When I rebuilt my used Grizzly G7947 drill press, I retrofitted it with a depth-stop.  The G7947 was so old that that it was manufactured without one.  I guess it was only supposed to be used for drilling through-holes.  Here’s a shot of the standard G7947 depth-stop.

It worked fine, just slow to adjust.  Grizzly recently started carrying push-button (or quick thread) depth-stops but not in the size to fit the 12mm depth rod for the G7947.  They have models in 8mm, 10mm, 3/8-16 (about $14 including shipping) and 1/2-13 (about $16 including shipping).  Delta also has a push-button depth stop replacement part with 1/2-13 threads for about $11 including shipping.

I opted for the less expensive Delta version and picked up a piece of 1/2-13 allthread from the orange box store to use as the depth rod.  The ½” allthread was too large to fit the mounting bracket on the drill so I drilled out the bracket to fit the new stud.

After mounting the new depth rod with the new stop everything works fine except for one thing.  It is easier than I would like to overpower the spring inside the push button and cause it to jump a thread; not real easy but easier than I would like it to be. 

Now I’m on the hunt for a stiffer spring.

Has anyone used one of the Grizzly quick-thread depth-stops or have a source for small but moderately stiff springs?

Edit 8/2/11:  I found a better spring for the stop at ACE Hardware.  The button is only a little harder to push but the stop is much more secure.

Last night I added a detailed SketchUp model of my rebuilt G7947 17” Floor Drill Press by Grizzly Industrial to the model download area.  The dimensions of the drill press are roughly 30”L X 21”W X 70”H.

You can download the SketchUp model here.

Have a great day,