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Drill presses are great, but they lack a way to keep small parts, bits, chuck keys and other stuff handy. I'm also going to use mine as a brass prep station once the Possum Hollow case trimmers I ordered finally get shipped from backorder purgatory, which will require a way to keep the brass sorted as it goes through the stages. So, with time on my hands, some scraps of metal floating around, and half a plan I set to work.
Here's the start of the bracket. It's 2" angle with some one inch wide tabs that'll bolt around the drill press support column.
Drilling the bolt holes; by using wood to hold the pieces of metal in place, I can drill all four at once and ensure they line up correctly. Make sure you use some lube to keep the bit cool!
Next up are the support legs. I used my multi-cutter to make nice 45* angles one the ends to be welded that will match nicely with the angle iron clamp when everything is in place. This will ensure things are straight and also back out of the way when doing other projects.
There was no easy way to clamp these together for welding, but by using my tranny jack I at least had a stable platform and was able to bolt down the main bracket and only had one loose piece to hold. I'm welding the legs to what will be the back of the clamp to ensure things stay clear of the moving drill press parts. The jack makes a great adjustable welding platform.
We're getting close. I welded a 1/4" thick spacer to the bottom of the legs to extend the lower piece of 1" x 1/8" flat stock out. This will allow the Akro bins to sit nicely without hitting the leg. To get the bin supports on straight I bolted the two halves together and clamped the whole assembly upright to the leg of my bench. That allowed my to use the floor and a spare piece of angle iron to hold the two pieces in place and keep everything on the same plane.
Here's the completed assembly. I have some cheap imitation bins around, but they won't fit over the 1/8" thick metal. I also checked around Lowe's when I went to grab the bolts and the cheap Stanley ones they had also looked like they wouldn't fit. I recommend using Akro bins only, or thinner flat stock.
My drill press has a collar at the top that will support the weight nicely without gorilla torquing the clamp. If yours doesn't have a similar collar, then wrapping it in some rubber sheet will increase grip and protect the column.
Once I have the case trimmers I'll update this to show how this will eventually become a full brass prep station with trim, chamfer, and deburr all at one time without spending $300 or $400 bucks on a name brand one. I have the Dillon Rapid Trim for large batches on the Hornady LnL, but when it's time to just do some test loads, it's kind of a pain to set the progressive press up. When completed, this will make small brass batch processing a breeze.
Here's the start of the bracket. It's 2" angle with some one inch wide tabs that'll bolt around the drill press support column.
Drilling the bolt holes; by using wood to hold the pieces of metal in place, I can drill all four at once and ensure they line up correctly. Make sure you use some lube to keep the bit cool!
Next up are the support legs. I used my multi-cutter to make nice 45* angles one the ends to be welded that will match nicely with the angle iron clamp when everything is in place. This will ensure things are straight and also back out of the way when doing other projects.
There was no easy way to clamp these together for welding, but by using my tranny jack I at least had a stable platform and was able to bolt down the main bracket and only had one loose piece to hold. I'm welding the legs to what will be the back of the clamp to ensure things stay clear of the moving drill press parts. The jack makes a great adjustable welding platform.
We're getting close. I welded a 1/4" thick spacer to the bottom of the legs to extend the lower piece of 1" x 1/8" flat stock out. This will allow the Akro bins to sit nicely without hitting the leg. To get the bin supports on straight I bolted the two halves together and clamped the whole assembly upright to the leg of my bench. That allowed my to use the floor and a spare piece of angle iron to hold the two pieces in place and keep everything on the same plane.
Here's the completed assembly. I have some cheap imitation bins around, but they won't fit over the 1/8" thick metal. I also checked around Lowe's when I went to grab the bolts and the cheap Stanley ones they had also looked like they wouldn't fit. I recommend using Akro bins only, or thinner flat stock.
My drill press has a collar at the top that will support the weight nicely without gorilla torquing the clamp. If yours doesn't have a similar collar, then wrapping it in some rubber sheet will increase grip and protect the column.
Once I have the case trimmers I'll update this to show how this will eventually become a full brass prep station with trim, chamfer, and deburr all at one time without spending $300 or $400 bucks on a name brand one. I have the Dillon Rapid Trim for large batches on the Hornady LnL, but when it's time to just do some test loads, it's kind of a pain to set the progressive press up. When completed, this will make small brass batch processing a breeze.
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