Drill Press Finished

 
The final parts for the drill press arrived and I have finally finished the project! The drive belting proved a bit of a challenge. The manufacturer quoted a high drive torque without the need to have the belts overly tight. Bollocks! I had to get the belt like a banjo string to get any torque from the drive system, but it all appears OK now and is working well.

The final jobs were the idler wheels, but I rebuilt the mounting bracket and they are OK for the time being. I will make some new ones if an when I find some nice brass to make them from.

The main job left was to sort out the quill tension and finish off the operating arms. I found an old book with an odd reference to a very similar old drill (1899 pattern!). The quill does not have a return spring and is prevented from dropping under it's own weight by means of an adjustable pinch bolt on the pinion. I made up a stepped washer from Delrin (hard nylon), and fitted it to the pinion bolt as a pinch bolt. Bugger me if it only does the job splendidly!

So to the operating arms. First job was to turn the ends ready for ball handles.



Next job was to put a thread on the end to accept the ball. here's my die guide set up to get the thread straight. The lump of wood is to protect the lathe if anything slips.


Then the ball handles need drilling and tapping. These are kid snooker balls about 1" in diameter. First a flat is files on one face and then centre punched.


I then drilled the balls out using the drill press so I know it's working and drilling true (yippee!). Once the balls were tapped and screwed on to the arms the whole thing was then completely assembled. Here's the finished drill.