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.

My SketchUp model of an adjustable assembly table is now available in the Download Area. 

I based the model on a project in a Issue #30 of ShopNotes.  I changed the legs to give it more height, the top from MDF to melamine and the adjustment pin knobs to make them easier to grab.

The assembly table consists of a main work surface and two “wings”.  The wings can be lowered to save space or raised to double the work area.  The work surface is also adjustable up or down as required to accommodate a variety of assembly projects.

The main work surface measures 36”X36”.  The “wings” are 18”X36” each.  With both “wings” raised, the work surface is 72”X36”.

The height of the work surface is adjustable from 24-1/2” to 32-1/8”.

There are high definition and low definition versions of the model available.

After completing the lumber cart, I found that it was lacking a couple of things. Right off, I found the cart difficult to move when it was fully loaded.  I could pull on a panel or shelf but it was hard to get a grip on them and I was afraid that I would end up pulling something loose. I decided to put handles under one of the shelves to make it easier to move the cart around.  The second thing missing was something to hold the sheet goods to keep them from accidentally falling off the cart while I moved it around.

I started making the handles by ripping a 2X4 that was long enough for two handles to about 2” wide.  I then rounded over the bottom two edges with a ¼” router bit. 

I ripped an 85-degree edge along the length of what would be the inside of the handle followed by routing a grove with a round-nose bit along that same edge for more finger grip.  I then cut the handles to length at an angle to match the inside of the shelf assembly, again 85 degrees.

With the handles completed, I put glue on the ends and top edge, clamped them in placed, and screwed them in through the shelf and the A-frame side panels.  This created secure handles to move the cart without pulling the cart apart.

To secure the sheet goods, I mounted two pieces chain using eye bolts to one of the shelf supports at each end of the cart and then used a carabiner to connect the two pieces of chain.  This allowed me to adjust the chain depending on the amount of sheet goods on the cart. Any number f other devices could be sued to connect the pieces of chain.

See Also:  Lumber Cart

                    Lumber Cart Build – Part 1 – Building the Base

                    Lumber Cart Build – Part 2 – Preparing the A-frame Parts

                    Lumber Cart Build – Part 3 – Assembling the Cart

                    Lumber Cart SketchUp Models

                    Lumber Cart Shop Drawings

I hope this series has been useful.  Let me know what you think.

Enjoy the wood,

Once I had the pieces cut to their final sizes and shapes, I glued and screwed the shelf pieces to the shelf supports so that they formed the stackable triangular shelf assemblies that you see in the picture.

From there, I could then attach the completed shelf assemblies to the sides of the A-frame.

I cut the bottom edge of the A-frame sides at 85 degrees to allow them to sit flat on the base when completely assembled.  Then I drilled holes for pocket screws to screw through the cover of the base and into the 2X4 frame underneath.

I also drilled pocket screw holes in the back edge of the bin separators.

The positioning of the shelf assemblies is somewhat flexible.  You can move the shelves up or down a few inches on the A-frame. This will affect the amount of space above the top shelf and below the bottom shelf.  It will also determine how wide the base of the A-frame is and how much space is available on either side of the A-frame.  I decided to make the base of the A-frame 24” wide leaving 6” in either side of the A-frame for storing lumber and sheet goods.

On my cart, I positioned the shelves at 12 1/2”, 24 1/4”, 36” and 46 3/4” from the bottom edge.  This gave me a little more storage space in the bottom of the A-frame.  It still left a small lip on top shelf to keep something from sliding or rolling off the top.

I applied glue to each shelf support and clamped them into position on the side panel and then drove screws from the outside of the A-frame into the shelf supports.

Next, I applied glue to the opposite side of each shelf support, clamped then into position on the other side panel.  I then drove screws from the outside of the A-frame into the shelf supports.

This formed the self-supporting A-frame subassembly with four shelves.

I placed the completed A-frame assembly on top of the cart base and positioned it so that the sides of the A-frame were 6” from the sides of the base.  I screwed it to the base with pocket screws.

Next were the bin separators.  I positioned the separators so that all four bins are of equal size (I could have adjusted the interior separators to create bins of different sizes).    I glued and screwed the separators into position using pocket screws into the A-frame and base.

The last two things to do were to apply glue to the bin separators and the base on the sheet-goods side and then screw the outer panels onto them.

What storage ideas do you have for storing lumber and sheet goods in a small shop?

See Also:  Lumber Cart

                    Lumber Cart Build – Part 1 – Building the Base

                    Lumber Cart Build – Part 2 – Preparing the A-frame Parts

                    Lumber Cart Build – Part 4 – Accessorizing

                    Lumber Cart SketchUp Models

                    Lumber Cart Shop Drawings

Enjoy the wood!