The drill press gloat and my morning in the shop

[jonmulzer]

Last night I was sitting around contemplating what features I wanted in the stand that was going to hold my super bargain drill press when I went out to get the extra dog crate out of storage. As soon as I walked in, it hit me......

A few months ago a friend was dismantling an office that was closing down and asked me if I wanted any of the filing cabinets or desks. "How much?", I asked. I then heard my favorite word, "Free, just come haul them off and they are yours." So I loaded up everything that was left and worth having. About a dozen filing cabinets, drawer units, etc. And one of them looked just perfect to put my drill press on. So I drug it in the house this morning through a foot of melting snow and got to work. I cut a simple MDF top out of some scrap and then a spacer out of CDX plywood to keep it up off the drawer and assembled it all real quick with glue and finish nails and screwed it to the top of the drawer unit with Kreg screws (all I had on hand). It worked out so well that I cannot believe I forgot I had those units. Perfect height and two shallow drawers and a filing cabinet drawer.

So enough with the explanation, on with the pictures.

[BobSch]

Great idea. Puts the DP at the right height and you can never have too much storage in a shop, right?

[dlminehart]

Looks nice, Jon. All you need now are the locking castors! Although the empty space around your DP suggests you may have enough room in your shop, unlike me, that you don't need to have everything mobile.

That is a good idea, though. I know of a source for similar used office furniture . . . not quite free, but close enough.

[jonmulzer]

Well, I just cleared out some space. I had a folding table set up there as a catch-all. That spot is going to work out well I think. Most any piece I will need to work with should miss the hose reel. If it needs to be mobile I can put it on a plywood base with some locking casters. For now the plan is to put my bandsaw next to it, so it will need to be mobile to get it either out of the way or moved out to be used.

I really don't have that much space, but I make the best of what I have.

[dbhost]

Some guys gloat, but YOU are rubbing it in now...

I bet you'll have less in your shop total than I have in my planer and sander, and I went cheap!

[jonmulzer]

I seriously doubt that! I have just been lucky to get a really good deal on certain things, and that all comes down to luck. I should sit down and figure it all up some time though, but the total cost would probably scare me.......

I oughta get off my butt and go pick up a Dewalt 735 planer but I just don't feel like spending the money right now. Then my shop would be pretty complete.

[herb fellows]

You'll be pleased to know that office workers everywhere have voted this 'BEST USE FOR A FILE CABINET' in 2009!

[jonmulzer]

Any idea how hard it is to find a chuck key for a drill press? On the way home from work I stopped at Tractor Supply (did not carry any chuck keys), Menards (didn't have the right size), Sears, (only for handheld drills), Harbor Freight (only for hand held drills and only had two sizes), Rockler (did not carry them at all) and Lowe's where I talked the guy on duty into selling me the one from the floor model Delta. Yesterday I went to Ace and Do-It and they both only had keys for handheld drills so I grabbed a 9/32" key that I had hoped would fit but although there was only 1/32" difference in pilot size there was a huge difference in overall diameter. My last resort was that the guys at Rockler gave me the numbers and addresses of the JET repair facilities here in Indy. Sears has the right size on their website, but not in the stores. So guys, don't lose those chuck keys!!

[dbhost]

Yeah, probably good advice....

[Ed62]

I guess all the deals are about 150 miles south of me. Looks good, Jon. Don't you love it when things fall together like that?

Ed

[mmmdennie]

Chuck keys

Any idea how hard it is to find a chuck key for a drill press? On the way home from work I stopped at Tractor Supply (did not carry any chuck keys), Menards (didn't have the right size), Sears, (only for handheld drills), Harbor Freight (only for hand held drills and only had two sizes), Rockler (did not carry them at all) and Lowe's where I talked the guy on duty into selling me the one from the floor model Delta. Yesterday I went to Ace and Do-It and they both only had keys for handheld drills so I grabbed a 9/32" key that I had hoped would fit but although there was only 1/32" difference in pilot size there was a huge difference in overall diameter. My last resort was that the guys at Rockler gave me the numbers and addresses of the JET repair facilities here in Indy. Sears has the right size on their website, but not in the stores. So guys, don't lose those chuck keys!!

Go to Enco or a like company that is a supplier for the metal working industry, they will have any chuck key that you need. They are not hard to find, if you know where to look.

[os1kne]

I strongly recommend sticking a magnet on your DP somewhere and developing the habit of putting the chuck key on the magnet when you're not using it. Losing a chuck key in the middle of a project, or finding that your chuck key is missing when you're about to start a project, is extremely irritating.

[Woodshark]

I have one of these on my drill press. The key never leaves the area.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10762

You could also rig up something using a retractable key holder. You remember, the thing your high school janitor used to carry all those keys.

[dbhost]

I have one of these on my drill press. The key never leaves the area.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10762

You could also rig up something using a retractable key holder. You remember, the thing your high school janitor used to carry all those keys.

I'm heading over to Rockler tomorrow to fetch one of those... I dread losing my chuck key...

[LCHIEN]

on my Hitachi Floor DP, there's a clip on the side of the upper housing to hold the key, I use it religiously.
on my table top delta, I use one of those self retracting badge lanyards to keep it to the wall just behind the DP. On my old 8" Craftsman DP, I just stored it in the front right corner of the belt housing, I opened the top to get to it. You change the pulleys every time you change bits, right?

A real easy holder is a small block of wood with a hole drilled in it, just bigger by 1/64th" than the size of the t-handle bar on the key. You can glue or tape the block of wood to the side of the upper housing with the hole facing up and just slide the bar of the key into the holder.