Carriage Positioning - Drill Press Mode

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sat Jan 01, 2011 11:33 am

I am finding that more and more I need help moving things around. Tasks like moving the headstock or carriage while in drill press are becoming very difficult. So....I cheat. This wasn't my idea. I think Charlese mentioned doing this much earlier on the forum.

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The table top is set at 40"" off the floor; about the lowest I can go with this bottle jack.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sat Jan 01, 2011 11:53 am

Sure you got a big enough jack?:D

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:03 pm

JPG40504 wrote:Sure you got a big enough jack?:D

If it is not, I have two that are larger. This is the smallest I own. I try very hard not to buy things that can be done with equipment I already have.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:06 pm

dusty wrote:If it is not, I have two that are larger. This is the smallest I own. I try very hard not to buy things that can be done with equipment I already have.

That resonates here!:)

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Sat Jan 01, 2011 10:33 pm

dusty wrote:.... This wasn't my idea. I think Charlese mentioned doing this much earlier on the forum. ..

Yes, I mentioned it, but copied it from Nick! I did add the wood supports. BTW I now use a little vertical screw jack I got with my first V.W. back in the 60's. Who throws good stuff away?

mgdesigns · Post by **mgdesigns** » Mon Jan 03, 2011 9:56 pm

Being a novice to the world of Shopsmith, here's a design question: Why don't the top ways have a rack & pinion adjustment like the table saw table? That way you could use the gear and handwheel to raise and lower the headstock when in the drill press mode, and then lock it down securely.

I have a very old 1910's Cast Iron K&E Drafting Table that has a rack & pinion with a raising wheel cast in the center of the shaft. It lifts the table effortlessly and that beast weighs easily what the headstock weighs x2.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Mon Jan 03, 2011 10:10 pm

mgdesigns wrote:Being a novice to the world of Shopsmith, here's a design question: Why don't the top ways have a rack & pinion adjustment like the table saw table? That way you could use the gear and handwheel to raise and lower the headstock when in the drill press mode, and then lock it down securely.

I have a very old 1910's Cast Iron K&E Drafting Table that has a rack & pinion with a raising wheel cast in the center of the shaft. It lifts the table effortlessly and that beast weighs easily what the headstock weighs x2.

They did that with the Mark VII but they made the rack gear teeth out of plastic-not good!

K&E table rack and pinion-little gears, big wheel?

mgdesigns · Post by **mgdesigns** » Thu Jan 06, 2011 12:11 am

My table is exactly like this without the swing away side tables. But here's pics of the rack & pinion. It's a beast, but the cam locks the downward travel to be sure.

rdewinter · Post by **rdewinter** » Thu Jan 06, 2011 1:59 am

I use a small 2 ton bottle jack from Sears on my SS 10er set up in the drill press mode. That thing is a beast to move on the way tubes in the vertical position. The bottle jar makes things very easy. The lucky strike extra is that the bottle jack also provides a safety net in case the table lock should give under the weight of the headstock

gilamonster · Post by **gilamonster** » Thu Jan 06, 2011 11:18 am

Dusty -- I don't even try!

It takes just a few seconds to lower the way tubes to horizontal, adjust the headstock and the other carriage, then lift it all up again.