Drill-Press Table Supports Long Workpieces

Adjustable wings extend the reach of your drill-press table.

#265–Tools & Shops 2018 Issue

Whenever I drill a long piece that extends beyond my drill-press table, I struggle to hold it down safely. My new shopmade table solves this problem effectively and economically. Make the center panel from any sheet goods you have lying around, and mill extrathick edging for all four sides. Then rout a precise groove through the front and back edge pieces to enclose 3⁄4-in.-square aluminum tube stock. I attached 5-in.-wide particleboard panels to the top of the bars (with a rail below each panel to stiffen it), which then slide in and out of the main table to create very stable extension wings. Couldn’t be simpler.

—Kamran Firooz, Loveland, Colo.

—Drawings by Dan Thornton

Fine Woodworking Recommended Products

Grizzly G0495X Industrial Helical Cutterhead 8-in. Jointer

Regardless of the board’s grain, this jointer produced excellent results. Its fence was totally flat, worked smoothly, and locked well, staying in place even after jointing multiple edges. Getting the fence to 90° was very easy, but the 90° stop was a little tricky to set and the fence did not go back to square when using it. For those who would use it, there is also a digital depth-of-cut scale.

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