Drill press base

[Sumboodie]

Got this unit at DRMO auction for about $100. No idea what they did but it works fine.

Missing the pulley cover, but I usually leave those open anyhow.

Debating if I should do a new base out of some angle iron or? Anyhow have a measurement in length?

It's about 13" wide

Have some 2.5" locking casters to use too, will make it practical to tuck away unless being used.

 

[Sumboodie]

Works better if I load the pics load to the post.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I'd make a base out of 1/4" plate and some angle would be my first thought.

 

[no704]

I was going to say find a scrap press and replace the base with that? I suppose you could lag it into the concrete?

 

[Sumboodie]

I was going to say find a scrap press and replace the base with that? I suppose you could lag it into the concrete?

Would be really hard to move around if it's bolted to the floor!

 

[dutchgray]

Bases usually get broken whilst the drill is being moved, drill gets dropped or a hard bump and it cracks, even happens if you transport the machine upright and go over a bad bump in the road without the drill being strapped hard down.

 

[whateg01]

What model is it? Might be able to find one with a bad motor or quill. Or a piece of plate, as suggested. I sometimes fill a tire with concrete and use that as a base. It doesn't vibrate and walk around, though a still press shouldn't walk anyway.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I would make the length of a base to reach out at least even with the front of the table.

 

[Sumboodie]

Bases usually get broken whilst the drill is being moved, drill gets dropped or a hard bump and it cracks, even happens if you transport the machine upright and go over a bad bump in the road without the drill being strapped hard down.

Was from the Army, so who knows with those guys. Probably tried using it as a hammer to open a can of beans

 

[Beerhippie]

Looks like a relaxing afternoon of welding to me.

Some 1/4-3/8" plate, a few pieces of angle or channel, a little cutting, welding, drilling and tapping.

It'll never break again.

 

[OccupantRJ]

When making a metal dolly or mobile base I have stopped drilling for bolts years ago and now tack weld the casters onto the frame. It is much quicker, the bolts are out of the way, and if I ever need to change a caster, a grinder with a cut off blade will make short work of it. It also saves hardware as well as drilling, or drilling and tapping. I have replaced hundreds of casters in my factory days, but never one in my home shop due to failure. They don’t roll enough for that. If you get a flat spot on a caster you can just change the wheel instead of the entire caster frame. For hardware storage cabinets I have gone to steel casters to prevent flat spotting due to weight.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I've got a 20" Cman drill press. I can go out and measure the size of the base if you want.

 

[Sumboodie]

I've got a 20" Cman drill press. I can go out and measure the size of the base if you want.

Sure, would help give me an idea on what I need to make.

The piece that was left is very light and thin. Just some cast material that's 1/4" at most.

 

[Sumboodie]

Looks like a relaxing afternoon of welding to me.

Some 1/4-3/8" plate, a few pieces of angle or channel, a little cutting, welding, drilling and tapping.

It'll never break again.

Yeah, just have alot if other stuff to do too.
Been putting in 16+ hr days working on stuff.

Up now, it's 0130. Wicked leg cramps, probably didn't drink enough. Haven't ate much in the last 2 weeks. Had to put a new hole in my belt.

 

[OccupantRJ]

When or if you make a base you can leave the top plate short of the size of the frame by 1/4” all around, then when welded it is easier to grind a radiused upper corner to look more unitized and less harsh. I have my 20” Walker Turner drill press sitting on top of the smaller Harbor Freight dolly which is how I moved it into position. I like the portability so I left it under the base. My base is very close to the size of the small HF dolly, but it is a rather large unit also.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Sure, would help give me an idea on what I need to make.

The piece that was left is very light and thin. Just some cast material that's 1/4" at most.

Gonna have to give me till Friday, I'm at work the next 48 hours.

Shoot me a PM if I forget about it. You can also check out the Cman I repaired in my Garage Refurb thread. Should be about 8-10 pages from the end...holes in the welding table are 6" apart if you check it out.

 

[david3921]

A base for sale on eBay says that it measures 12 1/2" X 20".

Pardon Our Interruption...

www.ebay.com

 

[Sumboodie]

A base for sale on eBay says that it measures 12 1/2" X 20".

Pardon Our Interruption...

www.ebay.com

$100 would be worth it just to save time, but then I saw the $300 shipping.
$100 to a L48 address, so still not cheap.

Not that heavy either. That broken chuck which is about 1/4 of the base, is maybe 5lbs. Surprisingly light.

 

[david3921]

$100 would be worth it just to save time, but then I saw the $300 shipping.
$100 to a L48 address, so still not cheap.

Not that heavy either. That broken chuck which is about 1/4 of the base, is maybe 5lbs. Surprisingly light.

Yeah, I thought that shipping cost was nuts too. A lot if the bases show high shipping costs on ebay.

