Holy Cast Iron Batman!

[dkerfoot]

I have a great new problem.

I mentioned to my father-in-law that I was thinking about buying a drill press. He replied that he had a spare benchtop drill press that he'd give me as an early Christmas present. He said he bought it a few years ago and never even opened it because he received another in a horse-trade. Very nice.

He brought it over yesterday and by my very small shop's standards, it is a monster. It is a Skill 13" HD (Heavy Duty) 3580-Type 1 with Model 80540 Drill Press Fence. Don't bother searching on them, they haven't been available for a long time. The manuals were printed in 1993!

It is a 5-speed, with lots of cast-iron. 21" from chuck to the base. 38" overall height and the Head is about 24" deep. The base itself is 10" wide and 17" deep. I don't know exactly what it weighs , but I'd estimate it as roughly a butt-ton. It is certainly out of the question to store it on the floor and lift it to the workbench when needed.

The best option I can think of is to build a relatively small rolling base for it. Does anybody have any recommendations? How narrow do I dare make the base yet retain stability? When I say I have a small shop, I mean really small - 11' x 10'. I do NOT have a bare wall with enough room to permanently place the press.

I've been planning the rest of my rolling bases to create platforms that match my table saw height, but this is obviously a special exception - How high should I build the base?

This is the first time I have owned a drill press, so I appreciate any suggestions you may have.

-Doug

[LCHIEN]

I'd consider building a storage unit with a few drawers for your drilling supplies, about 28-32 inches high and about 2 feet square. Bolt the DP to the top of this unit, two swivelling and two swivelling/locking casters.
Most of the force applied will be down so moving around on you isn't too bad.

Maybe something like the one Rod Kirby shows in his shop pictures (check his posts here).

If you are in a hurry, you can build the rolling stand and add the drawers later.


I hope it has a rack and pinion table lift...

[dkerfoot]

Maybe something like the one Rod Kirby shows in his shop pictures (check his posts here).

The only picture I have seen is for a floor press. Is that the one you mean?

If you are in a hurry, you can build the rolling stand and add the drawers later.

That is what I have been doing for all my bases. I plan to dedicate a weekend to making drawers sometime this winter.

I hope it has a rack and pinion table lift...

Yes it does. It really is a nice drill press.

[LCHIEN]

[quote=dkerfoot;299951]The only picture I have seen is for a floor press. Is that the one you mean?

...[quote]

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread...ight=shop+tour

"This is actually my latest acquisition – it replaces my 17 year venerable Bench DP which sat on the stand now on the right of the DP. I was lucky I had enough room to do this – there weren’t any other options. I’m finding the flat top of the stand useful for working on both the DP and Router table."

Yeah, his old DP was a benchtop on the stand to the right.

[DonHo]

The only thing I'd add to Loring's advice is to use 4 swivel casters instead of 2 swivel and 2 fixed. Having all 4 casters swivel makes steering the cart much easier. Make sure they are heavy duty and the lock locks the caster from swiveling as well as from rolling. I use the casters shown on this link,

http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/11883

but other members like other brands. Just make sure they are heavy duty.

DonHo

[Pappy]

There are not any plans, but I could get overall dimensions for you if you want. Adjust height so the handle hub is about shoulder height.





I agree that you need swivel casters on all 4 corners.

[dkerfoot]

I appreciate all the advice.

I loaded it temporarily on a rolling cabinet that I normally keep my miter saw on. It is 18" wide x 21" deep and that seems sufficient. I might go deeper, since the head extends back further. With my tiny shop, saving the 6" of width is significant.

I have used Woodstock Red Polurethane casters from Grizzly before and was pleased. http://www.grizzly.com/products/h0693 But, the hartville ones are about the same price and look a bit heavier duty. I may give them a try.
I agree with all four swiveling with dual locks on front.

On a side note: Does anyone know if the caster weight rating is for each caster or is it assuming the weight is spread over 4 casters?

Pappy - Very nice cabinet! I especially like the wings on the side - I may copy that. Also, shoulder height to the handle makes sense.

Because my space is so small, I make use of the rafters and have lots of stuff attached/dangling from above. Therefore, I may choose to have the drill press ride a little lower than I otherwise might, just so I can move it around more freely.

It is funny how this thing has thrown a curve into all of my plans. My tiny shop is becoming a remarkably efficient space. I was really planning on just getting a little $100 drill press that I could toss on the bench and stick under a shelf when I was done. Thankfully, this really is a very nice tool that I expect will be my first and last drill press. I was surprised to find it is 1.3 horsepower. The funny thing is, I am pretty sure it weighs more than my tablesaw! (Craftsman 21829)

-Doug

[jgscott987]

The weight ratings are per wheel. Using 4 of them will handle:

225 x 4 = 900 lbs.

[siliconbauhaus]

Congrats on the new DP mate, I need to get one myself.

Pappy: Very nice cabinet you have there.

[Mrk67mark]

Here is my cart which is based on a design from Danny Proulx's book, Building Woodshop Workstations. Overall dimensions are 34" high (including casters), 20" wide and 22" deep. I also agree on 4 swivel casters. These are just cheapo's from Lowe's, but the only time I move it is to clean up behind it.
Mark