8" drill press, needs a motor and Im thinking outside the box

[skeer]

So I picked up an older Chinese 8" drill press at the junkyard for a cool $5. Motor turned over, all the parts were there, felt like a good project to clean up, figure out what works and what doesn't and just have something to mess with. Lots of us have been there I bet.
First things first, this guy is a carbon copy of what's still for sale now by places like Harbor Freight, Ryobi, Craftsman, etc, etc.
So I discovered that the motor worked fine (unladen), pinion and switch and everything was perfectly fine except the quill, had some broken teeth.
Turns out the quills are just nicely polished pot metal.. anyway I ended up cutting out a channel and JB welding in a couple strips of bar stock. Then grounding out new teeth with both the 4 inch grinder and the dremel.
So that’s that, quill is fixed and moves up and down like it should.
So next thing discovered was that the motor tended to not have much torque. Its a 1/3hp, 120v, 2.3a running at 1600rpm.. not very easy to find a similar sized replacement online.

I went rounds with trying different capacitors thinking maybe the was in there was mis-sized. Nope, not the problem.. turns out there was a couple winding wires in the starting loop that had been rubbing on a case bolt.

So, it’s time to source a new motor, and being the ultra cheapskate, repurpose anything that can be kinda guy I’m looking at other options. Besides all that, fixing stuff is fun for me.
So in my arsenal of other motors I have an option. A 1 horse Doerr from the 80’s that weighs at least twice as this little one does but it’d need a speed control of some sort. Being a 3450rpm job I’m pretty sure I’d burn way too many bits than I’d want to.

So there’s that or there’s possibly finding a treadmill motor like many others have done. But I wanted to toss out a few ideas to you more experienced folks and get some feedback.

I do have the call out to folks locally for an old treadmill.. but I was thinking about other sources that are super common at my junkyard. Like a submersible well pump motor Forgot about water cooling.. 120 volts, a couple horses most time, might work yeah?
Or a washing machine motor?
Shoot I’ve been reading about converting an alternator to a dc motor, that’d be two projects in one!
I have a fistful of 25a 400v rectifiers, maybe DC is the way to go with this project. Thoughts?

 

[Packard V8]

First, I share your enthusiasm for repairing tools and machines others have given up on. A small treadmill DC motor can usually be had for free, to stay with your go-low theme. They're a PITA to get the belts and mounting brackets and speed control fabbed up, but it's done all the time.

Having said that, I've also given up trying to polish a turd. You can put all the time and effort into that little POS and it will still be a $25 POS.

If one needs a small benchtop DP, the 1940s-'70s 10" Deltas are still thick on the ground and are a quality piece, the head casting, quill and spindle are built as strong as the 14" models.

jack vines

 

[bluedog225]

My old delta just went TU. Hoping it’s the capacitor.

 

[lilredex]

You can buy those 8" imports complete for $25 or less, so don't waste a lot of energy on it. Look for a curbside dryer for the motor....usually 1725 RPM and adaptable.

Where are you?? I have an 8" DP motor you can have.

 

[nadogail]

I see more than a few washers and dryers listed on Craig's list, that can be had just for hauling them away.

 

[skeer]

First, I share your enthusiasm for repairing tools and machines others have given up on. A small treadmill DC motor can usually be had for free, to stay with your go-low theme. They're a PITA to get the belts and mounting brackets and speed control fabbed up, but it's done all the time.

Having said that, I've also given up trying to polish a turd. You can put all the time and effort into that little POS and it will still be a $25 POS.

If one needs a small benchtop DP, the 1940s-'70s 10" Deltas are still thick on the ground and are a quality piece, the head casting, quill and spindle are built as strong as the 14" models.

jack vines

I've def posted on Craigslist and checked the FB Marketplace (I abhor FB!) and there's nada. People around here don't really post broken stuff, they toss it out to the curb or throw it in the trash pile behind the house.. literally.
When the ground dries I am going back to the JY to check the motor section but I've never seen treadmills there either.
You mentioned a Delta, lol. Folks around here see Delta and it's an immediate 50% markup.

