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Hi Guys,
I'm looking for ideas on having a levelling attachment for when Im working on my bench drill. Say I'm boring out holes on one end of a four foot or any length of channell or box or angle or whatever. Well instead of propping the other end up with box's or whatever Id like to be able to use an adjustable stand with perhaps a clamping device attached as well.
My drill is a bench mounted one so stand would want to be moveable when not in use.
Any ideas and help here greatly appreciated.
I use a cheap roller stand leveled to the height of the drill table (variable) and do all clamping on the drill table (safer), folds away when not needed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Blueflame2007
It maybe a bit basic but its a start point for further thought.
Unless the material is super heavy, a photographic tripod should do the job and comes with a built-in height adjustment. Here's just one example...
https://www.amazon.com/DreamLifter-p...graphic+tripod
Folds into a compact package for storage and, hey, as a bonus, you can use it to take photographs and unshaky videos.
I would rather modify the drill press to have a moving head so that you don't have to continually reorganize work support.Quote:
Originally Posted by Blueflame2007
In my opinion drill presses have it backwards.
The work support should be fixed (perhaps at a fixed offset from the workbench, say 50 mm or 2" for the imperialists) while the head moves.
I think that the easiest way to do this would be to ditch the standard foot and anchor the work platform to the bench.
The column would need a hole through the bench and clearance below.
The raising rack (if you have one) would need a more sturdy top lock on the column or a packer above because of the reversed load.
motorizing the rack drive would solve a lot of clearance issues, perhaps with an old driver drill.
My goto stand after having several cheapo tripods is Rockwell jawstand. There are two models, the cheaper one has no fine adj on the height and for $20 more the XP has a fine adj.
Rockwell JawStand-RK9033 - The Home Depot
I have one of each as the XP won't go low enough for my 4x6 bandsaw and the XP is perfect for everything else. What's not readily apparent by the pix is the head tilts and also has a clamp in it made to clamp a 2x4. So when drilling something long on the drill press thats a bench mount but on a rollaway toolbox and is higher than a normal bench, I just clamp a 2x4 in the head and voila and adjustable support. I've also got other things now I clamp in it like a roller for guiding stuff on the table saw and two mounts for servicing our recumbent trikes. They have become irreplaceable in my shop.
Do you have any wall space? You could mount the drill on a shelf and have a fold-down rest or three to take long lengths. Alernatively mount a conveyer roller in a bracket mounted to the side of your bench,(or one each side),in a simple tube socket with a clamp for height adjustment. Height adjustment might seem strange but it is suprising how often you have to drill an odd shape. This would alow quick removal of the roller for use by the bandsaw as well. Add a stand alone roller further out for very long lengths.
Have you looked into the adjustable roller stands that collapse when not in use and could be hung on a wall? Assuming the piece you are drilling is clamped to your table. an adjustable gives you the ability to use it for any length of stock.