Buffalo No. 15 drill press refurb

[TXNinAZ]

Hi all, thought I'd share my just completed refurb/refresh of a Buffalo No 15 and maybe help someone with an idea or technique.

Bought the press at an estate sale. Last of acres of junk included the drill press and not much else. Took it home for $100, which is a great deal for old iron around here.

How it sat:




Getting it apart was a giant mess. It was covered in dirt, oil, and rust.



The most stubborn disassembly was removing the column from the base. Clamping bolts above and below base, and a thick layer of rust. A small sledge and aluminum pusher got it down though. The column is solid cast iron, not a pipe. Put it on my shipping scale: 96 lbs!



Made a new friend on the motor.



FYI brake cleaner kills spiders.

I made a huge mistake at this point- I didn't test the motor before cleaning it inside and out. Spent $18 on LectraMotive cleaner and a whole lot of time wire wheeling hardware only to find the motor was toast. Fired it up and the smoke tried escaping. Fortunately I planned for this possibility and bought a 1 horse Baldor 1740 rpm motor on Craigslist that would be a replacement for the 1/2 horse GE.

Time to get the very heavy column cleaned up. The last drill press I did this to, I used a plumbers test plug and a drill to spin it, and nylon casters as a spinning rest. This time I have a lathe, but no steady rest yet. So I used two fixture plates (1-1/2" thick each) and used toe clamps to hold down those same casters as a roller rest. Worked out fine, though it would have been a lot easier with a proper steady rest. Unfortunately the cheapest one I can find is $850 on eBay.





A lot of labor, but a combination of a die grinder with wire wheel, emory cloth strips, scotch brite, a nylon stripping wheel and a lot of cleanup did the job. Unfortunately my lathe chuck jaws grooved the end of the column as I was slowing it down against the chuck, but nothing a sanding wheel couldn't fix.



The mechanism for raising the table is beautifully engineered. The lead screw is an inch in diameter and has a very heavy layer of rust on it.



So back in the lathe. This time I wrapped some 8 gauge copper wire on the chucked end of the screw to prevent damage, and in the live center on the tailstock.



Took a lot of time. Ordered some abrasive cord which helped a lot, and ground a tool down to cut down into the corners of the threads.

 

[RStewart]

Nice work so far. Looking forward to the finished gem.

 

[TXNinAZ]

Started reassembly and tidying the electrical. Used new SO wire from the switch to the motor, and a new cord to the wall. New belt as well.

Making an adjustment to the table raising mechanism which is where the real trouble started. Cranked down the clamp just a little too much and *pop* goes the cast iron.



Ugh. Didn't bother checking eBay for a replacement. Time to put the TIG brazing skills into practice. Clamped broken part in place. Then a carbide burr to remove a V for bronze. Preheat to about 500 degrees, and then pile it on there. Cool down in a sand box to moderate temps and prevent cracking.



Run against the pedestal grinder to remove the bulk of it.



Then back to the rotary carbide burr for sculpting. Final step is to use a needle scaler to dimple the surface to make it more like the porous casting surface.



As strong as ever.



Now that we have that fixed, back to reassembly. Chased threads in spindle clamp nut, drilled and replaced broken screw on the wire clamp, and dumped motor mount socket cap screws with grade 8 hex bolts, wire wheeled to remove the un-period correct finish.

The last problem to solve was the depth stop screw. The brass nuts were good, but the steel mounting nuts were galled badly. Unfortunately they used a 7/16-24 thread, which is not a tap size available in Phoenix Arizona. Time to learn how to single-point thread on my new lathe and make a thread chaser.

Started with a 1" diameter hardened cold rolled. Used that because it was already indicated in the lathe and my 4 jaw wouldn't clamp down on a piece of 1/2 without bushing it up. Turned down to .4375 and cut threads. Fortunately the brass nuts were good- don't think I have any other 7/16-24 anywhere to use as a thread tester.



Parted off. Yes, I know. I should have relieved the threads but A. that didn't matter, and B. I was so happy to have successfully cut fine threads that I just moved on.



