Help with Drill Press Stand

[Jim Crockett]

This is what I have been doing for the past week or so. It is to be a stand for a benchtop drill press.

The legs and apron are 3-1/2" x 3/4" pine; the top is two pieces of luan 1/2" plywood glued together, then glued/screwed to the tops of the legs inside the apron and I plan to add a piece of hardboard as the top surface.

I have attached two pieces of the exterior plywood with clamps to provide a better idea of what I intend it to look like (yes, I know that the grain is running horizontal - I thought that was the only way I could get all of the pieces out of one sheet of plywood. Then I found SheetLayout software and learned that I could have done it correctly. Oh well - it's for my personal use in the shop anyway!).

The intent is to have a drawer at the top of the front opening, attached with a full-extension slide, and three shelves. There will be a door below the drawer. The lower shelf is inserted for the photos: there will be 5" between shelves and they will be used for my other drills in their cases.

Only now do I realize that I should have added a drawer support rail and probably another rail for the bottom of the door. Certainly too late to add the rails with mortise/tenon or dowels. I thought of through dowels but trying to drill a "straight" hole through a 3/4" thick 3-1/2" piece of wood with no guide is not something I think would come out very well. Pocket screw joints would probably work but I don't have the equipment.

As you can also see from the front view, I have cut pieces of the plywood to cover the legs -to match the sides and cover up the sides' edges.

My thought is that I could cut a 2" piece of pine to use as the drawer rail (cut it a smidgeon over the width of the opening) and then add another piece the same size behind it, gluing/screwing them together and to the backs of the front legs. Then I would have to add a piece of the plywood over the added rails to bring them out to the same plane as the legs.

If anyone has any other/better ideas, I am certainly open to suggestions. This is the first full-size cabinet I have made and guess I didn't thunk it through enough before beginning cutting and assembly.

I'm sure there are probably better ways of constructing this stand but I need to proceed with what I have now.

Thanks, everyone.

I didn't find a way to label the attachments:
1. Front view showing top
2. Right-front corner
3. Right-rear corner
4. Left-rear corner
5. Left side

JimC

[Steve Clardy]

Yes, pocket screws would fix you right up.

But your way of attaching another strap behind the rail will work ok.