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Get an additional four square feet of versatility and precision with our exclusive Drill Press Table and Fence system! We designed it to our exacting standards to be the best of its kind available — at a great price, too! There's virtually no drill press operation you can't perform better and faster with our exclusive drill press table and fence. Patented.
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A generously-sized 28-1/2'' x 21'' working surface plus a removable insert that can be drilled for any size sanding drum. This table will fit virtually any drill press 12 inches or larger. If you have a smaller drill press, we recommend our mini drill press table.
- Melamine table top surface is 1-1/8 inch thick.
- There are two installed T-tracks for hold-down fixtures, and an adjustable fence for maximum hold-down and stopping applications.
 See an independent review of this table at woodworking.org!
Also, see another independent review of our Drill Press Table done by The Woodworker's Gazette.
4 Piece Drill Press Accessory Kit - Everything you need to make drill press operations a breeze. This kit includes all the essentials for any and every drill press operation: dust port, stop block, two hold-down clamps (one clamp-down for stock, and one fence).
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Customer Reviews and Photos for:
Rockler Drill Press Table and Fence
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Average Rating:
3.8
(55 customer reviews)
$125.99
Add your review...
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1) Submitted by
Roman Benko, from Arlington Heights, IL
on 4/21/2012
Customer Rating: 
After reading some of the reviews about the MDF being to weak to support the screws in the base, I decided to mount the Rockler drill press table onto a 1/2" plywood base see photos. The result is very solid and sturdy. The table and fence is great. Bought the additional accessories clamps, vacuum attachment, etc. Very happy with the purchase.
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2) Submitted by
Bob Libbey, from Surprise, AZ
on 3/20/2010
Customer Rating:
My Drill Press Table and Fence arrived today. Wow was that quick! As I stared at the box in excitement I couldn't help but remember the reviews that talked about replacements needed, broken fence faces, etc. and I have to admit I wasn't totally conviced I wasn't going to have to go through the hassle of returning something. As I carefully opened the box I noticed how well all of the pieces were packed and realized my fears were unjust. It honestly looks like it would take an act of congress to damage anything in this box. I was equally impressed and surprised with the instructions; they were clear, concise and easy to read. If I could rate this item a 6: Uber-Excellent I would.
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3) Submitted by
Kaptain Kirk, from Marietta, GA
on 1/14/2013
Customer Rating: 
I also had problems with the MDF being to weak to support the screws in the base, I decided to try Roman Benko’s idea and mount the Rockler drill press table onto a 3/4" plywood base see photos. The result is super solid and sturdy. The table and fence are great.
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4) Submitted by
R.D. Zimmerman, from Knoxville, IL
on 2/27/2010
Customer Rating:
One of the fence faces was broken, and the other was chipped. I called custumer service, and they sent new ones in a couple of days, with no hassle. Very good Rockler! I would agree with others that the mounting clamps are under built, or at least the way it is attached with the small, short,screws. It was obvious that it was a short lived set up, so I attached 3 cleats to the underside of the new table. One to the front, and one to each side, to keep it from moving around on the presses steel table, this way the camps only have to hold it to the table with little pressure, and I can still move the table front to back if needed, as there is no cleat on the back. I have a 15 inch Delta, with a square steel table. A round table may not work as well. Once I did this, and shimmed the fence square to the table, I was off and drilling. I bought it on sale at a good price, so didn't mind the 3 wood scraps, 6 screws, and 20 minutes to have a nice table!
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5) Submitted by
Steve, from Crittenden, KY
on 8/22/2009
Customer Rating:
Received this table with two tiny chips in the fence marring the otherwise perfect condition of the table. I called customer service and fully expected to be put through a 50 step process in order to return the two fence pieces. I gave my name, order number, and was told with a happy voice "We do apologize Sir, your replacements are on their way."
Wow! It's easy to rate a company and a product when everything goes without a hitch. However, the true assessment of a company should be made when things aren't going so well, and Rocker just got an A++ for solving an albeit small problem, but doing it with kindness and respect.
Rockler just earned a life long customer.
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6) Submitted by
Annie Buma, from Seiad Valley, CA
on 9/5/2009
Customer Rating: 
This table worked well for the use I intended and I expect it will serve my needs well in the future. The tracks for hold-down brackets are not secured well to the table. During my first use, I noticed the screws holding this track were already trying to pull out of the soft fiber board. I will need to add more screws and will likely have to increase the diameter of the screws for replace them with bolts with nuts and washers that can be inset up in the bottom of the table. I think designing the table with more screws that are bigger will solve this problem.
