Author Topic: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables  (Read 10207 times)

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Offline Mike Goetzke

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Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« on: June 29, 2022, 02:55 PM »
The new DP-Pro series tables look nice but have high cost with all the features. Two features I'm have problems adding value to are pullout table extensions and the drawer that lifts the table high enough to provide clearance for the table elevation crank.

This leads me to possibly purchasing their standard table package #2, 36" DP-Pro fence, two flip-stops, and build a drawer or box to elevate the table. This solution is almost $200 less expensive than the comparable DP-Pro.

Wondering if users of the DP-Pro package can comment on the usefulness of both the top extensions and drawer.

Thanks




Festool USA does not pre-approve the contents of this website nor endorse the application or use of any Festool product in any way other than in the manner described in the Festool Instruction Manual. To reduce the risk of serious injury and/or damage to your Festool product, always read, understand and follow all warnings and instructions in your Festool product's Instruction Manual. Although Festool strives for accuracy in the website material, the website may contain inaccuracies. Festool makes no representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness or timeliness of the material on this website or about the results to be obtained from using the website. Festool and its affiliates cannot be responsible for improper postings or your reliance on the website's material. Your use of any material contained on this website is entirely at your own risk. The content contained on this site is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.


Offline hdv

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #1 on: June 29, 2022, 03:20 PM »
I had already made my own table with all kinds of bells and whistles when Woodpeckers released their DP-Pro line. So, I can't comment on the drawer and table. However, I did buy the DP-Pro fence to replace the fence I had and love it to bits! The built-in dust collection is great and the fence is wonderful to work with. You won't regret buying it.

Don't buy the DP-Pro Flip Stops though. At least not when you do so because of their supposed fine adjustment capability. The flip stops could have been perfect, but the fine adjustment has so much slop in it when not fully closed that it is completely useless.

I remember @jeffinsgf posting here that their engineers were aware of the problem and an improved version was in the works. I don't know the current status of that though.

Offline derekcohen

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #2 on: June 29, 2022, 11:58 PM »
I had already made my own table with all kinds of bells and whistles when Woodpeckers released their DP-Pro line. So, I can't comment on the drawer and table. However, I did buy the DP-Pro fence to replace the fence I had and love it to bits! The built-in dust collection is great and the fence is wonderful to work with. You won't regret buying it.


What are the situations where the dust control works and does not work?

I imagine that it will only work when using twist drills closer to the fence? What about forstner bits, and further away?

Regards from Perth

Derek
Visit www.inthewoodshop.com for tutorials on joinery, hand tools, and my trials and tribulations with furniture builds.

Offline hdv

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #3 on: June 30, 2022, 05:49 AM »
Obviously, its efficiency will be less when the distance between the fence and the drill bit increases. As it will be when the workpiece's shape is such that it blocks the airflow. But in most cases where the wood chips aren't very large it will do an adequate job. Smaller forstners or spade bits don't pose a problem at all. Bigger forstners sometimes do, but a little puff will often help the chips along to the suction port. But you need to do that regularly, because when the pile of chips builds up they will clutter the dust port and then won't get in there by themselves.

In the situations where the fence does not offer enough suction I use the DC facility I added to the drill press table (above and below the table) when I built it. There's an older threat on the forum with pictures. If you are interested I could make new ones of my setup.

I do have a CTL26 connected to the fence. I used to have it hooked up to an Oneida Dust Cobra before I found a perfect adapter that fit the fence and the hose end of the Festool hoses. I think the Festool does just fine in this setup.

Offline cpw

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #4 on: June 30, 2022, 06:26 AM »
How does the WP dust collection do on a forstner for a 35mm cup hinge?  I'm not sure if those count as small, medium or big?

Offline derekcohen

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #5 on: June 30, 2022, 09:26 AM »
Once upon a time I have the WoodRiver fence (with dust collection) ...



This was connected to a CT26e. It was miserable for all but smaller twist drill bits alongside the opening. These did not make much dust to begin with. Forget forstner bits.

I sold it and used the stock Nova fence and added a sub-fence ...





Regards from Perth

Derek
Visit www.inthewoodshop.com for tutorials on joinery, hand tools, and my trials and tribulations with furniture builds.

Offline Mini Me

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #6 on: June 30, 2022, 10:05 AM »
The best dust debris collection I have seen for a DP


Offline JD2720

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #7 on: July 01, 2022, 08:50 AM »
This is my home made fence with dust collection. The table is from Incra that I got from Woodpeckers many years ago.


