Show us your cool, "old" drill press

[JoCoSawdust]

Nice Delta 4lug!

 

[Smokeshow69]

Two recent additions to my pre-war/wartime Craftsman drill press collection. Late 30s Central Specialty-made Companion "bottle capper" drill press and a 42-43 AA Products-made Dunlap Mohawk. These have been difficult for me to find. One guy in Michigan ended up having them both and a fellow collector was kind enough to orchestrate their trip from Michigan to North Carolina. Both machines are 100 percent complete and both the Fulton and Craftsman badged motors run great. One bit strike in the work table of the CS machine. For an old Craftsman DP nut like myself, this was a lottery win.

Heck of a find on both of those more obscure but no less cool drill presses! Nice finds.

 

[Supernaut13]

Hi everyone, I bought this Atlas Model 64 for $200 recently. It was well-maintained, all moving parts lubricated. There is no on-off switch, but that's fine. It works really well so far.

 

[Provincial]

Look for a foot-operated switch that has a a spot to plug in the motor plug. They are made for just this sort of operation, and surprisingly inexpensive.

 

[Joe Piro]

I originally started a thread "Another Rockwell 70 6x0" because I didn't think my find was that old or special. However I had 62 views and no replies, so I'll try again here because I really need the benefit of the experience and knowledge that GJ members have. First: I can't interpret the serial number in order to figure out the date of my drill press, and second, I can't find any factory manuals about it on the usual sources.

This is a new (for me) Rockwell/Delta, 20 Inch drill press. It has the original Rockwell 1.5 horse power 3 phase motor which is ok because I have three phase power. It also has the multiple sheave pulleys rather than the variable pulley (see photo below) The nameplate (photo below) shows the model number to be 70-6X0 and the Serial Number to be 1635930 and that it was built when Rockwell was in Pittsburgh, PA. There is a supplemental plate indicating a U.S. Government property number (in photo). I believe it was last used in a community college and they often receive grants of used government property.
I visited several web pages that GJ members had suggested in other posts and I can't find a manual for one that looks like mine. Also the serial number does not follow the form that I saw in other posts.

Thanks in advance, if anyone can help me date it and locate a manual for this machine.

 

[Davefr]

Bought this old Homecraft DP at a g-sale super cheap because it was missing the chuck. It was missing the chuck because it had the scarce optional spindle for 1/2" shank router, shaper, sander bits. I found a JT33 spindle online and already had a couple chucks.

It cleaned up exceptionally well. Acetone worked well to clean off the old grime and paint overspray but didn't harm the factory finish.

I totally disassembled the original motor and cleaned all the parts, flushed out the old ball bearings and replaced with Polyrex EM lubricant, polished the centrifical switch, replaced the cord and switch. I also replaced the rotten belt with a link belt.

I measured the runout at the spindle and the indicator didn't even move .001". For compact benchtop DP's, these Homecraft machines are pretty sweet.

 

[JoCoSawdust]

Joe...that thing looks like a beast. I'm envious of your 3 phase power! I'm assuming you've already been steered to Vintage Machinery in search of the OM? I took a quick look there, saw nothing titled Rockwell 7- 6x0 but there's a ton of OMs for Delta DPs there. Have you sorted through them?

Dave...beautiful job keeping that thing in service. Nice job!

 

[DaveT]

Bought this old Homecraft DP at a g-sale super cheap because it was missing the chuck. It was missing the chuck because it had the scarce optional spindle for 1/2" shank router, shaper, sander bits. I found a JT33 spindle online and already had a couple chucks.

It cleaned up exceptionally well. Acetone worked well to clean off the old grime and paint overspray but didn't harm the factory finish.

I totally disassembled the original motor and cleaned all the parts, flushed out the old ball bearings and replaced with Polyrex EM lubricant, polished the centrifical switch, replaced the cord and switch. I also replaced the rotten belt with a link belt.

I measured the runout at the spindle and the indicator didn't even move .001". For compact benchtop DP's, these Homecraft machines are pretty sweet.

That is a really nice looking DP Dave. You did a great job restoring it.

 

[Provincial]

Nice job, Dave. Good thinking looking past the spindle issue!

 

[Joe Piro]

I'm assuming you've already been steered to Vintage Machinery in search of the OM? I took a quick look there, saw nothing titled Rockwell 7- 6x0 but there's a ton of OMs for Delta DPs there. Have you sorted through them?