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7) Submitted by
Mark Lawler, from Beaverton, OR
on 11/15/2010
Customer Rating:
A great table and fence. I only have 2 suggestions to make better: 1) Putting this table on top of another table with piano hinge on the front and the ability to raise the back of the table against a gauge marked in degrees would be priceless. Yes, one can tilt the base of most drill presses left/right, but to be able to tilt down or this table up in the back would make it a complete offering. 2) The accessory kit is great, but the vacuum nozel doesn't fit standard wet/dry vac hose sizes.
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8) Submitted by
Michael Bourg, from Weaverville, CA
on 4/21/2009
Customer Rating:
I honestly like the dimensions of the table. I recently bought a Jet 15" Drill Press and the table mounts on the factory table very well and and is very sturdy. The only reason I'm giving it a 4 out of 5 stars is because of the fence. I need to do like another user did and mark reference points on the table to make sure everything is in alignment. Other than that this is well worth the money especially if you buy it when Rockler has it's 20% off sale.
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9) Submitted by
Jason Weier, from Novi, MI
on 5/4/2011
Customer Rating:
Quality appears to be very good. However, due to less than stellar packaging, the two wood fence pieces came cracked. That said, Rockler didn't think twice about sending two new ones. Great service.
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10) Submitted by
Robert Cook, from Newton, NH
on 4/19/2009
Customer Rating:
I was going to build one myself but when I considered buying all the components to build something similar I decided this was less expensive and quicker. I like it a lot. It's easy to instal and easy to use. When setting up for multiple pcs the fence, stop and hold down clamp are great not to mention the large table.
I rated it very good not excellent for 2 reasons. The first is that the way the threaded inserts are screwed into the bottom of the table to afix the clamps that hold the table to the drill press don't hold that well. As I was tightening the clamps the screws seemed to start pulling out so I stopped, I would have liked to tighten them more. The second reason is the small clamp designed to hold the piece you are drilling into the fence will not work with 3/4" stock, a common thickness for many projects.
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11) Submitted by
Dale Sweigart, from Macon, GA
on 4/19/2009
Customer Rating:
I purchase this table in hope that it will make all my projects easy to complete. It is real easy to assemble, but I did not like the way it mounted to the drill press table. so I modified it.
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12) Submitted by
Bob Champagne, from Marietta, GA
on 3/3/2013
Customer Rating:
Bought this table in January and have used it several times with great success. Just be careful not to tighten the base to the table too tight.
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13) Submitted by
David Harmon, from Nicholasville, KY
on 1/19/2009
Customer Rating:
When I received my table it had a small crack in it along one of the hold down guides. I emailed Rockler and they promptly sent me a replacement. I really appreciate their customer service. The table was easy to mount and I am very pleased with it functionality. I did not order any accessories but plan to. I recommend the table and Rockler highly.
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14) Submitted by
Jim McCoy, from Tijeras, NM
on 1/13/2009
Customer Rating:
When I got the table the melamine/MDF fence faces were crushed and broken and I'm still waiting for replacements, so I haven't been able to use the table for what I purchased it for. A good upgrade to the table would be to make the fence faces out of a sturdier material. Other than the MDF fence faces, it seems to be fairly good quality and the table itself appears to be good and solid. I also purchased the accessory kit. It comes with a hold down clamp and a horizontal clamp, both of which seem useful. Overall I like it.
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15) Submitted by
Steven Chapman, from Kuna, ID
on 1/12/2009
Customer Rating:
I purchased this table for my Jet 17" about 5 years ago and found it to be a "great" addition. Now I don't think I could do without it. It does have some flaws, though. The T-slots in the MDF do not hold up very good, unless you glue them down and the holddowns are not quite large/long enough to hold smaller projects on both sides of the projects. I also found it a little difficult to square the fence to the table until I created my own referance marks. However overall the table has stood up very well and I would recommend it to anyone because it is the best on the market. I just recieved a new Rikon 12" bench top model and guess where I will buy the table for it from. You got It. Rockler
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16) Submitted by
John Puralewski, from White Lake, MI
on 1/5/2009
Customer Rating:
Easy to install and use. The MDF fences do have a habit of breaking if the key on the stop block is slightly to big.
