Hi guys,
I'm putting together a 'micro shop', but being as poor as a church mouse everything is being done on the cheap.
I wanted a drill press and managed to pick one up that was going for scrap for £5.00 GBP (less than 10 bucks)
The chuck was broken and the quill rack and pinion was in bad shape. I have had to machine a new spindle (a challenge on a Unimat I can tell you).
After a months work I have managed to get it to the stage you can see in the pictures. What I would like to know is, does anybody recognise it? There are no manufacturers marks on any of the castings. I have been told that it is circa 1900 and it seems that it was originally driven from a common shaft via a lay shaft pulley at the rear. I have configured it as a baby camelback to reduce the strain on the head casting, but the idler arrangement I have temporarily machined is inadequate. I would ideally like to try and find some references to the idler arrangement that would have been originally fitted.
Anyway, operation is now smooth and clean with runout at a tad under 2 thou, and very little end play. It obviously needs some proper round drive belting fitted, some ball handles .... when I can afford to sort them out .....
Simon