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  1. #1
    BobL is online now Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Default Mechanised DP table height adjustment

    Some of you guys might be amused at this, it shows moving a DP table up and down using a largish linear actuator.



    More details here.
    Mechanised DP table height control.

  2. #2
    BobL is online now Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Just knocking up a stabilising clamp/bracket to help hold the actuator vertical to the DP column.
    Each end of the clamp is a split bracket type clamp, one that will wrap around the 80mm diameter DP column and the other around the 50 mm diameter actuator arm.

    I had some pieces of 20 mm thick Al plate that were not quite large enough to make the clamps from a single piece, so I cut up two pieces to approx size with my table saw and faced a side off on each piece and held them in a 4 Jaw like this.

    Clamp2.JPG

    Bored the 80 mm hole on the old Hercus.
    Some of you'se blokes probably do this all the time but it was the first time for me and I was pleased with the way it turned out.
    Clamp21.JPG

    Milled 1/4mm off two arms on one of the pieces.
    Clamp3.JPG

    Now I'm gonna do the same thing for the actuator arm.
    An adjustable length steel rod will connect the two clamps.

  3. #3
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    Like the clamp Bob. I'm going to make one the same but for a different use. I want to brace my DP post to the wall behind.
    Chris

  4. #4
    BobL is online now Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Quote Originally Posted by jack620 View Post
    Like the clamp Bob. I'm going to make one the same but for a different use. I want to brace my DP post to the wall behind.
    When I first got my DP I was also worried it would tip over too easily. The front to back stability was not a problem, it was the sideways I was mainly worried about so I did look at some sort of a wall clamp although there was a chance I might need to occasionally move it around. The other thing I found was my DP was too low so I sort of killed two birds with one stone by mounting it on a 120 mm high wooden platform with adjustable height feet.

    The wooden base is only about 130mm wider that the DPs base but its turned out to be enough for what I do.
    IMG_3709.jpg

    A quirky thing I like doing is when possible using any gizmo/jig/tool to participate in its own construction. I've been using the linear actuator as shown above on/off for about a week now and have to say it very useful.

  5. #5
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    Hi Guys,

    Another method of fitting a mechanical drill press table is to convert it to a counterbalanced table.
    If you don't want to make one they are still aavailable from Timbercon.

    https://www.timbecon.com.au/drilling...easy-riser-kit

    I fitted one twenty years back and it is the best mod ever to a drill press. Lifting off the DP motor and head off and on the post is the last heavy lifting you will need to do.

    Grahame

  6. #6
    BobL is online now Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Quote Originally Posted by Grahame Collins View Post
    Hi Guys,
    Another method of fitting a mechanical drill press table is to convert it to a counterbalanced table.
    If you don't want to make one they are still aavailable from Timbercon.
    https://www.timbecon.com.au/drilling...easy-riser-kit
    I fitted one twenty years back and it is the best mod ever to a drill press. Lifting off the DP motor and head off and on the post is the last heavy lifting you will need to do.
    Grahame
    Yep I have/had one of those and they are very useful.

    Mine is a home made one I put together after discussing the pros and cons of a bought one with a mate. The one he had used a steel counter weight that weighed ~ 5kg and was designed to counterbalance the weight of the standard small circular DP table. My square DP table weighs considerably more that the small circular ones plus I use a cross slider vice more or less permanently and attach other wooden or steel tables to the cross slider. In short I was concerned that the weights of the table plus what was on the table (not to mention the weight of any large work pieces) would be an issue.

    So instead of installing the counter weight inside the column as the commercial one does I installed the counter weight outside so that I could adjust the amount of counter weight.
    The counter weight I used was this one and it came from the physiotherapy department of a hospital who were disposing of all their lead weights.
    The weights and holder would be pretty easy to make
    The counterweight uses thick lead discs that weigh about a kg each that can be easily added or removed, for a total weight of 13 kg.
    This worked great up until I installed the 5" cross slider vice which alone weighs 13kg so this is when the idea of a mechanised riser kicked in.
    '
    CWeight.JPG

  7. #7
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    The Easy Riser looks good, but I have the same problem as Bob. An X-Y vice and, most of the time, a 40mm thick MDF table which adds considerable extra weight to the table. The outside weights look like a good solution. Although I might wait to see how the linear actuator works out before deciding which way to go.
    Chris

  8. #8
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    Bob are you just using the linear actuator to reposition the table or also for power feeding while drilling?

    Pete

  9. #9
    BobL is online now Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Quote Originally Posted by QC Inspector View Post
    Bob are you just using the linear actuator to reposition the table or also for power feeding while drilling?
    Pete
    I haven't tried power feeding because its not fully installed - still building the bracket clam to hold it vertical. Even though it looks slow I'm pretty sure it will be too fast for power feeding for most bit sizes and materials. However, I do envisage in some situations backing off the bit and lifting the workpiece some more, drilling some more etc. This will only be possible with the table unclamped from the column. This means item table/workpiece will have sideways movement so can only be done with the bit partially retained in the hole. Still to work out if any of this is possible. I've been using it "as is" quite a bit and it sure is useful.

  10. #10
    BobL is online now Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Finished off the actuator vertical clamp this afternoon,

    Its a bit over engineered but the spit clamps are only Al. The 16 mm steel rod in between the clamps are held in place by grub screws and allows for a bit of adjustment along its line of axis.
    Clamp4.JPG

    Clamp5.JPG

    Now for the interlocks.

  11. #11
    BobL is online now Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Nope it's not a medieval Axe head . . . .
    RotationPlatform1.JPG

    It's a gizmo/platform made of 8mm steel plate that will be attached to the underside of the DP table support arm so that the table can be rotated around the column at least by 45º with the actuator placee.
    It tuns out the optimum lift arc is not the middle of the table the table and arm occasionally jams with that weight distribution.
    An arc with a radius point slightly closer to the DP column turns out to work better.
    RotationPlatform2.JPG

    Turned hard right
    RotationPlatform3.JPG

    Turned 45º to the left.
    RotationPlatform4.JPG


    View from underneath - the width along the arc of the platform adds a bit fo strength and allows for some radial positional adjustment.
    RotationPlatform5.JPG

  12. #12
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    Would'nt it have been easier to fit an actuator, such as a motorised anytthing to the existing lift drive lug?

  13. #13
    BobL is online now Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Quote Originally Posted by eskimo View Post
    . . . . to the existing lift drive lug?
    Not really sure what you mean by this?
    Do you mean the column crank handle with the rack and pion gear?
    If so, I took that off years ago when I added the easy riser and I'm not even sure where it is.

    Would it be easier - not sure. Any motor driving the pinion gear would need a gear box to reduce the speed and up the torque and the thought of hanging many more kgs of motor and gear box off the back of the table arm doesn't sound that easy. At the very least it would require completely removing the table arm from the DP which is something I don't really want to do.

    This project is mainly about what can Ii use this actuator for that is vaguely useful. I would never go out and but one to do this mod

  14. #14
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    Yeah..thats what i meant...you described it a lot better than I

  15. #15
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    Could have used it to open and close a DC blast gait.
    Pete

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