I do get you though.. I have my turd polishing limits as well. So far I've salvaged and brought back to life a planer, router, chop saw (wood and metal), and retrofit a 48" belt driven CC desk onto my shaft driven CC. I friggin love junk-spelunking!

 

[skeer]

You can buy those 8" imports complete for $25 or less, so don't waste a lot of energy on it. Look for a curbside dryer for the motor....usually 1725 RPM and adaptable.

Where are you?? I have an 8" DP motor you can have.

Also, not around here. Actually cheapest identical (more or less) DP I saw on FB yesterday. Same thing, mind you. $120. I couldn't believe it.. but, smarts isn't in supply in these parts.
I def appreciate the offer, I'm in Michigan about, eh... 3 hours from the nearest border town. The lovely hamlet of Detroit.

 

[skeer]

I see more than a few washers and dryers listed on Craig's list, that can be had just for hauling them away.

I actually did not look for a washer (or dryer). I kick myself because I took one to the dump a few months ago.

 

[PCustoms]

Having said that, I've also given up trying to polish a turd. You can put all the time and effort into that little POS and it will still be a $25 POS.

Time to throw this one back before you put money into it.

 

[SweetD]

I have an old 1725 GE electric motor on my DP - a Powr-Kraft radial model. Works fine. I bet you can find something for free if you have a little patience.

 

[driftpin]

Decent functional DP's are so-cheap, I wouldn't spend my time on what you're doing. Find something ready to rock & roll and work on your projects which are languishing while trying to do something with this.

I sold a Delta DP220 before COVID, with a GE motor, for <$100.

BTW, it's helpful to include your location with your screen name, someone may have a good DP for cheap by you.

 

[bb29510]

find you something that turns low rpm, like 1100, my motor on my tawainn dp is a 3/4 1750 rpm

 

[Kuma601]

Pondering this with the late 2000's Craftsman 21914 drill press that the neighbor gifted to me. Some amusement in cleaning it up but the thought of spending $ on it is going south. Other than the painted areas, the exposed steel reminds me of the underside of a car in the rust belt. Not pretty at all. It can be cleaned up but in the end this is a marginal press.

 

[skeer]

I appreciate the advice, sincerely. But some are overlooking the fact that this is a project to me. Yeah when it was brand new it was cheap.. probably sub-HF kind of cheap. If I spend days of my time and a hundred bucks, well yeah when I put it like that it sounds dumb, lol. But I like fixing and repurposing things.

 

[Tools4Me]

I appreciate the advice, sincerely. But some are overlooking the fact that this is a project to me. Yeah when it was brand new it was cheap.. probably sub-HF kind of cheap. If I spend days of my time and a hundred bucks, well yeah when I put it like that it sounds dumb, lol. But I like fixing and repurposing things.

If you're having fun and learning in the process, that's truly all that matters. How many people drive $70k trucks with pristine unused beds and no trailer hitch? How many fisherman own a $40k+ boat that gets 4 miles to the gallon and also use one or many expensive rods and reels to catch $100 worth of fish a couple weekends per year? If it was all about return on investment, with some skill and practice they likely could've caught that same $100 worth of fish from shore with a handline and a 5 gallon bucket to sit on.

Pretty much any person who has ever purchased a brand new vehicle saw the value of it go down by hundreds of dollars or more the second they drove it off of the dealer's lot. I know quite a few people who pay upwards of $200 for one month worth of cable television or $100 just to go out to dinner once. What's the long term return on investment for that? I know women who make quilts that take many hours to sew, and in the end they look just like the quilts you can buy from an online retailer for less than $100. That isn't the point though, because their handmade quilts are made using pieces of clothing their children used to wear, clothing that wasn't in good enough condition to donate.