Offline 4nthony

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #8 on: July 04, 2022, 01:36 AM »
Don't buy the DP-Pro Flip Stops though. At least not when you do so because of their supposed fine adjustment capability. The flip stops could have been perfect, but the fine adjustment has so much slop in it when not fully closed that it is completely useless.

I remember @jeffinsgf posting here that their engineers were aware of the problem and an improved version was in the works. I don't know the current status of that though.

The other day, Woodpeckers released another video on the DP-Pro tables, and in the video, Jeff mentions there's a right and wrong way to use the stops.

Note the orientation of the stops. When using them, the material should push into the flag so the flag presses into the body of the stop (direction of the arrows). I checked this on mine and it greatly reduces the amount of play when there's space between the body and flag after micro-adjusting. In the video, discussion about the stops starts at 3:12.



« Last Edit: July 04, 2022, 01:40 AM by 4nthony »
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Offline hdv

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #9 on: July 04, 2022, 05:00 AM »
I do use them like that. And indeed there is less play in one direction over the other. However, the tip of the arm still is able to move a couple of millimetres even when the fine adjustment is loosened only a little bit. The play is gone when you turn the screw to null the fine adjustment. But then, it doesn't function as a fine adjustment anymore, does it? It might be me using them wrong. Or just my set of stops. But I don't think it is.

Offline Cheese

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #10 on: July 04, 2022, 08:37 AM »
I do use them like that. And indeed there is less play in one direction over the other. However, the tip of the arm still is able to move a couple of millimetres even when the fine adjustment is loosened only a little bit. The play is gone when you turn the screw to null the fine adjustment. But then, it doesn't function as a fine adjustment anymore, does it? It might be me using them wrong. Or just my set of stops. But I don't think it is.

Nope you're good... [smile]...I also have the early stops and the only time they don't have any lateral play in them is when they're completely tightened, which as you say, means the fine adjustment is no longer possible.  [sad]

I think I'll email Woodpeckers and enquire about a solution.

Offline rvieceli

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #11 on: July 04, 2022, 09:16 AM »
I don’t understand the necessity of this micro adjustment on a DP fence.

I understand the function and the need for a stop in many cases but question the adjustment.

Ron

Offline Mike Goetzke

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #12 on: July 04, 2022, 01:16 PM »
This is my home made fence with dust collection. The table is from Incra that I got from Woodpeckers many years ago.

Still kicking myself, about a year ago one of those tables was up for sale on my local CL and I didn't bite.

@JD2720 Are those Rockler flit-stops?

Thanks-Mike

Offline hdv

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #13 on: July 04, 2022, 01:33 PM »
@Cheese : thanks for confirming that   [big grin]

Maybe an e-mail will effect more results. I tried by referring to @jeffinsgf earlier in this thread, but he might not have read it yet. I really am interested in that improved solution he said was in the works.

Here's that post by him:

https://www.festoolownersgroup.com/other-tool-reviews/woodpeckers-drill-press-pro-fence-flip-stops/msg637086/#msg637086

[Edit: thread not threat... ]

Offline Mike Goetzke

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #14 on: July 04, 2022, 02:30 PM »
@Cheese : thanks for confirming that   [big grin]

Maybe an e-mail will effect more results. I tried by referring to @jeffinsgf earlier in this thread, but he might not have read it yet. I really am interested in that improved solution he said was in the works.

Here's that post by him:

https://www.festoolownersgroup.com/other-tool-reviews/woodpeckers-drill-press-pro-fence-flip-stops/msg637086/#msg637086

[Edit: thread not threat... ]

Or make it a fixed stop and reduce the price appropriately.


Offline Cheese

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #15 on: July 04, 2022, 05:01 PM »
I don’t understand the necessity of this micro adjustment on a DP fence.

I understand the function and the need for a stop in many cases but question the adjustment.


I'm kind of with you on this one Ron  [smile]  but the real issue is that you cannot use the older flip stop as a flip stop. So if there is a flip stop mounted on the left & a flip stop mounted on the right but because they both use the same RH thread, when trying to raise one up, one side will tighten and the other side will loosen. When flipping them down one side will loosen and the other side will tighten. So you have to do this dance of loosen-flip-tighten just to use the flip stop...it's real clunky.

Another issue I noticed is that any material taller than 3 1/2" will hit both the flip stop tightening knob and the flip stop vernier knob. If the material is clamped to the bottom of the fence it will not be perpendicular to the drill press table surface.








Offline rvieceli

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #16 on: July 04, 2022, 05:33 PM »
Those are some of the reasons I prefer to work with a low DP fence unless I need to stand something on edge and clamp it to the fence. I use a Woodpeck DP3 fence for that.

