Drill press table ?

[Dick Heifner]

Hi all,
Every time I drill a lot of holes into a workpeice I have a lot of trouble keeping the table square with the fence. What's the best way to solve this problem?
Thanks, Dick

[Danny Thompson]

Using spray adhesive, attach a piece of sandpaper, grit down, to the bottom of your fence near the track. The sandpaper will provide a better grip on your table. Make sense?

[Jason Beam]

I"m not sure i fully undersatnd the problem. You say you're having trouble keeping the table and the fence square - as in, 90 degrees? Are you saying the fence tilts or something?

[Dick Heifner]

You say you're having trouble keeping the table and the fence square - as in, 90 degrees? Are you saying the fence tilts or something?

Hi Jason and Danny,
What I'm trying to say is how can you square the table to the drill press.
I want to clamp a fence for drilling a row of holes but it always comes out crooked at the other end and I have to stop and align each hole.
Thanks, Dick

[Michael Schwartz]

It sounds like you are trying to use a fence to drill a strait line of holes. The only dimmension that matters in this case is how far the fence is from the bit, it doesn't need to be square to anything.

It sounds like the problem you might be having is that the fence is not strait, shifting as you drill, or sawdust is getting inbetween the fence and the workpiece.

First make sure your fence is strait by checking it to a known strait edge, then clamp it securly, and make sure you clear debirs away from it after each hole drilled. A rabbit in the bottom of the fence helps with this problem as it gives a place for any sawdust that might be on the table to go.

[John Newell]

...or perhaps chip buildup between the fence and the workpiece?

[Danny Thompson]

Oh, I think I get it. You are saying that the table is gradually rotating, probably to the right, as you progress down the board. This would cause the fence to move out of square with the imaginary line from the DP post to the quill, and, therefore, would result in your sequence of holes getting progressively closer to the fence.

The only solution is to, after you crank the table to the right height, lock it down tight in the back. At least that's how it works on my DP. There is a lever in the back that cinches down the bushing/clamp/whatever the heck it is to the DP post. With it tightened down in this way, you can't raise, lower, or rotate the table around the post.

Is that it?

[Eddie Darby]

One other thing about not locking down your table, at the back, tight is that the table will be ever so slightly lower at the front edge than the back edge of the table, that is near the column. This will cause holes to not be 90 degrees to the work surface.

As you tighten the back handle the front of the table will rise a little bit, and hopefully in this fully raised position the quill will be 90 degrees to the table.
All part of setting up your drill press to drill accurate holes. So is checking for run-out on the quill.

[Dick Heifner]

Thank's Guy's,
I think I might have a little of all these problems, I need to some time to work these out.
Dick