Replies

1. 
   kwl10686 | Dec 11, 2007 05:37pm | #1

   Since there appears to be no reply to your question so far, I'll take a stab at it.  I too own a drive belt drill press (Craftsman); and when it comes to changing speed, I feel your pain.  In my case, I keep my drill set at close to the highest speed.  I use mostly twist bits with a "bullet point" and have found that the higher speed gives me a much cleaner hole, even with the larger sized bits.  Of course, with Forstner bits, I slow the speed to the recommended speed for each size.

   I should add one thing:  I work mostly with Pine.

   If you decide to increase your rpm's for twist bit use, I'd be interested in your results.

   Klaus

2. 
   JohnWW | Dec 13, 2007 03:03am | #2

   I don't know where this question was hiding, it just popped up on my column a week after you first posted it.

   There is absolutely no harm being done by running at the lowest speed other than it might take a little bit longer to drill a hole. There is one advantage in fact, it will reduce the chance that you will overheat and ruin the temper of the bits.

   There is however a solution that will let you change speeds easily, replace the conventional vee belt on you drill with a Fenner brand linked belt. The link belts have a bit of stretch to them and you can move the belts from groove to groove without ever having to move the motor again.

   Linked belts can be walked from groove to groove in just a few seconds as you turn the pulleys by hand. Don't try this with a conventional belt, it can bend the rim of the pulley and will tear the belt.

   Hope this helps,
   John White