Saturday, October 18, 2003
Lowes Part 4
I was wasn't home over the last weekend - went up to Toronto for the weekend. It turns out that Canada's Thanksgiving has just the same kind of traffic fun as the US version does. It's usually a five hour trip and this time it took seven hours. The whole two hour delay was in Canada this time. Usually I get delayed crossing the border, but this time that wasn't the problem.
So anyway, this week I finally put the drill press (Delta DP400) together. It's actually not the drill press I ordered. I think this is the updated replacement of the one I ordered, so I don't think it's a bad deal. It only took a night to put together. It's is pretty simple. All you do is mount the support post to the floor plate with four bolts, slide the table onto its support and lift the motor/belt assembly and slip it over the top. The biggest hassle was cleaning the preservative grease off and waxing all the bare metal.
Overall, it seems to be pretty solid and accurate. I drilled one hole to make sure it works and it was quiet with very little vibration. I'll check the runout this weekend with my dial indicator and see how accurate it actually is. I made a quick check of the spindle being perpendicular to the drill table and my machinist square showed spot on, so I'm hoping the rest is just as close.
The one negative thing I've seen on the drill press is the rack for the table height adjustment. It only seems to be attached to a ring at the top and then it's tucked into the base support. The three or four feet inbetween is loose and it seems rather flimsy. The rack on the floor model at Lowes was bent and I can see why. We'll see how it holds together.
This and a bunch of other tools I've been buying is helping fulfill a lifetime ambition of having a nice workshop where I can do some serious wood and metal working. My basement shop is nothing fancy, bare concrete walls and floor and open floor joists for the ceiling, but it's mine. After spending 22 years in the military - 16 of which were barracks life - this is great. It's so cool to be able to putter around in the basement and when I need a tool or spare part, to be able to reach to a shelf or toolbox and grab it. I've got a ways to go yet, but it's getting close.
I've basically given up on TV. I get home from work, do a little Internet surfing and make something quick to eat and then head to the basement to "fiddle." I have a radio down there and listen to NPR and classical music and just fiddle the night away. I might make a stool, or repair and refinish an old tool, or build a little box or other gadget. What a great way to waste time.
2fers: Craftsman Tools and Lee Valley Tools
