drill press table slips out of square - how to stop it?

Pin it.

Take the table apart and look really closely at the joint. If it's slipping, then the mating surfaces aren't getting full contact or something. That may need correction.

I hate to kick a guy when he's down, but this is an excellent example of how you pay for cheap tools forever ..

Grant

Thanks, Tom. Duh! What a simple solution and I've lived with this for around 20 years. I drilled and tapped it for a 5/16" bolt. It isn't going anywhere. This is one of the tools I wish would break. Original motor, it just keeps running and doing a mediocre job. Not bad enough to justify getting replacing, but almost. At least it won't be tilting on me again.

Most of the Taiwchinese drill presses Ive seen had a 3/16" (or metric eqiv.) hole at 6 Oclock on the tilt swivel for a pin or a screw. Simple enough to do yourself with a drill motor and a bit.

Gunner

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Youbetcha! A flesh eye or perspective is all it usually takes.

Gunner, that's the hole I used. I had never noticed it before, but it probably was most of the problem. Way down in was a 1/4" X 20 allen screw that was supposed to hold the table level front to back. Well, what it mostly did was eliminate most of the bearing surface on the mount by holding it up at the bottom a tiny bit at one point. I removed the screw, drilled and tapped it for a 5/16" bolt, slipped a stray piece of shim stock down there and cinched everybody up. Drilled a bunch of holes today and all are as square and level as I needed. Thanks guys.

I had the same problem...sigh. But instead of a bolt, cause I do tilt occasionally, I reamed and put in a dowel pin.

Gunner

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