Drill press laser guide

This is a drill press laser guide that fits on a 50 year old 3in (actually a column of 2-7/8") American Intl press drill.

I used the tapered laser holders and nuts from https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3354013 (credits to SBKirby) and made a fully customised support to fit the lasers and power supply on the 3in American Intl press drill. A worm gear clamp is used to hold the laser and power supply bracket against the column.

I used two standard 12mm 650nm 5V 5mw line laser and a 9x14mm SPST switch and a universal AC/DC power module to generate the 5V for the laser, all from AliExpress.

I drilled a small hole into the drill press body to get the 120v power wire out behind the drill power switch up the laser switch. Add a bit of soldering & shrink tubing to complete the magic.

I used a small weight & a white rope in the chuck to perform the vertical alignment of the lasers against the center line so it's always good with the table up or down (tricky part).

I recommend focusing the laser at the intended distance and applying a small drop of soft glue into the tread of the laser lens (to avoid losing focus) prior to insert the laser in the tapered holder (too easy to loose focus afterward).

The tapered laser holders have a tendency to get stuck in the holder, so tighten the nuts VERY lightly.