Stand for benchtop drill press

[RickP]

Finished! Page 2 has some photos of the finished project.

My drill press has taken up space on my workbench for too many years now. I got a miter saw recently and wanted to practice compound angles, so a small project seemed like a good way to start:

Here's a shot with the drill press on top of it, showing the storage for drill bits on the two shelves below it:

Also - that's the new miter saw in the background.

My DP is an entry-level Craftsman model, but I made the stand strong enough to be easily modified if I ever get a bigger model.

I've got plans for a few improvements - like a door and sides to keep metal shavings off the shelves, but that's all for now.

 

[RickP]

I've finally made time to post one of my projects after being a member here for a couple of years. It was shamelessly copied from the DP stands made by two other GJ members:

Stuart in MN:

GirlnAgarage:

Thanks to both of them for posting their projects. Now that I look at them again, I'm wondering if I went too big on the angle of the legs. I used a 15 degree angle, but I think 10 might have been better. The base of my DP is really tiny, so the top of the stand is very narrow. It ended up very stable, but the wide legs do take up a little more floor space.

 

[CNGsaves]

Nice work on stand OP.

You've also got nice table saw. What brand, model and HP is that??

What is the useful portable stand underneath the miter saw?? I'd like to see better pic of that.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Thanks. I had to go downstairs and check my drill press stand, it's been too many years since I built it - the legs are splayed only 5 degrees in both directions. I haven't had any issues with its stability.

 

[RickP]

Thanks CNGsaves. It was a fun project to start learning how to use a new tool. Now I just have to get back to making progress on it. I start a lot of things but I need to finish some of them...

The table saw is a Steel City Model 35606 with a 3HP 230v motor. They've changed their model numbers around since then, but here's the closest model on their current website:

Steel City Model 45975G-I36

Mine has a cast iron top and the new ones have granite tops. But they often run specials with the cast iron tops for a lower price. I went to a tool show in Baltimore to get mine and the price was $999 back in 2007.

 

[CNGsaves]

^ ^ ^ ^ Nice . . . 3 HP monster table saw !

How about the portable stand for miter saw . . is that Workmate??

 

[RickP]

Thanks. I had to go downstairs and check my drill press stand, it's been too many years since I built it - the legs are splayed only 5 degrees in both directions. I haven't had any issues with its stability.

Yours look pretty solid to me. I ended up making the top on mine much more narrow than yours, so I went wider on the legs. But I think 10 degrees would have been just about right. Thanks for the inspiration for a fun project.

 

[kbs2244]

Maybe this belongs in the repurpose thread?
For some reason this desk wasn't the usual 30 inchs front to back.
Only about 24.
It has been working just fine for years.

 

[RickP]

^ ^ ^ ^ Nice . . . 3 HP monster table saw !

How about the portable stand for miter saw . . is that Workmate??

Thanks. I thought about getting the 120v table saw, but the salesman said the 3HP motor wouldn't stall as easily, and it was only $100 more. I already had 230v power in the basement, so I ended up getting the bigger one. I've been very happy with it so far.

Oh yeah - sorry, I forgot about that - it's actually the Craftsman version of the Workmate table:

Sears Model 65796

It works great for clamping and the adjustable height is nice, plus it folds up for storage just like the Workmate. But the sliding compound miter saw was way too big for it and ended up sliding all over the place.

 

[RickP]

I ended up getting the Craftsman Universal miter saw stand instead:

Sears Model YH-MS029A

It works a lot better just because the miter saw clamps to the stand and doesn't slide around. The saw is easy to remove and the stand folds up for storage.

 

[RickP]

Maybe this belongs in the repurpose thread?
For some reason this desk wasn't the usual 30 inchs front to back.
Only about 24.
It has been working just fine for years.

I like the storage in your stand with 3 big drawers underneath. That's what I was going for with the 2 shelves, but I still need to add a door and side panels to mine.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Nice table saw. I didn't realize they had switched to granite work surfaces, that's pretty cool.

 

[RickP]

Nice table saw. I didn't realize they had switched to granite work surfaces, that's pretty cool.

I agree with you that the granite is pretty cool. I've checked out similar table saws at Sears and the granite is incredibly flat and smooth. Whenever my basement gets a little too humid I have to remove rust spots from my cast iron top, and I've often wished that I'd waited a couple of years to buy my saw and gotten the granite top instead.

