I've been using a Delta drill press (floor standing) for 25 years. My most common uses are holes in relatively small pieces or holes in long pieces. For long boards, it's a pain. I always have to pull it out to get the clearance I need for the long board. The table (shop made) and the DP's base really are not large enough to properly support an 8 foot board, so I have to rig support.
I'm building a new 15' bench for my compound miter saw. I'd like to have a bench-mounted drill press on the same bench. But bench drill presses, like floor standing models, operate with the head stationary and the table going up and down to meet the job at hand. That pretty much defeats the purpose of having the DP share the bench with the miter saw--the table would seldom be at the height of the bench.
So I got this idea. What if I get a bench DP, remove its base. and attach its table to the bench? Then I could use the table adjustments to move the head up and down or to tilt it. What do you guys think? Would the collar that connects the table to the post be strong enough to handle the greater weight of the head?
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