Got a Drill Press, Where to Get Clamps?

[Daekar]

Recently got this drill press for my birthday - yes, I feel spoiled.
https://www.harborfreight.com/power-...ess-43389.html

Also got this vise:
https://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch...ise-30999.html

So far I am pleased with it - everything seems to be square and sturdily assembled.

My problem is, I know I need to buy some hardware to hold workpieces in place, and to hold the vise, but I don't really know what those devices are called. The table has some slots on it that are visible in the picture, and those slots look like they're designed for some kind of large-headed threaded fastener or something to fit into the slot with the head down and threaded rod up - the slots are not drilled through the table, though. Can you guys help me figure out what kind of tie-downs (or whatever they're called...) to get for this thing?

[cwtebay]

I personally use carriage bolts and wing nuts to keep my vice in place using those slots you mention.
But I'll bet there's something more elegant!

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[Nueces]

An image search for 'drill press clamp' will give you lots of ideas.

[farmbif]

its called t-slot , get a couple t-slot bolts or if you want to go all out they make a clamping set with different size clamps and different length threaded studs.
next thing you know you'll be shopping for a good used Bridgeport

[Ithaca Gunner]

I personally use carriage bolts and wing nuts to keep my vice in place using those slots you mention.
But I'll bet there's something more elegant!

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They do make dovetail ''nuts''-clamps for the large 6'' machinist vices, you slide them into the slots and clamp down with a screw, but proper size carriage bolts with a 4'' vice works just as well.

[Mk42gunner]

As stated before, technically the correct bolt is a T-bolt; but I can count on one hand and have four fingers and a thumb left over the times I have actually seen them used in a home shop. Carriage bolts work well.

Harbor Freight also has some little half vice grip clamps for clamping directly to the table.

Good on you for actually planning to use a real work holding system, instead of trying to hand hold items to the table.

Robert

[BP Dave]

I second clamping or using a vise on your projects--I used to hold things by hand, but now that I don't heal so fast I clamp or use a vise.

--DJ

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I've always used the 11" Vice grip locking C-clamps.

[farmbif]

depends on what your doing. I have one of those vise grips, works real well for certain things but for other things a good vise it great. I happened upon a swivel tilting 4" palmgren that I would never give up.

[country gent]

At the least cut a length of steel pipe a carriage bolt ( one the square firs the slot better a t bolt) thru the pipe and and a hand nut. clamp this where the vise can be in contact with the side of the vise to keep it from spinning.

Better is a set of strap clamps. Around 70.00 from grizzly. There is a learning curve to using these but they can clamp almost anything to the table.

Best and easiest for set up is buy a 1/2" think aluminum the same size as the table. Drill and tap 3/8" holes on a one inch square pattern. bolt this to the table. This will allow bolts and washers to hold the vise. straps to be used or holes in parts. It will also provide a cushion for when someone forgets and goes thru the part keeping it out of the table. It will also protect the table from wear from sliding parts.

Decide on a spot where the chuck key lives, if its not in your hand its at home Period. The chuck is not the place to keep it.

[Daekar]

I figure there is no point in going halfway on things, so I ordered this from Harbor Freight:
https://www.harborfreight.com/58-pie...amps-5952.html

Hopefully the included T-bolts or nuts will fit! Thank you guys, I will report back with success or failure.

[country gent]

I see the studs are 3/8 so the tip of the tee nuts are 1/2" measure the slots in your table and see how wide they are.

another consideration on your drill press would be a X y table for hole patterns. but these add a bit if weight to the table

[NyFirefighter357]

I'm making a clamping plate for one of mine. I have 2 Walker Turners a Delta Rockwell I just picked up & a Montgomery Ward DuoI got for the stand & tray.

[rbuck351]

For the vice, I would use a couple of carriage bolts about 3/8" dia and a couple of inches long. Slip the bolt heads in the end of your table slot and put the vice over the bolts and add a washer and nut. The hold down clamp set you have ordered will work very well and very safe to hold down about anything but is more cumbersome to use on the vice than necessary.

[David2011]

I'm making a clamping plate for one of mine. I have 2 Walker Turners a Delta Rockwell I just picked up & a Montgomery Ward DuoI got for the stand & tray.

Awesome drill press! I love old American iron.

[Shopdog]

We use a BUNCH of T nuts....on several different machines/fixtures. Use them on the wood milling equipment as well. Most machines have their nuts in attendant tooling boxes/chests. The fixtures,either the nuts/bolts are parked in it,or go "borrow" some from one of the same size. We make a lot of them on the mm sizes.

Not sayin that's the only way to do it,whatever works for you. Cpl vises to look for are an XY like posted above. And a Heinrich "quick vise". That's what lives on our big W/T. A storage cabinet under the table is a great project. Make the height low enough to accommodate say 90% of your work height. On the occasional tall piece,which isn't very often,you can pull the little cabinet out. A small bttm chest,like a Craftsman can usually roll over the DP bttm. I used one like this for years. Keeps all the tooling close at hand.

[NyFirefighter357]

I'm making a clamping plate for one of mine. I have 2 Walker Turners a Delta Rockwell I just picked up & a Montgomery Ward DuoI got for the stand & tray.

I have a bunch of different vices, none of the direclt bolt up, this is the reason I'm making a plate.

[country gent]

My drill press is an old Leelamd Gifford machine table is similar too the solid table in your pics with a coolant groove around it. Its a very heavy solid machine table and spindle are on dovetails for adjustment up and down. I have a xy table dedicated to it. between table casting and xy the table is over 100 lbs so mounted a camper hydraulic jack under it to raise ans lower it, works well and is easy for me from the wheel chair. There is no way I could manually raise and lower just the table otherwise.

[farmbif]

walker turner made some good machines, at one time I had a bandsaw w blade welder and a massive table saw made by them.

[garandsrus]

For most projects, the work held in the vice and the vice loose on the table will work great and is the way that vice is normally used. The problem with clamping the vice to the table is that you pretty much have no adjustments available so it is very hard to clamp the vice in the correct place, and even then, it will only be correct for one hole.

Something like this would probably make more sense if you are clamping it to the table: https://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch...SABEgLEPvD_BwE

Have fun!