Yup... it is a beast and I may never push it to the max, but it was such a deal !
Thanks for the suggestion about Vintage Machinery. I took a quick look there but like you, I didn't see anything with a specific title for Rockwell 70-6X0. I'll try again and dig a little deeper.
Can anyone help interpret the serial number to figure out the date of manufacture???

 

[Nutria]

Can anyone help interpret the serial number to figure out the date of manufacture???

A close-up of the tag would help.

 

[Joe Piro]

There are three photos in my post from Tuesday at 2;39, but i'll repost the tag here. The number is 1635930, if I read it correctly. Thanks for taking a look....

 

[Nutria]

Joe, sorry, missed the tag in your earlier post. Just per the Vintage Machinery page, the "peace sign" indicates that the machine was built in 1973 or later. You might try calling Delta to see if they can get you a date. It's been awhile, but they were really helpful in that regard a few years ago.

 

[JoCoSawdust]

+1 on calling Delta. They dated a table saw to 1957 for me many years ago. Best to go straight to the horse's mouth.

 

[mikeinri]

+1 on calling Delta. They dated a table saw to 1957 for me many years ago. Best to go straight to the horse's mouth.

...and definitely post here what you find out!

Mike

 

[Joe Piro]

You might try calling Delta to see if they can get you a date. It's been awhile, but they were really helpful

Excellent advice and I I would have thought of that if you GJ guys haven't been so knowledgable... I've come to depend on you. I'll call Delta Monday and report back. Ya'll have a good weekend!

 

[MechanicalJohn]

Any help with identification of my new (very old) drill press would be greatly appreciated. It is obviously a Delta Rockwell drill press, but the only number that I can find on it anywhere is a tag with the number “5310” on it, and that is all that is legible on the tag. No numbers under the lid. I am guessing late 50’s or early 60’s, but no idea. I need more info about the drill press so that I can check into some maintenance parts - Bearings and such.

It has the production table with several “arc of shame” holes, but all in all – the drill press is pretty clean. Dayton 3-phase 1/2HP motor, Jacobs #633C keyed chuck, Allen-Bradley drum reversing switch, Square D push button On/Off switch mounted on side to a very well made bracket. It was used very little at a book binding company.

I paid $300 for the drill press. Did I do okay?

Any help is greatly appreciated!!

 

[Nutria]

Given the apparent age of the machine, I'm wondering if there was a painted two-letter code in front of the stamped numerals, the paint having worn away. My broad guess on dates, based partly on the little-r tag, would be late 40s to late 60s. I'd suggest hopping over to vintagemachinery.org to look at some catalogs to narrow things down a bit more. Without a full SN, you may not be able to get help from Delta.

Nice machine, well done. You can try some JBWeld on an arc of shame hole and see if you like the results.

 

[Nutria]

PS: I couldn't make out location of manufacture in the photo, and it's probably gone, but if you can read it, that provides some help too.

A good starting point for dating any Delta machine is: http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/DeltaSerialNumbers.ashx

 

[Davefr]

Any help with identification of my new (very old) drill press would be greatly appreciated. It is obviously a Delta Rockwell drill press, but the only number that I can find on it anywhere is a tag with the number “5310” on it, and that is all that is legible on the tag. No numbers under the lid. I am guessing late 50’s or early 60’s, but no idea. I need more info about the drill press so that I can check into some maintenance parts - Bearings and such.

It has the production table with several “arc of shame” holes, but all in all – the drill press is pretty clean. Dayton 3-phase 1/2HP motor, Jacobs #633C keyed chuck, Allen-Bradley drum reversing switch, Square D push button On/Off switch mounted on side to a very well made bracket. It was used very little at a book binding company.

I paid $300 for the drill press. Did I do okay?

Any help is greatly appreciated!!

That's a nice machine at a "you ****" price. I'm guessing 1960's. Is it 15" or 17"? It's also a good candidate to VFD since it already has a 3 phase motor. OWWM.org is also a great site for these old machines.

 

[MechanicalJohn]

It is a 15" drill press.

And I was serious about asking if I did okay on the purchase. I've heard others say that they have purchased similar drill presses for less, but this one seems clean and well-maintained.

