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Clamps

To use your drill press safely, it's always a good idea to make sure the workpiece is clamped securely. But it's often difficult or awkward trying to position a clamp on the workpiece.

Go Vertical. The two clamping options you see here can help you out. The vertical hold-down shown above has a long post with an adjustable head for clamping large or tall workpieces.

M Vertical Hold-down. The vertical post on this hold-down lets you clamp large workpieces securely. A cam lever locks the head in place.

Long Reach. The locking-lever clamp in the photo above has a long reach. It can overcome the problem of being able to clamp close to the drill chuck where you need the most clamping pressure.

Both of these clamps bolt directly to your drill press table, as shown above. They're good solutions when typical clamps won't do the job. But for precision drilling or metal work, check out the vises below.

< Angles.

Instead of tilting the table, you can tilt this vise for angled drilling.

When basic clamps aren't up to the task, a vise just might be the ticket. Not only do vises hold the work-piece securely, but they can add to the capabilities and accuracy of your drill press.

Two-Axis Movement. The unique feature of the vise shown at far right is that it can move a work-piece in two directions. Machinists call this "X-Y" movement. One hand crank moves the jaws left or right, another moves it in or out.

This capability comes in handy for drilling mortises or slots in wood. But it's especially handy for precisely locating a hole when drilling metal.

Angled Vise. I never like tilting my drill press table to drill an angled hole. I have to figure out how to clamp the workpiece and I'm never certain of the exact angle. The vise shown at right solves both of these problems. Once the workpiece is secure, just rotate the vise jaws to the proper angle and start drilling. fL

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