Normally I have a fence I made from a strip of 1/2 inch Mic6 that I had both edges machined flat and parallel. Stuck a piece of Incra T track on the top and use that to slide a square stop on that tightens up in the track.

Incidentally if you are using a DP3 for a fence a 1-2-3 block makes an excellent stop when clamped to the fence.

Ron


Offline 4nthony

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #17 on: July 04, 2022, 05:33 PM »
Quick video of my flip stops that I shot today. Are you guys getting more or less deflection? The further out I take the micro-adjust, the more I get, but if I keep micro-adjust within 3/16" or so from the body, deflection is negligible when the flag is pressed into the body (though, much more when pressing away from the body).

I received my kit last week so it's recent, but I never paid much attention to the design of old or new so I don't know which mine are.




I'm kind of with you on this one Ron  [smile]  but the real issue is that you cannot use the older flip stop as a flip stop. So if there is a flip stop mounted on the left & a flip stop mounted on the right but because they both use the same RH thread, when trying to raise one up, one side will tighten and the other side will loosen. When flipping them down one side will loosen and the other side will tighten. So you have to do this dance of loosen-flip-tighten just to use the flip stop...it's real clunky.

I notice this as well. Same thing with the Exact 90 Flip Stop. You can raise/lower repeatedly and it will micro adjust its way away from where you originally set it.
« Last Edit: July 04, 2022, 05:57 PM by 4nthony »
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Offline Mini Me

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #18 on: July 04, 2022, 07:30 PM »
I had the same deflection problem on a Kreg fence and Kreg supplied two extra sliding blocks so the flip blade was supported both sides. It is a flawed design to have only one side support unless some sort of bearing is used for the blade (not a bush) and the bearing body can be locked up solidly between the nut and the body. I am of the simplistic view that a straight bit of anything for a fence clamped to the drill press table gets the job done but then my DP is used for general machining work as well as wood work.

Offline Mike Goetzke

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #19 on: July 04, 2022, 08:19 PM »
Wow - was almost ready to put about $600 out for one of these. Seems WP missed some very basic flaws on this one.

Maybe I just build one myself like I did 20+ years ago. That one had a wood block with a T-bolt that fastened to a t-track on the face of the fence.

The idea of the flip stops to me is you can use them on the right or left. Many times you want both on one side of the bit. Now WP wants you to take the stop apart and reassemble it every time you switch it over?

Offline 4nthony

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #20 on: July 04, 2022, 10:27 PM »
Now WP wants you to take the stop apart and reassemble it every time you switch it over?

I read your post, ran down to my garage, swapped over the flag, ran back upstairs and made this post in less than 60 seconds.

Seriously though, it takes less than 15 seconds to swap the position of the flag. It can be done even more quickly if the screw doesn't fall of your hex key.
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Offline ChuckS

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #21 on: July 05, 2022, 02:41 AM »
Not commenting specifically on the WP drill press table, but 15 secs is a long time when it comes to setting things up like stop blocks for my shop. That's why I use auto switches on my shop vacs, holdfasts, multiple marking gauges, etc., and keep pencils, squares, ear plugs, etc. everywhere so I can get something going in 5 seconds or so.
« Last Edit: July 05, 2022, 05:05 AM by ChuckS »

Offline hdv

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #22 on: July 05, 2022, 06:06 AM »
When the fine adjustment screw is tight I can move the tip of the flip stop about a millimetre with just a slight push of my thumb. But only when I push the tip. When I push against the flip stop with a piece of wood of 40 mm high the deflection is minimal.

However, when I loosen the adjustment screw just one quarter turn, the play at the tip of the flip stop is more than 2 mm. And that is without using any force at all. It is that loose.

Offline hdv

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #23 on: July 06, 2022, 12:29 PM »
It was asked how the dust collection is on this fence. Well, today I was in the shop and finally remembered to take some pictures. These two are of the fence with a Festool CTL26 hooked to it. The drill bit is a brad point 10 mm. I am drilling through holes in birch that is 26 mm thick. The first picture is with the vac in its lowest setting. The second with the vac in its highest setting.

If I don't forget I'll do the same with a large forstner bit tomorrow.




Offline 4nthony

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #24 on: July 06, 2022, 02:14 PM »
I was sharing some info with @Mike Goetze yesterday over PM and wanted to add a few of the photos I shared with him.

