Modified my old drill press today

[country gent]

Spent the day working on the table of my of my old leland gifford drill press. Its roughly 14 x 14 square with a coolant trough around it. Table is on dovetails for up and down about 20" movement and by hand. The table alone weights around 70 lbs. I rough mounted the X Y table toady and it added another 70 lbs to the table. I made block to match the bases contour 4" wide and 5 1/2" long with a boss to set in the slot where the foot switch slot was. Fiddled around to get it level in both directions. On this I set a 1 1/2 ton long stroke jack. It has 20-40 range. It sets back within an inch or so of tables dovetail casting on the table. I can now jack up the table instead of muscling it. A couple lag screws to mount the jack and some small mods to release handle and handle and block and its going to be very handy. Each stroke of the jack raises the table around 1/2"

[Scrounge]

Spent the day working on the table of my of my old leland gifford drill press. Its roughly 14 x 14 square with a coolant trough around it. Table is on dovetails for up and down about 20" movement and by hand. The table alone weights around 70 lbs. I rough mounted the X Y table toady and it added another 70 lbs to the table. I made block to match the bases contour 4" wide and 5 1/2" long with a boss to set in the slot where the foot switch slot was. Fiddled around to get it level in both directions. On this I set a 1 1/2 ton long stroke jack. It has 20-40 range. It sets back within an inch or so of tables dovetail casting on the table. I can now jack up the table instead of muscling it. A couple lag screws to mount the jack and some small mods to release handle and handle and block and its going to be very handy. Each stroke of the jack raises the table around 1/2"

Gotta have pictures! Among other things, I've got an antique drill press that came to me with no data plates, so no idea what it is. I had been toying with the idea of using it as a milling machine, and I even have a small x-y table, though mine is probably 30 pounds or so. Table size may be a bit bigger, though I've never measured it. Was originally set up to be driven from a horizontal line shaft, and bubba'd to a fractional-horse electric motor drive. Once I get a few other projects done, I may look into un-bubbaing it a bit, but it works as is, and will swing some ginormous drills. I've also got a mini-mill now, so I can afford to slow-leak on the conversion so long as I don't need to build something large.

Pretty please pictures!?!

Bill

[Conditor22]

Pictures are worth a 1000 words

[country gent]

I rebuilt this drill press when I bought it roughly 30 years ago from a junk yard. spindle got new bearings and upgraded to bearings with better thrust handling. Head is on a dovetail up and down the table is on a dovetail up and down. When rebuilt I added a pulley and can get from around 180 rpm to around 1500 3 four step pulleys gives a nice range. As far as I can tell by research it was made around 1940-1945. The old motor went out last spring and I put a 1 hp on it.

What I would like to do is find an old small 3 or 4 speed transmission for it. This would give easy changed speeds a true neutral and a reverse.

This drill press weighs almost as much as a small end mill

[curdog007]

The first tool shop I worked in the boss had a shaper with a four speed truck transmission he'd mounted next to it to generate the speeds. He had modified it from a line shaft drive. Worked quite well. I spent a lot of time making parts on that one.

[country gent]

On this drill press I was thinking a transmission from a garden tractor would be more size appropriate. My first job the lathes all but 1 and the big drill press all had an electric motor coupled to truck or car transmission. then flat belt pulley to machine.

[Preacher Jim]

Buick made a short transmission no tail shaft that is ideal for this purpose was in the 70s sorry don't remember more

[georgerkahn]

country gent -- Bion, the two drill presses in my shop are in fact my MOST used power tool! That being said, my floor model is a Rockwell I purchased brand new in the very early 1970s, and it sports a very high quality chuck upgrade, foot feed, 16-speed attachment, and even a three-spoke pilot wheel to lower its chuck.
Upgrading the chuck was one of the best things I did; and, I have a full-time socket ratchet on bolt which locks table in place -- so much easier to loosen for table lowering/raising. However, this operation regularly is one I never look forward to doing -- such that I have an assortment of "blocks" I often use to reduce distance between chuck and table, rather than have to deal with raising it.
I'd be most appreciative if you might post photos of your 'solution'? Also, perhaps, a specific brand and model of the jack you use. I have seen, and have been "almost tempted" to buy one of the add-ons which consists of aircraft cable, pulleys, and a fair amount of "Rube Goldberging" -- reckoning it's better to deal with what I have... But -- your brilliant solution may be just what I've been seeking?
Thanks.
geo