Do lovers of vintage video game systems care about the fact that their console will only be worth $50 max when they finish getting it operational again? No, they are doing it because the old games they are going to be playing remind them of their childhood and it's fun to them. I have family members with huge collections of things like beanie babies and happy meal toys. Those things make them smile for some reason, so I wish them the best even though all that stuff is worth almost nothing and will likely end up being donated to a thrift store once they pass away. Chinese drill presses, $100k sports cars, $5 million dollar homes, and $10k mobile homes will all turn to dust eventually. The best anyone can truly hope for in life is to find themselves excited to get out of bed in the morning and reluctant to want to go to sleep at night. Anything that helps you to come closer to that goal is worth your time.

I work on "junk stuff" myself from time to time, but I'm not a "junk stuff fixer" I'm more of a "junk stuff repurposer". I enjoy taking parts that would otherwise be thrown away or recycled and making them into something valuable and functionally useful to me. I recently repurposed parts from a cheap Chinese metal baby gate that was broken and used those parts to modify some tools I already own to make them a lot more functional to me. I will probably be using those modified tools at least once a week for the rest of my life. I find myself smiling every time I use them, because the modified tools I made aren't something I could purchase anywhere even if I wanted to and because I remember where the parts I used came from.

Keep it up OP, what you are doing sounds like fun.

 

[skeer]

If you're having fun and learning in the process, that's truly all that matters. How many people drive $70k trucks with pristine unused beds and no trailer hitch? How many fisherman own a $40k+ boat that gets 4 miles to the gallon and also use one or many expensive rods and reels to catch $100 worth of fish a couple weekends per year? If it was all about return on investment, with some skill and practice they likely could've caught that same $100 worth of fish from shore with a handline and a 5 gallon bucket to sit on.

Pretty much any person who has ever purchased a brand new vehicle saw the value of it go down by hundreds of dollars or more the second they drove it off of the dealer's lot. I know quite a few people who pay upwards of $200 for one month worth of cable television or $100 just to go out to dinner once. What's the long term return on investment for that? I know women who make quilts that take many hours to sew, and in the end they look just like the quilts you can buy from an online retailer for less than $100. That isn't the point though, because their handmade quilts are made using pieces of clothing their children used to wear, clothing that wasn't in good enough condition to donate.

Do lovers of vintage video game systems care about the fact that their console will only be worth $50 max when they finish getting it operational again? No, they are doing it because the old games they are going to be playing remind them of their childhood and it's fun to them. I have family members with huge collections of things like beanie babies and happy meal toys. Those things make them smile for some reason, so I wish them the best even though all that stuff is worth almost nothing and will likely end up being donated to a thrift store once they pass away. Chinese drill presses, $100k sports cars, $5 million dollar homes, and $10k mobile homes will all turn to dust eventually. The best anyone can truly hope for in life is to find themselves excited to get out of bed in the morning and reluctant to want to go to sleep at night. Anything that helps you to come closer to that goal is worth your time.

I work on "junk stuff" myself from time to time, but I'm not a "junk stuff fixer" I'm more of a "junk stuff repurposer". I enjoy taking parts that would otherwise be thrown away or recycled and making them into something valuable and functionally useful to me. I recently repurposed parts from a cheap Chinese metal baby gate that was broken and used those parts to modify some tools I already own to make them a lot more functional to me. I will probably be using those modified tools at least once a week for the rest of my life. I find myself smiling every time I use them, because the modified tools I made aren't something I could purchase anywhere even if I wanted to and because I remember where the parts I used came from.

Keep it up OP, what you are doing sounds like fun.

We might have been separated at birth.

 

[genog]

Yeah, sounds like you have a FUN project on your hands!
That's the main thing.

Where are all the Treadmills when you need one??
Not too very long time ago, there were so many that the local thrift stores refused to take them.

 

[RTM]

Wait a couple of months, lots of people making New Years resolutions right now. I suspect around April they will start hitting the streets.

