# Best Homemade Tools >  Improving the Harbor Freight Drill Press Locking Clamp

## rgsparber

Drilling large holes in small pieces of metal can be dangerous on a drill press. The drill can "snatch" and spin the part around. If you are holding the part in your fingers, blood can be spilled.

The easier it is to clamp the part, the more likely I am to be safe. As bought, the Harbor Freight drill press locking clamp is not easy to use. Yet, it can be improved with help from my junk drawer.

If you are interested, please see

https://rick.sparber.org/ModifiedDrillPressClamp.pdf


Your comments are welcome. All of us are smarter than any one of us.


Thanks,

Rick

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Alan Purdy (Jan 24, 2019),

aphilipmarcou (Jan 23, 2019),

Baddog (Feb 23, 2021),

baja (Feb 24, 2021),

bruce.desertrat (Jan 23, 2019),

desbromilow (Jan 23, 2019),

greyhoundollie (Jan 26, 2019),

high-side (Mar 29, 2019),

IAMSatisfied (Jan 24, 2019),

jjr2001 (Jan 24, 2019),

Jon (Jan 23, 2019),

Moby Duck (Jan 24, 2019),

PJs (Jan 24, 2019),

richardcrane (Jan 26, 2019),

rlm98253 (Jan 23, 2019),

sacco1 (Feb 24, 2021),

Sam's Workshop Diary (Jan 25, 2019),

Scotsman Hosie (Jan 24, 2019),

Seedtick (Jan 23, 2019),

Sleykin (Jan 23, 2019),

Tonyg (Feb 24, 2021)

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## bruce.desertrat

"I rarely throw any metal away. Far too often, these bits are exactly what is needed in a future project. Every time this strategy succeeds, I call it “feeding the disease”."

 :ROFL:  So THAT's what I have! _(looks at the coffee can of random washers, bolts and such I've picked up off the street over the years of commuting by bicycle )_

I just wish they made one of those clamps in a 5" or 6" size, so they would fit on my little benchtop drill press.

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John819 (Jan 31, 2019),

Sleykin (Jan 24, 2019)

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## madokie

i have clamp like this mine says vise -grip on it, i have seen MAC and Proto versions too, but its gone out of style and they are hard to find, after using mine a few times i know why... they ARE too difficult to use and u can tear up the part also,, as i have several drill presses and plenty of room,i got a 4 inch horror frieght drill press vise and bolted it down to the drill press table,,,i put part in vise ,snug it down,and then loosen the 2 clamps that hold the table support and the table rotation , and move vise directly under drill bit where i want it, tighten vise and then tighten both clamps,and drill away,,,works good f me...u really need 2 of these clamps to properly hold something in place ,.i also dont like the whack on my hand from un clamping,,

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## aphilipmarcou

10 out of 10 .... That bottom drawer is an essential item of workshop furniture... the bigger the better.You can even have one outside the size of a shipping container ( :Wink:

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PJs (Jan 24, 2019)

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## metric_taper

Rick, very nice mods. The hand crank is a much needed improvement.

A safety story. Back when I was a kid (probably have said this story before here), my first job was a lab technician working for The Trane company in LaCrosse, WI. I was using the workshop drill press and holding the part by hand. An old timer stopped and showed me what happened to him a few years earlier. The part grabbed, took his fingers around the drill, grabbed the tendon that pulls the 4 fingers closed, as it yanked it from the muscled part way up the forearm. He had multiple surgeries to give him back some use. He was left with all 4 fingers pulling together with no individual finger control. And he did not have much pulling force.
Anyway, it changed the way I used drill presses from there on out.

Thanks for the tool improvement ideas.

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IAMSatisfied (Jan 24, 2019),

volodar (Jan 25, 2019)

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## tgood

What a good idea as I have a Harbor freight drill press. Will by their clamp as all my vice grips were made here in Nebraska and I wish to preserve them.

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## IAMSatisfied

Thank you, Rick, I'll have to borrow your ideas to upgrade my drill press clamp.

Whew, metric_taper, as I read your story I could ~feel~ it deep in my gut. The older I get, the less prone I am to taking unnecessary risks, and it's related experiences just like this that are pure gold in their prevention value.

A number of years ago a fellow I knew was running a board through a table saw, and near the end of the cut he used a tapered scrap of lumber as a push stick to finish the cut. He was holding the pointed end of the stick, and when it hit the blade, the saw kicked it with such force that it threaded the stick under the the skin of his forearm for several inches. The doc irrigated it well, disinfected and stuffed the newly made subcutaneous channel with gauze so it wouldn't heal closed over any infection. I don't remember all of the details of of how he cared for the wound in the healing process, but it sure made me more cognizant of potential unintended consequences of my actions.

