Sweet find

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hairy_apple

hairy_apple

Joined
Mar 10, 2006
Threads
175
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Location
Grass Valley, CA
Found a mini version of my drill press today for $15.

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The motor is toast, but it's not original anyway. My dad's got a pile of small electric motors so I think tomorrow I'll go over and see if I can make any of them fit.

We have a thrift store up here that is really cool. They've got tools, doors, sinks, bathtubs, electrical stuff... A lot of really sweet stuff. I've got a whole toolbox full of 1900's tools I've found there I scored for a buck or two because they are rusty and old and "junk". Wire wheel the rust off and a little WD40 and they're fine.

Dude wanted to throw the drill press into the scrap metal bin when we plugged it in and the motor was toast!!! It amazes me how fast people are willing to toss old stuff that just needs a little love to be good as new again. This thing needs the motor replaced and some paint and you'll never know it was almost scrap metal.
 
ar2stp48 said:
Great find. Higher quality tool than what is available today
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I agree! I have a newer delta drill press in my shop at home that doesn't compare to the dinosaur that i use in the shop at work that's probably older than i am!!! They definately don't make them like they used to.
 
No they don't make them like they used to, I am a huge fan of 1940's tools. Got it lubed up and everything seems to be good on it other then the motor. Most of the rust actually wiped right off with some PBplaster and some shop towels.

I am going to go at my parents house Thursday so hopefully one of the electric motors my dad's got fit it and I get it running.
 
That's a tidy little bench drill. Is/was it usual for manufacturers to use hollow tube for the column though? Ours used to love making them from solid section, back in the day. Weighed a bit, but solid as a rock. :D

hairy_apple said:
No they don't make them like they used to, I am a huge fan of 1940's tools.
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Ain't that the truth. The old kit still beats the cr@p out of the modern stuff, (even if it doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of the more modern stuff), in build quality. My preference is for earlier stuff though. 40' to 60's is getting towards being classed as new fangled, in my book. :D Lathes, for example. Barring the 50's one I use as an everyday, general machine, (merely for the simple fact that it's the only one I have up and running upto just, plus I'm not overly fussed about the condition of it. The rest of them need some basic restoration and finishing work before they get put into use though), the rest of them are all pre 20's, turn of the century stuff. Wouldn't be any good for turning massive stuff, granted, with the largest being a 5", (10" using the US terminology), but they've lasted around a hundred years through various trialling periods and are still in pretty good shape.

There's definitely a lot to be said for good old kit. It's a shame that more people these days don't appreciate the beauty and usefulness of old tools, being instead all too eager, as your bench drill demonstates, to consign perfectly good but old kit either to the skip else to weigh it in.
 
twinsies

i got the same two drill presses. both are work horses. i rescued both from the scrap heap and you really cant compare to anything you'd buy for less that a few hundred dollars. i swapped to a power twist belt and cleaned them up slightly and they work as new.

I have rescued a bunch of old iron and im at the point now where fresh paint is unnecessary, i replace the worn cutters and polish up the work surfaces and occasionally replace a cord and im good to go.

I hit up craigslist for the old iron and rental shops for the bombproof hand held power tools, they cant seem to rent them anymore because of HD and Lowes selling all the plastic tools so they sell them cheap.
 
Here's a couple of pics of an old Royorsford Excelsior press-rescued from the scrap heap---
Here's a link to a site you might like-tons of pics and manuals for old wood working machines--http://www.owwm.org/

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Sggoat,

That is a great looking drill press. I've never seen one like that.

How does it work, as far as drilling holes. I'd love to have something like that in my little collection.

Good Job!
 
Some sort of drill press I found, not very useful.

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The Royersford is currently underpowered. Originally powered by overhead belts, was adapted to electricity. The unit was used in a Generation utility machine shop in 1956. Had a 480V 3 phase motor on the rear stand. The drive needs to be at least 1.5 HP to run it. The one I have hooked up now is a small HP Singer industrial sewing machine motor with a clutch. Unfortunately, it's only 1/2 HP, and bogs down when driving the machine. With the original motor, you could drill pretty much anything--accepted #2 to #4 Morse Taper bits-all the way up to 2". There are 16 speeds to this beast(with the transfer gears at the top drill head)
The locking gears were missing teeth when I got it--surprisingly, Royersford Foundary is still in business(they make punches now, mainly) I was able to get the bad gears replaced from them--they actually had the gears in stock--the last ones they had. All they have left now is a couple of spring plates for the automatic quill stop and a ton of manuals.
This thing weighs a little under 1200#
 
Sggoat,

What's your plans for it. A bigger motor, or you going to sell.

You did a great job on it.
 
I would like to find a decent motor to run this thing--it'll drill almost anything--I don't use it since I don't have the right power yet. I might entertain offers to buy, but I think the ship weight would pretty much turn off most folks. The real advantage of this thing is the slow speed and the power to drill through pretty much anything.(it's also kind of calming to hear the slap of the leather belts and the gnashing of gears while running). A 2 HP motor turning CW as you view it from the rear would help me a lot---got one?
 
No, nothing that big. You should post on Garage Journal, they have a thread going on old presses, I think they call them Camel Backs. Look under Tools.

Wish I was closer, I'd make an offer, but I guess that's the fun of it, finding one and restoring it.
 
scrapdaddy said:
That is an old one. I've been looking at one like that, just for fun, but it's missing some parts. If you're going to get rid of it, let me know.
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I brought it to the shop I work at for display, but we haven't figured out where to hang it. One jaw is broken in the chuck, I might make a new one.
 
sccottm---did you look on the OWWM site? They have aa ton of old machines represented there. You may be able to find the whole chuck
 
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