Buffalo Drill Press Question

[GalaxyRat]

I stumbled upon this Buffalo drill press on marketplace and was wondering if anyone had any info about it. I am hoping to find a decent drill press to fix up and use. Would this be it?

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[Maui]

They’re excellent drill presses. I have several of them, and use them regularly.

 

[Maui]

If you can find a South Bend drill press, I would recommend them too. They are overbuilt in almost every way.

 

[GalaxyRat]

Sounds good, I guess I will reach out. Thanks!

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[Maui]

You're welcome. Let us know how you make out!

 

[Packard V8]

JMHO, but $125 would be overpaying. There are as good or better DPs around which aren't missing parts and don't need a restoration.

jack vines

 

[GalaxyRat]

JMHO, but $125 would be overpaying. There are as good or better DPs around which aren't missing parts and don't need a restoration.

jack vines

Would it be? I'll shoot him an offer and see how it goes.

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[Whitworth]

I think that drill press has something like a JT2 taper. No big deal, but if you need a chuck there isn't that much selection.

 

[Whitworth]

JMHO, but $125 would be overpaying. There are as good or better DPs around which aren't missing parts and don't need a restoration.

jack vines

There ain't nothing around here for $125. Even junk condition drill presses asking price starts at $300

 

[Packard V8]

There ain't nothing around here for $125. Even junk condition drill presses asking price starts at $300

There are different markets and different time frames. Last year, I sold a similar Buffalo DP, complete and in working condition, for $100.

Maybe if one looked on his local craigslist and there wasn't anything good that day for less than $300. If one wants the DP today, then there might not be any good deals. Is one willing to look every day? Is one willing to wait for the right deal? How long?

I buy an average of one DP per year for the past 50 years. It's not because I need another, but the deal comes along which is just too good to pass up. I clean it up, play with it and then sell it or one of my others.

Bottom line - yes, a young guy who needs it today may have a different value judgement and time frame than an old guy who has several already.

jack vines

 

[lafester]

I always look at it from a resale perspective. If you can get your money back when something better comes along then go for it.

 

[Whitworth]

There are different markets and different time frames. Last year, I sold a similar Buffalo DP, complete and in working condition, for $100.

Maybe if one looked on his local craigslist and there wasn't anything good that day for less than $300. If one wants the DP today, then there might not be any good deals. Is one willing to look every day? Is one willing to wait for the right deal? How long?

I buy an average of one DP per year for the past 50 years. It's not because I need another, but the deal comes along which is just too good to pass up. I clean it up, play with it and then sell it or one of my others.

Bottom line - yes, a young guy who needs it today may have a different value judgement and time frame than an old guy who has several already.

jack vines

Apples to avodacodes. A deal that comes along that’s just too good to pass up is cherry picking values of used machines. There’s always a chance there’s a deal and there’s always a chance you’ll find a ten dollar bill in a parking lot somewhere. But if that deal is once or twice a year, it doesn’t relate what a realistic value is.
If the PO wants to wait and look for a few months there’s a good chance he’ll find a great deal. On the other hand if the seller waits and holds firm on his price he’ll have a good chance to sell his drill press at his asking price.

 

[lafester]

I think he covers that in the bottom line.

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[GalaxyRat]

I'm sure y'all have been on the edge of your seats waiting for an update. I paid $100 for it and talked alligator talk for a little while.

I got it home and VERY carefully plugged it in. The motor hums, but doesn't turn. Probably the capacitor... It doesn't have the chuck key but everything that is supposed to turn, turns. It doesn't seem abused.

Now I am going to start researching so I can start the restoration process. I am trying to date it, anyone have any info that would help? The handles have wooden ends and the the only power switch is on the Westinghouse motor.

My wife and I are in the process of moving, but with Covid it has been and will be a slow process. I will update this thread as I make progress with my new toy... I mean tool.



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[GalaxyRat]

I have started taking it apart. I oiled up the moving parts and it swivels, raises and lowers, and the spindle return spring moves with a quickness.

I ran into a bit of a problem and could use some help. I can't get the chuck off of the spindle assembly. I was able to thread down the collar where it sits on top of the chuck. How the heck do I get this thing off?

It is a Jacob's 6A Tapered chuck.

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[GalaxyRat]

So I was able to date the motor a little bit. I found out that Westinghouse Electric Corporation was named "Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company" before 1945. My motor is stamped at the bottom of the nameplate with "WESTINGHOUSE ELEC. & MFG. Co.".

