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Thread: Attaching Home Made Drill Press Table

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Omaha, NE
    Posts
    66

    Attaching Home Made Drill Press Table

    What I thought would be fairly simple is turning out to be not so. I am making a drill press table that needs to attach to a cast iron table that has t tracks, not a through slotted table. The t tracks on the table are wide, 1 1/8" at the bottom, 5/8" on the top of the track. I thought I'd get some opinions on the best way to get the new DP table attached. Thanks for the help.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Montgomery, Texas
    Posts
    287
    Joey,
    I have recesses in the top of the table with washers and wing nuts, which connect to the t-bolts that fit into the t-slots on the drill press table. Traditional hex bolts will work just as well and you can add washers underneath the heads to increase the bearing area. Hope that helps.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Western MA
    Posts
    149
    If your T-Track is not parallel (for instance running in an X pattern) then you will have to slot through the top of the table to use Joey's method above.
    You might consider clamps that attach to the edges of your cast iron table rather than into the slots.
    Using the same method Joey mentions above you could use a J or L shaped piece of metal with a threaded top that attaches to the table at the top with the nut or wing nut and hooks under the lip of the table underneath.

  4. #4
    There is always many was to do thing, so better then other but the main thing is to get it to work for you.

    Here is how did mine, it is and old 70s something Craftsman and has no T-Track on it. I used a wood nut and just some knobs I got at rockler.

    110693444.6lYzpyaj.PB133022.jpg 110697540.DIcWCpE1.P3287992.jpg

  5. #5
    I'd ignore the tee-slots and tap the Cast. Screw your top right into it.
    Might also put some MDF on the bottom so you won't have so much trouble clamping. That, could, if you drill through the cast, be screwed/bolted to your new top.
    My microscopic table has through slots but I tapped the casting anyway.
    You do not want the sandwich to ever slip or slide lest you will lose center and booger that last drilling operation!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    McKinney, TX
    Posts
    2,063
    I just drilled 4 holes in the cast table then screwed from below into the new top.
    Steve Jenkins, McKinney, TX. 469 742-9694
    Always use the word "impossible" with extreme caution

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Jenkins View Post
    I just drilled 4 holes in the cast table then screwed from below into the new top.
    That is what I was going to do but then I changed my mind because I wanted to be able to take it off easy and fast. That way when I am drilling steel and using oil I will not get it on my table and then on the wood.

  8. #8
    Bill has a good idea with the star shaped knobs, I used some toggle clamps on mine instead and it works well too. Either of these and the other ideas are good as well, just ignore the T tracks or miter tracks and use the best of these that work for you.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Posts
    6,392
    I did something similar to Bill along the front of the table, because the add-on table extends beyond the cast iron table.

    However, the backs of the two tables are pretty close to in-line, and there I used two of these fence clamps from Rockler - and they happen to be on sale [$13/pair]

    http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?p...&filter=clamps
    When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Omaha, NE
    Posts
    66
    Thanks everyone. Bill,l I like your idea as I have a small shop and may want to remove the table frequently when not in use, I have some hardware and I'm going to see if I can make that work. My situation is the same as Kents and I happen to have two sets of those fence clamps. I had been wondering what else I could use those for besides clamping a sacrificial fence on the table saw.

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