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17) Submitted by
Martin, from San Antonio, TX
on 8/25/2008
Customer Rating:
I've been looking for a while reviewing the many drill press tables on the market. It was a toss up with another company and I feel I made the correct choice. Well made, love it. I should have purchased it must earlier and save all of the aggrevation of varioous wierd setups to get things lined up. If you don't have one, get it! you won't be disappointed.
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18) Submitted by
JD Alexander, from Canyon, TX
on 7/15/2008
Customer Rating:
This is replacing a home made table I've had for years which is pretty well chewed up. The surface area of the new table is larger than my old one and I like the adjustment and hold down tracks. After using it for only a few days I wonder why I waited so long to get this "store bought" table. Good quality, good price.
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19) Submitted by
Bill Nelson, from Quitman, LA
on 3/11/2013
Customer Rating:
I bought mine a few years ago and it came with plastic edging wrapping the table. It's T-type molding pushed into a slot around the outside edge. It began falling off the first several months as the humidity caused the particle board to separate along the slot. The screws holding the T-tracks have pulled out and were replaced first by larger screws and now bolts. I also had trouble with the anchors for the table attachments pulling out. The table is much more suited to woodworking than the round table my Jet 15" drill press came with, but I surely wish it were made from more substantial material. I do appreciate the modifications some of the others have posted. I'll be making that auxiliary track tomorrow!
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20) Submitted by
Robert Lohman, from Apple Valley, CA
on 8/10/2008
Customer Rating:
I purchase the 3 piece drill press accessory kit and it is great. I have since gone to the Rockler store in Ontario CA and purchased more clamps and accessories. They are perfect.
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21) Submitted by
Robert Lohman, from Apple Valley, CA
on 8/10/2008
Customer Rating:
I first purchased the full sized table for my Craftsman 12" table top drill press but the table was too large and heavy ( I am now using it on my Craftsman floor drill press). I purchased the mini-table and it is perfect for the 12" table press. The hold down clamps leave a little to be desired but make your own using a cross brace system with notches for the underside of the metal table. Good Job Rockler. Love It.
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22) Submitted by
K Albright, from Troy, NY
on 8/8/2008
Customer Rating:
The table works great, but I have to question how long it will last. My T-slots pulled right out the first time I tried to use them to hold down a piece of material. They are held in by some very small screws...screwed into a fiber board type material. I contacted Rockler customer service and they sent me (but not very quickly) some two part epoxy to hold the little buggers down. We'll have to see.
For the money I'm not going to complain. You will notice some clever design elements though, which redeem some of its shortcomings. There are two contoured knockouts on the back of the unit. The first basically allows it to clear the column of the drill press. The second (which is very important) allows you to turn the handle (for height adjustment) without interference. I also like the fence, which is basically the same design at the Rockler Router table...only with a different set of cutouts. I recommend the Kreg Hold downs to complete the package.
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23) Submitted by
Mike Turner, from Renton, WA
on 6/30/2011
Customer Rating:
I've had this table for about 4 years. The particle board material is not strong enough for this design. The T-track screws loosened and I had to replace them with bolts and nuts. After a couple of years, the slots in the table for the fence broke down and I had to rebuild them with hardwood strips. Why not provide T-tracks to hold the fence in place? Held with bolts and nuts, of course. The slots in the fence faces also broke down. The knobs for holding the fence faces should be lobed rather than knurled. Tightening them can be a pain. The fence stop blocks don't always stay put unless you tighten them really hard.
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24) Submitted by
C. Ewing, from Stuart, FL
on 6/22/2008
Customer Rating:
Made to fit a variety of tops, it's solid and versatile.
The fence, T-slots and vacuum attachments make it a winner!
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25) Submitted by
Dan Gerot, from North Liberty, IA
on 4/27/2008
Customer Rating:
I am very pleased with the drill press table. I just completed a complex deck stair spindle job and the table made the task easy. To mount the table to the drill press I counter sunk 4 bolt to make it easy to dismount when necessary. If you do not have one of these tables you are missing out on what your drill press can do.
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26) Submitted by
Brianne Corbett, from Buffalo, NY
on 3/14/2008
Customer Rating:
Very good basic table. I have a Delta DP350 benchtop drill press. The drill press table is built for machinists so it is of little value for woodworking. The Rockler table fits well. The clamps hold it securely.
