Drill Press Table Repair

[Rick_Br]

I am working on a Walker Turner 1100 drill press. The table has an arc of shame - no through holes - just divots. I would like to fill them - realizing I won't be able to make them disappear - but I would like to level them. I am thinking JB weld but thought I'd ask if there was some other material that may have a closer ground cast iron appearance. Something that could be leveled/sanded when hard?

Thanks
Rick

 

[slowtwitch73]

I used JBW on my milling vise where someone had pecked some divots.. they held chips and interfered with parallels etc. Worked well.

 

[Provincial]

JB Weld makes "SteelStik Steel-Reinforced Epoxy Putty" for just this sort of thing. It has steel particles embedded in it and is thick enough to fill holes without flowing out.

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[pizza]

what about actual welding maybe with those weld sticks designed for cast iron repair? grind it smooth after

 

[Rick_Br]

JB Weld makes "SteelStik Steel-Reinforced Epoxy Putty" for just this sort of thing. It has steel particles embedded in it and is thick enough to fill holes without flowing out.

​

That looks like a good alternative - I'm going to give it try. Thanks

what about actual welding maybe with those weld sticks designed for cast iron repair? grind it smooth after

Unfortunately I don't weld and I don't think they divots are bad enough to justify the expense and effort to hire someone to weld it. Truth be known this table could be used with no ill effects as is - this is more of an aesthetic thing versus functional. Thabks for the idea though

Rick

 

[jmarkwolf]

Do a search on Google and/or Youtube for the string "drill press table repair". You will get multiple hits from multiple sources.

 

[Roberts210]

Welding ain't rocket science. You can get a used Lincoln tombstone AC welder for $100 to $150. You can learn from YT videos, or from others who have learned to weld. I learned to weld in High School Ag Shop, but then didn't weld for many, many years. In 2015 I bought a Lincoln AC/DC tombstone and started welding again. I've saved enough by now to pay for everything twice over.

 

[tvand13]

What about filling with brazing rod and grinding smooth? Acetylene would be great, but even oxy propane should do it if you preheat the table in the oven.

 

[Jgaz]

I like the JB WELD stick putty and always have some on hand.
But for filling holes in my woodworking bench I seem to get better results with this product.

Metal Set A4 Aluminum Filled Epoxy Adhesive | Aircraft Spruce

Metal Set A4 Aluminum Filled Epoxy Adhesive Metalset A4® is a powerful epoxy adhesive that has been used for years by all branches of the U.S. Military as well as every major airline and auto manufacturer in the world.

www.aircraftspruce.com

In the foreground of this pic you can see where I filled the vise mounting holes that were left after I mortised the rear jaw of my vise into the bench top.

I’ve also used it to fill screw holes left over after a glue up where I used jigs to help with complex assemblies.
Smooth a bit in the hole with a putty knife and level it out with a card scraper.
Yes, some of the smears you see were “oops”repairs as well.

 

[subroc]

Arc of shame irritates me on these old presses. I put a premium on a press that doesn't have one. That said, I used JB Weld on one Craftsman table. It took a second application to get it right. Satisfied with the result. Satisfied with the hardness. In the end, it is a visible repair that doesn't interfere with anything.

I did see on another site an example where the OP added stove black or some other substance over the cleaned and repaired table and waxed several coats of paste wax over the whole thing. It covered the repair and looked OK darkened like that.

Good luck whatever you decide.

Edit: I cleaned the **** out of the table and drilled many of the holes with a similar sized drill bit to make sure the years of dirt and grime were removed and I was dealing with bare metal to give the JB Weld the best chance possible.

BTW, I have used JB Weld on a couple drill press heads to fill switch mounting holes if I am painting the head

 

[slowtwitch73]

Another option is to mount a 1/2" or thicker Al plate (or steel) over the original table and drill/tap the new table for hold downs.

That's what I did.... covered up the arc of shame and made the table way more useful...I dont care if I drill into the new table face, etc.

 

[Rick_Br]

Some good ideas but I think my first approach will be the JB Weld Stick

Rick

 

[grannyknot]

I was just about to start a thread on drill press table repair and this thread popped up, the Metal Set A4 aluminum epoxy sounds like it will do the job nicely.
Thanks
-

 

[RMERR]

Wow, that is a serious arc of serious shame!

 

[whateg01]

Welding ain't rocket science. You can get a used Lincoln tombstone AC welder for $100 to $150. You can learn from YT videos, or from others who have learned to weld. I learned to weld in High School Ag Shop, but then didn't weld for many, many years. In 2015 I bought a Lincoln AC/DC tombstone and started welding again. I've saved enough by now to pay for everything twice over.

You don't weld much cast iron, do you?

 

[grannyknot]

Wow, that is a serious arc of serious shame!

It spent a couple of decades in a high school metal work shop.