Regarding the overhanging flip stop flags, I have flags that were milled differently from one another. When one is flipped up and resting on the fence, it sticks out a bit:



When it's snugged up and vertical, it is OK:



You can see the way my flags were milled. The flag that overhangs is on the right (the point is the part that overhangs - not a big deal and I can round it off on the belt sander):



The body knobs do not overhang the fence and I can slide boards past the micro-adjust wheels without catching an edge:



Mike mentioned he spoke to someone at WP and was told there have been a couple revisions of the flip stops. One of the revisions was supposed to prevent the micro adjust wheels from turning. With my flip-stops, if the flag is gently snugged to the body, the wheel will spin the first two times the flag is raised/lowered. In the video, notice the flags are initially set to 355mm and 285mm. After raising/lowering, they end up about a .5mm off from those distances.

However, now that I know this, I think the best option is to simply not snug the flags up to the body. Keep it a touch loose and you'll be able to raise/lower the flags without altering the micro-adjust yet they'll still be close enough to the body to prevent any real deflection from happening. Significant deflection (for my stops) starts to happen when the flag is extended more than 4-5mm away from the body. If you need that much adjustment, it might be better to move the stop.



I wonder if a better flip stop would combine the micro-adjust of the WP with the two flag version like the INCRA? Or, if something like the Katz-Moses stop block could incorporate a hinge?



Maybe the TSO idea would work best. They've decoupled the micro-adjust from the pivot point.



Anyway, enough of my rambling for now :)
« Last Edit: July 06, 2022, 02:18 PM by 4nthony »
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Offline hdv

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #25 on: July 06, 2022, 04:15 PM »
Well, if we are rambling about this, let me join you.   [wink]

I would really like a universal flip stop based on TSO's take. Separating the fine-adjust from the pivoting would definitely be a good idea, because it allows for more flexibility in other design features.

For example, you could take the idea one step further by making the leg of the stop variable in length. The bump in width this would cause wouldn't be a problem with the adjustable stop like TSO uses on their flip stops. Being variable in length from the end of the leg would still allow the stop to "flip" along the pivot point. The different thicknesses of fences could be accounted for by some sort of sliding part, or by some adjustment mechanism on the back of the leg.

That way you could have a proper flip stop on all sorts of fences. Maybe even on 8020 extrusions.

Just dreaming...  [embarassed]
« Last Edit: July 06, 2022, 04:20 PM by hdv »

Offline JD2720

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #26 on: July 06, 2022, 04:32 PM »
This is my home made fence with dust collection. The table is from Incra that I got from Woodpeckers many years ago.

Still kicking myself, about a year ago one of those tables was up for sale on my local CL and I didn't bite.

@JD2720 Are those Rockler flit-stops?

Thanks-Mike

The stops are Powertec that I purchased from Amazon. They have 2 1/4" & 3".

Offline Mini Me

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #27 on: July 06, 2022, 06:35 PM »
Mounting the flip stop on a cantilevered spindle is a flawed design unless a lot of money & careful design is spent to remove deflection. When I used two blocks on the Kreg system which was a similar approach to the Incra shown above idea the problem disappeared. WP appear to keep falling into design traps, surely they have a Beta user group they product test with??? Trying to convince someone who has designed something and put it in production that the design has flaws and it needs changing is an uphill battle.

Offline hdv

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #28 on: July 07, 2022, 12:12 PM »
Here's a picture of the Woodpeckers Drill Pro fence after drilling a 14 mm deep hole in birch with a 35 mm forstner bit. I had a Festool CTL26 on its highest setting attached to the fence while drilling. The centre of the hole was about 20 mm from the front of the fence.


Offline Mike Goetzke

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #29 on: July 07, 2022, 12:27 PM »
Here's a picture of the Woodpeckers Drill Pro fence after drilling a 14 mm deep hole in birch with a 35 mm forstner bit. I had a Festool CTL26 on its highest setting attached to the fence while drilling. The centre of the hole was about 20 mm from the front of the fence.

(Attachment Link)

@hdv and others. My Voyager is new so I'm still using the cast table. I had a dozen 1.5" Forstner bit holes to drill through a 2x6. With self start I was able to hold a 4" hose from my big dust collector next to the holes and I had at least as many chips as you show per hole.

Mike

Offline MikeGE

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #30 on: July 07, 2022, 01:27 PM »
Here's a picture of the Woodpeckers Drill Pro fence after drilling a 14 mm deep hole in birch with a 35 mm forstner bit. I had a Festool CTL26 on its highest setting attached to the fence while drilling. The centre of the hole was about 20 mm from the front of the fence.

I can certainly appreciate the difference with and without the vacuum port.  I don't have the WP Pro fence, but vacuum up after I'm done with each Forstner hole, and it is a mess.

