bent valves
Active member
I found a drill press that had been posted on Craigslist for months. There was no picture and no description other that it had a 1/2 inch chuck. Not much to go on but it was priced at $60 which made me curious. I called and found out it was a floor standing antique. So off I went.
It was a well used 17 inch Rockwell from the early 1950's and looked like it had been dipped in chocolate syrup from the cutting fluid stains. It also had a 3 phase motor. The table had the "smile of shame" from holes drilled too deep. But still, the price was right!
The first thing started on was the damaged table. Here is a shot of the "smile" filled with scrap bolts after tapping and Loctite. Some of the shallow divots were filled with JB Weld.
And the after shot.
Because of the 3 phase motor my choices were to change to a single phase or add a VFD (variable frequency drive). The VFD will allow both forward and reverse direction and an easy way to adjust speed. In this photo there is a switch (FWD- OFF- REV) and pot to adjust speed at the front. I used a Teco VFD for the 1 HP motor and this was less expensive that a single phase motor.
Here is a overall shot of the drill press. I have since modified the casters on the base to make it more stable. I have about $200 into this. for paint, casters, the VFD and this including the cost of the drill press.
It was a well used 17 inch Rockwell from the early 1950's and looked like it had been dipped in chocolate syrup from the cutting fluid stains. It also had a 3 phase motor. The table had the "smile of shame" from holes drilled too deep. But still, the price was right!
The first thing started on was the damaged table. Here is a shot of the "smile" filled with scrap bolts after tapping and Loctite. Some of the shallow divots were filled with JB Weld.
And the after shot.
Because of the 3 phase motor my choices were to change to a single phase or add a VFD (variable frequency drive). The VFD will allow both forward and reverse direction and an easy way to adjust speed. In this photo there is a switch (FWD- OFF- REV) and pot to adjust speed at the front. I used a Teco VFD for the 1 HP motor and this was less expensive that a single phase motor.
Here is a overall shot of the drill press. I have since modified the casters on the base to make it more stable. I have about $200 into this. for paint, casters, the VFD and this including the cost of the drill press.
