So I was recently offered this 1951 Delta Power Tools Division / Rockwell Manufacturing Co. Production Table Drill Press from a good friend. He offered me a deal I could not refuse as he was moving and did not want to take it to his new place, so I gladly took it off his hands for him.
Seeing as I currently do not own a drill press and have been in the market for one I figured this would be an excellent addition to my tool inventory. It runs like a dream currently with no noise or unexpected sounds to be heard. I borrowed a friends optical RPM meter, placed a tab of reflective tape on the Jacobs chuck, and got the following readings of 2400-1675-1200-830-550. I was pleasantly surprised but am still looking into ways to slow it down by half or so in case i want to drill large holes in metals. Seeing as it has a production table I have thought about purchasing a X/Y Cross Table Vise to mount on the table for securing material. I am hoping to perform a small refurbishment on it prior to any major use such as disassembly, cleaning/polishing, and re-coating. I have spend time on OWWM and vintage machinery looking for "paint" codes but it appears Delta was all over the place with grey's, although this one appears to be some sort of "green"? I was hoping to get it reasonable accurate so if anyone has any suggestions I would appreciate it. Also, would you be more apt to paint it with a spray can, automotive quality paint, or powder coat? I am most concerned with accuracy in the color and ensuring it is properly protected. Thank you guys for checking it out!
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/126635649@N07/24352927864/in/album-72157664019598240/" title="1951 Delta Rockwell Production Drill Press"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1488/24352927864_0ee0168f11_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="1951 Delta Rockwell Production Drill Press"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/126635649@N07/24352923154/in/album-72157664019598240/" title="Machine W/O Guard"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1442/24352923154_78fedf3211_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="Machine W/O Guard"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/126635649@N07/24352925434/in/album-72157664019598240/" title="Speed/Pully Selections"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1605/24352925434_6710088851_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="Speed/Pully Selections"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/126635649@N07/24865533502/in/album-72157664019598240/" title="2400 RPM"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1470/24865533502_35e54861f5_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="2400 RPM"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/126635649@N07/24688024470/in/album-72157664019598240/" title="Delta Rockwell Factory ID"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1550/24688024470_a666e0869d_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="Delta Rockwell Factory ID"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/126635649@N07/24688022380/in/album-72157664019598240/" title=""Home Made Fix Found""><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1648/24688022380_db58471ea8_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt=""Home Made Fix Found""></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/126635649@N07/24352927864/in/album-72157664019598240/" title="1951 Delta Rockwell Production Drill Press"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1488/24352927864_0ee0168f11_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="1951 Delta Rockwell Production Drill Press"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/126635649@N07/24352923154/in/album-72157664019598240/" title="Machine W/O Guard"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1442/24352923154_78fedf3211_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="Machine W/O Guard"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/126635649@N07/24352925434/in/album-72157664019598240/" title="Speed/Pully Selections"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1605/24352925434_6710088851_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="Speed/Pully Selections"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/126635649@N07/24865533502/in/album-72157664019598240/" title="2400 RPM"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1470/24865533502_35e54861f5_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="2400 RPM"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/126635649@N07/24688024470/in/album-72157664019598240/" title="Delta Rockwell Factory ID"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1550/24688024470_a666e0869d_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="Delta Rockwell Factory ID"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/126635649@N07/24688022380/in/album-72157664019598240/" title=""Home Made Fix Found""><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1648/24688022380_db58471ea8_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt=""Home Made Fix Found""></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Either way I like it and plan on keeping it. Thanks for the information, I need to go on vintage machinery and start saving copies of the information available for these 17" machines. Do you know if bearings and "refurbishment" supplies are readily available for these Delta Machines?