Festool USA does not pre-approve the contents of this website nor endorse the application or use of any Festool product in any way other than in the manner described in the Festool Instruction Manual. To reduce the risk of serious injury and/or damage to your Festool product, always read, understand and follow all warnings and instructions in your Festool product's Instruction Manual. Although Festool strives for accuracy in the website material, the website may contain inaccuracies. Festool makes no representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness or timeliness of the material on this website or about the results to be obtained from using the website. Festool and its affiliates cannot be responsible for improper postings or your reliance on the website's material. Your use of any material contained on this website is entirely at your own risk. The content contained on this site is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.


Offline hdv

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #31 on: July 07, 2022, 01:28 PM »
When I still used my large diameter loc-line for dust control I had significantly less chips on the table after drilling a hole like this. But I do like this fence enough to not mind. Considering the amount of chips I would have to deal with without DC I feel this is good enough. Mind you, this is about the worst scenario you can get chip-wise. Besides, it is easy enough to nudge these chips towards the dust port with a little blow. If it were not for the less than stellar fine adjustable flips stops I would give this fence full points.

Offline Cheese

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #32 on: July 26, 2022, 01:11 AM »
@Cheese : thanks for confirming that   [big grin]

Maybe an e-mail will effect more results. I tried by referring to @jeffinsgf earlier in this thread, but he might not have read it yet. I really am interested in that improved solution he said was in the works.

Here's that post by him:

https://www.festoolownersgroup.com/other-tool-reviews/woodpeckers-drill-press-pro-fence-flip-stops/msg637086/#msg637086

[Edit: thread not threat... ]

Well here's the latest from my end...I emailed Woodpeckers and sent them a couple of photos of the issue I was having, mainly that the flip stops didn't operate correctly and that the diameter of the adjustment knobs were so large that it interfered with the placement of tall wood against the fence. Woodpeckers as usual, quickly answered my email and the same day issued a warranty claim. Four days later I received 2 new flip stops in the mail.

On the original flip stop arm the hub diameter was not a fully machined diameter which left a small projection that prevented tall boards from registering properly against the fence.



The rest of the photos are pretty self explanatory...original design vs redesign.













« Last Edit: July 26, 2022, 01:14 AM by Cheese »

Offline hdv

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #33 on: July 26, 2022, 05:44 AM »
That is an improvement indeed. I think I will e-mail them as well about the same issue. Thanks for the update!

Of course, that still leaves the fine-adjustment feature. I had hoped Woodpeckers would have some news about that. Not so (up to now at least). They do tell you to make sure to have the arm mounted on the proper side (when drilling left or right of the stop) to reduce flex. However, that does not make any difference when it comes to the slop in the fine-adjust mechanism (at least not in my pair).

Offline Mike Goetzke

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #34 on: July 26, 2022, 10:44 AM »
I just received my new WP DP-Pro system couple weeks ago. My flip-stop wheels and flag did not interfere with tall boards but on one the fine adjustment wheel would bind badly and jump. I took it apart and found on one side of the wheel they use a nylon spacer and on the other a wavy washer. The wavy washer looks too big in diameter to me and there isn’t a feature to keep it concentric with the threaded bolt. I think what was happening was the wavy washer came in contact with the threads causing the bind.

Just like @Cheese WP immediately sent out two new stops. I didn’t take them apart but appears they have a smaller diameter wavy washer. What I didn’t like is the flags that came with new stops had that pointy nub that had to be ground down. Not a big deal but not something I would expect out of WP. (I don’t understand why the extrusion would have that nub. Seems the die to make the extrusion would be easier to make with a smooth round shape.)

Mike

Offline Cheese

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #35 on: July 26, 2022, 11:39 AM »
What I didn’t like is the flags that came with new stops had that pointy nub that had to be ground down. Not a big deal but not something I would expect out of WP. (I don’t understand why the extrusion would have that nub. Seems the die to make the extrusion would be easier to make with a smooth round shape.)

Mike, the real weird thing is the original flip stops I received, one had the protrusion and one had the protrusion machined off. Fast forward about 18 months and the 2 new flip stops I just received...one has the protrusion and one has the protrusion machined off. Go figure. [doh]  And with the flip stop in the up position, that protrusion will prevent a tall board from resting flat against the fence.

Offline 4nthony

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #36 on: July 26, 2022, 01:16 PM »
Mike, the real weird thing is the original flip stops I received, one had the protrusion and one had the protrusion machined off. Fast forward about 18 months and the 2 new flip stops I just received...one has the protrusion and one has the protrusion machined off. Go figure. [doh]  And with the flip stop in the up position, that protrusion will prevent a tall board from resting flat against the fence.

That's exactly how I received mine a few weeks ago.  [oops] Everything else was fine with the stops so I just rounded it off on the belt sander.

