Would you keep this and use it?

[07travis]

I picked this up yesterday and I'm torn on weather or not to keep it. I was told it works, but haven't tried it yet... I think it's kind of cool looking and would clean up pretty nice, but it'll take up a lot of room in my single stall garage... Do any of you have an old drill press like this that you're still using?

 

[Hawk]

I would at the very least restore it and resale it.

 

[930dreamer]

Cool drill press, do you know who made it?

 

[darkk]

Hell yeah! I'd rock that in my garage. You can't buy equipment today that has cast iron frames. That thing is solid as a rock. It has multiple speeds, what else could you ask for? If you live close buy, sell it to me. I'd replace my vintage Delta DP with that. Christ, my Delta wood/metal band saw is a 1939 model. All cast iron and solid. Purrs like a kitten when running, it would even pass the nickel test.

 

[07travis]

dreamer, I'm not sure who made it right off hand. There is some lettering on the side that I'll have to clean up some more tonight and see if I can read it. I can make out that it was made in Illinois.
darkk, I'm located in SD, so I may be a bit out of your way... haha sorry! you have pics of your old band saw?

 

[darkk]

you have pics of your old band saw?

Yup, just follow the link.
http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=14096

 

[1948]

i would use the hell out of that thing!!!!! after i cleaned it up a bit of course. id trade my vintage delta for something like that.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I'd sell it to somebody that would use/appreciate it. I'm not a fan of it but I wouldn't scrap it out.

 

[The Hot Rod Grille]

That thing would look awesome restored! Nice score!

Jim

 

[Gary S]

I'd try to sell it and get something more modern and compact. I bought a cheap Chinese drill press about 20 years ago. It has worked perfectly for me with no maintenance and it takes up a lot less space in my garage than that old one would.
And, that old one won't work as well as my Chinese one until you put tons of work into it.

 

[Toomanytools?]

Whatever you do DON"T replace it with a Chinese drill press that's just sacrilege.
Someone will want it.

 

[great adventure]

Whatever you do DON"T replace it with a Chinese drill press that's just sacrilege.
Someone will want it.

I agree with toomanytools

dont replace it with a chinese drill press???

 

[bczygan]

The advantage of these old "Camelback" style drill presses is that they will run at slow speeds and turn a bigger bit for larger holes in steel. I have one. Let us know the name on the side. Look up the manufacturer and find out what you can to make it usable. NEVER scrap it. It requires frequent oiling during use and has numerous oil points. Modern presses eliminated that requirement but were more limited. What chuck is on it? What did you give for it?

 

[magnusk750]

No doubt a keeper. My cousin has one like it on his farm, it was bought in the 30s by our grandad. He complains the flatbelt slips and promised me I can get the DP as soon as he finds something else for reasonable price. I will drive 1000 km for it in a second.

 

[spongerich]

Depends on what you're looking to do with it. It's probably well suited for heavy metal work, but if you're into model or jewelery making, you might want to look for something that has higher speeds.

Is it in good working order? Bearings etc can be difficult/expensive to source for some of the old iron.

If you just want a good general purpose drill press, you might try posting a Wanted to Trade ad over at owwm.org and see if you can trade that for a medium sized Delta or vintage Craftsman.

 

[R6 Racer]

If I were closer I would buy it from you in a heartbeat!
Restore it to "as new condition" & use it! You cant get stuff that solid anymore. Sure it's a lot bigger than you can get now from China, but unless space is at a premium I'd keep it.
If you do decide to sell it like it is, P.M. me, please!

Steve

 

[07travis]

Thanks for the comments guys! I looked at lunch and its a Canedy-Otto. We'll just say a nice little old lady gave me a pretty good deal on it from a little town near where I live ... I was told it works, but haven't tried it yet, because the cord looks like it could use some help before i put 220 volts to it! but everything seems to function like it should.

 

[Steevo]

There are a number of folks over at Old Woodworking Machinery (owwm.org) who have Canady Otto machines.

 

[35ihrat]

Throw it away! I'll come pick it up!

 

[bad_idea]

cool

 

[brownbagg]

i know of a machine shop that has one of them, it out work the chinese made equipment by a 100 years. that a cadallic compared to today equipment. like the guy said, it run slow with big bits you could drill though a army tank

 

[bczygan]

Go here:

http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?ID=12575

 

[larry_g]

Some statements above I disagree with. That is not a camelback or a slow speed drill press. Look at the lowest speed and with ~5:1 ratio it is not to slow and on high speed it is 1.5 or 2x motor speed. With the sliding spindle support that would be a precision high speed unit. Probably rated at 3/8" or 1/2" capacity. Neat old machine, I would love to have it. Have a couple similar, but for modern utility it would not be my goto press.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[andrewsnmorgan]

I'd try to sell it and get something more modern and compact. I bought a cheap Chinese drill press about 20 years ago. It has worked perfectly for me with no maintenance and it takes up a lot less space in my garage than that old one would.
And, that old one won't work as well as my Chinese one until you put tons of work into it.