[elk hunter]

Like Country Gent I too got tired of twisting/wiggling the very heavy table on my Clausing drill press in order to raise or lower it. When the local Horrible Fright tool store had a sale on their long hydraulic jack, like those used on an engine hoist only with a flat base, I bought one and use it to raise/lower the table. The jack fit between the base and the table without any adapting or hassle.

[country gent]

The jack I used came from Home Depot it is a jack meant for hoists. Mine is roughly 2 ft compressed and 4? extended. Today I took out the jack and block sanded and painted it. Glued in some fillers it needed. I then centered the jack side to side and where t needed to be in and out. Installed 2 pins to hold it in place, bolts arnt needed as gravity will do the work. I then bedded the jacks base to the block for a solid fit and support. Its curing now.

When I started this project the first thing I did was lower the table all the way down to the stop and measure between base and bottom of table. I then raised the table to top of travel and measured again.This gave me what i needed as to jack and stroke. Now here is the thing, if the jacks strike is what you need but the height is "short" it van be blocked up to give what is needed. This was my case. while the jack was the needed stroke it was also 3 1/2" to short on both ends. I made the mount block 3" thick , Now with the jack collapsed I have 1/2" to remove install it. The other is to find the right point in and out for the jack or the table may want to bind dropping under gravity. This is more trial and error and seeing the weight distribution. Make sure the jack is also square and true to the drill press.

When I get it back together and finished Ill try to get pics posted. The jack I used is 1 1/2 tons single piston a double would be faster but also heavier than I need. Also more expensive.

This is going to be a dedicated to the drill press set up.

The jack I used may or may not be what you need for your machine you may need a different height or stroke.

[Mal Paso]

My next drill press project is going to be a frequency drive with a 3 phase motor. They run off single phase 120 or 240. I was watching a guy tap with one. He would hit reverse and the motor would slow, stop and reverse smooth as you please.

[Chill Wills]

Question - I don't have anything to add but just wondering...

Are these jack systems to be used in place of or to assist the rack and crank lift large and heavy drill tables would have? Maybe they were an option and not all were ordered with them?
When I was a little kid in the late '50's and early '60's I loved being in my dad's shop. One of the first power tools I got to use was a 1946 Delta 17" drill press. It had the crank raising system for the table.
I don't know much about the larger drill presses but assumed they would just have something to address that? Some of those tables are big and very heavy!

I took metal shop in high school. We were in a brand new school my senior year and everything in the metal shop was new. There was a huge drill press - no belts to change, it was a variable speed and I remember the teacher did not like it for the school. He thought the kids needed to be more hands on. This huge drill press had a power lift table. I think this drill press was way above the students needs for a shop class.
That may be how I got the notion that industrial sized drill presses would have some kind of table lift system.

[country gent]

Chill Wills,
My old leland gifords table is on a dovetail ( very similar to the knee on a bridgeport) so now rack and pinion on it like the round rams style. It was muscled up and down then the gib clamp was locked to hold it. This is a old production machine that was originally set up with a foot switch. For years I would be the muscle and my son would lock it.I would imagine most shops had a lever tool for this also. Back when this machine was made manufacturers had rows of drill presses dedicated to a fixture.

[country gent]

The big radial arm drill press at work had power up down on ram, in out on head and rotate. It had 2 table heights floor and stand that bolted to the floor table This drill press had a 18"column and number 6 MT in the spindle. It was a monster. But great to run.

[Chill Wills]

Chill Wills,
My old leland gifords table is on a dovetail ( very similar to the knee on a bridgeport) so now rack and pinion on it like the round rams style. It was muscled up and down then the gib clamp was locked to hold it.

