An easy update to any drill press makes depth adjustments fast and toolless.
Jul 29, 2015
Most drill presses have a depth stop that uses two jam nuts on a threaded rod. This works fine, but it requires two wrenches to make adjustments.
An easier and faster way to make and keep these adjustments is to make a soft washer by cutting a 1⁄8-in. ring from a piece of vinyl tubing and mounting it on the stop rod between the jam nuts. Now finger-tighten the nuts together, and the compressed vinyl will act like a lock washer, keeping the nuts securely where you want them. Loosen it the same way—no tools required.
Use a tubing diameter that slides easily over the rod, but fits closely. In my case, a piece of 3⁄8-in. inside-diameter tubing fits nicely over a 10mm stop rod. If your drillpress stop rod is 5⁄8 in. diameter, you can use a common hose washer.
John Cusimano, Landsdale, PA
Fine Woodworking Recommended Products
Makita LS1219L Miter Saw
This is the saw I want in my shop. For one, it’s easy to use. All of the controls are easy to reach and manipulate, and the glide mechanism is both robust and smooth. The handle works well for righties and lefties. Then there are added bonuses that no other saw has. For instance, its hold-down is superb, as it can move to different locations, hinges for a greater range of coverage, and actually holds down the work. In addition, the saw has two points of dust collection, letting it firmly beat the rest of the field. The one downside was the saw’s laser, which was so faint we had to turn off the shop lights to see it. Still, all these pluses in a package that fits tight to the wall? That’s a winner for me.
Priced nearly $300 less than the DeWalt 735X, the Ridgid R4331 is an excellent value. Its three-knife cutterhead left wonderfully clean surfaces on plainsawn white oak and white pine. It did not perform nearly as well on curly maple as the 735X.
The thick, felted bag on this Shop Fox is a plus and a minus. On one hand, it makes the unit much less expensive than collectors with canister filters, and also lighter and easier to hang on the wall. Without a separate plastic bag to catch chips, however, they stay in the felt bag, and the shortish zipper on the bottom makes it tough to shake them out. Otherwise, the W1826 is an excellent value.
Become an UNLIMITED member and get it all: searchable online archive of every issue, how-to videos, Complete Illustrated Guide to Woodworking digital series, print magazine, e-newsletter, and more.
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
Sign up Log in