Woodpecker's Drill Press Tables

[grbmds]

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.

 

[Mini Me]

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.

 

[hdv]

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?

 

[Mini Me]

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.

 

[rmwarren]

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

 

[grbmds]

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.

 

[4nthony]

...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.

 

[pantherjoe]

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?

 

[jeffinsgf]

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.

 

[alltracman78]

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.

 

[ChuckM]

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.

 

[4nthony]

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.

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?

 

[ChuckM]

Wow...did you Photoshop it? That looks so real, and your suggestion sounds very promising.

[attachimg=1]

 

[Cheese]

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.

 

[4nthony]

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.

 

[ChuckM]

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

 

[ChuckM]

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.

 

[alltracman78]

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.

 

[4nthony]

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]

 

[jeffinsgf]

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.