I haven't been able to run it yet because I need to install the KB 9533 VFD that I bought for it. Need to get it running to check it out for runout, bearing noise, etc. Took a look at the VFD instructions and . I hope I'm not in over my head!! I am a VG Mechanic and an excellent Machinist, but an Electrician I am NOT. I have a 230V outlet on my shop wall that I am going to run to the VFD (attached pic). So, I would need to buy a length of 10/3 cable (according to outlet stating so), right?

John

 

[Davefr]

It is a 15" drill press.

And I was serious about asking if I did okay on the purchase. I've heard others say that they have purchased similar drill presses for less, but this one seems clean and well-maintained.

I haven't been able to run it yet because I need to install the KB 9533 VFD that I bought for it. Need to get it running to check it out for runout, bearing noise, etc. Took a look at the VFD instructions and . I hope I'm not in over my head!! I am a VG Mechanic and an excellent Machinist, but an Electrician I am NOT. I have a 230V outlet on my shop wall that I am going to run to the VFD (attached pic). So, I would need to buy a length of 10/3 cable (according to outlet stating so), right?

John

John,
I'm not an electrician nor do I know all the codes. But there's no way in hell I'd feel comfortable running a 1/2 HP motor/VFD on a 220V 50 amp circuit. If your VFD supports a 120 VAC input, I'd run it on a normal 15 amp household circuit. (It probably only needs <5 amps at 120VAC!!) I guess you could run a separate branch circuit from the 50 amp/220VAC source and then protect it with a much smaller circuit breaker and then feed the VFD. I'd ask over at the GJ forum's electrical or VFD thread. What you're proposing just doesn't seem right nor safe.

Yes, I stand by my opinion that you did very well on the price. Some guys here tend to lowball whenever someone asks about the price they paid. Drill press prices tend to be regional so YMMV. I've also seen vintage DP's dry up this past year and prices have gone way higher when they do show up. I see the no name Asian machines going for nearly the price you paid!!

That "retirement" lamp alone is worth about $100

Good luck.

 

[Chris Paterchak]

Looking for a replacement badge for a Canedy-Otto Royal 16. I can get a reproduction made for $60, but would rather have the real deal.

 

[designer485]

Here a few shots of my latest find and next project.

It's a 1940s Atlas 63 that been frankenstein'd a bit. Looks to have original paint (quite a bit missing though) under a ton of dirt and grime, a hacked front belt cover and falling apart belt guard, a Square D reversing drum switch, a depth stop from a Delta Press, an unknown concoction of a pinion / handle, an unidentifiable quill lock handle and a smashed start capacitor. The previous owner said he had been running it this way for the past 8 years as the capacitor was smashed when he moved it...crazy. Everything runs smooth despite the belt that is crumbling apart. The only part that I am slightly bummed about is the pulley cover. Somehow I did not notice that it had been cut up, likely from some kind of pulley mod at some point in its life. I can deal with that though, if anything it tells a story. It will get smoothed out / filed down to look as factory as possible.

I am going to resto-mod this one as it doesn't have all original parts and I have been itching to do work on a drill press. Based on the serial number and model, I am pretty sure this is an early 40s press with a ton of history and that's one of reason's I like it. There is just something about these 1940s drill presses. The simplicity, the main casting, the pulley cover, I love it. As it sits, it has 4.5 thou of run out. Not bad considering the condition / age.

I also took a quick look at the wiring box on the side of the motor and was pleasantly surprised that things were done quite cleanly when the drum switch was added. Planning on doing new wiring all around, new bearings and cleaning, polishing, brushing and painting just about everything. The paint on the KC motor is actually in very good shape and may only need touchup after being pulled apart and cleaned.

 

[RBarnes]

Anyone have any of the 17" Craftsman 1980s drill press handles they will sell? Found a drill press that is almost brand new and was never used. Previous owner lost the handles when they unscrewed them to move years ago...

I have two rods, but would buy all three or one. Missing the 3 black plastic knobs that screw into them. Quick check of the threads show 17 per inch, guessing that is metric? Guess the 15" or other models probably will also fit? Here is a photo showing the type handles I need.

 

[jabberwoki]

Hi everyone, I bought this Atlas Model 64 for $200 recently. It was well-maintained, all moving parts lubricated. There is no on-off switch, but that's fine. It works really well so far.

Thats a great score matie.

 

[Provincial]

A handy way of putting a switch on an old drill press is to get a "foot" switch to put on the floor that the motor will plug into. These can be purchased quite inexpensively at the HF import emporium, and they have both "momentary" (you have to hold the switch down) and "power maintained" (stays on until you press it again) types. The nice thing about these is that you do not have modify the drill press itself.