It is quite substantial so it has no problem handling good sized pieces of wood. The fence is basic but works fine. I think cam locks are a better idea for the fence hold downs then the standard knobs. But users can replace the knobs with whatever they like easily enough.
There are other tables out there with more features but Rockler has done a good job in offering a solid basic table for the drill press.
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27) Submitted by
Anthony F DeVito, from Stow, MA
on 2/21/2008
Customer Rating:
Works great I now have a larger surface area and the adjustable fence gives me more options to work with.
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28) Submitted by
Skip L, from Colorado Springs, CO
on 2/15/2008
Customer Rating:
Excellent product. The quality and craftsmanship are complemented by the well-planned design. Like others, I intend to add a custom clamping assembly pictured in an earlier review.
Although I just received my table, I was concerned about mounting it with the 2 lever clamps providing only 2 pressure points of attachment. If the table were bumped, it could easily move on the metal table, throwing off any alignment. As an alternative, I mounted two alignment blocks which fit the slots in the metal drill press table. The blocks each hold a captive T-bolt for clamping. See photo. This keeps the Rockler top centered and square to the metal table, provides solid clamping points, and ensures that the table is aligned and centered whenever it is removed / reattached.
Another concern was the cutout at the rear of the table which partially "surrounds" the column when the table is mounted as far back (toward the column)as possible. As such, this would prevent tilting the table unless the Rockler top were to be moved a little toward the front so it would clear the column when tilted. With the alignment/clamping blocks, I have cut them an inch shorter than the slots in the metal table. This allows easy forward/backward adjustment of the Rockler top while still maintaining the Rockler top centered and square to the metal table. Simply move the Rockler top forward a little if the table assembly needs to be tilted; otherwise keep it fully to the rear.
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29) Submitted by
Gary Scheidt, from St. John, IN
on 2/7/2008
Customer Rating:
Overall, this is a very good table. If purchased with the router fence, dust port and stop block and hold-downs, it does a wonderful job of safe, repetitive drilling. The dust port connects perfectly to my large Rigid shop vac. Works great without the need to run an additional line from my dust collection system. I made several copies of the MDF insert provided with the table; one is used as a back-support to prevent tear-out. Another has a hole in it that allows a spindle sanding bit to fit perfectly. Others are spares. The thickness of the insert is something just shy of 1/2". Not sure why as thickness of the insert drop-in with such an odd thickness requires running additional MDF inserts through the surface planer so that the insert is perfectly flush with the rest of the table. Note: remember not to cut the inserts to final length until AFTER you run them through your planer. Planers don't like pieces that are less than about 8" in length. Very dangerous! Cut to final width, then plane to the proper thickness using a piece that is at least 8" long, THEN cut to final length. The downside of the fence is that its height interferes with the spindle-handle when lowering the chuck. However, this only occurs when the workpiece is quite thin and the table is raised nearly to its maximum height. When this occurs, I have had to unscrew one or two of the spindles. A bit of a hassle but not too bad considering how nice the fence is overall. A shorter fence would eliminate this problem (a la competitor version) but their fence is so short that it won't accept a stop-block, which as I mentioned earlier, is one of the nicest features. I also copied Richard Epley's home-made adjustable hold-down fence (see his review) by ordering an additional section of T-track and some extra knobs and T-bolts. What a great idea, Richard! Make sure that the stock for the hold-down fence is at least 3/4" thick. Once you cut the dado for the 1/2" thick T-track, there's only 1/4" of material left for your screws. All-in-all, a great table just got better with this last addition.
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30) Submitted by
Andy Panko, from Edison, NJ
on 12/26/2007
Customer Rating:
Great product, especially with the accessory package (or your own toggle or screw down clamps). Worksurface has plenty of surface area and is solid. The fence is simplistic yet fantastic. Product quality is great. My only one complaint, and I don't think it is specific to Rockler's particular drill press table top, is that the handles on my Ridgid 14" drill press hit the fence when operating the press if I don't have the table height adjusted downward to the point that it takes me a full handle revolution to get the average bit to be near the workpiece. So I basically have to turn/pull the handles 1+ full revolutions to complete most drilling. But I guess this is an issue with the product design of my actual drill press, and not Rockler's table.