 

[RickP]

Some progress - I added a door for the bottom shelf:

I also added a back panel to stiffen the whole thing up a little:

 

[RickP]

I decided to make a custom handle for the door, out of some sheet metal and an old spade bit I found:

 

[RickP]

It actually turned out better than I expected:

 

[Squashfest81]

Appropriate use of the spade.
Best part... will still draw blood.

 

[RickP]

Appropriate use of the spade.
Best part... will still draw blood.

You're right - that's actually why I pointed it down. I was originally planning to attach it pointing up, but I knew I'd be cutting myself every other time I opened it!

 

[rsanter]

You did a very nice job on that stand.
Not to burst any bubbles but IMO the best stand for a drill press is one of the smaller bottom boxes. You store all the accessories in the drawers. It's mobile and its a stable base.

Heck for most bench top power tools the best stand is a bottom box

Bob

 

[captain14]

My drill press has taken up space on my workbench for too many years now. I got a miter saw recently and wanted to practice compound angles, so a small project seemed like a good way to start:

Here's a shot with the drill press on top of it, showing the storage for drill bits on the two shelves below it:

Also - that's the new miter saw in the background.

My DP is an entry-level Craftsman model, but I made the stand strong enough to be easily modified if I ever get a bigger model.

I've got plans for a few improvements - like a door and sides to keep metal shavings off the shelves, but that's all for now.

Nice looking project for the new saw. Would you mind sharing the
measurements?

Anyone else can post measurements for thier won design would be ok too.

Thanks in advance.

 

[TLCObsession]

Most useful thing I added to my DP stand was to add a cup holder to hold my cutting fluid - otherwise I was always knocking it off.

 

[RickP]

You did a very nice job on that stand.
Not to burst any bubbles but IMO the best stand for a drill press is one of the smaller bottom boxes. You store all the accessories in the drawers. It's mobile and its a stable base.

Heck for most bench top power tools the best stand is a bottom box

Bob

Thanks Bob. You're probably right, but the bottom box in my shop is too small for a drill press. It's way too short and it isn't stable enough because it's a cheap one with small wheels. My garage bottom box is big enough, but it already has a top box mounted on it.

So I just decided to make a stand, and add storage to it - it takes way more time than getting a new bottom box - but where's the fun in just buying something?

 

[great white tj]

I am not sure why, but working with wood is something I am just not good at. But at times I do try.

 

[RickP]

Nice looking project for the new saw. Would you mind sharing the
measurements?

Anyone else can post measurements for thier won design would be ok too.

Thanks in advance.

Thanks.
No problem - here are the measurements:
37.5" height
8" x 14" top
26" x 33.5" at base of legs (15 degree miter angles)
28" height of top shelf
9" height of bottom shelf
Door: 18"h x 16.5"w (at bottom)

 

[RickP]

Most useful thing I added to my DP stand was to add a cup holder to hold my cutting fluid - otherwise I was always knocking it off.

That's a great idea - I will work that into the design. Thanks.

 

[RickP]

I am not sure why, but working with wood is something I am just not good at. But at times I do try.

I actually feel the same way about working with metal! But I keep working at it...

I've seen some of your projects and your welding is impressive! I think woodworking is mostly about learning to work with "softer" shaping techniques and a different set of fasteners.

 

[sz0k30]

For me, for as small as the drill press is, the stand legs splay out way too much and take up way too much floor space.

 

[don long]

I actually feel the same way about working with metal! But I keep working at it...

I think woodworking is mostly about learning to work with "softer" shaping techniques and a different set of fasteners.

Hi Rick
In my opinion working with wood is a pita! you have to hold much tighter tollerances and find ways to hide the fastners.

working with sheetmetal is much easier. you get it close and weld it up then bend it back to what you wanted lol

Your drill bench is looking pretty good I like having my drills handy
where do you keep the small vices for the d/p??

Don

p.s. thanks for your help with the fiber glass

 

[RickP]

For me, for as small as the drill press is, the stand legs splay out way too much and take up way too much floor space.

I actually agree with you - the legs probably should have been cut at about 10 degrees instead of 15. It was my first time using a miter saw, and I just guessed at what I thought was a small angle.

