Craftsman 21914 Laser Guide

[BigFishBite]

I just bought a Craftsman 21914 with laser guide. When I put the machine together I adjusted the table and the head, eye balled the alinement, then adjusted the laser cross hairs at about 6", dropped the table to the bottom and the cross hairs were off by at least 1". So I raised the table back and did a sample test hole on a 6" long piece of wood end to end, drilling from both ends (I build custom fishing rods and do pens for fun so a true hole is required), then I cut the wood from end to end and no miss alinement at all. Drill I think is great, the laser is a piece of crap as far as I'm concerned.

Anyone else have any opinion or comments about it????

Thanks a Million Tim BigFishBite Custom Rods

[steve-norrell]

I have a different model (21900, I think) that has a laser device clamped to the post holding up the motor and drill head. After aiming the laser, as per the instructions, the "X" seems to remain centered as I move the table up and down. When I bought the unit I thought that the laser prove very useful, but it did not turn out that way.

Over the two or three years that I have had the DP, I find myself almost never using the laser. My preferred way of 'aiming' the drill is to use the point of a brad-tipped drill to position the work piece. One problem I have had with the laser is that the drill bit may well block the laser preventing its use as an aiming point. The brad-tips have never failed me.

Regards, Steve

[LCHIEN]

when lowering the table on most DPs the table side-to-side movement is not restricted, when you re-lcok the table clamp on the column, perhaps it had rotated a bit that is why it is off by so much at the bottom. I find it nearly impossibe on both my laser-equipped DPs to keep the spot in the same place when I lower or raise the table. Fortunately the table swings to either side and the hole center will still be on the arc the laser makes as you swing the table side to side. There are a few ways to realign this. Complications come when trying to align to a drilled hole and drilling a hole co-centered but of a different diameter. Can tax the resourcefullness of a woodworker.

If you keep the table in one place as yo did drilling the pen blank, and just flipped the blank end for end in a suitable vise, then you should have no problem.

I find the laser of use frequently but it also depends on the bits used and other factors. Yes, the bit (especially forstners) can cast a shadow, brad point bits pretty much point to the exact location and are easy to line up, but larger twist bits can be quickly lined up for repetitive drilling using a laser, its also very useful for lining up w.r.t. a fence or other key locating feature.

[BigFishBite]

I should have stated that the laser X line was off by about 1" front to back. I have always lined up the table and head then mark the post, stand foot and anything else that might move from side to side or front to back so that when I move the table or any thing else I have a reverance point. If I want to drill an exact hole in any thing I also have a Jet lathe and a small 7X10 metal lathe. I turn my own Titaniam reel seats for fly rods.