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## Sleykin

I have T slots in my drill press so I modified the clamps to fit. Instead of cutting the threaded part down I added spacers. I use the screw adjuster for fine adjustments and just tighten or loosen the clamps in the T nut for coarse adjustment.

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Jon (Jan 25, 2019),

nova_robotics (Feb 23, 2021),

that_other_guy (Jan 28, 2019)

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## mbshop

I always put a bolt or clamp on the side of my work so if there is a jam, the work cannot spin. I have two of those hf clamps and they work fine. I also have other clamps. Got a dp and all that because I almost rebroke my wrist free drilling some metal. Now I don't have to worry.

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## mbshop

Sleykin, great idea, thanks.

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## Jon

Congratulations rgsparber - your Modified Harbor Freight Drill Press Locking Clamp is the Homemade Tool of the Week!

Another huge week around here, with an unusual amount of very popular builds. This is a very common drill press clamp, and with junk drawer level of investment, makes for yet another excellent modified Harbor Freight tool.

Some good picks from this week:

Fuel Line Forming Tool by Frank S
Thread Tapping Machine by tonyfoale
Rotary Metal Shear by jealpaul
Router Sled by WTP07
Machinist Tool Chest by DUKESALLEY
Drawknife from Sickle by Philip Davies
Lantern Chuck by CHP
Sheetmetal Filing Button by rgsparber
Lathe Tool Rest by Sam's Workshop Diary
Tractor Splitting Stand by Westerntruck
Machined Screwdriver Handle by Cascao
Vibratory Tumbler by engineerd3d
Slabbing Mill Head by sdunt
Digger by ranald
Vacuum Pump by Sam's Workshop Diary
Tool Rest by Philip Davies
Height Gage Magnifier by jjr2001
3-in-1 Scribe by Captainleeward
Tool Post Risers by jjr2001
Vacuum Hold Down Unit by Bellevue Woodshop
Mini Lathe Tool Post Grinder by jjr2001
Cane by buddyman100


rgsparber - we'll be adding your tool entry to our All Homemade Tool of the Week winners post. And, you'll be receiving a $25 online gift card, in your choice of Amazon, PayPal, or bitcoin. Please PM me your current email address and gift card choice and I'll get it sent over right away.


This is your 4th Homemade Tool of the Week win! One more and you'll join these 5-Time Homemade Tool of the Week winners: rossbotics, Christophe Mineau, Brendon, mklotz, Vyacheslav.Nevolya, brianhw, LMMasterMariner, Tuomas, olderdan, tonyfoale.

Here are all three of your previous winning tools. Nice work!  :Thumbs Up: 












CNC Controller
 by Rick Sparber

tags: CNC, controller












Irrigation Flow System
 by Rick Sparber

tags: farm and garden, electronics












Software Defined Edge Finder
 by Rick Sparber

tags: electronics, edge finder

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## madokie

another way to add safety to a drill press is to add a foot switch, no wiring just plug it in to wall then plug DP into switch,,20$,, u can also use this to tap if your DP will go that slow,and u have reverse..

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## rgsparber

Please take another look at the article which is at Version 2.0. It now simply drops into the slot with no locking nut.

Rick

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Jon (Jan 27, 2019),

Sleykin (Jan 27, 2019)

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## rgsparber

> another way to add safety to a drill press is to add a foot switch, no wiring just plug it in to wall then plug DP into switch,,20$,, u can also use this to tap if your DP will go that slow,and u have reverse..



Very good idea. I just made one up from junk drawer parts and will see how it works.

Thanks,

Rick

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## Sleykin

> Please take another look at the article which is at Version 2.0. It now simply drops into the slot with no locking nut.
> 
> Rick



Excellent mod there. Makes a regular drill press table work like a T slot table...with a twist  :Wink:

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## satx

> Drilling large holes in small pieces of metal can be dangerous on a drill press. The drill can "snatch" and spin the part around. If you are holding the part in your fingers, blood can be spilled.
> 
> The easier it is to clamp the part, the more likely I am to be safe. As bought, the Harbor Freight drill press locking clamp is not easy to use. Yet, it can be improved with help from my junk drawer.



excellent innovation, adaptation, Rick. I'll very probably be imitating it.

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## Slawman

Nice Drill Sleykin!

Slawman

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Sleykin (Feb 5, 2019)

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## DIYer

Thanks Rick! We've added your Drill Press Clamp Modification to our Clamps category, as well as to your builder page: Rick's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:












Drill Press Clamp Modification
 by Rick Sparber

tags: drill press, clamp

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