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Offline grbmds

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #37 on: July 26, 2022, 03:44 PM »
This is my home made fence with dust collection. The table is from Incra that I got from Woodpeckers many years ago.


Wow - was almost ready to put about $600 out for one of these. Seems WP missed some very basic flaws on this one.

Maybe I just build one myself like I did 20+ years ago. That one had a wood block with a T-bolt that fastened to a t-track on the face of the fence.

The idea of the flip stops to me is you can use them on the right or left. Many times you want both on one side of the bit. Now WP wants you to take the stop apart and reassemble it every time you switch it over?

I bought the DP pro when it came out and am satisfied. Is it perfect? Certainly not. I owned the Incra parts fence (that I believe was made by Woodpeckers years ago) for many years, but it was never perfect either. It had a lot of flexibility but also had some flaws.

When I replaced it with the DP Pro, there were 2 things which disappointed me. The first was dust collection but I take responsibility for not realizing that the only time the dust collection works well is when the piece being drilled is below the top of the fence. Otherwise the hole in the fence is covered. So I just use my old method of dust collection which was already mounted on the drill press.

The other issue for me was that the nice, easy to grab knobs for holding the fence in place stuck up just far enough that, on many tasks, they obstructed my drill press handles. I ended up replacing the knobs with some other metal knurled Woodpecker knobs that I don't use from another WP tool I bought. As for the drawer, I think it's great. It gives me storage for bits and hold downs. On the stops, they aren't perfect but I found them easy to use with a short learning period and, while a little touchy they aren't bad.

I have found over they years that it is the rare tool or jig which is perfect, even if homemade. I like to spend my time working on woodworking and building and turning, not making tables and jigs, so I think the DP Pro works fine for me.
Randy

Offline jeffinsgf

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #38 on: July 29, 2022, 03:01 PM »
Sorry I haven't checked FOG for a few weeks, guys.

I just spoke to the product engineer on the DP-PRO. He had a head-slap moment when I showed him 4nthony's picture of one correct and one incorrect stop flag from the same order shipment. The decision was made to machine the stops rather than pay for a new extrusion die at this point in time. That assumes that everyone is on the same page and remembers to send the flags from the cutting station to milling. Apparently the unmilled and milled flags have been co-mingled.

Anyone with a flag that has the wart on the back should contact Customer Service to have a replacement sent at no cost.

Same thing for you guys that bought on the original release and have the flip stops that stick out beyond the fence and/or have the micro-adjuster that self-adjusts when you raise and lower the flag. Contact Customer Service and we'll get replacements out to you at our expense.

Offline hdv

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #39 on: July 29, 2022, 04:48 PM »
Jeff, I did as recommended and within an hour got a reply that replacements were on their way. Great service!

Offline grbmds

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #40 on: August 01, 2022, 04:02 PM »
Sorry I haven't checked FOG for a few weeks, guys.

I just spoke to the product engineer on the DP-PRO. He had a head-slap moment when I showed him 4nthony's picture of one correct and one incorrect stop flag from the same order shipment. The decision was made to machine the stops rather than pay for a new extrusion die at this point in time. That assumes that everyone is on the same page and remembers to send the flags from the cutting station to milling. Apparently the unmilled and milled flags have been co-mingled.

Anyone with a flag that has the wart on the back should contact Customer Service to have a replacement sent at no cost.

Same thing for you guys that bought on the original release and have the flip stops that stick out beyond the fence and/or have the micro-adjuster that self-adjusts when you raise and lower the flag. Contact Customer Service and we'll get replacements out to you at our expense.

Thanks for bringing the stop flaw to our attention. Both of mine weren't round. I emailed Woodpeckers over the weekend and got a notice today that new stops were shipped. I actually never had any problem with them as they are but I haven't used the stops very much. I love the table though and I changed from the old Woodpeckers table made with Incra parts. Loved that table but I have never liked the Incra micro-adjust fence attachment.
Randy

Offline Mini Me

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #41 on: August 01, 2022, 08:27 PM »
Jeff, I did as recommended and within an hour got a reply that replacements were on their way. Great service!

Maybe I am a bit slow but why did WP release a product that clearly had a design fault in the first place, to me that is simply shoddy design and bad business practise.

Offline hdv

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #42 on: August 02, 2022, 05:30 AM »
Maybe they just didn't realise it at the time? I can't count the times I did something and afterwards thought "What the heck was I thinking?". It is easy to be perfect with hindsight. No one is infallible... But how things are handled after you realise is what says much about a company's willingness to treat their customers properly. In this case I would say they did quite good, wouldn't you?