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31) Submitted by
Dave Jermakian, from Southington, CT
on 12/20/2010
Customer Rating:
The Good:
Delivered intact, fast, and with usual good Rockler service. One fence was a bit chipped but not enough to worry about or replace. Sound product all around.
The Less than Good:
The Phillips head of one of the screws holding down the pre0installed aluminum T channels is stripped. Oops. Hopefully, I'll never need to remove it.
The pre-cut channel on the aluminum fence, where the 5/16 bolt goes through to attach to the table, appears to be cut at 1/4 inch bolt will not go through. I can return it or file it down to the bold fits. Haven't really decided yet.
Finally, the table has a nice cutout for a sacrificial piece to be installed. Would've been nice to have at least one piece included to get ya going.
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32) Submitted by
Richard Epley, from Tucson, AZ
on 7/21/2007
This a a very good table. It makes drilling processes much easier. I bought the 3-piece accessory set (toggle clamps), but the are not much good as you can't position them for proper clamping, if at all.
So I made a clamp assembly out of 3/4 x 3" x 29"oak, t-track, t-bolts & knobs and hold down clamps. It allows me to position the hold down clamps in/out via the t-tracks in the table and left/right via the t-track in the added oak board. See photo.
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33) Submitted by
Martin Snider, from Street, MD
on 2/15/2007
I puchased this table for the added room but once I started using the fence,dust collection and hold downs proved out that I got much more than expected. The fence gives consistacy to your work the hold downs save your fingers for sure and dust collection keeps it clean. I would recomend this for anyone who has a drill press.
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34) Submitted by
John Fiorani, from Winston Salem, NC
on 3/24/2008
Customer Rating:
I am very pleased with the quality and functionality of the Rockler drill press table and fence. This product has helped me dramatically reduce set-up times, as I use my drill press regularly. I installed the table on a 1970's Craftman drill press and I had difficulty getting a firm clamping of the Rockler table to the cast base of the drill press. I decided to replace the supplied clamps with a wooden set-up that prevented side to side movement. As a side comment, the supplied MDF insert measured 7/16" thick instead of the 1/2 required to obtain a flat surface. A couple of business cards fixed the problem.
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35) Submitted by
Tom , from Savage, MN
on 2/27/2007
I purchased a Rockler Drill Press Table and Fence approx 1-1/2 weeks ago and am very impressed with the ease of set-up/installation, and the fine workmanship of the table, fence, and t-slots. Very excellent product. I would definitely recommend it to any serious woodworker.
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36) Submitted by
Brian Jones, from St Paul, MN
on 3/4/2007
This large table works well. The t-slot rails are held with VERY short screws. Too much upward force will pull them out. I corrected this with 1" course thread screws and used a cutoff disc to trim them flush to the bottom.
The fence is the most useful part of this table!
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37) Submitted by
Mike G, from Silicon Valley, CA
on 12/6/2007
Customer Rating:
I received my drill press table very quickly. It installed fast and easy but there were two small issues - one of the small round clamping knobs for the fence did not have a brass insert (the other 3 were just fine) and the milled t-slot in the back of the MDF fence was split and cracked. Both problems seem to be quality issues at the factory and not shipping problems since the packaging was in perfect shape when it arrived. I called Customer Service and they jumped right on it and offered to sent me new parts. I haven't received them yet but I just made the call today. I'll update this post if there is a significant development in that area. But I have to say the Customer Service was excellent. Thank you, Pam.
Even with the crippled fence I did some drilling to test out the new setup and it worked great. It is so much easier and better than a piece of scrap ply and two clamps! How did I live so long without one of these ?!?
Like several comments before - I will make a mod to the clamping setup to allow for holding smaller pieces. Cheers.
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38) Submitted by
Jeff Haynes from GA
on 3/3/2008
Customer Rating:
If you are using a 12" drill press, I would recommenend the smaller table that Rockler carries.
This one is just a little too big for a 12" drill press in my opinion.
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39) Submitted by
Bob C., from Waldorf, MD
on 3/24/2008
Customer Rating:
This table works great for my needs. The only drawbacks are minor and point to a lack of attention by the manufacturer.
(1) The MDF insert provided with the table is too thin. Oddly, the replacement inserts sold are the correct thickness (1/2").