Is it just me or .................. Never mind.

 

[darkk]

Check these out, also a good place for info on you're drill press.
http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=153&tab=4

 

[tr4a]

You bet I'd use that! My own drill press started life in my great-grandfather's shop. It came to me when my dad passed away in '07. The thing's built like a proverbial brick !@#$ house and it works like a champ!

 

[Tarnished]

If it were me, I wouldn't buy it in that condition as it may be quite a while before it is usable again. There are good reason's we moved to newer designs.
BUT, if I already owned it, and had the time and room, I would defiantly restore it. They are great old machines, and would have years of use left in it. Just remember, it may be a while before you have a USABLE drill press.
And if you don't keep it, remember there are lots of others who would love to take on this project. Most of the garage owners here are already restoring some type of old arn, and this would be just one more old classic for there collection. As mentioned before, the folks at this site: http://www.owwm.org/index.php?sid=1ea78aad746242fc7bcf0461a08e8eb6 would love to get their hands on this old arn ****!
Let us know how you come out, and pics are a must!

 

[454ragtop]

Nice press. I have this Buffalo 14, shown here when I first got it. Since been refurbed with new bearings, paint, 3 PH motor with VFD, etc. Need to get a newer pic. It's one of my favorite drill presses, that I use all the time (probably have too many drill presses). The sliding head is way cool, spoils you for other drill presses that only have a movable table.
Jim

 

[sickboy motors inc.]

Create a poll. Whatever the outcome is, do it. Keep it or sell it?

 

[mothgrey]

That's sweet... I'd try restoring it and use it.

 

[Marshall2u]

You said you have a one stall garage.....with that limited space, I would not keep such a large machine. Sure, it's cool, and it's quality (with a good bit of resto time and expense), but not practical for your situation. I would either restore it and sell it, or sell it as-is. That decision would be based, obviously, on the value in both conditions, after taking into consideration the time and money involved with restoring it.

 

[Capt Chrysler]

Bitchen!

 

[lowbucktruck]

You said you have a one stall garage.....with that limited space, I would not keep such a large machine. Sure, it's cool, and it's quality (with a good bit of resto time and expense), but not practical for your situation. I would either restore it and sell it, or sell it as-is. That decision would be based, obviously, on the value in both conditions, after taking into consideration the time and money involved with restoring it.

Wow, they just don't make 'em like that anymore! That is a cool drill press!

I agree with Marshall2u here... if you have limited garage or shop space, it may not be practical to keep that old drill press (even as cool as it is for a vintage machine). There is vintage and then there is antique machinery. Restoring old machines like that is a fun hobby, but does require some space and time. Also have to evaluate your needs; do you need a free-standing DP or will a smaller, modern bench-top DP be sufficient for your use? Only you can answer that.
If it were me, I'd find projects just so I could use that drill press.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

If you sell that I think you'll come to regret it.

 

[low2kchevy]

Appraise it in its condition and restored condition, if it was mine i would keep it ahwile and see how it goes and im sure theres a spot for it somewhere.

 

[07travis]

Thanks for all the input guys! I'm falling in love with this thing, that's for sure. Space is limited in my garage, but I have a pretty understanding wife and I got her talked into letting me put a larger garage up in our back yard this fall (which had been the plan since we bought our house) So I think I can deal with it in my small garage for now being I'll have more room for it eventually! The next question is... Where does a guy start with this thing? by cleaning it? and what's a person use to get the 75+ of grease off it? Thanks!

 

[larry_g]

Thanks for all the input guys! I'm falling in love with this thing, that's for sure. Space is limited in my garage, but I have a pretty understanding wife and I got her talked into letting me put a larger garage up in our back yard this fall (which had been the plan since we bought our house) So I think I can deal with it in my small garage for now being I'll have more room for it eventually! The next question is... Where does a guy start with this thing? by cleaning it? and what's a person use to get the 75+ of grease off it? Thanks!

Me, I do a quick clean and lube then check out the spindle, bearings, chuck, and any other items that would render the tool useless. Once it is confirmed to be usable, fixable, and economically feasible within my skill set then move on to clean/paint/fix . No use in spending hours cleaning and making perty when the spindle is bad or the bearings unobtainable.

Oven cleaner is good at removing old hard grease but keep it away from bearings.

lg
no neat sig line