 

[cretedog]

I am working on a Walker Turner 1100 drill press. The table has an arc of shame - no through holes - just divots. I would like to fill them - realizing I won't be able to make them disappear - but I would like to level them. I am thinking JB weld but thought I'd ask if there was some other material that may have a closer ground cast iron appearance. Something that could be leveled/sanded when hard?

Thanks
Rick

Just finished one myself. Have had good luck with JB Weld steel reinforced epoxy for fewer divots, but this one was too far gone. It got a piece of 1/2" plate.

 

[grannyknot]

Just finished one myself. Have had good luck with JB Weld steel reinforced epoxy for fewer divots, but this one was too far gone. It got a piece of 1/2" plate.

Wow, I thought mine was bad.

 

[Joe Huld]

Cast iron is very difficult to weld correctly. I have tried both the steel and nickel stick electrodes and have not been satisfied with the results of either; even after preheating and post heating the weld. The best method is to use an oxy-acetylene torch with a cast iron filler rod and a flux especially for cast iron. You will still need to preheat and post heat the work piece and allow it to cool very slowly. The process is so labor intensive and expensive that it is only worth it for an irreplaceable and valuable part. In the mid 90's a friend and I were repairing woodworking planes and would only consider weld repairs on those worth over $100 (in mid 90's dollars).

 

[Sumboodie]

Wow, that is a serious arc of serious shame!

The arc of zero fucks

 

[Firebrick43]

Just finished one myself. Have had good luck with JB Weld steel reinforced epoxy for fewer divots, but this one was too far gone. It got a piece of 1/2" plate.

That isn't the arc of shame, its the arc of a sadist

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

Cast iron is very difficult to weld correctly. I have tried both the steel and nickel stick electrodes and have not been satisfied with the results of either; even after preheating and post heating the weld. The best method is to use an oxy-acetylene torch with a cast iron filler rod and a flux especially for cast iron. You will still need to preheat and post heat the work piece and allow it to cool very slowly. The process is so labor intensive and expensive that it is only worth it for an irreplaceable and valuable part. In the mid 90's a friend and I were repairing woodworking planes and would only consider weld repairs on those worth over $100 (in mid 90's dollars).

It is best to use a heat stick to verify your heat. I have done a few with good results.

 

[ching0n]

"leading" is a thing. Dunno what prepping might be needed to have lead stick to cast iron though or if you want a soft base. I'm fairly certain I've stuck two pieces of steel wire together w/solder too. Pot metal also melts fairly easily and is hard-ish.

 

[cosmokenney]

How about just melting some lead/non-lead solder into them with a map gas torch? No real welding experience required on that. Just be sure to clean the heck out of the holes and use lots of flux. Then you can grind them smooth with a file laid flat on the table (draw file technique). Might take more than one try to get them filled completely.
EDIT: Ooops, old thread.

 

[cgrutt]

Just saw this is an older thread but would a "Lock and Stitch" kit work for this type of repair?

Order # LMK-C1, C1 Steel Pin Mini-Kit On Lock-N-Stitch

Browse Order # LMK-C1, C1 Steel Pin Mini-Kit in the Lock-N-Stitch catalog including Order #,Item Name,Description,Shipping Weight,Pins,Taps,Drill Bits,Other,About C Series Stitching Pins

castingrepair.locknstitch.com

 

[isb cornbinder]

High Temp Lab Metal- Caswell Canada

High Temp Lab Metal

caswellcanada.ca

I am sure this product is available in the US.
This is an excellent product that I have used many times. It is heat resistant and works well under powder coating.
Do not let the pictured large can of product put you off. there are much smaller packaged amounts.













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[slowtwitch73]

Just saw this is an older thread but would a "Lock and Stitch" kit work for this type of repair?

Order # LMK-C1, C1 Steel Pin Mini-Kit On Lock-N-Stitch

Browse Order # LMK-C1, C1 Steel Pin Mini-Kit in the Lock-N-Stitch catalog including Order #,Item Name,Description,Shipping Weight,Pins,Taps,Drill Bits,Other,About C Series Stitching Pins

castingrepair.locknstitch.com

Nah... that's for cracks in engines... not filling large voids.

 

[Firebrick43]

Nah... that's for cracks in engines... not filling large voids.

It can be used in a fashion with large voids. They make 5/16 pins that would be big enough to repair many holes of shame.

Another way is to bore out the void and make a tight fitting plug with an interference fit. After the top is machine you drill and tap on the joint line of the plug and put in 3 or 4 lock-n-stitch pins to keep the plug from ever coming out.

 

[isb cornbinder]

How is it that patina on a vehicle is revered and a bit of history on a drillpress is not tolerated by, a few? Some previous owner must have left the impressions, because it is very unlikely any vehicle or drillpress was not next door banging the neighbour.
So, my question is, ........ ?? Do it the way you like it.