But now that it's assembled, I actually like how wide the legs are because I can stand between them. The base of my DP is so narrow that it was always unstable on my workbench and now it is rock solid, so I can really crank down on the handle without it moving.

 

[RickP]

Hey there Don,

I have to say that you're a lot better at sheet metal and bodywork than I am at woodworking. I can do rough carpentry pretty well, but the detail stuff is tough for me (like cabinets). But the details you can do with bodywork are amazing. I've finished most of my fiberglass work with gelcoat instead of paint, so I just sand it more if I don't get it right at first!

For the drill press vises and clamps, my plan is to store them on the bottom shelf. For years I've just had everything in a pile on top of my workbench, so it'll be nice to finally have a place for it (for a change).

I'm glad the fiberglass worked out well for you on the corvette tunnel - I think you saved a lot of time the way you did it, and you really did a great job on it.

 

[RickP]

Finally made some more progress - glued up some scraps of panelboard for side panels:

I decided to add the side panels to keep chips off the bottom shelf.

Time for a little stain and varnish:

 

[ichabod]

here is a stand I made today

 

[RickP]

Progress update - benchtop drill press stand

I finally made time to post some progress photos.

Installed panelboard side panels after staining the wood:

Added chains to the front door:

I actually got it finished last winter, but moved on to other projects and didn't post the finished photos. Now I'm getting started on mods and additions -- I need to add a chip tray, and then maybe a cup holder for the cutting fluid.

 

[RickP]

And here it is finished, in place, and making chips:

 

[lastgoodusername]

That is really nice

 

[lastgoodusername]

very nice

here is a stand I made today

 

[RickP]

Unfinished chip tray

I attempted to weld up a chip tray using some scrap metal -- what a disaster!

(It's disasters like this that make me want to stick to woodworking!)

I used a cheap flux core welder (from Horrible Freight) and it didn't have a setting low enough to avoid blowing holes in the sheet metal. I'm not a good welder by any measure, but this was beyond bad. I tried doubling up the metal thickness and then tripling it, but it didn't get much better. I finally gave up, and now I'm just going to use pop rivets instead.

Here's a close up of the weld (if you could call it that):

I've thought about buying a MIG welder someday, but I can't justify the expense for cheap things like chip trays... I also have a 240V stick welder, but somehow I don't think that would work better on this thin stuff.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

Nice stand. The more you use it the more you'll learn what you like and don't like about it. No worries, it's all a learning process. Not like it'll be your last DP stand right?? I like what you did with the door. Gives a clean look.

I have my Homecraft 120 on that stand pictured up there. It's overkill but was originally carrying a Cman 150 I grinned when dad lifted it to unload from the truck, he winced and said it was built like a tank. I put 2x4s on the bottom span to create the bottom shelf. Eventually I'll add a small multi-drawer bin to keep the bits n tools. Right now that stuff is in the bug Lyon on the main workbench.

 

[RickP]

Nice stand. The more you use it the more you'll learn what you like and don't like about it. No worries, it's all a learning process. Not like it'll be your last DP stand right?? I like what you did with the door. Gives a clean look.

Thanks -- your stand was actually the one I saw that got me thinking about building one. Then I saw your link to the one by Stuart in MN, and I started cutting...

I have my Homecraft 120 on that stand pictured up there. It's overkill but was originally carrying a Cman 150 I grinned when dad lifted it to unload from the truck, he winced and said it was built like a tank. I put 2x4s on the bottom span to create the bottom shelf. Eventually I'll add a small multi-drawer bin to keep the bits n tools. Right now that stuff is in the bug Lyon on the main workbench.

Good luck when you start adding the drawers -- I found the door and shelves were the most time consuming parts of building this thing. The stand itself was really simple, but adding all the other stuff took some serious time, mostly because of all the compound angle cuts. I can't count how many times I cut the angle backwards and had to toss that piece and start over because now it was too short! Something to be said for learning to use a miter saw on a rough project like this stand.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

Ooh I'm definitely not doing the drawers. I'm hitting the easy button and adding a small Lyon-type bin to the shelf. That is the extent I'm going to for drawers. I've already built drawers in a previous project, I'm satisfied at my drawer building skills

Here's the DP and stand.

...oops forgot to attach the pic