Delta Variable Speed Drill Press

[Rick_Br]

Good morning - I am looking for folks who have some experience with the Delta VS Reeves drive on a 17" drill press. I am trying to solve a noise problem but have some questions about the reeves drive design differences, installation and tuning.

This seems to be a somewhat rare machine in terms of documentation and user experience so I thought it would be better to see if anyone could help before cluttering up the thread with details

Rick

 

[crguy]

Good morning - I am looking for folks who have some experience with the Delta VS Reeves drive on a 17" drill press. I am trying to solve a noise problem but have some questions about the reeves drive design differences, installation and tuning.

This seems to be a somewhat rare machine in terms of documentation and user experience so I thought it would be better to see if anyone could help before cluttering up the thread with details

Rick

Seems like a lot of those show up damaged, or well worn, sometimes from improper use.

 

[Davefr]

Good morning - I am looking for folks who have some experience with the Delta VS Reeves drive on a 17" drill press. I am trying to solve a noise problem but have some questions about the reeves drive design differences, installation and tuning.

This seems to be a somewhat rare machine in terms of documentation and user experience so I thought it would be better to see if anyone could help before cluttering up the thread with details

Rick

Have you tried vintagemachinery.org? They have all the manuals for the reeves drive Delta DPs.

 

[tool_scrounge]

Squeaking belt? I found rubbing the edges of the belt quieted it down for that problem.

 

[Rick_Br]

Have you tried vintagemachinery.org? They have all the manuals for the reeves drive Delta DPs.

Yes I have - unfortunately there is only one manual for the 17" VS machines and typically the manuals don't cover trouble shooting and noise issues.

 

[Rick_Br]

Squeaking belt? I found rubbing the edges of the belt quieted it down for that problem.

I have tried spraying WD40 on the running belt - no help. It doesn't sound like a belt issue. Here is a video of the noise issue

There is also some wobble of the top half of the reeves drive

Rick

 

[tool_scrounge]

Squeaking belt? I found rubbing the edges of the belt quieted it down for that problem.

Arg…it should read

”rubbing the edges of the belt with paraffin wax”

 

[Whitworth]

That's pretty quiet.

I'd say if you're looking for purring like a sewing machine, you'll be disappointed.

 

[Mintgrun]

Do those require grease inside? The reason I ask is, my old Craftsman mohawk drill press was making a similar rattling noise and I found an old thread online in which someone solved the same problem with grease on the splined top of the spindle. It seemed far fetched, but worked for me too. It purrs like a sewing machine now.

 

[crguy]

Arg…it should read

”rubbing the edges of the belt with paraffin wax”

The edges are what grip, not the flat part of the belt. What made you think that was a good idea?

 

[crguy]

I have tried spraying WD40 on the running belt - no help. It doesn't sound like a belt issue. Here is a video of the noise issue

There is also some wobble of the top half of the reeves drive

Rick

If the discs are wobbling, that means they are worn where they fit on the splined shaft.

 

[tool_scrounge]

The edges are what grip, not the flat part of the belt. What made you think that was a good idea?

I believe it was recommended in a post on the vintage machinery site (owwm.org). One place I worked had a Clausing variable speed drill press that squealed terribly, even with a new belt and pulleys that looked ok. A tiny amount of paraffin wax quieted it down. I too was surprised not to see noticeable slipping of the belt with larger drills.

 

[crguy]

I believe it was recommended in a post on the vintage machinery site (owwm.org). One place I worked had a Clausing variable speed drill press that squealed terribly, even with a new belt and pulleys that looked ok. A tiny amount of paraffin wax quieted it down. I too was surprised not to see noticeable slipping of the belt with larger drills.

Craziest thing I've heard in a while. V belts get their grip off the sides of the belt and there is belt dressing you can apply to improve the grip. It certainly isn't slick like wax.

 

[toplessHO]

what is a Reeves drive? Variable speed via changing pulley diameter?
My Delta Rockwell band saw has a speed drive that has a vacuum(radio) tube in it

 

[RTM]

what is a Reeves drive? Variable speed via changing pulley diameter?

Yes, I thought some of ours back in the day had two changing diameter pulleys, one setting changed both in unison.

 

[Rick_Br]

Do those require grease inside?

Good question - I haven't tried that yet but will give it a shot

what is a Reeves drive? Variable speed via changing pulley diameter?

Yes both the spindle and motor pulleys Open and close in opposite directions to effectively change the pulley diameters resulting in a speed change. The top of the spindle pulley is fixed and the bottom moves up and down. The motor puley is opposite - bottom is fixed and top moves up and down.

Rick

 

[aquinob]

I've had a couple of the 15" presses with Reeves drives come through my hands and still have a Clausing 15". You dont want any lube on the belt at all. From that video I heard a lot of rattling but cant tell if that was just the back pulley which was all that showed.

In general you want to check the whole spndle assembly for looseness/runout and checl for wear on both the front and back pulleys. Look at the faces for excessive wear and most likely put a new belt on it. They wont be silent running, maybe a bit of squeaking but should not rattle like yours was doing.

 

[Rick_Br]

Thanks Bob- in the video I showing the front spindle pulley assy. Also - it does have a new belt

 

[Whitworth]

I’ve never seen the innards of the 17" vari speed.
But I have several vari speed 15" Delta-Rockwell.
On the pulley there is a drag screw, looks like a set screw. Snug it down just enough to remove play in the cone as it rides up and down. There is also a plastic guide rod, make sure it's in good condition and placed correctly. The moving cone slides along it.
I use light oil on all the moving parts. I also sometimes touch the belt edge with parrifin wax. Just a quick touch, any more and the belt will slip as others have noted.