Drilling holes in small pieces can be difficult on a drill press. If you try to hold them with your hand, they want to spin when the bit breaks through the back side. To solve this problem, I made an auxiliary table to hold small pieces securely. The table is shaped like an I-beam, with top and bottom pieces that extend out as clamping platforms.
To build the table, start by cutting an identical top and bottom piece from plywood, as shown in the drawing below. A dado blade makes quick work of cutting a groove down the center of both pieces to fit a 2x4. Once that's complete, glue and clamp the pieces together.
Completing the table is just a matter of drilling holes in the top and bottom pieces. This way, you can secure the table to the drill press with carriage bolts and a couple wing nuts. Make sure you bolt it in at least two slots to prevent the table from twisting.
Note: When the top gets chewed up with use, just flip the table over and use the other side.
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