How useable are those old 1900 era drill presses?

[v7guy]

I've ran across a real old drill press, bench top and uses a combination of flat belts and v belts. It needs a motor, and belts but everything else appears to work.
Can you practically use these things to drill metal and do day to day work our am I better of waiting for a drill press from the 30s or 40s?

 

[toolsd]

I have a couple of the floor units. What makes those so useful is two things. First, TONS of torque, the smaller unit probably doesn't have as much...

Second, the quill travel. On most floor models, it's around TWELVE inches! Again, the benchtop not so much, but possibly a lot more than the standard 3 inches usually afforded.

No matter those two points, ya, it's totally usable. Might not spin quite as fast, but they're really neat little units.

Even more so than even 30's and 40's units, character! If the flat belts are usable, definitely. If not, do a little research on how much that'll cost to replace, I really haven't a clue.

Tools