Duro drill press - help with restoration

[uoficowboy]

I just received a duro drill press. Model WWS3081. I think it's about old enough to qualify for medicare, but I don't see a date on it.


So - questions:

1. On the right side of the drill press there is a lever for the press actuation. Opposite the drill on the left side of it there is a large silver knob (one of the pictures attached) that can be rotated maybe 1/20 of a turn. It does not appear to be connected to the press actuation. When I rotate the large silver knob there is a small little knob sticking out the side of it (my fingers are touching it in one picture). That knob moves a bit (up and down, not rotating) when I rotate the large silver knob. I can unthread the small silver knob and there is just small screw threads sticking out. What are these two knobs for?


2. On the pressing mechanism there is a small thumbscrew (one of the pictures). I can't figure out what this does.


3. There is a faceplate that used to have switches or buttons for turning on the drill as well as turning on the light. Anybody know if they were switches or buttons? I'd like to find something originalish to install there.

4. On the top of the drill on top of the output pulleys (as in, the pulleys not directly connected to motor) there is a spline poking out. Above the spline there is a hole that looks like it was designed for something to connect to that spline. Any idea what would connect to that spline?


5. Lastly - any suggestions for something that can take a lifetimes worth of grease and dirt off of this? It's in good condition but my hands change color the more I touch it.

 

[Cypherian]

Hey,
Some quick googling finds

Duro Metal Products Co. - History | VintageMachinery.org

Duro Metal Products Co. - Serial Number Registry | VintageMachinery.org

Duro Metal Products Co. - Publication Reprints | VintageMachinery.org

Trade catalogs from Duro Metal Products Co.

americanhistory.si.edu

Duro Power Tools : Catalog E-41-A : Duro Metal Products Co. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

60 p., illus., 27.9 cm, trade catalog

archive.org

Indestro MFG Co. & Duro Metal Products, est. 1917 - Made-in-Chicago Museum

A history of the toolmakers Duro Metal Products & Indestro MFG Co.; part of our research archive of notable Chicago manufacturers and their products.

www.madeinchicagomuseum.com

That should be enough to dig in and find the age .

As for The grease removal PPG CFX436 works well purple power or citri clean works also .

I find buying the bundles of cheap white wash cloths at Walmart to be the cheapest rags to do initial cleaning

Mainstays Cotton Washcloth Bundle Collection, 36 Pack, White - Walmart.com

Arrives by Wed, Dec 1 Buy Mainstays Cotton Washcloth Bundle Collection, 36 Pack, White at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

Cypher

 

[BMcC]

I just received a duro drill press. Model WWS3081. I think it's about old enough to qualify for medicare, but I don't see a date on it.


So - questions:

1. On the right side of the drill press there is a lever for the press actuation. Opposite the drill on the left side of it there is a large silver knob (one of the pictures attached) that can be rotated maybe 1/20 of a turn. It does not appear to be connected to the press actuation. When I rotate the large silver knob there is a small little knob sticking out the side of it (my fingers are touching it in one picture). That knob moves a bit (up and down, not rotating) when I rotate the large silver knob. I can unthread the small silver knob and there is just small screw threads sticking out. What are these two knobs for?


2. On the pressing mechanism there is a small thumbscrew (one of the pictures). I can't figure out what this does.


3. There is a faceplate that used to have switches or buttons for turning on the drill as well as turning on the light. Anybody know if they were switches or buttons? I'd like to find something originalish to install there.

4. On the top of the drill on top of the output pulleys (as in, the pulleys not directly connected to motor) there is a spline poking out. Above the spline there is a hole that looks like it was designed for something to connect to that spline. Any idea what would connect to that spline?


5. Lastly - any suggestions for something that can take a lifetimes worth of grease and dirt off of this? It's in good condition but my hands change color the more I touch it.

You have a have a cool drill press there. As to your questions:

1. That’s the quill lock. If you use a drum sander attachment or the shaper attachment it should lock the quill in place.

2. I’m not sure…. It might be related to the quill lock.

3. Those should be toggle style switches.

4. I think the hole above the spindle is to allow tool access to hold it in place to change attachments (ie the chuck, shaper attachment, mortising attachment).

5. Simple green, a toothbrush, and towels.

Vintage Machinery has the catalog for yours here:

Duro Metal Products Co. - Publication Reprints - 1959 Duro Power Tools for Schools and Industry (Catalog No. WW59) | VintageMachinery.org

Check out pages 3 and 4 of the catalog.

- Brian

 

[uoficowboy]

You have a have a cool drill press there. As to your questions:

1. That’s the quill lock. If you use a drum sander attachment or the shaper attachment it should lock the quill in place.

2. I’m not sure…. It might be related to the quill lock.

3. Those should be toggle style switches.

4. I think the hole above the spindle is to allow tool access to hold it in place to change attachments (ie the chuck, shaper attachment, mortising attachment).

5. Simple green, a toothbrush, and towels.

Vintage Machinery has the catalog for yours here:

Duro Metal Products Co. - Publication Reprints - 1959 Duro Power Tools for Schools and Industry (Catalog No. WW59) | VintageMachinery.org

Check out pages 3 and 4 of the catalog.

- Brian

Thanks Brian! So I played more with the quill lock. I found that if I pull out the little knob I'm able to turn the large knob more. More playing with it showed that it seems to be tensioning the up/down motion of the drill press. If I let it turn too much clockwise (I think) there is no tension on the up down motion and the chuck falls to the bottom of its range of motion. Is this all expected? What does this functionality do for me and why is it useful with a drum sander attachment?

One other question: I was looking at the motor and noticed it can be rewired to reverse direction. Do drill presses typically have reverse functionality?

Lastly - I noticed the current switch is a DPST switching both line and neutral. Is that standard? I would have expected just line to be switched.

 

[BMcC]

Thanks Brian! So I played more with the quill lock. I found that if I pull out the little knob I'm able to turn the large knob more. More playing with it showed that it seems to be tensioning the up/down motion of the drill press. If I let it turn too much clockwise (I think) there is no tension on the up down motion and the chuck falls to the bottom of its range of motion. Is this all expected? What does this functionality do for me and why is it useful with a drum sander attachment?

One other question: I was looking at the motor and noticed it can be rewired to reverse direction. Do drill presses typically have reverse functionality?

Lastly - I noticed the current switch is a DPST switching both line and neutral. Is that standard? I would have expected just line to be switched.

The knob should adjust the tension on the quill, so you just fine tune it to what you need it to do. For a drum sanding attachment, you would want to adjust the knob to essentially hold the drum in place so you can hold whatever you are sanding with two hands.

Regarding the motor, there are some drill presses that can be reversed, but more likely the motor on yours just has a reversible motor because that's what someone put on it.

As far as the switch goes, I would guess that its something a previous owner installed. With the switch plate in the photos, I would expect that they would originally have had a SPST switch.