Vintage Power Tools.

[Jey]

I'm not sure what it is, but I hate stuff that's new, or plastic, or pretty much anything that was made within the last 50 years. It's got some personality to it. Some soul. Tools with soul are better than the new stuff to me.

I've been setting up shop, and trying to score vintage stuff.

Right now I've been looking for an old drill press / vertical drill mill.

I found this little ****** on craigslist.. it's a craftsman SKF??



Let's see what you've got thats old. Or what I should be looking for.

I want to find a bandsaw and a griding wheel as well. What brands are the good old industrial stuff?

 

[kbs2244]

Well, for sure it is a drill press.
For wood or metal will depend on quill RPM.
The first thing to check is for wear in the quill bearings.
When you run it does the chuck run true or is there any wobble?

 

[Jey]

I am going to go look at it tonight.

Am i just looking for runout on the chuck?

What is ideal RPM for general metal work? assuming nothing more than 1/2" metal pieces etc?

 

[jimvannoy]

Here are a few of mine. Sioux valve grinder, Black Diamond drill grinder, Craftsman/Atlas lathe, Coats 30/30 tire machine.

 

[Uncle Buck]

SKF is in reference to a brand of bearings; I do not know if they are still in business or not. Many of the old name manufacturers touted things such as that. The most noted for touting SKF bearing was Atlas to my knowledge; as there was a period of time that all Atlas tools carried a sticker and they were even plugged in the old Atlas catalogs of the day. I have an early 1940's Atlas catalog that bears out what I am saying. I think your drill press was made by Atlas based on the sticker plus the fact that most of the old Craftsman tool line of days gone by was made by them and King Seeley. As was already posted you really need to look at the quill and bearings the quill rides in for condition, wear, and runout. If I had the opportunity I would snap that up myself as the bearings that Atlas used in their equipment are generally a standard size and still readily available through bearing supply vendors. If the quill is too far gone and in need of replacement you could be in a bind unless you are able to reproduce it, or have one made. When you go to ebay you rarely see parts for drill presses, at least not that I have ever noticed. It is a different story on Atlas mills, lathes, and metal shapers, parts a plenty on ebay. Atlas does have junk gears though!

I do not have the ability or a camera to show my old equipment but it is as follows: a 1970's Craftsman badged Atlas 12" swing quick change equipped heavily tooled lathe complete with a full set of never used metric gears, one of the last that sears sold. I also have 2 Atlas 7" metel shapers and an 8" Shape Rite metal shaper (all quite old) I also have a small Atlas brand hoizontal mill, an old Craftsman 4" capacity power hack saw, a 1960's-70's vintage Craftsman horizontal metal band saw, a 1940's-50's vintage Western Auto bench drill press that closely resembles the drill you are looking at and an old Sunnen Hone identical to the one shown in jimvannoys pictures. I also recently aquired a 1970's vintage Craftsman bench grinder that while not real old is still head and shoulders over most of what is available today.

 

[daddylama]

i used to have a pre-war "Mildon Dual Action Compound Miter Saw"...
the only one i had ever seen. basically a double compound sliding miter saw, with arms, rather than a slide/rail. worked awesome, used it for metal cutting, though it was made for wood. the thing weighed 230lbs.

got it, as well as an old Blaisdell & Co. machine lathe and an old drill press from a house down the street... owner had passed away, no kin. state sold the house and all contents to a development company... they were throwing everything away and tearing down the house. they let me carry out any of the "junk" i wanted. the "junk" included a ~600lb anvil and a HUGE 10' (yes, FOOT) wood lathe powered by a 4cyl flathead engine.

used it all for a few years, then after my divorce decided that the house had to be sold... i got rid of most of my equipment. gave the saw and lathe to a young hot rodder with some serious art talent (friend's little brother)... sold a lot of the other stuff. i had decided to leave the country for a while... just take a tour of the world.
2 weeks before leaving, i met my current wife. couldn't fathom leaving, once i'd met her...
it all worked out great, but wish i had kept all the equipment!!!

i'll see if i can dig up some pics... the saw truly a trip to see... nobody i'd shown it to had ever seen another.
the guy i gave it to: he got mixed up with drugs & the wrong crowd... saw is gone.

still have a lot of pre-war hand tools, hammers, dollys, a 200lb anvil, an a lathe...
new tools/equipment just isn't the same.

