Custom Drill Press Table Eliminates Hassles

Getting a perfect workshop together, with all the right tools, is a dream for many. A lot of us cobble together what we can with a dremel tool, a soldering iron, and whatever work surface happens to be available in the kitchen or spare bedroom. But even when we finally get a permanent garage or shop to work in, there are still some challenges to overcome with our workspaces. [Workshop From Scratch] was having issues with his drill press, and solved them with this custom build.

Rather than modify an existing press, he first welded a table together from scratch using square tube. From there he set about solving those issues. The first was having to make a large number of adjustments up and down when working on larger pieces. For that he added an electrically adjustable worktop which keeps him from having to make constant adjustments of the press itself. The second improvement over the standard press workspace was adding a cooling system for the cutting tools, saving himself money in bits and allowing quicker drilling.

The finished product looks professional thanks to a quality paint job and, of course, having all the right tools in the workshop in the first place to put something like this together. We all have an idea in our heads about the perfect workshop for our own needs, but don’t forget to think outside the box when it comes to building one yourself.

7 thoughts on “Custom Drill Press Table Eliminates Hassles

  1. His table is better made than the P.O.S. drill he put on it, haha, I absolutely love all of this. The use of telescopic tubing and motorized scissor jack is genius, I was going to do something similar for a special workbench.

    I love especially that he built an integrated coolant and pump and drain system. Something always, always skipped by others on even use of a drillpress.

    Welding and steel whereever possible- no wood in sight, no 3d printed crap passing as a tool. THIS is how you make durable machine tools.

    This is phenomenally nice work man, I want this

    1. There’s one question though. The tubes don’t actually hold the table in place because they’re loose in the outer tubes – these things are not precision fit – and the only thing that’s holding the table up is the jack in the middle. Isn’t this setup terribly sloppy? The whole table is going to move around a millimeter and a bit because it can, so all your holes end up whichever way.

      If you take a proper drill press, the table is fixed to a smooth column and can be tightly clamped so it doesn’t move around.

    1. Its not expensive or hard to get started in! Give it a go!
      Get a cheap MIG if you intend to do thin wall tube/sheet metal or a cheap arc to deal with higher thickness as well. (I’m still very much a novice, using cheap budget gear at home. Can’t get the results I’ve had with better machine (and guidance of that machine’s owner) but perfectly serviceable solid welds that once ground back look perfect)

      For most of my projects I could really use a TIG set up with AC for working on very thin parts an Al. Which is rather more pricey but I think will be my next major workshop investment.
      Just remember a fire extinguisher is a good idea, and the right protective equipment for you and any possible passer by.

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