Any way to increase a drill press travel

[Saltheart]

I now do them in the lathe but it would be nice to not have to change the chuck all the time. The drll press is just sitting there , all geared out with the self centering vice so putting it to use would be very convenient.

I'm drilling wood and some is pretty hard. In order to keep the turning to a minimum , I need to keep the drilled center hole pretty true. I have considered flipping the piece upside down halfway but then I'll need a gap filler glue for the next step. The superglue cures in minutes while a good gap filler will require 30 plus minutes of waiting.

One idea I have is cutting the drill to about 1.5 inches long. Drill from both ends but with that stubby a drill I should not have too much walk off center do to the grain patterns and at 1.5 inches , there is enough room above the piece to be able to flip it over without moving the centered vice.

I'm making pens. The damned pen blanks are just a hair over 2 inches long but I need to also clear the brad point of the drill which adds an eigth , thus the need for 2.5 inches of travel. I was hoping there was some kind of travel multiplier attachment or chuck gizmo that would give me a little more throw but I haven't seen one yet!

I may keep my eye out for an older used press with a longer throw. I hate to spend money on a second drill press cause the one I have is like new and almost never used. Got many more important needs in my shop than another barely used drill press.