Modifying an Old Drill Press

[JHCC]

While I love my old Delta drill press (and I especially love that it was free!), it’s always awkward to raise and lower the table to accommodate different lengths of drill bit, different thicknesses of workpiece, vises, etc. I’ve used one of those models that has a hand crank to adjust the table height, but unless I find one for free, I’m not spending money on a machine that could be better spent on steel and propane. 

However, I just remembered that I have a rack-and-pinion mechanism that came off a setup I bought at the industrial surplus place for the structural steel. Now I’m thinking about how I could incorporate this into my existing drill setup. 

It seems to me that the best (and least invasive) modification would be to have the pinion mechanism and its handwheel attached to a heavy collar encircling the main post, while the rack is attached at its top and bottom to the post, teeth facing inward. The pinion’s teeth would engage the rack, so turning the handwheel would move the collar up and down. The table bracket that clamps onto the post would ride up and down on the collar. 

Therefore, the process of securing the table height would be: 1) loosen the table clamp, 2) turn the handwheel to move the collar to the appropriate height, 3) align the table to the desired left/right position, and 4) tighten the table clamp.

Here’s a sketch of what I’m thinking:

Here’s the table bracket:

And here’s the rack-and-pinion mechanism. Looking at this further, I’m thinking that having the rack facing out and the pinion outside that might not be the worst idea. Something to think about. 

 

Any thoughts?

[SLAG]

JHCC,

I do not want to spoil your upcoming adventure in fashioning a drill press rack and pinion adjuster. 

But would a large scissors jack mounted on a suitable stand be equally functional and a lot less work?

But then again, you already have the rack and pinion part and it's essentially free.

Happy adventures with your inventing.

SLAG.

 

[arftist]

I met you once, and I don't recall you seeming feeble or infirm....yes it is a slight pia but not that bad. 

If you really need to make it better I advise using a pulley, cable and counterwieght. 

Keep it self contained in case you need to move the press.

[JHCC]

SLAG: Yes, more a matter of using what I have already, plus the rack-and-pinion would adjust the height a lot faster than a scissors jack. 

arftist: I like the pulley and counterweight idea, but I think I’m going to give this a try regardless. I can’t do much forging at the moment (I’m recovering from tennis elbow in both arms), so I’ve been enjoying these more mechanical projects. (Also, my feebleness and infirmity are more mental than physical, so it’s no surprise they didn’t stand out that time we met.)

[ThomasPowers]

The folks I know that went the scissors jack route;  use a cordless drill to turn the jack crank.

[SLAG]

T. P.,

Cordless drill is a brilliant idea for use with a scissors jack.

SLAG.

[Stash]

I went real low tech with my bench mount Walker-Turner. I put the table down low, squared everything up and keep a series of different thickness wood blocks to get the height I want.  EEzy-peezy and done.

Steve