the faces apart and scribed on the metal part of the fence on each side of the chuck. I lower the chuck and lock it in position after setting the table height. I then eye-ball the chuck between the two scribes and tighten the table. After a little practice this is as accurate as the millimeter wide laser line for me as far as centering the table goes.
P.s. I have seen books from bygone days where you chuck a long rod that passes through the hole in the metal-work style table and scribe a line down the column using the rod as a guide. I would think this is even more inaccurate than my eyeballing though
Last edited by glenn bradley; 05-06-2011 at 9:14 AM.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
Contributor
Am I missing something here? The laser on my Steel City DP is attached to the column next to the head. Once it is aligned to the bit/head, both stay in the same place. I don't have to realign the laser no matter how much I move the table. That being said, I don't use the laser much at all.
Member
I agree 100%, I can move my table all over the place and the laser is still at the point that the drill will hit the object I am drilling. If I lower it, raise it move it side to side, the laser is still set to the point of contact.
If every time you move the table your laser changes there is something wrong.
Member
I don't move the table side-side, it is just too much of a pain. I just loosen one knob and rotate the headstock if I want to drill in a different spot in the table insert. And my laser? I mounted it on the headstock so it is always aligned.
I removed the headstock locking set screw and replaced it with a T-knob (the large one, the little T-knob locks the belt tensioner):
I mounted the laser to the underside of the headstock casting:
Contributor
That's one I never heard before.
Member
Rotating the headstock around the column is soooo much easier and quicker than rotating the table and rack assembly around the column.
My next project is to remove the rack and crank assembly and replace it with a counterweight system to make it easier to adjust the table height. I will replace the rack with a similarly-sized, trapezoidal shaped rail that is permanently fixed to the column. I'll use a large cam lever to lift and lower the table and to force a female trapezoidal shaped clamping pad against the rail. That will both lock the table at height as well as precisely align it to the same spot around the column. If I need to raise or lower the table to change a bit during a drilling operation I can be sure the new bit will align with the previous hole. As it is now when the table is unlocked it slops around the column as it is designed to do.
Last edited by Alan Schaffter; 05-06-2011 at 12:37 AM.
[OP]
Member
why does the table need to be moved from side to side? cant the piece of wood be moved?
i think i will spot weld my gear to the column and not worry about it moving any more.
Contributor
Sometimes you need to drill a hole in the end of a board. You tilt the table vertical and move it to the side so you can position the hole where you want it.
Member
Also, if you offset the drill spot, you can rotate and get more mileage from your sacrificial table insert. But as I said, if you rotate the headstock, there is no need to rotate the table. One caveat- you shouldn't rotate the headstock if you have a small footprint base since there is slightly more of a chance of it will tip over. That being said, my DP mobile base is fairly small and there has NEVER been an incident where I thought it was in danger of tipping over!
Last edited by Alan Schaffter; 05-06-2011 at 2:40 PM.
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