Drill press table lifter

Tmate

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My old Walker Turner drill press has a column that shows its age. It is fairly easy to lower the table, but tough to get back up.

I solved this problem by attaching a $59 bottle jack for an engine hoist underneath the table. The table weighs enough to compress the jack when I open the valve. It hangs free and sits on a rubber pad at the base. If I want to turn the table, the jack swings freely with it. I have a two piece clamping shaft collar that keeps the table from dropping when turning it. I hang the handle on a nearby 2x4 stud. This is stupidly simple, but I thought I would share it.
 

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Nice! I've seen a number of drill presses that lack table cranks.
 
I always thought it would be super slick to do that with an electric actuator!
Robert
 
That's a better /less expensive solution than buying the actual lifting mechanism but it is available for those who want to stick as close to the original look as possible, here's the one I recently found locally ,the seller claims it fits a few old models like Buffalo, Rockwell, Delta.etc:


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I always thought it would be super slick to do that with an electric actuator!
Robert

When I built the table for the Powermatic 1200, it came out very heavy so I used a long piece of threaded rod and an old unused drill motor for a lifter. The nut is loose captured on the table and there is a ball bearing thrust on the bottom. It still allows the table to swivel almost 180 degrees.
Aaron

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Adam Savage, of Mythbusters fame, has a website in which he shows off the various projects he's done. Just a couple days ago, he documented the addition of a table lifter (from Ebay) to his older Powermatic drill press:
 
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