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Not pretty, but works well now. The table hold downs are worthless. Worth the money if you're prepared to make a few modifications. Table hold downs tore out on first use - clamped work piece to table to cut square mortise holes; upward force of mortise chisel after cutting hole tore out table hold downs from bottom of table. Be prepared to replace these guys with your own design.
My solution, drilled holes all the way through table and counter sunk two carriage bolts to replace torn-out hold downs. Track in fence is simply routed - no t-track. Will install an aluminum t-track. Bottom line, for the price I can't complain.
I solved the problem by building my own fence from a 2x4. I anxiously awaited this item. After using it I was unimpressed. Also the T tracks are just routered into the wood. The clamps do not hold it tightly to the table and the star knobs that hold the fence on stick out past the face of the fence making it imposible to place anything flat against the fence.
When I reinstalled the table, as I tightened the clamps, the small screws that attached the clamp to the bottom of the table ripped right out.I called Grizzly customer service and explained my problem. The table has two clamps underneath for clamping on to the drill press' smaller table. I bought the drill press table along with Grizzly's own drill press (G7943). When I first installed it, I tried to get the table clamped down nice and snug so when I leaned on the table it wouldn't slide. The woman that answered the phone was very nice and without any fuss gave me a full refund.I liked the size of the table, and the fence, but it can never get very securely attached, and overtightening like I did can ruin it pretty quick. On some occasions, it would slide anyway.After a couple of weeks of intermittent use, I needed to tilt the table at a 45 degree angle and to do that I needed to remove the drill press table.
This item is made out of some sort of pressed paper and not wood. Pretty expensive as a template and not really worth it otherwise. So, when you tighten any of the screws or bolts you end up stripping the screw out. However, it is a nice design and I used it as a template (and scavenged some of its parts) to build my own out of some scrap lumber I had laying around.
This is not one of them.In the humidity of my workshop (Texas Gulf Coast), the melamine covered particleboard simply proved insufficient to hold the thread inserts on the bottom. I have a lot of shop built MDF fixtures, no problems with separation there, but the particleboard, or whatever it is that this thing is made of separates in almost sheets, like watching shale split. I will probably swipe the T track and bolts out of this table for the new one. I purchased one of these just prior to Hurricane Ike. The inside of the ripped out hole almost literally looked like it was made with shredded and compressed cardboard.At least they used regular aluminum T track in the table top, along with T bolts for the fence.Grizzly should be embarrassed to slap their name on this thing.My next DP table will be shop built.
Part of my purchasing decision was due to the reputation that Grizzly has for quality products. I had to fill the holes on both sides and Gorrila Glue them on. The DP table got into my shop in August 2008, by January 2009 I was having to cobble the table back together.The height of the fence is a bit inappropriate as well. Working thin stock with small diameter / short bits, the elevation handles smack the fence.
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