Help raising Drill Press table

[AllanD]

My Delta drill press is I think their largest one. I like the power and the variable speed but raising the table is a chore. The flimsy plastic crank flexes and bends. I have lubricated the teeth but I still dread having to adjust it. Have any of you made a lifting mechanism to help? I thought about a bottle jack and making a bracket to hold it but don't think the range would be sufficient. I have fabricated a hydraulic implement for my tractor before so that may be a possibility but would require a hand pump at least. Or how about a spring of some sort to assist the lifting? Or I just thought, how about extending the crank shaft and making a much larger crank handle? If anybody has done something like this I would love to see a photo.

 

[Mike Davis]

I see the answer in your avatar...

A small boat winch attached to the top of the drill press with the cable hooked or bolted to the table would make it easy to crank the table up or down. I have been thinking about adding something like this to my drill press for some time. Just need to find a cheap winch.

 

[JohnW]

I suggest checking the vertical gears attached to the column to see if they are straight and adjusted for minimum play. The collar rings are adjustable and they can get loose. If the vertical gears on the column get skewed, it might make operating harder.

I have a 1950 vintage Delta and a 1990's Delta press. Both have handles that are too small with little leverage to get the job done. I suppose that has been Delta's design for many years.

I like Mike's idea...if that gives you enough range. I also think you could put a larger handle on it to gain more leverage, but watch out that the longer handle doesn't get too close to the table creating a knuckle buster.

 

[Charles Lent]

I've seen where a woodworker put sash weights in the column, a pulley on the top of the column, and sash rope to connect to the table and over the pulley to the sash weights. You would still have to lift crank the table, but the weight would be a lot less. If no sash weights can be found that will fit in the column, then a heavy weight behind the column could be substituted.

I saw this being used on an old Craftsman drill press that didn't have any type of mechanism to raise and lower the table. You had to hold onto the table, loosen the clamp, lift or lower the table while holding up it's full weight, and then tighten the clamp. For him, the sash weights removed about 3/4 of the table weight, so the effort required was much less.

Charley

 

[DaveD]

Seems to me you would want to reduce the friction between the table and the column too. The big problem is the design of the table wants to cant the table bore to the column. With just a little upward pressure on the outer edge of the table does it move a lot easier? Counterbalance the table temporarily and see if it moves easier.

Some of the previous suggestions seem ok for raising the table, But what about lowering it?

All the above ideas have merit but remember the weakest link will always break so you can make a longer handle on it but what will break next? Probably the gear that interfaces to the rack.

I just WD40 my column. Mine doesn't have a crank/rack so it's just old muscle power. My table is counterbalanced by another table at 180 degrees so it doesn't take much muscle power to move it around.

Whatever you do don't apply jacking force out in the table area. You need the force right next to the column. Otherwise you have a good chance of cracking the table casting

 

[AllanD]

Those are all good suggestions. If I have time this weekend I may take it apart and make sure there is no binding or misalignment. It has been difficult to turn the crank the 15 or 20 years I've had it.
John, you are right about the small handles. I used to have one of those old Craftsman drill presses that had to be lifted up the round column. I actually did use a small bottle jack on that one to make it easy to raise.
It lowers fairly well but you still have to put some effort in the crank so it is true that adding weights might make it difficult to lower. I'm leaning to a bigger, stouter crank for now. I'll post the progress if I make any.

 

[KenOfCary]

I was having the same problem with my Delta Drill Press - very hard to move the table up and down - especially up. I lubed the track and gears with 90 weight oil, the kind made for bicycle chains and it works find now. You said you oiled it, but what kind of lubricant did you use. You want something very heavy maybe even grease versus oil.

 

[AllanD]

Ken, I sprayed it with Lithium grease.

 

[Tarhead]

First make sure the locking screw between the table and post is not engaged or rubbing against it.
I use a trailer jack on my industrial Crafstman DP. It didn't come with a rack and pinion and was meant to be held in one position for its work.


Here is the write up:
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=9969&highlight=trailer+jack

 

[kelLOGg]

Could you make use of an Acme threaded rod mounted behind the column and attached to a split collar (2 half pipes) placed around the column and under the table for raising and lowering. A reversible gear motor could drive it up and down. You could have full range of travel. Is the press a floor or bench top model?
Bob

 

[AllanD]

Mark, that is the kind of thing I was looking for! Thanks. Bob, the DP is a really big one.

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

The design of the table mechanism on most Delta and other drill presses hasn't changed much in over 50 years, except to get worse and more flimsy. Mine doesn't crank up and down worth a darn. It has a flimsy plastic handle, poorly machined column rack, bad likely buggered gears, plus the collar lock is in an awkward, difficult-to-reach position behind the column. There have been many partial solutions, that help but none solve all the things I consider to be problem. I have been working on a relatively simple and hopefully inexpensive design that I think will solve all of my problems. I have two version- one is a completely new design while the other, which uses the same mechanics, would be an after-market mod to existing tables. But until I have a chance to attempt to license it, I can't reveal the details.

 

[AllanD]

Alan, I completely agree with your assessment. It's really a shame that a better alternative has not been developed (until your system of course!). I curse every time I see that I need to change the height of the table. Can't wait to see what you are thinking.

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

Just a tease- there is no rack/pinion/crank nor traditional clamping mechanism. You lift a lever to unlock the almost* zero weight (balanced) table and as you continue lifting you easily raise the table (push down slightly on the table to lower it). *the table is balanced; I say "almost" zero weight, because accessories if not included during initial balancing will add some weight as will the stock if left on the table during table height adjustment.

One other really nice feature is that no matter where or how much you adjust the table up and down, once locked it is always precisely aligned to the drill bit- it is self-centering. Also, you don't have to mess moving the rack and slip rings to rotate the table for offset drilling, the table stays stationary, you rotate the headstock which gives you the same result. Right now I'm working on trying to incorporate the table tilt lock into the table height lock and put it/them at the front edge of the table.

 

[Rick M]

Replace the crank with a pulley and motorize it.

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

Replace the crank with a pulley and motorize it.

With the current rack and pinion assembly and table weight, just replacing the crank with a motor would require a hefty gear motor- $$$$$. Check out the prices for Baldor, Dayton, Boston, etc. gear motors! Yikes!!

 

[DaveD]

You could hook a ⅜" air ratchet to it. Probably less than $40 at Horrible Freight.

 

[AllanD]

I rigged up a solution to make it easier to raise the drill press, at least until Alan gets his table ready. I cleaned up the post and re-oiled it. I removed the flimsy plastic handle and found the shaft is 9/16". I used some scrap steel and cut out a small square, drilled a 9/16 hole, drilled and tapped for a set screw, then welded a bolt to it.

This replaced the crank and now I can use a ratchet, a drill, or air powered impact wrench to turn it. Since I had some more steel scrap around I made a bigger handle that I will keep hanging next to the press. All I had to buy was a 15/16 socket which was half off at the hardware store. The 1/2 inch key stock fit the 1/2" drive.


When I get more time I will turn a wood handle to fit over the round steel handle but it worked just fine today. Very easy to raise now.

 

[Rick M]

With the current rack and pinion assembly and table weight, just replacing the crank with a motor would require a hefty gear motor- $$$$$. Check out the prices for Baldor, Dayton, Boston, etc. gear motors! Yikes!!

I didn't say it would be free. Here is one guy who did it with a DC motor: http://www.twistedknotwoodshop.com/automate.htm
I'm sure if someone spent time researching it they could find a number of clever solutions.

 

[Joe Scharle]

I suppose one of these wouldn't work?