Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Interesting Drill Press Digital Depth Gauge Mod

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    N.W. Ohio
    Posts
    86

    Interesting Drill Press Digital Depth Gauge Mod

    I found this while surfing for information on my drill press.

    http://www.instructables.com/id/Accu...n-Drill-Press/

    The guy mounted a digital caliper to his drill press for an accurate depth gauge. Has anyone tried this mod?


  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Waterford, MI
    Posts
    4,673
    I've thought about doing it with a Wixey but the fact that you'd have to re-calibrate it every time you changed bits makes it seem like it might be more bother than it's worth.
    Use the fence Luke

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Virginia Beach Va
    Posts
    381

    I did on a lathe

    I did the same sort of mod on a metal lathe - I had to cut the end of the caliper down to about 4 inches so it wouldn't interfere with a handle and mounted it to the lathe with a super magnet and pet another super magnet on the chuck. It works great - you hit the zero function when the drill bit just enters the stock and you can keep track of your progress. I don't know if it would be as useful on a drill press as opposed to a lathe - it is pretty useful on the lathe since the lathe has no stop like a drill press .







    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Shepard View Post
    I've thought about doing it with a Wixey but the fact that you'd have to re-calibrate it every time you changed bits makes it seem like it might be more bother than it's worth.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Posts
    15,332
    Nice simple idea! I have a caliper I dropped once and thus bent up that would be good for this. However, the digital readout is fabulous but I have a hard time believing that that caliper in the picture is the cheap $7 one from HF. I will now go look and probably have to edit this post.

    Edit: And here it is, for $10!!
    Last edited by Chris Padilla; 09-17-2008 at 4:26 PM.
    Wood: a fickle medium....

    Did you know SMC is user supported? Please help.

  5. #5
    Bought my decimal/fractional metal calipers for just a few bucks above that on sale at HF. They are fantastic so I keep my Starrets in the desk. Have had issues with depth a few times on my DP...might try that. Like they say... mothers are the invention of necessity...uh...necessity is an invention of mothers...no....uh, necessity is the mother of inventions...there...thats it....or close.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Northwestern Connecticut
    Posts
    7,149
    I'm thinking the caliper is more precise than the tool in question. Do you really need to measure depth on a drill press for wood working in thousands? Looks to me like an obsessive waste of time. If you find your self unable to sleep at night worrying about the precise depth of your holes it might be time to cruise for a good used bridgeport.

    Speaking of which I watched the machinist at work use an edge finder on the bridge port the other day setting up for milling slot mortises in Teak. Apparently they are accurate to with in .0005"! Cool to watch. Once the edge is located precisely the table is moved via fine hand wheel and digital readout to set the slot precisely in he center of the work.

    So if you are going to obsess about the depth of the hole, be sure to consider a means of accurately aligning the other two planes in question. Get a bridgeport. Make sure your floor is very solid too.

    Sorry for the sarcasm. But working wood with a bridgeport really is fun.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Burlington, NC
    Posts
    821
    I made that mod to my DP about 3 years ago. Works great. I think I posted the idea with pictures back then.

    I did to for accuracy to within .5 mm. I also find it is quicker than having to set a stop block, just touch bit to stock, zero the scale and drill to desired depth. If you do many 5mm barrel hinges you know that is one example of having an accurate depth is important.

    Perry
    Last edited by Perry Holbrook; 09-17-2008 at 7:19 PM.

Similar Threads

  1. Digital Miter Gauge
    By Dick Brown in forum General Woodworking and Power Tools
    Replies: 15
    Last Post: 05-07-2009, 10:47 PM
  2. Drill press table question
    By Louis Brandt in forum General Woodworking and Power Tools
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 07-30-2008, 11:15 PM
  3. Drill press runout question
    By Louis Brandt in forum General Woodworking and Power Tools
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 07-28-2008, 4:52 PM
  4. Set Your Miter Gauge with Digital Angle Gauge
    By Ed Sallee in forum General Woodworking and Power Tools
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 07-22-2008, 9:18 AM
  5. Good Delta drill press for cheap
    By Pete Rowley in forum General Woodworking and Power Tools
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 09-25-2006, 9:00 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •