I love my drill press set up. Since I put that table on it and mounted it on the rolling tool stand, it has been a real solid performer. Sure, it could be more powerful or have a larger throw, but for the number of times I use it, it’s not that bad.

The only problem with it is this little bit of joy down behind the table. It’s the crank that raises or lowers the table. When the drill press had only the small metal table mounted on it, this was perfectly adequate. It would allow me to move the table up and down to adjust the piece in relation to the drill.

But, with the new table mounted to the press, it has become a real knuckle banger in the back. The crank handle barely clears the table, making this simple chore a real pain in the posterior. Which means that I am less likely to use the feature, which means I’m really not getting the most out of my tool. I needed another solution.

And, I found it at an automotive store. It is known as the Gator Grip, and it had really helped me solve this problem. Basically, it’s a ratchet socket that is filled with spring-loaded steel pins, allowing the socket to grip nearly any shape bolt or nut head and turn it.

The piece that the handle was mounted to is a steel dowel with one flattened side, and the handle has a set screw that fits onto the flat side of the dowel. So, the Gator Grip is able to fit onto the dowel and give me the control I need to raise or lower the table. With the ratcheting action, the table’s location is no longer a concern.

Now, I can adjust the table however I see fit, and it takes only a few seconds to outfit the ratchet properly. With the tool only costing about $10, it was a pretty cheap fix for a challenging problem.