On Dec 1, 4:56*am, Phisherman wrote:

For testing drill press runout you can, with the power cord unplugged,
use a coat hanger chucked in the drill press such that it lightly
touches the drill press table top. *When it is even all the way
around, the spindle is perpendicular to the table top. * No special
tools needed!

Very entertaining thread! Thanks guys. With all the stress and
anxiety these days, I really appreciate a good laugh every now and
then.

Yep, all you need to do is bend up a wire coat-hanger and sweep the
drill press table with it's tip. Keeping in mind that it's going to
be all springy and bouncy, if you're good at making such subjective
"hear the scrape" judgments, then you can get adequate results.
Primitive, but feasible. Not much different from the goofy idea of
holding a square up against a drill bit.

Honestly, I can't understand why people go to such extremes to avoid
dial indicators. It reminds me of the guy who says "I don't need to
know how to read; I learn all I need to know by watching TV and
listening to the radio." The excuses for some people's aversion to
dial indicators often sounds just like the ignorant excuses that
illiterate people use to justify their situation. They put themselves
thorough all sorts of absurd and convoluted procedures so that they
can cope in a world where everyone else can read. A bent up coat
hanger? Geez! Cough up the $10-$15 for a dial indicator and learn
some useful skills.

shameless_plug
You'll find all you need to know about using dial indicators on your
table saw at:

http://www.tablesawalignment.com

Sign up today!
/shameless_plug

I completely understand some people's reaction to most dial indicator
jigs on the market today. Heck, the vast majority do nothing more
than a simple dial indicator on a stick. Some do even less! It
amazes me what some people sell, but it amazes me even more that
people buy it.

Thanks,
Ed Bennett