Drill Press Cabinet

[Rex]

Hi all,

I'd like to build a drill press cabinet and have never done anything like this. I'm a wood turner so this is new. I use it to drill pen blanks, not know what else it can do (tho I'd like to find a good book or website that tells what it can do!)

 

I have a floor length one and I'd like this to be on wheels. What do I need to consider, how tall should the drawers be, how tall do I make the cabinet, do I make it as part of the drill press table and fence, is there a standard size width like 15 inches width. What thickness are the walls, can I use 1/4 or 1/2 inch plywood with 3/4 on the bottom for the wheels, is there a plywood better for this than others.

 

I've never used sketch-up to draw any plans. I have started to learn about this morning.

As you see I don't know anything about this.

 

 

I will try to attach pictures of the drill press. It is a 16 speed from harbor freight. The width of the table is 11 inches.

 

[lew]

Hi, Rex!

 

I think there are no hard and fast rules for the cabinet you are considering. Mostly, it should be what makes you comfortable- height, # of drawers, wheels, etc. Even after careful consideration, if you're like me, you'll find things you'd do differently after it is made.

 

You said you are starting to use Sketchup. It is a very powerful tool and it's amazing what some folks are able to create with it. I've been playing around with the software and find it gets easier to use each time I design/draw a project. Here is a link to a bunch of Sketchup drawings of Drill Press Cabinets. They are free. Maybe you can get some ideas from  them.

 

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/search?q=drill+press+cabinet&styp=m&scoring=t&btnG=Search

 

I'm still in the learning stages of Sketchup but if I can help, let me know.

Lew

[Allen Worsham]

I have had my Grizzly DP for about 12 years now and I put mine on a mobile base as I have to be able to move things around in my garage shop. My plan was to build a cabinet on top of the base, but just have never gotten around to it. It was a simple thing to make the mobile base using a kit from Harbor Freight and a couple of pieces of 3/4" MDF. It is very stable when the wheel is locked and it moves easily when I need to move it. Just take things slow and there is no problems with tipping as my garage floor is level concrete.Typically the DP lives against a wall or up against a post in my garage. I only move it when I have to work on material that is too long/wide for where it is parked. I used to do a lot of turning and made lots of pens and other things, but I got rid of my lathe this past year as I no longer turn. It was a lot of fun when I was doing it and the DP was an essential tool in that process.

 

 

 

[Wayne]

Hi Rex

 

My drill press is a bench top so I made my cabinet for wall mounting. I also made a drill press table for mine. I found plans that I liked and would basically fit my needs ( at the time ) and changed them to better suit my requirements. One of the things I enjoy about wood working is you can find something you like, change it to suit you, then build it. There are plans out there for cabinets that fit under the drill press. My version of sketch up is a pad, pencil and scaled ruler. For me it is just faster. Here are shots of the cabinet and table. I'll go with Lew that I know of no hard fast rules for size. As for the material, 3/4 sanded ply has worked well for me in the past.

 

 

[Rex]

Thanks to you three for responding!

 

I'd like to ask Allen if you happen to have plans on how to do the mobile base? My shed is plywood but I think that is an excellent idea since you're always moving things within the shop.

 

Wayne, I like your cabinet on the wall idea. Do you happen to have plans on it or dimensions? Also I like your drill press table; was it easy to build? I'm trying to do one but use it to hold pen blanks upright currently (I'm physically limited so holding it secure is an issue). Is there other features that I should try to add, as I learn more woodworking?

 

John, Thanks for the storage cart plans.I will use those for under the drill press table.

 

Again thanks, this site is great but you people make it fantastic.I wish I'd learned more about wood working/turning in the military but didn't until medically retired.

Thank you

[Wayne]

Rex

The cabinet is something I put together kind of on the fly. I'll do some basic drawings and measurements for you. It is all simple miters, dado, groove and rabbits for the case work. The drawer was butt joints with a false front. The forester bits are all standing in holes drilled for the stems.

The drill press table was from plans from a magazine. It too was pretty straight forward. I think I may have a plan very similar that was available free off the internet. I'll look for you. As for holding the pen blanks, a simple jig would be all you need.

Not knowing your limitations or equipment, can you handle this kind of work? I really hope that don't sound off or rude.

 

[Allen Worsham]

Rex,

The mobile base comes as a kit with the metal hardware and brackets and then you supply the 1.5" square stock that you cut to the desired length to fit your purpose. The one I have on my DP with the foot pedal is no longer carried by HF but it is still available from Rockler or on Amazon. HF has a bit different one that I have a few of as well which work great. Here is the link for the HF mobile base. All I did for my DP was to cut the 2 layers of 3/4" MDF and attach it to the base of the DP and then make the mobile base to size. Since my shop is in my 3 car garage and I need to leave room for my wife's car when I am not in the middle of a project, all of my large power tools are on mobile bases so I can store them over on the single car side of the garage.
http://www.harborfreight.com/300-lb-capacity-mobile-base-95288.html

 

 

 

[Gene Howe]

I'm sure that eventually you will be boring holes in flat stock. With that in mind, a removable auxiliary table like Wayne's would be very useful.

[Cliff]

First about the wheels: Don't put wheels on a DP.

 

I do not like them wheeling free, I do not like them locking snug, I do not like wheels at all, wheeling wheels are not the deal, I do not like them Sam I am. Now Zambus casters or their cheaper perfectly functional equivalent Great Lakes Casters are great http://www.greatlakescaster.com/great_lakes_caster___swivel_caster_...

 

They come in all sorts of weight handling capability.

 

Another way to use wheels is to have them so that they can only touch the floor when you tilt the whole thing back like a wheeled dolly and when you set it back down the wheels come off the floor.

But wheels mounted conventionally will sooner or later cause you to have a problem and maybe injury. Even the best locking wheels can swivel at an inopportune moment.

 

Alan Worsham's set up looks pretty good. I think I'd reverse the thing though so I wouldn't have that lever actuated wheel near my feet (I'd trip over it) And the screw down pads he posted are just like the Zambus caster trick done differently. So there's that, but a cabinet?

 

That said: I have never seen a cabinet mounted Floor standing drill press. They are all bench mount DPS.

Wouldn't a cabinet defeat the purpose of having a floor standing DP?

[Rex]

It might but I wanted to make use of the space between the table and floor since I have a small shop (10x20) and over half is taken up by wood storage,

 

and then I have a drill press, band saw, grinder, Lathe, scroll saw, vacuum and workbench in the other half. I want to make the most of the space available. On the walls I'm putting Peg board. On the ceiling I'm hoping to make more storage of wood and other tools. Any ideas are appreciated.

 

Again Thank you for responding and also thanks for the patriot woodworker for allowing me to use this forum for help.

[Rex]

I wanted to also put the cabinet on wheels, just in case,it was needed to for something big. Is 3 inch wheels the standard? I'm also guessing that the front two would need to be able to turn and the back two straight. Of course the wheels would be lockable.

[Cliff]

I use 4" wheels but only because I have a slew of 'em. There is no standard. The larger the wheel the more able it will be to navigate over crud on the floor.  For me this is important because I never clean anything.

 

If you clamp it to the column  you could get away with no wheel locks. But if the drill  press is what you plan to be moving around on those wheels then  it'd be best to get the wheels off the floor when you aren't wheeling it around and the DP resting on something solid like  4 pads. If the wheels are just for the v cabinet you can even skip the swivel because it'll never be heavy enough to  need swivels: you can just  skid either front or rear end around to steer it.

 

The idea of a DP on wheels creeps me out. I don't like any powered machinery on wheels.

[John Morris]

Brought up from the archives, great informational topic folks!