Drill Press Fence

[Mark J]

I'm on the fence about buying a drill press fence.  I was in Rockler last week and they had the fence for my saw on sale for $60, down from $80.  A goodly discount, but 60 bucks is still not confetti.  

I just am not seeing the work flow for it, and the one time I needed a fence I just clamped down a straight piece of wood.  It's not like with a router table where you would slide the work into the bit.  

So for those of you that have a drill press fence how often is it in the way and how often does it save the day?  For those that don't have one how often do you miss it?

[treeslayer]

I made my own, use it often, not hard to make, could not find one that suited my needs and cheap to make your own 

[Dave's Not Here]

Yup, make your own.  You can get as sophisticated or as basic as you want and still not spend anywhere near $60.

[wtnhighlander]

58 minutes ago, Mark J said:

 

I just am not seeing the work flow for it, and the one time I needed a fence I just clamped down a straight piece of wood. 

I think you answered your own question.

[Chestnut]

Even on my router table I made my own fence. It's not complicated there. In my opinion I don't think the micron incremental adjustment is worth a fraction the money the charge for it....

Drill press I'd defiantly make my own.

[RichardA]

Make the one you need from off cuts you have in the shop. Clamps and hold downs are made from the same off cuts of the off cuts.   As long as the bit, and where you measure to the fence, it doesn't matter what angle your fence is, as long as the bit and your mark from the bit is the same.

[pkinneb]

I made mine from scrap ply and a couple tracks about $15. I use it quite often actually but like you said there are times when it gets in the way.

[curlyoak]

If you use your drill press then a table with a fence comes in handy. In this pic it is against the wall. A fence is helpful for small things. Clamps that attach to the rails. Valuable for boring holes for blum hinges. How often do you use your drill press?

[Coop]

Is your dp table stock steel?  If it’s stock, then build one like @curlyoak and then build a removable fence to fit in the tee track. 

[gee-dub]

I use a Rockler fence for my DP, my router table and one of my jigs.  Two were bought on sale when they made a style change for about the price you are looking at.

[BattleRidge]

I built my own drill press table with fence, end-stop and hold-down clamps out of 1/2" Baltic Birch Plywood.

I use my fence for practically everything, the end-stop frequently and the hold-down clamps often.  I prefer to have my workpiece secured and in a stable position to prevent unexpected movement and to improve quality.  Everything is a breeze to position and adjust and it makes using the drill press much more pleasurable.  The fence and accessories make repeat drilling a breeze and huge time saver.

The fence is easily removable when not needed and thus it is never in the way.  Likewise, the end-stop can be easily adjusted or removed if drilling a project that is wider than the fence / table.  I typically keep the hold-down clamps on hooks behind the machine where they are out of the way while not needed, and easily accessible for use.  The whole assembly can be removed from the drill press by loosening four wing nuts beneath the table. 

I offset my insert so that it may be rotated a quarter turn to provide four clean and fresh drilling surfaces per side (8 positions if turned over) allowing for much drilling before ever needing replacement.  I wanted a smooth work surface and to limit sawdust accumulation spots so designed insert to be removed with a simple push with a pencil or stick from below.

 

 

[Mark J]

Thanks all for the input.  The discussion was helpful.  

13 hours ago, curlyoak said:

How often do you use your drill press?

Pretty much on every project, but I've never done any hinges.  In fact I can't think that I ever drill "the same hole" twice.  

Typically I'm drilling a single hole in a precise location and often to a precise depth.  And my usual work piece is a thick block of wood.  I have a couple of cheap F-clamps I got out of a discount bin at Rock-Craft.  They're not very good, but they have the virtue of being small enough to fit through the slots on the drill press table, which itself is good sized.  

Here I've faked up a typical operation.

So I've got work holding when I need it.  And for the odd occasion when a fence might be needed I suppose I can just continue to clamp down a straight piece of wood.  

[gee-dub]

The offset insert that Free Spirit mentions is something to strongly consider.  I mounted my table so that my insert is offset as well.  This gives me four use area per insert.  the only way it could be better is if it were round.  That mod is on my list but, not near the top ;-)