I bought a Groz drill press vise for my table. It adds a nice amount of mass to whatever I'm drilling but slides around on the laminate. I'm thinking of getting some self-adhesive grip tape to put on the bottom for quick jobs that don't really need it to be clamped down.
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For metal work, I have a good Palmgren vise, bolts, and the SOP vise-grip clamp. I can attest, even with the mass of the vise, a bit can still catch and spin the vise and work around. They put bolt slots in them for a reason. Quick jobs are usually where you get hurt or break a bit.
Grip tape, cork, rubber etc. all are compressible so it can lead to precision issues which is my beef to start with. Maybe 3000 grit. I can't think of the last time I drilled something with a delicate finish. Top is MDF and I will shellac it tomorrow for durability but that makes it slicker. I suspect commercial tops are laminate for durability. I'll have to remember to always take the table off for any metal work. Magic Tap is probably quite destructive to MDF. My old Osborn miter gauge had like 50 grit on it and it never damaged anything. My favorite push block has 220 grit on it.
Yes, an insert. Different from others. So is my quick release. I'll post it when the hardware gets here along with my selection of fences. Tomorrow is the cabinet under it to hold the fences, table, toggle risers, clamps, etc. I have not decided if I need a scissors jack under the table to stabilize it. I do get a little flex with big bits.
I was testing the column lock. It seems to only need about 45 degrees so a front push-pull control may be workable. All the designs for moving the crank ignore rotation or tilting the table. Most attach to the table, not the column boss. I was thinking complicated like flexible shafts, but just extending the crank and lock to clear the table sides may be enough. Not that far to reach if the table was not in the way. Unlike the tilt on the TS. I wish the boss was steel not iron as I could weld supports to it. Don't have a torch big enough to braze any more.
Last subject is chip collection. I could run a line from the DC or miter vac but just getting another cheap Ridgid vac is probably cheaper and just clean up after a session. Drills only make chips, not fines so it is cleanup not air quality.