 

[skeer]

Just came back from a successful JY hunt. I've got 3 new motors to try. All 120v; 1st is 1/2hp 1750rpm 4A from a washing machine. 2nd is a 1/4hp, 1750rpm also from a washer. And last is an unknown 1/2hp from a garage door opener.

 

[lilredex]

Just came back from a successful JY hunt. I've got 3 new motors to try. All 120v; 1st is 1/2hp 1750rpm 4A from a washing machine. 2nd is a 1/4hp, 1750rpm also from a washer. And last is an unknown 1/2hp from a garage door opener.

Problem with washing machine motors is they often use external relays to reverse it, etc. Not always that useful without a circuit dwg. Did you look at them yet? That's why I like dryer motors.

 

[skeer]

Hmm, didnt know that. Ill have to check again.

 

[bb29510]

need a 1100 rpm about 3/5 hp

 

[BDT/NWMN]

For People like the OP and Myself, Logic or Common Sense Thankfully don't necessarily apply to a project that is considered a Hobby or Pass Time.

 

[skeer]

Yeah so the big 1/2 horse is a model C67NXBSS (or maytag part number 8528158), except this guy I believe is just a two speed as it only has 6 out of 10 possible wires in the connector. Plenty of folks have hard wired them up but I will try to get the hi and low speeds working somehow. Since extra low is a possible 250rpm, medium is around 1200 and high is 1760 on the three speeds I'm pretty sure this ones like 110 and 1700.. Although if I only get High at least it's not much different than the OG motor.
Its one like this: https://www.appliancepartspros.com/whirlpool-motor-2-speed-wp661600-ap6010250.html

The garage opener motor is this one:
https://www.appliancepartspros.com/whirlpool-motor-2-speed-wp661600-ap6010250.html (didnt realize it's also probably a half horse)

 

[skeer]

The later being intermittent duty might not be the best candidate. First choice is the Maytag, just identify wiring, figure out the mount and git it a whirl. I might have to try welding a slight extension onto the shaft though.

 

[skeer]

The weather wasnt amazing outside today so I didnt have time to open a dryer.

 

[Indexmill]

I believe that most old washing machines and dryers being scrapped today have 3-phase motors with highly customized driver electronics that make it perform much better as a washer, but that make it a poor choice for repurposing on a drill press. Check carefully.

 

[skeer]

I believe that most old washing machines and dryers being scrapped today have 3-phase motors with highly customized driver electronics that make it perform much better as a washer, but that make it a poor choice for repurposing on a drill press. Check carefully.

Likely true.. but I didn't scrap from a cool LG or anything fancy. Normal washer with old school dials and knobs. Besides, as I mentioned above, I looked up the model number.

 

[skeer]

Decent functional DP's are so-cheap, I wouldn't spend my time on what you're doing. Find something ready to rock & roll and work on your projects which are languishing while trying to do something with this.

I sold a Delta DP220 before COVID, with a GE motor, for <$100.

BTW, it's helpful to include your location with your screen name, someone may have a good DP for cheap by you.

I wanted to come back to this just to help show you how silly it is here. Craigslist today, I counted 4 DP's exactly like mine just with different brands. Cheapest was $125. LIke.. no friggin way.

 

[Zeus36]

Dug this out of a dumpster dockside and converted it into something other than a DP. Even had a keyless chuck:

 

[73project]

Wait a couple of months, lots of people making New Years resolutions right now. I suspect around April they will start hitting the streets.

Those new treadmills are not the ones getting sold. The ones getting sold have been used sporadically the first year, had clothes stored on them the second year, and then finally got in the way of the next "trash waiting to happen" purchase on the third year!

 

[skeer]

@Zeus36 That sir, is pretty damn ingenious. I'll have to remember this when I grow up and graduate to a real DP.

 

[Packard V8]

@Zeus36 That sir, is pretty damn ingenious. I'll have to remember this when I grow up and graduate to a real DP.

