Make your crank-handle user-friendly

Tips & Techniques

From the first cut to the final finish coat, we've got the tips and techniques to improve your accuracy, make your tools work harder, and take your woodworking project to the next level.

My auxiliary drill-press table adds a lot of surface area for better stock support than the small factory-supplied table. But it’s so large, every time I wanted to raise or lower it, I had to slide it away from the table-elevation crank in order to turn the handle—frustrating, to say the least.

I fixed the problem by replacing the crank with an old socket, which I had drilled and tapped to accept a setscrew. The setscrew location corresponds with the flat part of the crankshaft and locks it into place. Now I just use a ratcheting socket wrench to raise or lower the table.
—Concepcion Ortiz, Sioux City, Iowa

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