Bench Drill Press with Raising Head and Tilt Table: Brazell, 1997

Most home drill presses kept the head fixed and moved the work relative to it. Kenneth M. Brazell and colleagues at Ryobi patented the reverse in 1997, US 5,634,748. A cast iron base sits on the work bench, a column rises from it, and the whole drill head, with its motor and quill, is raised and lowered along the column by a crank and a rack, or swung round it. A tilt table made of stamped and folded sheet steel locks to the base with one cam and eyebolt, slides two ways and turns on the base, and tilts to drill holes at an angle. Its replaceable ¾" particle board panel supports the stock underneath, preventing tear-out.