(2) The T-bolts that come with all the accessories are too short. At just 1 inch long, they leave barely a single thread to hang onto. I will have to buy somewhat longer replacements (cheap).
(3) The directions have you using two lever clamps to hold it to the drill press table. Solid bolt-thoughs (like Skip L describes) are a much better idea, and frees up the lever clamps for use as hold downs.
But overall I am very happy with this great table.
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40) Submitted by
Dale Douglass, from Livingston, TX
on 6/5/2008
Customer Rating:
As others have expressed, the lever clamps do not hold well and the screws for the T-nuts are not long enough allowing them to pull away from the table if too much pressure is applied. Them T-Tracks are too far apart for working on small items and there is no way to clamp those items to hold them in place.
The size of the table is great and gives you a much better working area than the existing metal table.
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41) Submitted by
Paul DeLisle, from Gatesville, TX
on 9/15/2008
Customer Rating: 
I just received my drill press table... and I could not be more disappointed.
First off, one of the fence halves was split/cracked in several places. The table itself was also cracked (at one of the rear fence holes.) Of course, this is all due to the cheap MDF that the whole thing is made out of. It doesn’t matter how thick you make it...MDF is still MDF.
The "melamine table top surface" is nothing more than a coat of paint (which was also chipped in several places). The edge is not covered with a plastic bumper/edging, or even painted. It was merely routed with a curve, and left bare.
In addition, it doesn't even fit my drill press correctly. Apparently, they didn't consider that someone might have a 3¼" tube as a support...in order to fit the table correctly; it must rest about ½" off-center. A small thing, I admit, but it would have been so easy to relieve the back edge a little more.
I could probably try and get a replacement; but why bother? I'll just re-use the hardware, use the pieces as a basic pattern, and build a decent one out of birch ply. This was an awfully expensive hardware kit.
The sad part is, with just a little design tweaking, and better materials, this would be a fantastic piece of equipment.
I’ve purchased well over a thousand dollars-worth of items in the past from Rockler; and will probably do so in the future. But I've learned my lesson. Sadly, I don't think I'll ever buy a “manufactured” product again.
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42) Submitted by
Jason Duryea, from Glendive, MT
on 12/20/2008
Customer Rating:
I bought the table and fence, and also the accessory kit. The top is nice and big and the fence is ok. The tracks need to be epoxied into the tracks otherwise they will pull out. The accessory kit, the only thing in that kit worth keeping is the dust port. The blocks for mounting the clamps are ok but the t track bolts are too short. I did read a review about similer problams before I bought it. You decide, I do like the table and fence for the price.
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43) Submitted by
Tom Smithson, from Fair Oaks, CA
on 12/14/2011
Customer Rating:
I purchased this product without realizing that the table top and fences were MDF. Conceptually the product design is good, but I would not recommend anyone purchase it without planning to rebuild portions of the table to deal with the inferior material ,MDF, used in its construction. Aside from the track screws coming loose as noted by another reviewer, the attachment plates on the bottom of the table used to attache it to the drill press will easily pull out of the MDF if any pressure is applied to move the drill press table up. After attaching a Baltic Birch bottom to the with adhesive I solved that problem. However, for the price it should have been built out of that material. A couple of years ago a friend of mine purchased a kit to build the essentially the same table and for a gift I completed the project for him with the kind of materials the Rockler unit should have been built out of. If you are interested in quality and durability my suggestion is stay away from this product or buy the necessary materials and build your own.
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44) Submitted by
Bruce Thom, from Walnut Creek , CA
on 6/21/2009
Customer Rating:
Melamine construction does not support the t track and the hold downs don't hold.
I had to try to drill holes into the melamine and support the track with bolts.
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45) Submitted by
Glen, from Skillman, NJ
on 7/15/2010
Customer Rating:
I received the drill press table as a gift and am very impressed. The fit and finish of the table is very good, and assembly was simple given the excellent instructions. I’ve been using it for a few months now, and have only one suggestion to improve the design. The t-slot on the fence should be made from the same aluminum track as the slots in the table. This would allow clamping of pieces fence in addition to the table.
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46) Submitted by
Ken Bouley, from Fairfax, CA
on 12/24/2009
Customer Rating:
In general it is what I expected. However, like other reviewers, I have a problem with the way the table is clamped to the pre-existing table. I have a Delta 12" press which I think is common. But one fears over tightening the star knobs underneath (I can see the threaded inserts raising off the bottom of the table already) and so then at the pressure you feel you need to leave them set, the table is not secure, eg it’s easy to grab one front corner and slide the new table across the old one.