Have to admit, in sixty years of using DPs, that's one conversion which has never occurred to me, nor have I seen anyone else do it.

jack vines

 

[skeer]

Changing the belt would be a complete PITA. lol

 

[david3921]

Changing the belt would be a complete PITA. lol

Looks like, once you got it off the pulleys, you remove/replace from the bottom.

 

[Zeus36]

I'll likely be dead by the time that belt is due to be swapped out. I've since moved the belt to the highest spindle speed.

 

[skeer]

Re-visiting this, Finally yanked a TM motor and controller today. Went digging online, and ordered a 4k watt voltage regulator. Combine that with these big a$$ FW rectifiers I bought last year and then I'll be cooking with fire. It'd be super cool to fit the incline motor onto a DP and use it for the platform but I don't have a geared platform, yet.

 

[bubinga]

So I picked up an older Chinese 8" drill press at the junkyard for a cool $5. Motor turned over, all the parts were there, felt like a good project to clean up, figure out what works and what doesn't and just have something to mess with. Lots of us have been there I bet.
First things first, this guy is a carbon copy of what's still for sale now by places like Harbor Freight, Ryobi, Craftsman, etc, etc.
So I discovered that the motor worked fine (unladen), pinion and switch and everything was perfectly fine except the quill, had some broken teeth.
Turns out the quills are just nicely polished pot metal.. anyway I ended up cutting out a channel and JB welding in a couple strips of bar stock. Then grounding out new teeth with both the 4 inch grinder and the dremel.
So that’s that, quill is fixed and moves up and down like it should.
So next thing discovered was that the motor tended to not have much torque. Its a 1/3hp, 120v, 2.3a running at 1600rpm.. not very easy to find a similar sized replacement online.

I went rounds with trying different capacitors thinking maybe the was in there was mis-sized. Nope, not the problem.. turns out there was a couple winding wires in the starting loop that had been rubbing on a case bolt.

So, it’s time to source a new motor, and being the ultra cheapskate, repurpose anything that can be kinda guy I’m looking at other options. Besides all that, fixing stuff is fun for me.
So in my arsenal of other motors I have an option. A 1 horse Doerr from the 80’s that weighs at least twice as this little one does but it’d need a speed control of some sort. Being a 3450rpm job I’m pretty sure I’d burn way too many bits than I’d want to.

So there’s that or there’s possibly finding a treadmill motor like many others have done. But I wanted to toss out a few ideas to you more experienced folks and get some feedback.

I do have the call out to folks locally for an old treadmill.. but I was thinking about other sources that are super common at my junkyard. Like a submersible well pump motor Forgot about water cooling.. 120 volts, a couple horses most time, might work yeah?
Or a washing machine motor?
Shoot I’ve been reading about converting an alternator to a dc motor, that’d be two projects in one!
I have a fistful of 25a 400v rectifiers, maybe DC is the way to go with this project. Thoughts?

Nice job on the quill rack. I'd do a treadmill motor, you'll love it!

 

[bubinga]

First, I share your enthusiasm for repairing tools and machines others have given up on. A small treadmill DC motor can usually be had for free, to stay with your go-low theme. They're a PITA to get the belts and mounting brackets and speed control fabbed up, but it's done all the time.

Some of them are actually 56 frame motors, with a 5/8" shaft.

Having said that, I've also given up trying to polish a turd. You can put all the time and effort into that little POS and it will still be a $25 POS.

So what? it's something to horse around with.

If one needs a small benchtop DP, the 1940s-'70s 10" Deltas are still thick on the ground and are a quality piece, the head casting, quill and spindle are built as strong as the 14" models.

jack vines

 

[bubinga]

You can buy those 8" imports complete for $25 or less, so don't waste a lot of energy on it. Look for a curbside dryer for the motor....usually 1725 RPM and adaptable.

Where are you?? I have an 8" DP motor you can have.

Yeah, washer or dryer motor would work too.
Tread mill motor, sometimes you can use the control board from the treadmill too!