What should i sell this for?

[SLYDIT]

ive restored an old 1947ish champion drill press, but have decided that i dont really need it..
looking at listing it but no idea where to price it?

any thoughts? (will have a period motor fitted)

 

[zkling]

What size is the drill press?

 

[tymbo]

And where are you located?

 

[drivesitfar]

Sly: i was going to say the same thing since you could be in Europe with a British made old Drill press. can you go in your Garage Journal file and put city and state or country or just an area like i did in your profile so we don't ask this question on your future posts. also if you click on the Avitar that is where you can download a picture under your name and change it as much as you like.

cute little DP and they don't sell for much around here so hope you don't have much in it.

 

[bubinga]

No thoughts on a price, but it's pretty cool.
Haven't seen one like that.

 

[454ragtop]

Base seems awful small, is it as unstable as I think it is? Think it would be a tough sell around here for $100.
Jim

 

[SLYDIT]

Yes its certainly no free stander. needs to be anchored.

 

[bczygan]

ive restored an old 1947ish champion drill press, but have decided that i dont really need it..
looking at listing it but no idea where to price it?

any thoughts? (will have a period motor fitted)

20 bucks......to me!

Sure is pretty!

 

[SLYDIT]

I have considered getting the stand shaft remade shorter to make it a bench mount.
just tyring to get a gauge on what would be an acceptable list price... i guess its the age old saying of " too much for the buyer, not enough for the seller"

 

[zkling]

I think your market is going to be pretty limited (AKA low price). It's neat, and cleaned up good, but at the overall practicality is questionable vs other drill presses out there. I'll ask again, what size is the machine? Hard to determine a true scale from pics. If it is a 20" machine, then great, 8-12" machine and it is even less desirable. The 6 speeds T slot table are nice. Some are going to ***** about no hand crank on the the table though.

 

[SLYDIT]

Not sure on size. maybe a 10-12"

 

[jd_1138]

I think you could get $300 or so from the right buyer -- mainly a person looking for retro/cool shop stuff to spruce up his mancave/shop.

 

[454ragtop]

Not sure on size. maybe a 10-12"

Measure from the center of the chuck to column and multiply by 2 to get the swing. Basically, it's the largest diameter the drill could put a hole in the center of.
Jim

 

[rsanter]

If it was me I would mount it to a steel,plate to make it a free stander.
For max dollar I think I would put it on eBay so see what people will bid for it. Put a reserve of $300 or whatever you feel just to protect yourself and drop the reserve if it gets to a price you can live with

Bob

 

[rsanter]

Or donate it to a museaum and write off $600 for value

Bob

 

[Carla]

One thing to note is that its a really elegantly done 'modernisation' conversion from the original flat belt drive, in which whomever did the conversion didn't cut the original castings.

The irony, of course, is that it would be much more desirable today had it been left in its original configuration. It could be 'restored', but I'd think few machinists would be sufficiently keen to re-make the pulleys, today.....but.....who knows....twenty years from now, maybe someone would, as older machinery like this becomes harder and harder to find, outside of personal collections.

The small base isn't an issue.......it was intended to be secured to a wooden floor with lag-screws.

cheers

Carla

 

[bubinga]

i would easily pay at least $100.00 Today. If were local to me.
l know it's not a lot, but...................

 

[Fretters]

For any money beyond a very narrow collector of this particular tool line:
It needs a lamp shade and put on etsy.

As a tool it is all but worth less than any new Chinese least expensive drill.

Put a lamp shade on it or a clock work.
It would be a hell of a clock.

As a drill it's worth very little, I'll say no more finished to the high quality you have than as encrusted junk.

I guess you probably mean well, in your own mind and thinking, but suggesting that someone, (I'll skip the bit about calling it junk being plain ignorant), should take a perfectly good machine and bastardise it into some worthless **** is just wrong. Some of us do care more about machinery and our industrial heritage than either arty, farty ideas for the masses or money, you know. Not intending to sound pissy, but please try to make a useful suggestion on occasion. Life isn't just about getting the most money possible.

