Tuesday Tips: Mounts for Drill Press and iPhone

I don't know how innovative this week's tips are, but I'm pretty happy with how these quick projects came out. Maybe you could use one/both of them yourself...

First off, I have a typical WalMart/Staples plastic worktable that I use for my workbench. Unlike banquet tables of old (wood/metal construction), or an actual, honest-to-gosh workbench, this table has a plastic top on a metal frame. I really wanted to mount my Dremel drill press to it, but the plastic doesn't really let you mount anything to it very easily. It keeps "giving" and doesn't at all provide a firm foundation.

So I came up with a solution involving drilling just one hole through the table, and using two pieces of plywood and 5/16" carriage bolts to mount/clamp the press to the table very securely. Once I figured out this approach, it was a pretty quick job. Check out the pics.

Secondly - and likely cuz I was procrastinating on my DERS-1b detailing project - I decided to finally, permanently mount my iPhone holder. This is a cheap inexpensive car mount that supposedly uses a suction cup to mount to a window. Well, for a while now, it's been mounted to the piece of plate glass I used as a flat base for my work area (another tip - you get that one for free). Unfortunately, it seems the suction cup loses its sucky-ness over time. It sucks - cuz it doesn't. No worries - a few #4 sheet metal screws did the trick . . .

The LED desk lamps I use are pretty inexpensive, so I didn't worry about messing them up. And 1/4" screws go into the metal base no problem. Be sure and drill pilot holes first - and clearance holes through the plastic mount.

Not quite as nice as having a laptop, or even an iPad near at hand - but perfectly fine for quick research/lookup and/or for seeing texts/emails. Of course, the primary reason I have it here is for music and listening to old-time radio shows while working on projects. And now I don't have to worry about my phone taking an unexpected dive.