Offline Mini Me

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #43 on: August 02, 2022, 07:40 AM »
I don't buy that, I think they are simply poor at product development on some stuff and don't have a user group to test their products on.

Offline Richard/RMW

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #44 on: August 02, 2022, 08:50 AM »
I think Jeff said they realized the issue with their extrusion and instituted a secondary milling operation to correct it. The failure came when some parts didn't get the secondary operation before making it out the door.

Sounds like they've corrected the issue and are taking care of their customers affected by it.

RMW
As of 10/17 I am out of the Dog business and pursuing other distractions. Thanks for a fun ride!

Offline grbmds

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #45 on: August 02, 2022, 09:51 AM »
After all the successes Woodpeckers have had over many years, product design and development is hardly a problem they need to overcome. There aren't many that have been sold that are flawed. This is the first one I've bought from them that had a problem. Because they have excellent support and are highly responsive, I don't consider  this much of an issue, especially  since they are fixing it quickly.
Randy

Offline 4nthony

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #46 on: August 02, 2022, 11:58 AM »
...and don't have a user group to test their products on.

I see woodworkers on social media using Woodpeckers products before they are released so I would guess some people are testing things out. I would also think they have a fairly competent team of woodworker employees that are able to test things as well.

The Combo-T was just announced and this guy already has one. Whether or not he's a tester or just creating buzz for the product is unknown, but people seem to be getting products early for various purposes.
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Anthony

"The best way to get a correct answer on the internet is to post an obviously wrong answer and wait for someone to correct you." - Kevin Kelly

Offline pantherjoe

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #47 on: March 17, 2023, 01:12 PM »
Love the dp table but I have bench top Nova and I loose too much drill travel due to the drawer, any hacks on mounting it without the drawer?

Offline jeffinsgf

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #48 on: March 17, 2023, 01:49 PM »
Love the dp table but I have bench top Nova and I loose too much drill travel due to the drawer, any hacks on mounting it without the drawer?

Mill some strips of hardwood or BB plywood that will create clearance for the extension rods. Place those between the DP table and the aux table.

Offline alltracman78

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #49 on: March 31, 2023, 10:50 AM »
I wonder if a better flip stop would combine the micro-adjust of the WP with the two flag version like the INCRA? Or, if something like the Katz-Moses stop block could incorporate a hinge?



Maybe the TSO idea would work best. They've decoupled the micro-adjust from the pivot point.



Anyway, enough of my rambling for now :)

What about the Woodpeckers stealth stop? I have a couple on order so I can't provide pictures, but they seem to get rid of most of the problems with the flag type stops. One of the reasons I ordered them.

Offline ChuckS

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #50 on: March 31, 2023, 11:10 AM »
The WP's stealthstop is a great concept except with one critical deficiency: it is not tool-free to use.

Whether it's the table saw, the drill press or the miter saw, I don't want to make any frequent adjustments that would require me to pick up a screwdriver or a hex key or a wrench in the middle of an operation. Look at how we set the fence, use the miter gauge, tilt the miter sawhead, etc. -- all tool-free.

Imagine the inconvenience of finding and using a tool every time you wanted to set the width of a cut on the table saw or the boring depth on the drill press.

Given the resourcefulness and thinking outside-the-box attitude of their design team, WP should redesign the stealth stops so they can be set using some kind of friction fit or method that is tool-free.
« Last Edit: March 31, 2023, 11:31 AM by ChuckS »

Offline 4nthony

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #51 on: March 31, 2023, 12:08 PM »
The WP's stealthstop is a great concept except with one critical deficiency: it is not tool-free to use.

Whether it's the table saw, the drill press or the miter saw, I don't want to make any frequent adjustments that would require me to pick up a screwdriver or a hex key or a wrench in the middle of an operation. Look at how we set the fence, use the miter gauge, tilt the miter sawhead, etc. -- all tool-free.

Imagine the inconvenience of finding and using a tool every time you wanted to set the width of a cut on the table saw or the boring depth on the drill press.

For some tools, I've gotten into the habit of putting pieces of blue tape with hex sizes written on them to remind what size I need to grab when adjusting.

Quote
Given the resourcefulness and thinking outside-the-box attitude of their design team, WP should redesign the stealth stops so they can be set using some kind of friction fit or method that is tool-free.

I wonder if they could add a second micro-adjust that would expand a set screw(s) to grip the track?

Recon Tool Notifications

Anthony

"The best way to get a correct answer on the internet is to post an obviously wrong answer and wait for someone to correct you." - Kevin Kelly

Offline ChuckS

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #52 on: March 31, 2023, 12:20 PM »
Wow...did you Photoshop it? That looks so real, and your suggestion sounds very promising.



