Don't lose your set-up by raising or lowering your drill press table.

[Sparweb]

Another way to skin the cat...
If you add a separate piece that clamps onto the column, it can project out an arm that locates the table by moving the table into the contact with the arm.
A bit like a bench dog for your drill press. The fixed reference is the column, so clamp whatever you need to make a permanent reference on that.
I find that even my crank-up drill press allows the table to move around too much horizontally.
I don't have a picture handy, I hope my description is clear enough.

 

[mikey]

I will admit I have done it but putting a chuck in a chuck multiplies the run out of each piece and can get pretty far out by the end

I've used a 3/8" Albrecht mounted to a 1/2" straight shank that fits into a 1/2" Albrecht like the OP has done for over 20 years and you are right; stacking tolerances are an issue when doing this. Still, using a drill press is not a precision machining operation and I have successfully drilled a lot of larger holes using this exact set up so, Tmate, good post.

 

[whitmore]

Does anyone know of a rotary or axial DRO?
I have looked, OK half heartedly, I have found nothing that would indicate these even exist

One could mount a laser pointer parallel to the spindle, and hit a target affixed to the table.
As long as it stays clean, it means the rotation is controlable.

 

[Bruce Billett]

One could mount a laser pointer parallel to the spindle, and hit a target affixed to the table.
As long as it stays clean, it means the rotation is controlable.

Tried something like that. Sounds very reasonable. Unfortunately beam divergence in the laser doesn't allow for much in the way of accuracy. There might be a laser out there that has better control over the divergence, but it would be out of my price range. The laser in an autocollimator really isn't used to achieve accuracy of placement, but is used to determine perpendicularity of the target to the beam.
Thanks for the thought!!

b

 

[Bruce Billett]

I've used a 3/8" Albrecht mounted to a 1/2" straight shank that fits into a 1/2" Albrecht like the OP has done for over 20 years and you are right; stacking tolerances are an issue when doing this. Still, using a drill press is not a precision machining operation and I have successfully drilled a lot of larger holes using this exact set up so, Tmate, good post.

I woke up this morning with that very thought. Only I think I would try to mount that as close to the column as possible. and then have a similar ring I could mount to the head. Two rods that slip fit into two matching holes on the upper ring. Maybe even making both rings with slip fit holes then rods of different lengths that could be put in the system to allow bringing the head not only back on center at the original placement but also at a different elevation. May not be ALL that accurate, but I would think it will be VERY close.

b

 

[markba633csi]

The older drill presses like W/T often don't have a crank system for the table, unlike most modern imports.
I guess they were designed in the 40s for production work whereby the table doesn't need to move often
-Mark

 

[Bruce Billett]

The older drill presses like W/T often don't have a crank system for the table, unlike most modern imports.
I guess they were designed in the 40s for production work whereby the table doesn't need to move often
-Mark

Mark:
This isn't for my drill press. It's for my RJ round column mill.
I have had a kind of break thru yesterday. I ordered some lenes out of desperation to TRY something, The collimator for the telescope I think is worthless :-( but a concave and convex lens set I got has my laser at about 2 feet down to about 2-3 thousands dia. And that is holding all the parts in my hand. So now I'm building a sort of light rail to mount everything on and see just how tight I can keep the beam. I'm also thinking if I do need to refocus the beam for different heights, that shouldn't matter as the beam axis should be the same and therefore I can return to the exact same spot. The next hardest part I think will be after I get the head in position, holding it there as I tighten down the head. Ahhhh. What a wonderful problem that will be to have after getting to this point!
And yes will send pictures when it is time.
b

 

[Bruce Billett]

I'm also thing that if I set the head perpendicular to the bed, Do I need to tram the head? Assuming the bed moves as it should, Setting any one spot perpendicular to any spot on the bed should yield the same for all spots on the bed?
Has anyone anything to say about that before I run down THAT rabbit hole?
Thanks either way.

b

 

[Bruce Billett]

Does anyone know of a rotary or axial DRO?
I have looked, OK half heartedly, I have found nothing that would indicate these even exist?

b

Well thanks anyway. I have looked as well. That is why I asked here.
Although I have come up with a simple way to recenter my head optically, accurately, and very inexpensive. It involved a throw away rifle scope. If your interested let me knoe.

b