PM2800 Drill Press Table Tilt Tamer


PeteJr

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I have a Powermatic PM2800 drill press.

The table tilt mechanism will not keep the table locked in place.

No matter how tight I make the large locking bolt I can still move the table about 5 degrees left or right.

The locking pin is in place however the fit is not precise enough to limit table tilt.

Anyone had this problem and solved it?

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I'd bet 20 seconds and a welder would have you fixed up in no time.

Is this a new machine? The reason I ask, I have seen some locking mechanisms that clamp onto a cylinder be so lubricated that the oil creates a film that will not allow the clamp to fully do it's job.

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I'd bet 20 seconds and a welder would have you fixed up in no time.

Is this a new machine? The reason I ask, I have seen some locking mechanisms that clamp onto a cylinder be so lubricated that the oil creates a film that will not allow the clamp to fully do it's job.

It's not new but I've never cleaned the mating surfaces.

I'll try that next.

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  • 2 months later...

I was not able to remove the locking bolt holding the table.  I could back it out a couple of turns then it bound up as if the end threads were malformed.  So using a torque wrench I tightened the bolt to 100 ft lbs and locked the table at 90 degree.  For now it's stationary but I'm forever checking it to ensure it's at 90.

Not being able to remove the bolt leads me to believe the threads are not right.  To determine the exact problem I think I'd have to remove the entire table mechanism from the column and that means removing the drill motor head.  That's a two man job and will have to wait until the bench is empty. 

I'm sorry to say this drill press is the most disappointing machine in my shop.  Between the low speed noise (clack-clack-clack), difficult to tighten/untighten keyless chuck, lack of a quick-lock spindle and table adjustment problems it's just not worth the Powermatic name.

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I've got the 'B' version of this DP... The first time I needed to tilt the table, I needed a propane torch and pneumatic impact wrench on the 24mm? lock bolt... I'm not saying that's what you should do... but it's what I had to do... And the DP was new, so if I cracked the casting, I would have made PM replace it...

 

 

==>lack of a quick-lock spindle and table adjustment problems it's just not worth the Powermatic name.

the many problems with the 2800 are why it was replaced with the 'B'. Most have been addressed.

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