8 Ball Drill Press Knob

Make your own 8 Ball drill press knobs!

These are designed to work with 0.25 in, 1/4-24 UNS (ANSI Unified Screw Threads). These fit an older Harbor Freight drill press, but may work for newer versions or brands. The original knobs became brittle and cracked and these were designed as a replacement. These balls are 40mm in diameter.

Assembly and Polishing:
Screw the ball section onto the drill press arm before inserting the two other sections. This is so you can control the orientation of the "eight" relative to the drill press. Remove the ball from the press, and using a small hammer, I was able to tap the white section into the ball. The eight can also be attached using the same method. This is all held together by a friction fit, but glue could also be used if desired.
To achieve a shinny finish, I inserted a threaded rod into the ball section and then clamped it into the chuck of the drill press. I used wet 120, 200, 400, 1000, and polishing compound to gradually smooth ou