It’s a shame, because it’s a nice set-up, but this Achilles Heel means (in my opinion) you simply can’t trust it. And after all, knowing a fence will stay put is kind of the point of a fence!
One idea would be to throw in two more hold down assemblies. Maybe with four in total the problem would be alleviated for most customers. But even better would be to re-engineer the hold downs, perhaps as some other reviewer said by counter sinking bolts through the top. I’m going to do that myself (and I’ll do 4 of them!) but of course it’s disappointing to feel the need to modify a new tool bought for good money.
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47) Submitted by
Jim Law, from Mancos, CO
on 1/6/2010
Customer Rating:
I have a Steel City drill press and got this to enlarge the table. However the clips on the underside do not hold it to the steel base securely. I am sure if I tighten them any more they will just rip out of the underside of the table. I will probably have to drill a couple of holes in the table, & pass carriage bolts through to securely (and squarely) fix this table to the drill press table. A pity as it will marr the surface of the table.
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48) Submitted by
Amaury Patterson, from Weslaco, TX
on 3/27/2010
Customer Rating:
Great product, people always complain about small flaws,I have not seen yet a woodworking project that is 100% accurate or perfec. As carpenters we all need to modify and tune the tools to make them work according to our needs. The insert on this table is not flush with the table. This is done on purpose so you can use 4 small screws and level the insert. If the original table is square with drill I mean very well tuned then the new table will also be square, Stability is created when 3 points are used to fix the new table's 2 hold down clamps and the third is pushing against the drill press column, or buy other hold down clamp and used in the back, A fouth clamp on the front will make it more stable but it is not necessary, 2 clamps are enough. This table and fence for the price cannot be a better deal. Congratulations to all who made teh good choice of buying this item.
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49) Submitted by
Rob Spreadbury, from Johannesburg, GAUTENG
on 8/25/2010
Customer Rating:
On 10 August 2010 I placed an order for the Rockler Drill Press Table and Fence. It arrived in South Africa on 24 August in perfect condition. I had no idea our postal service was so gentle! After reading all the comments about damages to items delivered in the USA I opened the package with some trepidation. Not even a scratch. Setting it up on the Drill Press was a breeze and it truly is a pleasure to use. An excellent product. I do agree about the mounting method. Time will tell if it holds as it does out of the box. I also received the Table Box Joint Jig in perfect condition. Thank you.
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50) Submitted by
Charles Parkins, from New Orleans, LA
on 1/2/2011
Customer Rating:
I received the Drill press table and fence in a package without any external damage. Inside, however, one fence section was damaged with the upper face of the T-slot face split off from the fence face, making that slot unusable. I phoned customer service and was told that a new fence section would be sent immediately without requiring that I return the broken section, for which I am thankful.
The design of the table and fence is good, but I do not see the need for the offset of the right rear of the table. I would prefer a straight edge all the way across. I was able to mount it securely to the table of my Smithy Super Shop with a mild modification of your mounting system. I like the shop vac attachment, especially when using the system as a vertical shaper. The only problem here is that the sacrificial table insert is not quite flush with the table top and moving the molding across this irregularity produces skip in the molding being cut. I corrected the problem by adding 4 #6 FH wood screws to the corners of the insert recess to support the 4 corners of the insert and making it perfectly flush with the table. I suggest that you make a similar correction to your design.
My other 2 complaints are the use of particle board MDF for the table and fence and selling a dust port that does not fit a standard shop vac hose. The MDF splits easily, as with my fence in shipping, does not hold screws well, and can disintegrate if exposed to a wet environment. A better choice for the core of the table and especially the fence would be marine plywood no voids. I corrected the dust port by enlarging the inside diameter or the coupling slightly with a drum sander to fit a standard vac hose.
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51) Submitted by
Paul, from Plymouth, MN
on 4/10/2011
Customer Rating:
I bought one of these tables a few years ago for use on a 16 ½” press. I liked the thick MDF top and aluminum fence, but found I needed to make a lot of design changes to get to a well-functioning table. Many of the problems I found with the design have been noted by others:
-The provided attachment to the press is flimsy, making he table likely to move under a load or even end up on the floor if you’re lucky or on your toes if you’re not.