The chuck seems to have been manufactured in 1954 based on the stamp above the model type.

 

[Maui]

There should be several shallow holes in the knurled nut that you identified in the photo. A spanner wrench is used to turn the nut to get the chuck off. But you can use an appropriate sized punch and small hammer to accomplish the same thing. Just angle the punch properly in the hole and use the hammer lightly so that you don’t damage the holes. The chuck should pop off easily after completing several turns.

 

[GalaxyRat]

There should be several shallow holes in the knurled nut that you identified in the photo. A spanner wrench is used to turn the nut to get the chuck off. But you can use an appropriate sized punch and small hammer to accomplish the same thing. Just angle the punch properly in the hole and use the hammer lightly so that you don’t damage the holes. The chuck should pop off easily after completing several turns.

There is one shallow hole on the collar. I'll give it a shot tomorrow with a punch and hammer (carefully, of course) if I can't find my spanner wrenches. Thank you so much for the help!

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[Maui]

There is one shallow hole on the collar. I'll give it a shot tomorrow with a punch and hammer (carefully, of course) if I can't find my spanner wrenches. Thank you so much for the help!

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You're welcome. I never seem to have the right size spanner wrench for this task, so I usually end up resorting to the punch and small hammer. It works pretty well.

 

[GalaxyRat]

So I haven't been able to get the chuck off the arbor yet. I think I'm just going to leave it so I don't damage it. I'll try again at a later date. For now I will move on with the disassembly and start working on the electrical motor.

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[Provincial]

Jacobs makes sets of wedges to remove the chucks. They are pairs so the force is directed square to the spindle. You place them between the chuck and the collar.

 

[GalaxyRat]

Jacobs makes sets of wedges to remove the chucks. They are pairs so the force is directed square to the spindle. You place them between the chuck and the collar.

I was just reading about them, as a matter of fact. I think I'm going to e-mail them so I can be sure to get the right size.

For now, here is another update: I took the whole thing apart, the only attached pieces are the column and the base. It might as well be welded on. I don't want to risk cracking or chipping the base by banging around all over it. I stripped away the remaining paint on the head and scrubbed it with some greased lightning and water. I took the collar locking handles and miscellaneous hardware to the wire wheel.

I have the table and head support collar soaking in greased lightning and water. The spindle pulley cover, motor bracket, and feed lever are soaking in evaporust. I cleaned up the pulleys and got the motor detached from the bracket. The bearings are in excellent shape.

The motor is pretty dirty, and while I was getting the pulley off a brass nut for a terminal fell out. Yikes. The wires are exposed right at the connection to the motor and the insulation along the power cable is brittle and cracked/chipped. When I plugged it in after I first brought it home, it didn't do anything but hum. I plugged it in again now that it is off of the DP and it immediately tripped the breaker and sparked at the outlet.

I also uncovered the original paint color and will be trying to match it to the best of my abilities. It it a blueish-gray. I actually really like it, surprisingly.

Anyone got any tips for cleaning the column? I was thinking wireless drill and wire wheel.

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[GalaxyRat]

So I have the spindle pulley cover and motor mounting bracket out of the evaporust and put in the items that were in the cleaner.

I am trying to paint match, what do you guys think? Slate Gray or Dark Gray?


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[GalaxyRat]

So I've made a little more progress on this fine Memorial Day. I've stripped the parts of their paint, grease and rust. I started the process of painting the pieces and also shining up the collar handles and wiping them with some WD-40 to keep the rust down while I continue working.

I dug into the motor and the capacitor is in working order. The reason it wouldn't really run is because 3 wires coming off of the switch were frayed and exposed. I clipped the wires to the capacitor so I can rewire it and I also have a new power cord ready to go. I am still working on getting the rear bearing off the spindle so I can properly clean the innards.

I am also working on separating the base from the column and plan on just filling up a pvc pipe with evaporust and sliding the column into it and capping it once it is separated.

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[javie]

Use two PVC pipes, an outer and inner, both capped on the bottom. Just make sure they're sized to hold the column between them with a small annular space. That Evapo-rust is expensive.

Oh yeah, the column sometimes gets mushroomed at the bottom and essentially force bonded together as I'm sure you've seen. You might have to grind the bottom of the column to separate it from the base if that is the case.

I'm doing a Buffalo Forge 15 right now, too, and following your thread for pointers.