Floor drill press base balance point ?

GoceKU

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Im building my own drill press i have tread on this forum, i'm at the point i have the base almost build but i'm not sure where to place the main column pipe, i'm concerned the motor is not heavy enough to offset the head with steel pulleys and a heavy work table, so i want some advice where should i place it, i've made a mock up , any advice is much appreciated.
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I would want the column positioned so the spindle was more or less centered on the base. That position will be determined by your head design. How large a swing are you designing? I modified my drill press by adding an offset to the column to extend the swing from 13" to 18" (330mm to 460mm). This brought the head about 100mm closer to the front of the base but I have not had any stability problems.

As long as the center of mass is located well within the base footprint, you should be fine. As far as where to locate the column, you will want to consider the interface between the column and the base. My press has an 80mm dia. cast iron column which is fastened to the cast iron base through a bolted on flange. Make sure that you consider the anticipated weight of the work in your design. A 50kg engine block changes a lot of things regarding the center of mass.

I would be concerned with welding in any of the configurations you show unless additional support such as gussets are added. I would also be concerned with the wall thickness of your column. Thee drill press acts like a arbor press and there will be considerable bending distortion during heavy drilling. If it were me and I decided to use your choice of column, I would at least fill the interior with lots of rebar and concrete to stiffen it.
 
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