Woodworker's Journal 2008-32-1, страница 51

Improved operator controls may not be dealmakers in themselves, but they sure are worthwhile conveniences. Craftsman's single-pull quill lever (left) has an adjustable throw so you can set it right where you need it. Steel City's button-release depth stop (center) indexes stopped-hole depths quickly. Southpaws will love the option of mounting quill handles on either side of Powermatic's PM2800 (right).

nice. When the beams are dialed in precisely (and all of them adjust easily), you know exactly where the centerpoint of your bit will hit the mark. For drilling those really critical holes, here's a way to split hairs.

The Shop Fox W1668 is tailor-made for drum sanding, with oscillating action, a table pass-through hole for the drum and a vac hose port.

Stepped-up Sanding

Drill presses make decent drum sanders, but an oscillating spindle sander does the job in less time because of that second, up-and-down motion. Wouldn't it be slick if a drill press did that, too? Well, one does: Shop Fox's W1668 benchtop model, and it deserves a tip of the hat for that sensible feature. All it takes to engage the oscillating motion is slipping a separate belt onto a dedicated pulley. This engages a gear that moves the quill up and down almost an inch. It's just enough motion to give your sanding efforts that added advantage. Shop Fox also makes drum sanding more convenient by providing a set of sanding drums as well as a modified table with an over

sized pass-through hole, dust collection port and drum reducer rings. For small shops or tight budgets, this machine's dual capacity should make it a great value.

Improved Operator Controls

In my experience, the tools that seem safest can actually be the most dangerous if you aren't diligent all the time. Spinning bits can be hazardous. That's why I'm happy to see several of these models equipped with oversize kill switches and safety lock-offs ... just in case.

Quill handles have taken a few steps forward in design as well. Powermatic allows you to install the handles on either the left- or right-hand side, with no special modifications. Lefties should love this. I'm also impressed with Craftsman's single-lever pull: it has a number of detents inside the handle mount so

you can position the lever wherever • it lends the best advantage to what you're doing. For a long throw, set it farther back; move it forward for shallow or repetitive work.

Here's another dandy doodad: tool-free depth stops. Most drill presses employ a pair of nuts on the s depth stop rod to set drilling depth, which works OK. On the Steel City, . Craftsman and Delta drill presses, however, all you do is push a button 1 on the stop collar to make the coarse adjustment, then turn it for fine-tuning.

Deep(er) Throws

One last goodie worth noting is overall quill travel. You never know when you'll need to drill a really deep hole, and most drill presses bottom out at about 4" of drilling depth. If you could use a few inches more from time to time, consider Delta and Steel City's drill presses; both provide 6" of quill travel.

Drilling has Never Been Better

Drilling holes may be among the more mundane aspects of our fine craft, but these new drill presses will make the job more enjoyable and precise. Given the bounty of good woodworking features emerging here, I'm hoping other manufacturers will follow suit. After all, drill presses may have got their start in metal shops, but they're certainly

in our woodshops to stay.

Steel City's 20520 and Delta's 20-950 bore deeper holes than others: both have 6" of quill travel — about 2" more than comparable tools.

Chris Marshall reviews tools and builds projects as field editor for Woodworker's Journal.

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February 2008 Woodworker's Journal