Okay! I was just surprised something so heavy was intended to be muscled. Thanks for the explanation.

I've been looking for a project 17" Delta to clean up and found one for a good price (not many to look at in the rocky mountains) and made sure it had the crank table lift - and it is not even a third the weight of yours. Though it was a good price, it will be more of a restore job than a clean up. Its mostly all there but been butchered on the top end and I will be looking for parts for some time I think.

[Jeff Michel]

Depending on which model Delta 17", I have some parts leftover when I converted one to a dedicated tapper. Get a list to me and you can have whatever you can use for cost of shipping.262844 262845

[Chill Wills]

WOW! That's an offer that cant be beat!
I won't really know what all I need until I get into it, aside from the "for sure" motor pulley (5 speed) and I have my eye out for a original motor but failing that it will need some kind that will be close. It is a dirty mess and I have a lot of other job-list items and honey-do's to complete before I start in on it.
I did find a motor for the Delta DP-220 I put back into service. It was a retired wreak and out on the street in Leadville, Colorado when I lived there in the 1980's.
Speaking of DP-220 - I would guess that is one (DP-220) in the two pictures you posted. Not an earlier version or the Delta 17-600?

It looks like you did a nice job on it! I can't tell from the picture, is it a table sized press? Good looking!

[Scrounge]

262863262864

[country gent]

Thank-you for you help sir. It is appreciated.

Between the actual table and the added x-y table its pushing 130-150 lbs. While old this machine is very square and true so I hate to replace it.

[Scrounge]

262865Not the same brand or style though some similarities. Can't see the lift mechanism on mine, but it has a hand crank at the front of the table, one of the square protrusions at the front. The table is also mounted on a dovetailed column, unlike his. The spindle has a Morse Taper #2 socket. I think I may have four or five MT2 tools, and I bought a Chinese ER32 collet holder to share between the drill press and my Atlas MF milling machine. Not sure why CB insists on rotating the photo backwards 90 degrees. It's vertical on my computer. Works well enough, anyway. As does the drill press! I also have the MT2 adapter with a Jacobs 5/8" chuck, too, and an HF version of the same.

[Scrounge]

Thank-you for you help sir. It is appreciated.

Between the actual table and the added x-y table its pushing 130-150 lbs. While old this machine is very square and true so I hate to replace it.

My pleasure! I love the old machines, too. The stories they could tell! I'm fortunate that I got it for free. Gentleman that had it also had three other more modern drill presses. I've got two others, myself, but this one has some soul to it. Looks to me like yours does, too!

Bill

[Green Frog]

This talk of using a drill press for milling reminds me of warnings I got years ago when I proposed such a thing. It turns out that the spindle bearings on most drill presses are designed for a spindle that moves primarily up and down, and that they aren’t happy with a lot of lateral stress (like during milling operations.) is this indeed a consideration or was I misinformed?

My inherited drill press is about as old as I am (and I’m old!) and is a heavy head and motor marked Craftsman, mounted on a round column so it can be swung around side to side as well as sliding up and down. For scale, it takes a #2 Morse taper for the chuck, and to top it off, when my grand uncle rebuilt it he used what appears to be a Model A flywheel for the table. Overall. It’s not what most people think of when they hear “home shop drill press.” I wonder if it would be heavy enough to use for some light milling?

Froggie

[country gent]

I also dont recommend a drill press for milling for several reasons.1) the bearings normally arnt meant for side thrust issues 2) the morse tapers most drill presses use isnt really locked in ( like the r8s draw bar that tightens and hod the collet. Vibration can cause the taper to release allowing a turning tool to drop out. 3) The drill press stops arnt normally up to the task, allowing the tool to lower and damage parts and or the machine. 4) most drill presses just plain dont have the Horse Power for milling.
I have a series 2 bridgeport for milling and heavy work. But for simple hole patterns the drill press and table keeps a lot of wear off the mill. When building a die we would center drill and color code holes then go to the appropriate drill press to actually drill holes and tap. It was much easier to get a worn out Drill press replaced than a mill LOL.

