Powermatic 1150a drill press speed problems

[streetcore]

Hi everyone,

I posted this over at owwm.org, but haven't had any replies. I found some discussions here about Powermatic drill presses, so I thought I'd try here as well.

I went to look an 1150a variable speed drill press the other day (see pic below). The seller warned me that it made some squealing or high pitched "grinding" noises at certain speeds, but as far as he knew it worked fine. He figured it might just need some adjustments or possibly a new belt, but admitted he didn't know that much about the machine and had only ever used it at the slowest speed.

When I turned it on and started changing the speeds the squealing/grinding was quite loud at points and definitely concerning, but a bigger concern was when I let go of the speed control lever it wouldn't hold the speed and would drift a bit and/or suddenly shift back to the highest speed. There was also a lot of play in the lever that didn't seem normal.

We pulled the cover off for a closer look and while it was running I also noticed the outer race of the upper bearing was spinning slowly, which didn't seem right. I shut it off and moved the speed control lever back and forth a little bit and could see the upper bearing moving up and down in the housing bore (not sure if that's the right term). So maybe the bearing bad and is causing some of the noise, but I'm also worried the housing bore may be worn over sized if the whole bearing is spinning.

I shot a video showing some of these problems and you can see it at the link below. I hope you can all see it. You can see the bearing moving up and down in the first few seconds.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/8U29nbjk5woQF1797

I told the seller I would think about it, so I'd love to hear any ideas about fixing the speed problems and the noise. Below is a pic of the machine.

Thanks very much.

 

[TLGriff]

The outer race definitely should not be turning in the bore. The bore will need to be repaired and there are shims made just for that situation. They are called wear sleeves and are available from any bearing supplier. I think McMaster Carr also carries them. Depending on how much wear there is, Loctite may also be an option. If all else fails, a strip of shim stock to fill the gap will work. Just be sure it is thick enough to provide a slight interference fit between the bearing and bore. I suspect once you get it all disassembled and the bearings replaced, you'll find some sort of drag mechanism to take care of the drifting. It may be as simple as adjusting the spring tension on the motor hub.

Tom

 

[lilredex]

I told the seller I would think about it


That's what I'd do. Watched your vid over on OWWM and it looks like trouble, just like those Delta DP 350 drill presses.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=361018&page=2

Get a sixteen speed older one, like I did in the above.

 

[streetcore]

Thanks for the replies. I'll definitely have to give this one some more thought. I liked the idea of variable speed and my initial research into this drill press turned up lots of very positive opinions. I've since learned the belt is no longer available and these variable speed pulleys can be noisy and, as lilredex points out, difficult or impossible to repair.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Off subject....If you have 3 phase power, get a gear head DP...I just got a Solberga and HOLY ****! I'll never go back to a belt driven DP....(but you do need 3ph for high/low speeds plus reverse)