Do you use a drill press table?

[Craig Day]

I stumbled upon Matthias Wandel's video, and then webpage, where he outlines why he doesn't use a drill press table (he means a custom table added to the press, not the stock table). This got me wondering if any woodworkers prefer NOT using a custom drill press table, and if so, why? I cannot imagine going without a drill press table. I upgraded my drill press recently and I'm itching to build a new table... for me it's much slower, less accurate, and more dangerous to NOT have a table with a fence + stop and T tracks to secure the work.

Here's the link for anyone interested: http://woodgears.ca/drillpress/table.html

[Bryan Lisowski]

I dont use when drilling pen blanks due to size of pen drilling vise, but for other stuff I do.

[Rege Sullivan]

When I made mine I painstakingly designed it to be readily removable. And... haven't removed it in 6 years.

[glenn bradley]

Matthias is an interesting and innovative guy but, I don't agree with everything he's ever said (I also don't hold tings I am drilling with my bare hands, we have clamps you know). I would be loath to give up my table; three different fences and a wide assortment of jigs. Maybe he's never used one that easily tilts left, right and forward ;-)

[Nick Decker]

I recently upgraded my drill press, too, but haven't settled on what to do about a table. At this point, I've just rigged a fence made of misc. parts.

Glenn, do you happen to have pictures of yours?

[glenn bradley]

I recently upgraded my drill press, too, but haven't settled on what to do about a table. At this point, I've just rigged a fence made of misc. parts.

Glenn, do you happen to have pictures of yours?

DP-Cab (32).jpg . DP-DC (2).jpg

9 Fwd Tilt.jpg . DP WP Table 001.jpg . A Rt Tilt.jpg

Its the older style Woodpecker table of phenolic ply. I use their low profile fence and stops as well as a shop made and a Rockler. Having a split face for taller work is great. The low fence clears well but only offers a "stops" sort of holding capability. The shop made one is a solid face, one piece, smooth-both-sides fence that I use when I don't need clearance near the fence and need to clamp odd items.

A block like this adds a lot of function for little effort.

Odd Stock Holder (6).jpg . Odd Stock Holder (4).jpg

Having tracks for the fence and tracks closer to the chuck for work holding is a benefit. Backer is a 4" square that is replaceable as it gets chewed up. If I built my own I would make the insert and offset round disc to get more uses out of it; moving by degrees to a new area instead of by quadrants.

[Charles Taylor]

I had one on my old benchtop drill press, a simple piece of MDF that provided a larger working surface than the the cast iron table and that miraculously never sagged during its lifetime. When in need of a fence or something to hold work, I'd find a suitable piece of scrap and clamp it to the table. In the [mumble] years since I upgraded to a better press, I've meant to design and build a better table. I need to restock my round tuit bin.

[Rod Sheridan]

Matthias is an interesting and innovative guy but, I don't agree with everything he's ever said (I also don't hold tings I am drilling with my bare hands, we have clamps you know). I would be loath to give up my table; three different fences and a wide assortment of jigs. Maybe he's never used one that easily tilts left, right and forward ;-)

Yup +1.

I have a drill press table with a removable Kreg extrusion about 4 feet long with 2 flip stops.

When I'm making doors I can set the stops, drill the 35mm hinge holes without measuring or marking and everything is perfect.

Drill presses are meant for metal working and have small tables for use with a drill press vice or clamps, not exactly optimum for wood working.

A well thought out table with a good fence and stops is really handy, and improves your safety by supporting larger work pieces. Mine has to be easily removed, as my small shop doesn't have room for it unless I'm using it..........Regards, Rod.

[Frank Pratt]

I wouldn't consider going back to having no table. I got one from Lee Valley that didn't cost much more than what it would have cost me for all the track, hardware etc.

[andy bessette]

Decades of using a drill press have not shown me the need for an auxiliary table. However my drill press tables often are used with a slab of MDF or a DP vise.

[Andrew Seemann]

Decades of using a drill press have not shown me the need for an auxiliary table. However my drill press tables often are used with a slab of MDF or a DP vise.

So are Andy and I the only ones here that don't use an auxiliary table on a drill press?

I don't have one either and never have had one as a matter of fact. My 1948 Delta drill press is a bench model of the large drill press and has a big cast iron table on it with T slots, so that is kind of like a table I suppose. My other one is a standard Delta floor model from about 20 years ago with a regular table.

I do use home made jigs occasionally, and I usually have a scrap piece of 1/2 baltic birch to drill into (that is important for the bench drill press as it has no hole in the center). I also clamp things to the table or in a vise. I guess I just haven't found it necessary to have a large semi-permanent auxiliary table.

[andy bessette]

So are Andy and I the only ones here that don't use an auxiliary table on a drill press?...

The only ones willing to admit we're not table fan-boys?

Probably has a lot to do with the type of work we do. For example I never do any kind of production runs. It's all one-off custom work.

Edit: take that back--did a (lathe) run of custom zinc anodes for Larry Elison's yacht "Asahi".

[Craig Day]

I also do one-off custom work. The very last thing I did the other day was drill 16 holes in mounting plates for casters... With a drill press table I can set the fence and stop in 15 seconds. Without a table I have to grab a backer board, grab a fence board, grab a stop block, then clamp everything together. Instead of 15 seconds it’s a couple of minutes. Not huge but I prefer to move from tool to tool in my shop and just get work done... not fiddle with my tools.

[andy bessette]

...Without a table I have to grab a backer board, grab a fence board, grab a stop block, then clamp everything together...

Sounds almost impossible.

[Craig Day]

Nothing impossible about it. Just takes more time. I prefer to spend that time building things instead of fiddling with tools :-)