# Best Homemade Tools >  Drill press mod

## immortalx

I have a big floor drill press in my shop but I don't have one in my "hobby workshop". So there was a bench drill press on offer at lidl and thought I should get one and make some improvements. This is the original model :


The biggest problem with those bench models is the shallow throat. I build guitars as a hobby and i needed a big throat to be able to drill bridge post holes in body blanks. I used scrap pieces of square tubing for the construction. I drilled 4 holes at the back of the drill head and fixed it on the vertical tubing. I made the holes oversized on purpose, so that I could fine tune the alignment of the head in relation to the table. I moved the motor further back and got a matching belt to get it running. The table is just another piece of square tubing with an old cabinet door bolted on top. Finally, I made a bracket with welded steel plates so that the table can travel up and down. I used the original threaded handle to tighten the bracket on the vertical column.

Here's a photo with the original base in front for comparison :

----------

Castaway (Jul 29, 2016),

Doc (Feb 25, 2015),

kbalch (Feb 23, 2015),

Paul Jones (Feb 27, 2015),

rabbit (Jan 10, 2016),

rctoywizard (Sep 10, 2016),

TEXACCA (Feb 24, 2015),

thoms_here (Nov 19, 2017)

----------


## Christophe Mineau

Wao, that's a mod !
Congratulations !
I like it !
Christophe

----------


## Hotz

Great idea.  :Thumbs Up:

----------


## kbalch

Thanks immortalx! I've added your Drill Press Modification to our Drilling and Drill Presses category, as well as to your builder page: immortalx's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:





 






Drill Press Modification  by immortalx 

tags:
drill press, modification

----------


## Captainleeward

WOWA thats some serious square tubing their partner....Great Mod now I have to clear my throat too.. :Lol:

----------


## FixJeeps.com

I really like that mod!!! If only I could do that to my mill  :Head Scratch:  .

----------


## DIYer

Great mod, and a very practical solution to your specific need.

----------


## immortalx

Thanks guys  :Smile:

----------


## Nadogail

Allow me to join the chorus in thanking you for the fine example of making something that was good better.

----------


## blkadder

Pretty awesome mod you have there. I have a small Craftsman drill press that I have been trying to get to drill straight. Now I see your mod, and I may copy it to give me a bit more room while drilling. Thanks for posting your project.

Ron

----------


## yrralguthrie

Since I may do a similar mod I'm wondering how did you tram the head and have you addressed the typical runout of these smaller drill presses?

----------


## GBrackett

Great idea! I'm pasting this one on to my son in law.

----------


## Doc

Now THAT'S an upgrade  :Thumbs Up: 

Regards

Doc  :Hat Tip:

----------


## immortalx

Thanks again guys!



> Since I may do a similar mod I'm wondering how did you tram the head and have you addressed the typical runout of these smaller drill presses?



I had to google the term "tram" because English is not my native language  :Big Grin:  I guess you mean the squareness of the head in relation to the vertical column and to the table?
I drilled 4 oversized holes on the back of the head and thus I was able to adjust the roll by rotating the head. For the pitch I didn't have to do anything, but if you need to, you can add washers to the 2 lower or upper bolts to adjust it. I put a straight long shaft in the chuck to help me do measurements.
I then added the table and adjusted it with the following trick :


I added spacers between the horizontal square tubing and the table until it was square.

The runout is acceptable for the application (it's definitely no milling machine!) and I just have to live with that. It surely is way better than those vertical drill stands!

----------


## yrralguthrie

Looks like you also replaced the chuck with a keyless chuck. They are a real timesaver. And I better explain that I think! I mean the hand tighten chucks that get tighter the more torque is placed on them by the bit. NOT the keyless chuck found on hand drills. 

Thinking about the word tram. I could have said tramming the head or adjust the head to zero, but that's not very clear either. And while English is my first language I don't know another term to use. 

I have been known to use a hammer to adjust runout. 

Good project.

----------

immortalx (Feb 25, 2015)

----------


## stan3leyD

Very clever solution to your problem. It looks very professional also. The wooden table is much more forgiving on guitar body's than cast iron, well done.

----------


## kbalch

Hi immortalx,

Very impressive reworking of that drill press! Your Drill Press Modification is the 'Tool of the Week'!

You'll be receiving one of our official HomemadeTools.net T-shirts:



Let me know (via PM) your size, color choice, and mailing address. We'll get the shirt in the mail to you directly.

Congrats!

Ken

----------


## zenme

Cool! now I know what my next project is

----------


## Workshopshed

I have a very similar drill but a different brand also have the height problem some times and the table does not fit the drilling vice very well so this kind of mod could be very useful.

----------


## immortalx

Thanks you guys!
Kbalch I'm honored, thank you for the reward! I already have a homemadetools t-shirt so my wish is to keep it for another forum-ite.
I'm already very happy with the title of "tool of the week"  :Smile:

----------


## kbalch

Since you've already received one of our official HomemadeTools.net T-shirts, we'd like to award you a $25 online gift card from GiftRocket.

Let me know (via PM) your personal email address and we'll get the gift card out to you directly.

Congrats!

Ken

----------

blkadder (Mar 6, 2015)

----------


## immortalx

That's so kind of you! PM sent!

----------


## GlennR

Good idea and nice simple design.  :Hat Tip:

----------


## hardtail69

nicely done and very useful. thanks

----------


## kbalch

This thread has been moved to the Must Read subforum. Congrats (and thanks) to immortalx for making such a valuable contribution!

----------


## wetsuinc

I think it is a great job.I like reading thing like this to do in my own shop.

----------


## Captainleeward

Thanks wetsuinc for your post...:O)

----------


## Treenail

Nicely done!

----------


## kess

Hi immortalx,

Very good mod.

Regards
Bill

----------


## Nghe

Hay!mot y tuong tot ,toi se lam mot cai giong ban.

----------


## BarefootBilly

.....and I almost bought a drill press last week, brilliant idea!!!

----------

