Questions on my Delta 14-007 Drill Press

[BRay549]

I just picked this drill press up off of Craig’s List. The serial number indicates a date of 1945. I have never seen a drill press this old, in this fine of condition. Although I could have found one cheaper, this one was still way cheaper than a new one.

I do have a few questions maybe some of you could help me on.

1. The motor has a top RPM of 1725, then adjusts down to 1150, 740 then the slowest at 430 RPM’s. If I wanted to increase the RPM’s would the only way be to change the original motor? How bout different pulleys?
2. The drill press is really in pristine condition; should I just leave it alone and deal with the 1725 RPM’s?
3. The pulley cover has two screw holes towards the top; does anybody know what this might be for?
4. The pulley cover only covers the front spindle; did Delta offer a cover that also covers the belt and motor pulley as well?
5. I have seen a column mounted hold down clamp—where can I find one?

Thank you for your input.

 

[WWIIjeep]

Answers to your questions in red.

I do have a few questions maybe some of you could help me on.

1. The motor has a top RPM of 1725, then adjusts down to 1150, 740 then the slowest at 430 RPM’s. If I wanted to increase the RPM’s would the only way be to change the original motor? How bout different pulleys?

Unless someone has substituted a different motor pulley for the original, your spindle speeds with the 1725 RPM motor should be 470, 780, 1300 and 1950 RPM. If you want faster speeds, there are three ways to do it, but one of them is something Delta never did.

1. Change the spindle pulley from your existing "slo-speed" to the "high speed" one. That will be the easiest and cheapest way to do it. You'll have to find the "high speed" spindle pulley assembly (not too hard to find, and an easy one-bolt swap) and replace the existing V-belt with a shorter one.

2. Find a No. 1029 multi-speed attachment, which is a third pulley that fits into the column. It would give you 12 speeds from a low of 185 to a high of 4825 RPM. The problem is, that accessory is rare, and tends to command pretty high prices.

3. Switch to a 3450 RPM motor, doubling your current speeds. Delta never offered that option except on their super high speed drill press (speeds in excess of 5000 RPM on that model, nothing slower).

2. The drill press is really in pristine condition; should I just leave it alone and deal with the 1725 RPM’s?

Option 2 mentioned above will solve your problem as Delta would have done it at the time with their high speed model (not to be confused with their super high speed model).

3. The pulley cover has two screw holes towards the top; does anybody know what this might be for?

Those are for the hinge piece for the optional rear guard assembly.

4. The pulley cover only covers the front spindle; did Delta offer a cover that also covers the belt and motor pulley as well?

See answer to number 3 above. It's a fairly rare item, but can be found with patience, a little luck on eBay, and $$$$.

 

[Packard V8]

Congrats on a classic. Love the old Deltas. Yours appears to have the desirable slow speed pulleys. Better for drilling in steel.

To understand how the change in pulley ratios multiply the spindle RPM, measure the OD of the drive and driven pulleys. Convert the two to a factor and multiply by 1725. Say the drive pulley is 6" and the driven pulley is 3". That's 2:1, so your spindle speed would be 3450 RPM. Say a smaller drive pulley is 3" and the larger driven pulley is 6". That's 1:2, so the spindle speed would be 862.5 RPMs.

Yes, Delta offered a rear cover on some models, but why would you really need one? I've been using those same DPs for fifty years and never gotten anything tangled up in the pulleys while operating one.

Column diameters are pretty standard and Craftsman, Walker-Turner, Atlas and millions of Deltas all were the same. Should be a column lock on eBay at any given time. Again, I have one column lock and five drill presses. For what operation is a column lock essential?

 

[Jim C.]

Great find!! I have two old Delta drill presses; a 1951 17", and a 1959 32" radial. I wouldn't part with either one of them. Those old Deltas were made to last. I dont know what you paid for your drill press, but it looks to be in great original, complete condition. Looks like the original motor, with slow speed pulleys, and an original #882 Delta light. The light alone is probably worth about $50 - $75. The table looks like it avoided the "arc of shame" too. That's a fine looking machine.

Jim C.

 

[BRay549]

Thank you all for the information and helpful advice.
I will be on the look out for the 1029 multi-speed attachment, it sounds like an ideal add on to this drill press.