Replies

1. 
   oldfred | Feb 26, 2003 04:56am | #1

   I've used radial drill presses and think the one you are looking at is medium duty but a good machine.  The fact that you can tilt the head and drill at an angle while holding your work flat is one of the best features. So is the ability to pull the head forward and reach into the center of wider objects. 

   I can't picture just which part might be askew, but if it looks like an easy fix, buy it.  You won't be sorry.

   Fred

2. 
   notDusty | Feb 26, 2003 09:23am | #2

            notrix ,

      I have an older Rockwell radial drill press and it is truly a woodworkers tool. While it is true there are heavier duty industrial machines available ,mine was used when I bought it about 15 years ago. It is still a great tool . There is a good chance that the problem you speak of is the spring tension that controls the quill pressure. It may only be a quick adjustment . Even if something is broken , the value is there , I would buy it for that price in a heart beat.                   

             good luck

      

1. 
   NOTRIX1 | Feb 26, 2003 06:39pm | #3

   Hi and Thanks for the responses,

   Through this site:

   http://www.owwm.com/

   I was able to loctae schematics and parts lists and determine it's the spindle that has become loose some how and is droppping through the quill and inch or so. Looks like a stop collar has come loose and easily tightened up. As I said the lack of run out has mee thininking it's a minor adjustment but I'llbring a dial indicator today and make sure.

   BTW if you've not discovered http://www.owwm.com/ you are in for a treat if you appreciatte the old woodworking machinery.

   Thanks again,

   N

1. 
   NOTRIX1 | Feb 27, 2003 08:19pm | #4

   Hi All,

   Just to let you all know I purchased the DP and it was in fact a very minor slipped stop collar on the spindle. I measured the runout to .005" and feel most of that is in the chuck. It's a great tight machine that feels sturdier than any new ones.

   In fact I could do an entire thread on the woes of trying to find a good-no great-drill press for less than $500. Most seem to be made in 2 or 3 factories with different labels affixed. Lots of plastic, some have run out you can see! Quills that wiggle in your hand etc.. The lates FWW did a good article on DP for less than $500 but failed to compare them with a vintage machine. I feel no peice of machinery has dropped so in quality over the years. Do yourself a favor and search for an older Rockwell/Delta, Walker Turner what ever. These machines are beasts and I feel even a 40-50 year old one will still outlast a new one. I've seen great floor models, that I've not the room for, for the price of the new.

   Yeech!

   N

2. 
   notDusty | Feb 28, 2003 08:50am | #5

          notrix ,

      Thanks for posting the website on machinery , it is a very useful site and a lot of fun . Also congratulations on the drill press .The Rockwell radial drill press I have is the youngest I own , the others are a floor model old Delta thats tough as nails and the other is an old Atlas floor model that I really love .These old machines may outlast any newer models 

                              Dusty      

3. 
   Steve_kd4ttc | Jul 19, 2021 03:43pm | #8

   Correction to the link, it's an "org": https://owwm.org

3. 
   sharptools | Feb 28, 2003 01:44pm | #6

   I have the same drill press you are describing.  I bought mine at an auction about 5 years ago, and have been very happy with it.  The only drawback I have noticed is that when the horizontal ram is extended (head of drill press is far away from the post) it tends to flex, especially if you are drilling large holes with a forstner bit.

   I have also used a mortising attachment with this drill, and it works well as long as you keep the head as close to the post as possible.  The standard Delta mortising attachment will not fit this drill, so you need to find one made specifically for it.

   Kevin

4. 
   user-5700206 | Jul 31, 2020 10:53am | #7

   Topping this thread 17 Years later with my first post to this forum.

   I bought one of these (roughly mid 60s version, from what I can find on that vintage machines site) for $160 including a stand, an accessory table, random old 15 inch acme thread vise screw, and a brand new Delta mobile base still in box. With the vise screw being worth about $40 new and the mobile base $90, I think I did alright.

   This thread gave me the confidence to go forward with the transaction and repair any issues myself, despite having the quill being super stiff (pushing it slowly in both directions, with no return to speak of) and difficulty rotating/pivoting the head when I checked it out.

   This had been unused for over a decade, and what had likely been grease had solidified into what looked like a combo of tar and earwax with a crust of cured linseed oil, all inside the "rack" portion of the quill and inside the gearing of the...feed shaft thingie that the feed lever spins to move the quill up and down (I have not read the schematics yet, can you tell?).

   broke everything down, scraped out the grease thickeners, added 3 in 1 oil, abraded off most of the surface rust from the column and the....pivot shaft thingie that lets you move the head forward, back, and tilt, and did the same for the base and table.

   Motor is good. Belt is good. Spindle is good, chuck is good. Machine is heavy and well-finished, with big solid chunks of metal. Power is better than expected at lowest gear. Drill is very accurate. Miniscule flex when fully extended, but I am not seeing that contribute to inaccuracies yet. If I punch a divot in some wood and line up a bit, it goes where I put it. I don't really see flex until the quill pushes against the wood, and then it can't be more than a half a degree or less. Shouldn't be pushing that hard with a bit anyway. Maybe I should test the angle at different extensions with a long bit of very straight tubing and a deep hole, but I don't see enough play yet to impact woodworking. Especially since I would be drilling these "far reach" holes by hand otherwise.

   So I'm getting rid of my cheap, underpowered benchtop DP that has lasted me 5 years and getting something that will let me drill holes at angles without clumsy clamping operations. Like when I built that lumber rack and needed to put 9 holes each in seven 8 foot 2x4's at a 5 degree upward angle to hold conduit, and had to either tilt my tiny bench table and collide with other benches or make and use use a guide to do the whole thing by hand, and drill twice to get the depth I needed. That was what started me searching for a cheap radial unit in the first place. Sure, it didn't need to be pretty, but I did want my racks to all line up, and a stationary table with a moving machine makes the most sense for that kind of job. Looking forward to lots of other fun with it.

   PS, if you are worried about the clearance to the rear, put it on a movable cart and turn the head to the left a bit when you want it against the wall. Might not work for every shop, but it looks like it does for me. I am probably going to make a knob on a pivot for the ends of the feed lever that makes it easier to drive the feed in that orientation (though for now I just turn the whole cart for storage and turn it back for use).

   I am very grateful to Notrix1, whoever you are, and that vintageMachinery.org site, which should be bookmarked in a sticky somewhere on every woodworking forum.

   I'm excited to make stuff with this tool that is a decade older than me, maybe, and grateful to everyone's contributions here.

   OH, PPS, I am exploring adapting it so the shaft moves up and down, so I can actually use it on a totally stationary bench. That's down the road somewhat, but seems really totally feasible with the way the base is designed. Might need a slightly longer shaft and an of bottle jack or something.

   Take care, all.