 

[Jey]

Thanks for all the info guys, I am going to check out this Drill Press tonight.

here's some more pix from the listing on craigslist...

 

[Uncle Buck]

Thanks for all the info guys, I am going to check out this Drill Press tonight.

here's some more pix from the listing on craigslist...

Judging from the pics I bet it is in great shape. What is the asking price?

 

[Jey]

100 bones...

 

[Major Ramifications]

You may want to check out OWWM.com (Old WoodWorking Machinery)

 

[mhoffm911]

Go to auctions. I sell stuff like that all the time. I have done quite a few auctions in Michigan, so I know they have them there too! Good luck.

 

[SteveL]

Here's what I have gotten so far: 1939 Delta Unisaw and a 1943 Delta 6" jointer for $300. Before and after restoration pics.

1980's Delta band saw in almost new condition with riser block, mobile base, fence and 5 good blades........$450.

TP Tools Blast Cat with vacum and 60 gal 5hp compressor............$500

Still looking for a good floor model drill press and welding stuff, but I will never buy new again. Restoring older equipment is not hard and you can save tons of $$$$$. Good luck with the hunt!

What you see here would be well over $5,500 new and I got it all for $1,250 and the quality is way better than is made now. Can't beat that with a stick!

 

[wilbilt]

Here's what I have gotten so far: 1939 Delta Unisaw and a 1943 Delta 6" jointer for $300. Before and after restoration pics.

Nice Unisaw. That's not duct tape wrapped around the power cord in the "after" pic, is it?

Seriously, I wholeheartedly agree that rebuilding the old stuff is better than having to rebuild new stuff...

 

[Uncle Buck]

Thanks for all the info guys, I am going to check out this Drill Press tonight.

here's some more pix from the listing on craigslist...

So, did you buy it?

 

[Jey]

So, did you buy it?

i did!

I also bought a 1930's 6" vice, with brass covers, and I bought a 1950's craftsman "Tune-Up" box?

It's a wall mounted "tool" box, shelves on the doors peg board inside. i figure it's perfect for an oil holder!

 

[SteveL]

Nice Unisaw. That's not duct tape wrapped around the power cord in the "after" pic, is it?

Seriously, I wholeheartedly agree that rebuilding the old stuff is better than having to rebuild new stuff...

No, it's not duck tape! It's some old paint overspray that I forgot to clean off. I will get right on that. Oh, and I'm going to pick up one of these Saturday morning..................

It's not the one in the photo, but it has everything just like it. Pretty cool for $100, huh?

 

[Uncle Buck]

No, it's not duck tape! It's some old paint overspray that I forgot to clean off. I will get right on that. Oh, and I'm going to pick up one of these Saturday morning..................

It's not the one in the photo, but it has everything just like it. Pretty cool for $100, huh?

Is the stuff you are picking up Homecraft brand? Or perhaps Rockwell? BTW, well done tool score indeed!

 

[Uncle Buck]

i did!

I also bought a 1930's 6" vice, with brass covers, and I bought a 1950's craftsman "Tune-Up" box?

It's a wall mounted "tool" box, shelves on the doors peg board inside. i figure it's perfect for an oil holder!

You need to throw up some pics of all your goodies you scored!

 

[wilbilt]

My stuff is mostly old.

 

[Jey]

I will get some pictures as soon as I get it cleaned up and mounted!

 

[Stuart in MN]

I have the exact same drill press (well, mine may be a few years older as it has a different paint scheme but it's the same model.) It works great. I also have a matching Craftsman 6" jointer, and a Delta wood lathe that my dad bought in the late 1930s or early 1940s. My table saw is a 1960s vintage Craftsman but it's only a fair machine, I've been looking for a nice old Unisaw to restore but they're hard to find for a decent price.

I regularly go to the OWWM website to drool over the latest pictures of restored machinery.