-The slots milled into the MDF for adjusting the fence make for “grabby” and imprecise positioning.
-The short woodscrews fastening the T-tracks in their slots pull out of the MDF easily.
-The insert is a nice idea, but the cavity for the insert provided is milled about 25 mils too deep for ½”-nominal MDF. Small pieces get canted and large pieces bridge, so they don’t have a backing.
I made the following modifications.
-Installed a mounting fixture on the bottom of the table that provides positive fixation to the steel table on the press. Made a “U” that fits closely around the steel table from a 1-1/4” oak baluster and anchored it to threaded inserts in the MDF top and locked it to the steel table with a crosspiece. The oak is rigid enough to prevent crowning of the MDF, which was another problem with the original fixation.
-Filled the slots milled in the bottom for positioning the fence with plywood plugs, then routed slots in the top and installed T-track for better fence adjustment. T-tracks are securely installed using #6 x ¾” CS machine screws screwed down to threaded inserts in the MDF or in the plywood plugs.
-Replaced the wood screws attaching the original T-tracks with #6 x 3/4” CS machine screws and threaded inserts in the MDF. The #6 countersunk head fits the existing holes in the T-track.
-Modified the aluminum fence bracketfor use as a pivot fence. Introduced a pivot hole near the left end for 5/16” pivot screw in line with the slots in the back. Extended the slot on the right side for maximum range of pivot angle about 30 degrees. The right end moves on a 5/16” T-bolt in one of the added T-tracks.
-Shimmed the bottom edges of the cavity for the insert so the surface of the insert is coplanar with the rest of the table with standard ½” MDF inserts typically about 0.505”.
I find pivot-fence mode more convenient generally, but it’s easy to switch back to orthogonal-fence mode when needed. A left-hander might want the pivot point on the right! I put mine on the left. The pivot is a 5/16” x 1 ½” socket-head capscrew tightened through a 1” OD threaded-through knob, snugged down on a steel washer backed with a neoprene washer on the aluminum, and fixed to a threaded insert at the left-back of the table.
With these fairly easy changes I have a 5-star table that functions conveniently and meets most of my drilling needs.
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52) Submitted by
Pat Trimble, from San Diego, CA
on 7/19/2011
Customer Rating:
I have had the table a few years, and overall I am satisfied. It seems to be holding up OK. the only problem was the fence bracket. It was not square to the table. I took it back to Rockler and they were as helpful as they could be. We opened several boxes and checked the fences, and they were all off. I would up making a new face for the fence with a slight bevel to conpensate for the bracket.
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53) Submitted by
Dave Strilich, from Valparaiso, IN, IN
on 7/31/2011
Customer Rating:
The clamp arrangement to hold deck to drill press table pulled out of the particle board and I would say I did not apply excessive pressure. I applied the three screws and countersunk hole per directions but the screws pulled a chunk out of the particle board. I ended up drilling through from the top, countersinking the hole and put in a carriage bolt which went through a hole I drilled in the steel drill press table and now it is solid. Particle board sucks!!!!!
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54) Submitted by
S, from San Diego, CA
on 4/29/2012
Customer Rating:
T-tracks are immediately pulling their screws out of the particle board with moderate pressure. Overall design is decent but expect to correct a few design errors right off the bat if you buy it.
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55) Submitted by
Frank Townend, from Alexandria, VA
on 6/29/2008
Customer Rating:
First things first. A big thank you to all the reviewers who helped me make this Rockler purchase decision. As with the others I was up and running a few minutes after opening the box.
The biggest problem I had, had nothing to do with the attaching the table. It was first ensuring my drill press table was centered on my chuck and the chuck was centered on the drill press stand. After a bit of trial and error I was set to go. (I had to swing the drill press head to the center of the stand and run a drill bit through the hole in my drill press table.)
I measured my drill press table width and drew two lines on the back of the Rockler table with a square to match the sides of my drill press table. Looking at these two lines from under the drill press got the table centered perfectly.
I opted to attach the table to my drill press using the Rockler supplied screw-in insets, adding a couple of drops of CA glue to the screw holes for extra holding power.
My final "modification" was removing the two pieces of T-Track and re-installing them with some CA glue under them before screwing them in place.
A thanks to Richard Epley for the clamp assembly photo, I'll be adding that accessory shortly.
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