After using a cheap one for testing, you can decide if you want to upgrade to a better quality switch. Those can be quite expensive!

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

I spotted this on the local CL. It's made by Hamilton and called a Vari-matic. I've never seen a drill press like this before. It says they are sensitive drilling and tapping machines. It's listed for $250. Does anyone know anything about this type of machine? It seems to be very heavy duty for a table top model.

 

[tombell572]

Here's some info from the Vintage Machinery site: http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=6560. I have one that is somewhat similar and I'll t a picture tomorrow. These were high quality sensitive drills for small hole drilling.

Tom B.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Tombell,

What makes it different from a "regular" drill press? It seems to have a lot more going on mechanically. What are they referring to by saying sensitive?

 

[dutchgray]

Sensitive as in more feel, they are intended for use with very small drills that are really easy to break using your typical drilling machine. They are usually small and have very high rpm spindles.

 

[cturboaddict]

Here's my first drill press I picked up. It was my bosses father's drill press. It's been collecting dust with a few older mills and what not from Chapman Electric in St Louis for a long time. (I've been there 10 years and never seen it moved).

He passed it onto our machinist who ultimately passed it onto me. I tossed a 1/2hp motor on it and got most of everything moving smoothly again. Don't think I want to paint it because it's pretty cool the way it is.

If anyone can help me date this, I'd appreciate it.

It's an Atlas 64 serial 024311

 

[crguy]

Here's my first drill press I picked up. It was my bosses father's drill press. It's been collecting dust with a few older mills and what not from Chapman Electric in St Louis for a long time. (I've been there 10 years and never seen it moved).

He passed it onto our machinist who ultimately passed it onto me. I tossed a 1/2hp motor on it and got most of everything moving smoothly again. Don't think I want to paint it because it's pretty cool the way it is.

If anyone can help me date this, I'd appreciate it.

It's an Atlas 64 serial 024311

It should work fine the way it is. the only thing you might consider is getting an intermediate pulley setup (that mounts in the top of the column) so you can get the speed down slower for metal work.

 

[savage454]

I apologize for the mess, I'm in the middle of redoing the shop. Got this Atlas for 25$ and it just needed cleaned and a new belt and power cord. Runs great and spins true. I have all the handles for the crank for the spindle, I just like using one. I thought painting the one side with chalkboard paint might be helpful for quick dimensions etc but it turns out it's just ugly so it's going to come off. I love having the table I can raise and lower with the acme threaded rod and crank. It makes adjustments super easy.

 

[crguy]

That table lift makes all the difference on a drill press like that.

I apologize for the mess, I'm in the middle of redoing the shop. Got this Atlas for 25$ and it just needed cleaned and a new belt and power cord. Runs great and spins true. I have all the handles for the crank for the spindle, I just like using one. I thought painting the one side with chalkboard paint might be helpful for quick dimensions etc but it turns out it's just ugly so it's going to come off. I love having the table I can raise and lower with the acme threaded rod and crank. It makes adjustments super easy.


That table lift makes all the difference on a drill press.

 

[Matt018888]

My Delta 17, I restored early this year. VFD, fixture plate tapped with 1/2 13 holes and a removable woodworking table

 

[slowtwitch73]

That's nice... need to make ww table for mine.

Was the base badly rusted? Looks like it was pitted.

 

[Matt018888]

Yes it sat in a flooded shop, I didn't need a press I just could let it die there lol. The thought of the many trades man before me who used these old machines always gets me excited. There's plenty of metal left so it's good and strong still. I put a mobile base and tie downs on it because I'm moving to a new shop and the drillpress is one of the most awkward pieces of equipment to move.

 

[DaveT]

My Delta 17, I restored early this year. VFD, fixture plate tapped with 1/2 13 holes and a removable woodworking table

Matt,
You have done a really nice job with that drill press. Would you mind sharing a little bit about tour VFD over in this tread?

Show us your VFD conversions/installations

If you have the name/picture of the VFD, then some guidance could be provided as to programming. HY VFD's PD003 Main Frequency 60.00 PD004 Base Frequency 60.00 PD005 Max Operating Frequency 60.00 PD075 Higher Analog Frequency 60.00 The issue is a VFD is not a 3 phase power source to run...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[ClappedOutBport]

Just a baby! Cool.