Offline Cheese

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #53 on: March 31, 2023, 12:30 PM »

I wonder if they could add a second micro-adjust that would expand a set screw(s) to grip the track?



Great idea... [big grin] ...and it looks pretty straightforward to implement.

Offline 4nthony

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #54 on: March 31, 2023, 12:35 PM »
Wow...did you Photoshop it? That looks so real, and your suggestion sounds very promising.

Yeah, it's a pretty quick operation.

select -> copy -> paste -> flip -> rotate -> position

I use a Mac app called Pixelmator. There's two versions, Pro and Classic, but I prefer the Classic version. Only because the UI changed in Pro and I haven't taken the time to learn it. It's way more powerful for people that actually need all the things it does. I get frustrated trying to use it.
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Anthony

"The best way to get a correct answer on the internet is to post an obviously wrong answer and wait for someone to correct you." - Kevin Kelly

Offline ChuckS

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #55 on: March 31, 2023, 12:58 PM »
WP should make the upgrade...and "reward" us duly and properly:

Chuck - for bringing it up
4nthony - for coming up with the solution
Cheese - for confirming the need for an upgrade! [big grin] ;D


Offline ChuckS

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #56 on: March 31, 2023, 01:23 PM »

The WP's stealthstop is a great concept except with one critical deficiency: it is not tool-free to use.

Whether it's the table saw, the drill press or the miter saw, I don't want to make any frequent adjustments that would require me to pick up a screwdriver or a hex key or a wrench in the middle of an operation. Look at how we set the fence, use the miter gauge, tilt the miter sawhead, etc. -- all tool-free.

Imagine the inconvenience of finding and using a tool every time you wanted to set the width of a cut on the table saw or the boring depth on the drill press.


For some tools, I've gotten into the habit of putting pieces of blue tape with hex sizes written on them to remind what size I need to grab when adjusting.


Snip.


Where an adjustment tool (a hex key or a small screwdriver) is needed, I put it right with the machine or hand tools (e.g. the plow plane) (magnet as the holder). I keep duplicate hex keys.
« Last Edit: March 31, 2023, 01:29 PM by ChuckS »

Offline alltracman78

  • Posts: 112
Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #57 on: March 31, 2023, 01:27 PM »
The WP's stealthstop is a great concept except with one critical deficiency: it is not tool-free to use.

Given the resourcefulness and thinking outside-the-box attitude of their design team, WP should redesign the stealth stops so they can be set using some kind of friction fit or method that is tool-free.

Good point.
That used to drive me nuts with my Incra router table fence. Always having to break out the allens.

And thanks for bringing this up AFTER I order some.  [laughing]

For some tools, I've gotten into the habit of putting pieces of blue tape with hex sizes written on them to remind what size I need to grab when adjusting.



I wonder if they could add a second micro-adjust that would expand a set screw(s) to grip the track?

Both great ideas.

Offline 4nthony

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #58 on: March 31, 2023, 02:52 PM »
WP should make the upgrade...and "reward" us duly and properly:

Chuck - for bringing it up
4nthony - for coming up with the solution
Cheese - for confirming the need for an upgrade! [big grin] ;D

Woot! I'm all for it  [big grin] [big grin]
Recon Tool Notifications

Anthony

"The best way to get a correct answer on the internet is to post an obviously wrong answer and wait for someone to correct you." - Kevin Kelly

Offline jeffinsgf

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Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #59 on: March 31, 2023, 04:11 PM »
If only actually designing it were as simple as a Photoshop cut and paste.  [big grin]

The product engineer and I were kicking similar ideas around in my shop the other day. Personally, I don't mind the hex key. I live with an 1/8" screwdriver handle hex key in my back pocket most of the time I'm in the shop.

I guess I'm willing to live with using a tool because I love so many other things about the stop. The contact surface of the locking pad is enormous. It grips in the track so nicely, with only moderate pressure. There's a scene in one of the first StealthStop videos where I am actually beating on the stop with a hammer, and it didn't move or break. I'm not sure how many of our other stops could take that.

I don't know if there will be a StealthStop 2.0 and/or if it will be tool-less, but I can confirm the discussion has some legs in the building.

Offline FedericoAssisi

  • Posts: 1
Re: Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables
« Reply #60 on: July 16, 2023, 02:53 PM »
@hdv how wide is your DP-Pro fence? I consider getting one but I'm not sure whether to get the 48" which is on sale and now costs the same as the 24".
« Last Edit: July 16, 2023, 02:59 PM by FedericoAssisi »

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