Woodwork Tips
Jig to Align Drill Press Table

This woodwork tips is an easy technique you can use on any size Drill Press.

It's a shop-built Drill Press Table alignment tool. You use it for a drill press with a tilting table. When you tilt the table, you need a method to insure that the table is back to 90-degrees with the spindle and bit - don't you?

You may have seen a square used to set the table perpendicular to the drill press column. Do you think that the table should be perpendicular to the bit?

If so, then this woodwork tips simple jig will help you align the table to the spindle and drill bit.

This example uses a Delta 16½" Drill Press. You can make this simple jig in five minutes. I used a 3/16 " thick aluminum plate that was lying around the shop. You can use a 1/4" scrap wood to do the same thing. You want a piece that reaches all sides of the drill press table. Normally, 4-5" will work. With the accessory table on this drill press, the aluminum was about 8" long and 1" wide.

Woodwork Tips - How to Make the Jig:

Drill a hole at both ends of the straight piece you use. Push or screw a machine screw thru each hole, pointing in opposite directions. I tapped the aluminum for 1/4-20 machine screws. You can do that in wood as well. Or you can use a nut on the opposite side to hold the screw parallel.

To set the table, you tighten one of the screws in the chuck. Then you raise the drill press table until the screw sticking down from the jig just touches the table surface at one corner. Now rotate the chuck by hand. See if it touches at four to six points around the table.

Adjust the table angle until the screw just barely touches the table at every point.

This process is easy, but you don't want to go through it every time you change the table angle. So once you have the table set, draw a thin line with permanent marker where the table and mounting arm meet. Now you can reset your table to perpendicular after each tilt.

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