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Drill presses

Reed I posted a whole bunch of them over on Woodcentral. Just do a search for Variable speed Drill presses. There were many more than I posted.
 
3 phase motor with a vfd will do it or one with a reeves drive like the powermatic 90 had. Powermatic 1150, 1200 delta and clausing also made VS.

Ed
 
robo hippy said:
How come drill pressed don't come with variable speed motors???

robo hippy
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They do, they're just really really expensive!

I picked up a Rockwell-Delta from the 1970's for $100 off Craigslist. It has a variable speed 1 HP DC motor powering a sheave-pulley variable speed drive setup. Not only does it have 6" of quill travel, It has torque out the wazoo, and goes SLOOOWWW. But, I realize that if it ever breaks, I'll have to spend nearly $2K to replace it. 😱 Hope I'm not gloating too much! 😎 I feel very lucky to have it!!

Seriously though, I think the reason there aren't more variable speed presses is because bits is the balance factor--you're almost always driving a well balanced bit or cutter or whatever, unless you're using a fly cutter setup, which is too light to really shake much.
 
I want one with speed controls like my lathe. You could not give me a Reeves drive. 3 phase 1 hp motor. That would do fine.

Thanks for the comments.

robo hippy
 
So, 16 speeds is not enough? 😀

Actually, I have been considering modifying mine to use a variable speed drive and three phase motor since I have a bunch of them sitting around my shop. However, the convenience of variable speed at the turn of a knob comes with a performance cost in addition to the dollar cost. The low cost V/Hz drives don't offer a very wide speed range (10:1) and power is really low at slow speed. The more expensive sensorless vector drives offer a wider range of speeds (100:1), but at best the output power is limited to % base RPM X rated power base RPM. A true vector controller can go from zero to whatever the max RPM the motor is rated to deliver. The output power is essentially the same as the sensorless vector system, but with much greater precision and stability. Mechanical drive systems may not have as much "gee-whiz" appeal, but OTOH they can deliver full rated power to the spindle at all speeds (minus small power loss in the drive train).

The solution to the power loss at low motor speeds is to use a larger HP motor and to have several pulley speed ranges so that motor speed can be kept fairly high.
 
I had several Clausings from the early '70's with variable speed adjustable pulleys. They all ran 40++ hours a week for years. NEVER had a problem. I think that adjusting the speed is more important in steel than with wood. With steel you are also using them to tap with.

Good Luck,

Dave
 
The younger set thinks of the tinny cheap variable on the JET 12/36 or the Delta 46-701 and clones. A real Reeves drive lasts forever.
 
I use a 3 inch forstner bit to drill a recess for expanding my chuck into for mounting a bowl blank, no face plates for me. That needs lower speeds, and high torque. I go back to smaller bits for other operations in my shop. I don't like having to lift the hood, loosen tension, adjust, tighten up, and go again. Part of that it the tension mechanism is always slipping, kind of like my old tool rests did till I got my Robust. Some one needs to make a drill press that works like my lathe. I agree, with maybe 3 speed ranges, and variable speed motor, just like my Robust, and I leave it on the medium speed range most of the time.

robo hippy
 
MichaelMouse said:
The younger set thinks of the tinny cheap variable on the JET 12/36 or the Delta 46-701 and clones. A real Reeves drive lasts forever.
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Yep, the "real" ones are made of machined malleable cast iron (NOT gray iron used for lathe beds etc.).

I haven't heard the name Clausing used in quite a long time. At one time, my employer (before my retirement) had hundreds of Clausing machines. I always wanted one of the bandsaws like my employer used -- the brand was DoAll. We had some with a 48 inch throat capacity -- probably weighed about five tons. They had built-in welders because it it was common to have a need for cutting inside holes which necessitated cutting the blade feeding it through a drilled hole, weld the blade, dress the weld, make the necessary saw cut, cut the blade again, mount another workpiece, and repeat the whole process. The machinists who operated these bandsaws became rather proficient at welding bandsaw blades.
 
ray hampton said:
how can you break a bandsaw blade without coming up with a too-short blade ? do they use a T I G welder to weld the blade ?
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ERW (electrical resistance welding).

The upper wheel has enough travel to accommodate about a foot change in blade length which should be plenty to cover the life of a blade. Very little length is lost in cutting and welding. Simply wearing out or gullet cracking would be the reasons for blade replacement well before blade length becomes a problem. The blades are bought in bulk rolls and when a new blade is needed, the appropriate length is cut from the roll and welded into a new band.
 
Bill Boehme said:
ERW (electrical resistance welding).

The upper wheel has enough travel to accommodate about a foot change in blade length which should be plenty to cover the life of a blade. Very little length is lost in cutting and welding. Simply wearing out or gullet cracking would be the reasons for blade replacement well before blade length becomes a problem. The blades are bought in bulk rolls and when a new blade is needed, the appropriate length is cut from the roll and welded into a new band.
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Bill, do not think that I am laughing at you but most welding except gas welding are electric resistance welding but the factory keep coming up with new ideas
 
ray hampton said:
Bill, do not think that I am laughing at you but most welding except gas welding are electric resistance welding but the factory keep coming up with new ideas
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Probably so if you include all variants like spot welding which is the favorite of the automotive industry. The blade welder on the DoAll welder which used to be a standard part of the machine dates back to 1933 so it is not a very new idea (it is now an option on new machines). The blade is mounted in the welding fixture with one side fixed and the other side moveable. As the ends are brought together, a very high current melts the contact edges at about 10,000°F for an instant before the current is quenched. Now, I told you the sum total of what I know aout electrical resistance welding.

If anybody is interested in a very fascinating running account on the restoration of an old 1947 DoAll V36 vertical saw, here is the link: DoAll Restoration. What is even more inspiring is that the person doing it is a 24 year old "kid" (I must be getting old) who has an amazing wealth of knowledge.
 
Bill Boehme said:
Yep, the "real" ones are made of machined malleable cast iron (NOT gray iron used for lathe beds etc.).

I haven't heard the name Clausing used in quite a long time. At one time, my employer (before my retirement) had hundreds of Clausing machines. I always wanted one of the bandsaws like my employer used -- the brand was DoAll. We had some with a 48 inch throat capacity -- probably weighed about five tons. They had built-in welders because it it was common to have a need for cutting inside holes which necessitated cutting the blade feeding it through a drilled hole, weld the blade, dress the weld, make the necessary saw cut, cut the blade again, mount another workpiece, and repeat the whole process. The machinists who operated these bandsaws became rather proficient at welding bandsaw blades.
Click to expand...


I have never used one of the smaller Jet or Delta lathes with the Reeves drive, so I was honestly unaware of perceived limitations of such. The one in the Rockwell-Delta model that I own, a 15-655 series, is extremely heavy duty. From the information that I gathered on it before I bought it, the older reeves drives performed extremely well, and don't wear out very often; if they do, they're quite expensive to replace I gather. The belt itself is probably 3/8" thick, and about 1" wide. I have never had it slip or fail to adjust correctly when changing speed. I do use a little oil on the moving parts, and I take it through the full range of speed adjustment every so often. You can't take it from max to min in less than a few seconds, or the belt will slap MILDLY. Really, it only vibrates a tiny bit; I know it is slapping because I've watched from above while adjusting the speed. I should be honest and tell you that I don't own a 3" forstner bit, but I have used the press with bits over 2", as well as hole saws up to 6" in diameter with quite successful results. It had power to spare with the hole saws.
Reed, I think you ought to re-consider one of this type, as they can be had for a fraction of what a new one with a VFD motor setup would cost. Probably a lot more than $100, but still a lot less than $2K.
 
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