[country gent]

For those contemplating this modification, I cant give you the actual jack for your machine, But I can tell you how to find the right one for your machine. Heres what to do.

1) lower table to lowest position and measure the distance from base to under side of the table, this gives the height the compressed jack needs to be.
2) Raise the table to top of travel and again measure base to bottom of table, This tells you the length of stroke you need to have.
3) You can now start to look at jacks on line to find what you need. Most drill presses dont really need a lot of power here. Mine is 1 1/2 tons single stage single piston and I figure it is 3 times what I need power wise.
4 depending on stroke you may want a double action jack, piston inside a piston this doubles the stroke almost.
5) a 2 stage jack produces pressure on both directions of the handle they raise much faster since there are no wasted motion.
6) for heavy tables or ultimate ease a air over hydraulic jack would be interesting. Expensive and would require an air compressor
7) When mounting keep it square and true, experiment with the in out placement to find the balance point so table moves freely both up and down. Doing this also relieves sme wear.
8) in reality the jack dosnt need bolted down tight, It is captive between base and table. But a couple pins to hold it in location are desired.

If the jack you find is short on stroke a extension for the base or ram can be made to get to top of travel but may reduce lower end of travel. My jack need spaced up 3" it was 3" shorter than the bottom of table travel but the stroke was what I needed. so 3" base under it gave me full travel. Also here take into account any accessories vises fixtures x-y tables drill chucks

[Conditor22]

Scrounge thanks for uploading the pictures, It helps people that are not that familiar with drill presses/that brand -type of press understand what's happening

[Scrounge]

This talk of using a drill press for milling reminds me of warnings I got years ago when I proposed such a thing. It turns out that the spindle bearings on most drill presses are designed for a spindle that moves primarily up and down, and that they aren’t happy with a lot of lateral stress (like during milling operations.) is this indeed a consideration or was I misinformed?

My inherited drill press is about as old as I am (and I’m old!) and is a heavy head and motor marked Craftsman, mounted on a round column so it can be swung around side to side as well as sliding up and down. For scale, it takes a #2 Morse taper for the chuck, and to top it off, when my grand uncle rebuilt it he used what appears to be a Model A flywheel for the table. Overall. It’s not what most people think of when they hear “home shop drill press.” I wonder if it would be heavy enough to use for some light milling?

Froggie

It's not recommended, but it's doable if you're easy on the handles, and really careful. There are instructions for making the modifications going back into the 1920's. Popular Mechanics had a article in, IIRC, the late 50's or early 60's. I had a copy, can't find it now. Involved replacing the original bearings with ones that will take a side load. I was looking at doing it to my old Craftsman drill press because I already had it in pieces. My next-to-youngest brother is a 300lb gorilla, and bent the quill decades ago. Dad gave it to me some decades later because I thought I could fix it. It needs new bearing anyway. But I've been looking for a milling machine as long as I've been looking for a lathe. I did find an Atlas MF horizontal mill about 10 or 12 years ago. It was in a box and 57 baggies. It's almost together, too. Just a couple more things to go to have it running, too. LOTS of stuff like that around here. ;) Now that I'm retired I'm trying to work on all that stuff, and a few more projects I've found. The Craftsman drill presses are light compared to my red thing, and Country Gent's machine, but capable of a lot of good work. I learned how to use a drill press on that Craftsman. He's right that they don't have as much HP as a Bridgeport, but I've got a purpose-built milling machine that has a 1/3rd HP motor, and it has done fine for 8 years. It's one of the Harbor Freight mini-mills. Just gotta take smaller cuts, like with a light lathe. And even my South Bend 10L is a light lathe compared to many used in industry. The same applies to milling machines. The Atlas is it's day's equivalent of today's mini-mill. Small and light weight. But within it's limitations, it is a good mill. Don't get me wrong, if I had a place to put a Bridgeport, I'd get one, but I don't, so I have to make do with what I do have. And I'm still gonna put new bearings in the drill press that will handle side loads. Just because I might need it one day! ;)