Now for heat treating to harden it a bit. Quenched in oil.



And ground relief on two sides for the chips.



Worked like a charm!

 

[TXNinAZ]

All done. Decided from the beginning not to repaint it. The paint under the filth was actually pretty good, and I have a tendency to over-restore things, so this time I throttled back. I think it came out great.













Hope you guys like it!

 

[ALLFAST]

Awesome work Aaron. Good tip on the needlegun for texture. Exactly how much torque split the clamp? Hand snug plus 1/4 turn or was it more ?

Thanks,
Shawn

 

[TXNinAZ]

Awesome work Aaron. Good tip on the needlegun for texture. Exactly how much torque split the clamp? Hand snug plus 1/4 turn or was it more ?

Thanks,
Shawn

Thanks Shawn. The needle gun does such a good job on bronze. Really gives the right amount of texture for mimicking the sand cast. I'm not sure exactly how far I snugged the clamp bolt when it broke. I was trying to bring the whole assembly up about 4", so I wanted it snug enough not to slip down while I adjusted the lower mount. Just a bozo moment and I cranked it too much. A very sad moment in the shop yesterday [emoji24]

 

[Mike W.]

Coming along really really well. Look forward to see the next set of pics!

 

[1982fxr]

Awesome write up. Pretty sure I'm jealous of your shop.

Was that a recluse spider!?

 

[TXNinAZ]

Awesome write up. Pretty sure I'm jealous of your shop.



Was that a recluse spider!?

Thanks man! I don't think it was a recluse, but spiders belong outside. I want them eating all the bugs so the scorpions don't have any food and go somewhere else [emoji23]

 

[ndnchf]

Nice job, that thing is a real beast!

 

[CrotalusAtrox]

Great job on the restoration that's is a solid machine, my back remembers unloading it. Its nice seeing some older equipment left in their original condition when they have a lot of there original paint left on them. I know that feeling when something breaks feels like someone kicked you in the gut. Great job on the repair.

 

[larry4406]

Beautiful job! I like the functional restoration aspect vs over restored. The contrast between the faded paint patina and the shiny metal bits is awesome.

 

[Packard V8]

Nice work. We don't see many Buffalo machines this far west. The table raising mechanism is way cool,

jack vines

 

[TXNinAZ]

Thanks guys! It was a lot of work, but it's a great machine. And special thanks to CrotalusAtrox for helping get it out of the truck. Would have been screwed getting it into the shop on my own!

 

[schor]

Just found this thread so a little late to the party, nice job. Can you tell me the od of the depth stop nuts? I have the proper tap and I want to make some nuts for my press.

 

[aircommuter]

I like my Buffalo, old but solid, and a big quill

 

[txlonghorn1989]

Very nice job on the restoration! I also like that you didn't repaint it. The original paint is surprisingly solid. Congrats on the find and the work on cleaning it up! Wish I had your metalworking skills and machines! ;-) I also wish I had your Buffalo DP!!

 

[zzhjn9]

That is an awesome rebuild. I just bought a Buffalo 15 and am going to pick it up. I only have an SUV, so I am planning to take the top and base off when I get there. Can you let me know what tools I will need so I can get it partially disassembled? Any tips you might have would also be helpful. Its a couple hours away so I only get one shot at it and would hate to make the trip and come back empty handed.

 

[Maui]

Nice work! Those vintage Buffalo drill presses are built like tanks, and are impressively accurate. I have a floor standing model that I am currently restoring, and am looking forward to completing it hopefully later on this summer.

Maui

 

[1982fxr]

That is an awesome rebuild. I just bought a Buffalo 15 and am going to pick it up. I only have an SUV, so I am planning to take the top and base off when I get there. Can you let me know what tools I will need so I can get it partially disassembled? Any tips you might have would also be helpful. Its a couple hours away so I only get one shot at it and would hate to make the trip and come back empty handed.

Any way you can get a trailer?

Being in Canada, was it ever outside? Rust...?

If I was driving several hours I would not want to chance it on needing disassembly to load.