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Thread: Drill Press Depth Stop

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    dgbreggin's Tools

    Drill Press Depth Stop

    I saw a clever drill press depth stop recently in this HomeMadeTools topic: Drill press lock and stop nut - GIF

    I really liked it, so I decided to make one for my drill press.

    I selected brass for this project because of the weight (a heavy disk would spin easily) and ease of machining. I had some 1" diameter stock on hand. For the keeper pin I selected a 1/8" diameter roll pin.

    I made the lower disk first. Using the lathe, I drilled and tapped the center hole and chamfered the outside edges. Then it took it to the mill and drilled the keeper holes using the DRO's bolt circle function. Holes are slightly larger than the roll pin, of course. Then I used a mandril to hold the disk on the lathe and knurl the outside.

    I puzzled for some time about how to make the "D" shaped hole in the upper disk (I don't have a broach). Typically, this might done with small hole and a lot of filing, or a full-size hole and some welding and filing. I decided to try a different approach. I cut and reamed the full-size hole on the lathe. On the mill, I drilled a single hole sized for the roll pin and aligned with the lower disk hole circle. I removed the disk from the mill, placed it over the drill press threaded post, and used a straightedge along the flat of the post to scribe a line. Then I cut off part of the disk along the scribed line. I rough cut it on the band saw, then used the mill to finish the cut smooth and even. I made a strap to size from 1/4" flat strap and fastened it in place with a pair of #6 SHCS. Finally, I pressed the roll pin into the hole in the upper disk.

    It works very well. The threaded post on my drill press is 1/2-20. I cut 10 holes in the lower disk, so each hole provides 0.005" depth adjustment -- much more accuracy than my drill press requires but makes it easy to engage the pin at the appropriate depth.

    A few things I might do differently "next time". First, I might select 1-1/4" diameter stock. It would spin more easily, and the hole spacing would be a bit wider. Second, when I cut the flat off the upper disk, I cut slightly too much off and the disk would not slide easily on the post. I fixed this by milling a small amount off the inside center area of the strap until I got the fit I wanted. Third, the hole for the roll pin is very close to the hole for one of the screws holding the strap in place. I would probably move the pin a little further away from the flat. Finally, I had originally intended to counterbore for the heads of the 2 screws holding the strap to the upper disk. Using the 1" diameter stock, the strap was not long enough to allow counterboring. I could have switched to thinner material for the strap. Alternatively, larger diameter stock for the disks might have made the strap enough longer to allow for the counterboring.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Drill Press Depth Stop-20220307_142514s.jpg   Drill Press Depth Stop-20220307_142545-s.jpg  

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  2. The Following 10 Users Say Thank You to dgbreggin For This Useful Post:

    emu roo (Mar 9, 2022), Engine Dan (Mar 10, 2022), Home-PC (Mar 9, 2022), Jon (Mar 9, 2022), nova_robotics (Mar 11, 2022), rlm98253 (Mar 9, 2022), rossbotics (Apr 2, 2022), sossol (Mar 10, 2022), swk (Mar 11, 2022), that_other_guy (Mar 12, 2022)

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    Congratulations dgbreggin - your Drill Press Depth Stop is the Homemade Tool of the Week!

    This one attracted a lot of attention when it was first posted as a GIF here. Looks like you were the first to build it, and now everyone also gets to benefit from your improvement notes.

    Some more good builds from this week:

    Mechanical Jack by diy creative crafts
    Nickel Plating Setup by Christophe Mineau
    Thread Chaser by projectswithrich
    Lapping Plates by Dudley Toolwright
    Bench Vise Mounting Method by mr_modify1
    Washer Drilling Fixture by Frank S
    Belt Sander by Dudley Toolwright
    Dog Hole Finish Plate by Make Things
    Adjustable Stand by orioncons36
    Mini Lathe Power Feed by Massimo P
    Collet Chuck Backing Plate by winkys workshop
    Angle Grinder Cutting Jig by yair feldmann

    dgbreggin - we'll be adding your tool entry to our All Homemade Tool of the Week winners post. And, you'll now notice the wrench-on-pedestal award in the awards showcase in your postbit, visible beneath your username:



    You've also been granted free lifetime Supporting Member status. I've stopped your paid recurring subscription, so you won't have to pay for membership again.

    And, you'll be receiving a $25 online gift card, in your choice of Amazon (US-only), PayPal, or bitcoin. Please PM me your current email address and award choice and I'll get it sent over right away.

    Nice work!

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    that_other_guy's Tools
    Hi dgbreggin,

    There are some good ideas there.
    Thanks for sharing this.

    I have been considering making one for my drill press too, to replace the two thin knurled jamb nuts that are there now (and seem to take a half-hour of spinning to move end-to-end!)

    I want a nice big round one too, however, I don't think I can make it fit past that set-screw with the nut as seen at the bottom of your second photo.
    I am not sure what that bolt is for as I haven't explored it yet (quill return spring? or an anti-rotation pin for the quill?)

    I only have about 1/8-inch (3mm) between the set-screw and the threaded depth adjustment post.
    I could remove and shorten the set-screw as it sticks thru the nut about 1/4-inch (6mm), but it still does not give much room.

    I have actually considered moving the entire depth-stop rod to another location......but that becomes a much bigger project.

    Thanks,
    Brian

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    dgbreggin's Tools
    Quote Originally Posted by that_other_guy View Post
    Hi dgbreggin,

    There are some good ideas there.
    Thanks for sharing this.

    I have been considering making one for my drill press too, to replace the two thin knurled jamb nuts that are there now (and seem to take a half-hour of spinning to move end-to-end!)

    I want a nice big round one too, however, I don't think I can make it fit past that set-screw with the nut as seen at the bottom of your second photo.
    I am not sure what that bolt is for as I haven't explored it yet (quill return spring? or an anti-rotation pin for the quill?)

    I only have about 1/8-inch (3mm) between the set-screw and the threaded depth adjustment post.
    I could remove and shorten the set-screw as it sticks thru the nut about 1/4-inch (6mm), but it still does not give much room.

    I have actually considered moving the entire depth-stop rod to another location......but that becomes a much bigger project.

    Thanks,
    Brian
    I had a similar issue with my previous depth stop. I used a brass sleeve for clearance. Pictures:
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Drill Press Depth Stop-20220312_073808-s.jpg   Drill Press Depth Stop-20220312_073824-s.jpg  

  6. The Following User Says Thank You to dgbreggin For This Useful Post:

    that_other_guy (Mar 12, 2022)

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    Thanks dgbreggin! We've added your Drill Press Depth Stop to our Drilling and Drill Presses category,
    as well as to your builder page: dgbreggin's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:






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