Drill Press Depth Adjuster - Shop Made Add-On

[GeeDub]

My Delta 17-950 drill press has stuck around basically because I cannot find a better one for even three times what I paid for it. Someday I'll own a big-boy DP but, for now, this one has features and quality that do the job. The one exception (OK, there's more than one but, I digress) is the depth stop. This is the farthest up the old Delta food chain you could go and still get the 'Shopmaster' type depth stop that came on everything from this DP down to their little baby DP's.

   
The rotating collar depth stop mechanism is not bad if well implemented. Delta has cheaped-out this feature over the years to where it is now very frustrating to use. I dug into a folder where I put things I plan to get to someday and found this depth stop from Woodsmith 221. Fundamentally simple and really just a wood version of the offering on many commercial DP's.  For any of you who find yourself cursing the 'Shopmaster' style gizmo, carve out a couple of hours and knock one of these out.  With this improvement I may be stuck with this DP forever.


You need a threaded rod, an acorn nut, a bracket for the rod to go through and a collar that clamps to your quill.  I went for a couple of push-button speed nuts from McMaster-Carr.

   
I made the bracket out of a scrap piece of angle iron that came off of a who-knows-what long ago.  Cast iron is really easy to drill and tap.

   
The bracket uses threaded inserts but, you could just use through holes, nuts and bolts.

   
As a quill lock.

   
As a depth stop.

   
and as 'not in use'.

   

[Chuck 80]

Nice Addition you came up with.

[mike4244]

My Delta 17-950 drill press has stuck around basically because I cannot find a better one for even three times what I paid for it. Someday I'll own a big-boy DP but, for now, this one has features and quality that do the job. The one exception (OK, there's more than one but, I digress) is the depth stop. This is the farthest up the old Delta food chain you could go and still get the 'Shopmaster' type depth stop that came on everything from this DP down to their little baby DP's.


The rotating collar depth stop mechanism is not bad if well implemented. Delta has cheaped-out this feature over the years to where it is now very frustrating to use. I dug into a folder where I put things I plan to get to someday and found this depth stop from Woodsmith 221. Fundamentally simple and really just a wood version of the offering on many commercial DP's.  For any of you who find yourself cursing the 'Shopmaster' style gizmo, carve out a couple of hours and knock one of these out.  With this improvement I may be stuck with this DP forever.


You need a threaded rod, an acorn nut, a bracket for the rod to go through and a collar that clamps to your quill.  I went for a couple of push-button speed nuts from McMaster-Carr.

I made the bracket out of a scrap piece of angle iron that came off of a who-knows-what long ago.  Cast iron is really easy to drill and tap.

The bracket uses threaded inserts but, you could just use through holes, nuts and bolts.

As a quill lock.

As a depth stop.

and as 'not in use'.

I have the same DP with the same piece of crap depth stop. I removed the return spring first as it hinders my type of work.
The threaded rod I made is 1/2 x 20 all thread that I milled flats on opposite sides, same as a factory threaded rod depth stop. 
I mounted the rod similar to your way and also added a digital scale . The reason I removed the return spring is I do a lot of metal work with the DP, not milling but accurate boring. I snugged the up the nut on the side where the spring was til the handle stays in place at a desired height.
Once in a while the quill wants to come down on its own, I just snug up the nut again. Usually holds its setting for about 6/8 months .
I added 3 nuts to the rod, one underneath the bracket to keep quill from going up. Two above the bracket, second one is a jam nut.
The milled flats make spinning the nuts go faster and easier.
mike

[fredhargis]

I like that, and share your opinion about replacing mine. I'll have to duplicate that arrangement on mine since it is the DPs biggest failure.

[EvilTwin]

Very cool, though I got a stiff neck looking at it sideways.....

[DaveR1]

Very nice. A little gray paint and it would look almost OEM.

I like your addition of the quill lock. My 1932 Walker Turner and 1943 Craftsman/Atlas both have quill locks and I used it a lot on them. When I bought a new DP, it was a required feature and harder to find than I expected it would be.

[bennybmn]

Never thought of using it as a quill lock... I like it!

[MarkSingleton]

I have that same DP.  That modification was on my list of things to modify, but
it ended up never being completed. The Delta DP now lives in the garage for metal
work and I have never needed a depth stop in that application.
My wood shop drill press is a much older, larger Powermatic and it has a factory
original set up that is pretty much what you have there.

The reason I post this is sort of a tangent. My Delta ( floor model ) has a table
raising/lowering mechanism while the Powermatic does not.  The previous owner
came up with an ingenious modification for it ( also a floor model).  He got a
trailer jack equipped with a wheel,  from Harbor Freight and mounted it upside down on the column
underneath the table.  By happenstance, with the wheel removed, the bracket on
the jack that held the wheel exactly mated underneath the bottom of the part of the
table that rides on the column.  It is a slight inconvenience to move it when needed.
Although to be honest, I have moved it very seldom, it is a heavy table so it comes
in handy indeed!

   

   

[daddo]

I have the same DP though under a different name (probably just one brand of many from the same crop).

I like the original depth stop it came with. It's fast and easy to set and accurate and keeps it position, whether to set the depth or lock it in at any depth.
I was going to do what you did there, but didn't like the idea of having the bulky clamp in the way and to have to take the time to spin a bunch of nuts.
The only thing I had to do to remember was to take a marker and write; "Limit Depth" with an arrow in that direction, and my problem was solved.

Goes to show you- one mans like is another mans dislike.

[Arlin Eastman]

I have the same DP though under a different name (probably just one brand of many from the same crop).

I like the original depth stop it came with. It's fast and easy to set and accurate and keeps it position, whether to set the depth or lock it in at any depth.
I was going to do what you did there, but didn't like the idea of having the bulky clamp in the way and to have to take the time to spin a bunch of nuts.
The only thing I had to do to remember was to take a marker and write; "Limit Depth" with an arrow in that direction, and my problem was solved.

Goes to show you- one mans like is another mans dislike.

I have the same one on mine also and wanted to make one like yours until I was told I had one and how to use it.  It works fine now and easy to use.