 

[whateg01]

I could see shippers finding a way to break one. I don't now if the seller is buying extra insurance but that could be a factor.

 

[kbuhagiar]

Yeah, I thought that shipping cost was nuts too. A lot if the bases show high shipping costs on ebay.

Shipping costs are sometimes set indiscriminately on Ebay. For example, if the seller uses another Ebay auction as a template (very common and actually encouraged by Ebay) but doesn't adjust the shipping details (i.e. dimensions & weight) the information from the old ad will just transfer to the new ad.

Hard to believe but many (and I do mean MANY) Ebay sellers intentionally ignore the shipping costs posted on their ads as a way to pump up the sale price and avoid fees. They'll play dumb until you bring it to their attention and then adjust the cost to a more realistic number. Last month I had to do this with an Ebay seller, brought shipping down from almost $200 to $49.

 

[david3921]

Shipping costs are sometimes set indiscriminately on Ebay. For example, if the seller uses another Ebay auction as a template (very common and actually encouraged by Ebay) but doesn't adjust the shipping details (i.e. dimensions & weight) the information from the old ad will just transfer to the new ad.

Hard to believe but many (and I do mean MANY) Ebay sellers intentionally ignore the shipping costs posted on their ads as a way to pump up the sale price and avoid fees. They'll play dumb until you bring it to their attention and then adjust the cost to a more realistic number. Last month I had to do this with an Ebay seller, brought shipping down from almost $200 to $49.

Yeah, I'm wondering if the OP could get it down. It would ship from California to Alaska however.

 

[whateg01]

Yeah, I'm wondering if the OP could get it down. It would ship from California to Alaska however.

Going to Alaska the price might go up!

 

[TurnipTruck]

Going to Alaska the price might go up!

Can confirm!
There is a new local business that consolidates small package shipping and and gets the costs DOWN to only a dollar a pound.

 

[RTM]

There is a new local business that consolidates small package shipping and and gets the costs DOWN to only a dollar a pound.

I'm doing that for shipments from the UK to US. They gather a 30kg package, ship it slow boat to Virginia, then someone in VA USPS sends them across the US. Seems to be a substantial savings vs direct shipping, if you can be patient.

 

[whateg01]

I'm doing that for shipments from the UK to US. They gather a 30kg package, ship it slow boat to Virginia, then someone in VA USPS sends them across the US. Seems to be a substantial savings vs direct shipping, if you can be patient.

How are duties dealt with?

 

[RTM]

How are duties dealt with?

I have no idea, the bulk shipper and receiving guy deal with that. I just get a total due.

 

[Sumboodie]

Can confirm!
There is a new local business that consolidates small package shipping and and gets the costs DOWN to only a dollar a pound.

Yeah, still would be ~$250 which is about $200 more than I'm wanting to pay when I can build one for pretty much free.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Here's the pictures as promised. 22 1/2" long and 17 1/2" wide.

 

[AEAdam]

Instead of trying to fabricate a metal base or trying to weld the existing cast base, I wonder if you could bolt or weld some ugly square tubing, then build a form and cast a concrete base. It doesn’t have to be huge and the mass would probably help. You could probably incorporate casters.

I would get wrapped around the axle trying to repair that.

 

[RoninB4]

Instead of trying to fabricate a metal base or trying to weld the existing cast base, I wonder if you could bolt or weld some ugly square tubing, then build a form and cast a concrete base. It doesn’t have to be huge and the mass would probably help.

-Using concrete as a machine base has been in use for quite a while. I've read of many shops/labs successfully using a type of concrete/cement to improve machine accuracy from the added mass. Seems like that would improve stability through mass to the fabricated frame/foot/base at a low cost.

 

[AEAdam]

-Using concrete as a machine base has been in use for quite a while. I've read of many shops/labs successfully using a type of concrete/cement to improve machine accuracy from the added mass. Seems like that would improve stability through mass to the fabricated frame/foot/base at a low cost.

I didn’t know that.

 

[RoninB4]

I didn’t know that.

-As reported on PM by a knowledgeable member who has an opinion I'd trust. Never tried it myself but always wanted to. Would probably only be valid in a climate controlled area to avoid thermal expansion of the machinery or provisions made for lateral expansion (perhaps).

 

[Steve_P]

I have a Delta 3/4 HP drill press that I bought new. The manual tells you to anchor it to the floor. If not, you're supposed to bolt the existing base to a larger wood base to guard against tipping. I built an additional plywood base for it, to their dimensions, or larger, out of some scrap that a friend had. I can measure it if you want to get an idea, but it sticks out quite a bit in the front. Basically, whatever you build needs to be larger than a cast iron base on another machine if you're not anchoring it; and if you want to be safe.