 

[Fretters]

I think it might be post mount AND floor mount.

That model was made as a bench top machine too, using the same base and table. They probably just used the same base for both to keep costs down rather than manufacturing two different bases.

 

[Fretters]

Do you make him an offer?
Because if you didn't you're not one of those who care to preserve the machine heritage you spoke of.

I can see the "logic" I'm opposing here, so let's just say I have no interest in preserving heritage and let you sleep easy on that thought, eh? I really can't be arsed with ******* into the wind.

 

[DenisG]

I have a Champion Blower & Forge hand-cranked post drill press that I'm working on. Mine was made in Lancaster, PA. I couldn't find information about a British company "Champion". Did you find any information about the history of your drill press?

 

[fasteddie313]

And why exactly would this not be a good useable drill press? What exactly about it is so bad that it's better as a lamp than to drill holes?
Worse than cheap chinese? lol, not to me...

 

[Fretters]

I couldn't find information about a British company "Champion". Did you find any information about the history of your drill press?

With regards that pillar drill, Union also produced/sold that same drill, so worthwhile searching for that make too.

 

[DenisG]

With regards that pillar drill, Union also produced/sold that same drill, so worthwhile searching for that make too.

Hmmm... From the lathes.co.uk site, "Union" was a brand name for T.S Harrison. That site list the "Champion" brand of lathes as a USA one, but is seeking information for the UK Champion brand of lathes. Maybe the UK "Champion" brand also belonged to T.S. Harrison and only made for export. Seems odd that a British drill press would say "British Made."

Vintagemachinery.org list 14 mfgs with "Union" in the name, and 8 mfgs with "Champion" in the name, but none of the entries are for British manufacturers.

 

[Fretters]

I've never been able to find much info on either either. This is the Union variant I have here:

That one doesn't have any maker marks on the main casting, unlike the Champion. The name is embossed on the pulley guard on the Union.

 

[bubinga]

like l said, I'd like to have it, think it's cool.

 

[DenisG]

I've never been able to find much info on either either. This is the Union variant I have here:

That one doesn't have any maker marks on the main casting, unlike the Champion. The name is embossed on the pulley guard on the Union.

There a "Champion" drill press (model #50) posted on the vintagemachinery.org website much like the OP's:
http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=10765

It's posted as a Champion Blower and Forge product, but I can't read the writing on the casting very well to verify it.

I'm looking to modify the Champion post drill that I have with a thrust bearing similar to what you have on your Union DP. My post drill has a cam with a ratchet and pawl that controls the down feed, but there is a big 1-3/8" reverse-threaded brass hex nut that connects the rotating spindle and the non-rotating feed and it's prone to wearing. No real thrust bearing -- just grease.

 

[Gotcha640]

I guess I'm with the decoration crowd, for the most part. I volunteer at a local nature center that has a turn of the 19th century farm on it. We do blacksmithing, woodworking, and other period type work there. My dad has a lot of tools from that time and earlier, including a hand crank drill press.

He claims his is more useful than my $150 ryobi, because it works when the power is out, or when he mounts it on his trailer hitch and uses it far from power. I say I have better things to do when the power is out, and if someone wants a hole drilled far from my house, let him bring his own darn drill press.

I'd offer $150 delivered to 77586, with motor, in period correct condition, and I'd either use it as a spindle sander at home, or for very occasional use at the farm.

 

[HubbaBubba]

Interesting comments and distribution of answers. Let us know the result.

 

[SLYDIT]

thanks for the discussion guys. When i bought it was in very poor shape. everything was rusted and the chuck was seized ive only invested time /can of paint/ box of beer to have the pedestal lathed to get all the rust off. i know the red isnt to everyones taste but i painted it to match my workshop. the drill comes apart easily to its last nut and bolt so repainting is easy. havent found any info on it at all apart from a few simlar ones on google image search.
i think I'll $300 reserve it and see who bites. if not ill take another box of beer to my machinist around the corner and get him to make a short pedestal.

 

[bubinga]

l like the color