HS126 Pillar drill press improvements
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- čas přidán 9. 03. 2022
- Soon I will need to do some milling on my pillar drill press (I don’t have a miller) so I added a couple of struts to make the drilling head more rigid but found a number of problems along the way that I had to fix.
"Why is it, one job becomes another job, becomes another job"
I really wish I could answer that one. I was an Engineer in the Merchant Navy from leaving school at 16 for 15 years and every job was like that. I can part remember having some work to do on one of the generators, but the tooling I was using broke, so I went to repair it in the workshop, the windy gun then broke trying to get a stubborn nut off. So I clamped the windy gun in the vice and tightened, for the vice to crack and fall in two. We had some decent nickle cast iron welding rods, so off to the welder a really good ESAB, which refused to turn on. The sparkie finally got it going again, I stripped down and welded up the vice, put it back together and made the repairs to the windy gun (sorry air impact wrench). I said I could part remember the job, because to this day I cannot remember what the original job was.
Don't know if you have found this guy on YT yet, he has only been on a couple of months, but it has the makings of being an excellent channel. This video is the "side jobs". czcams.com/video/sSEIaZ1prd4/video.html
Hi Bill, I think it is a familiar story, I think the answer in part is always keep everything in good repair. I like the channel you mention. Cheers
Gday Paul, I have plenty of days just like you had, all you can do is keep on working through each one bit by bit, the joys of this hobby we have, it’s fun, Cheers
Hi Matty, yes but it is very rewarding to find the hidden faults and know the machine will be so much better now. Cheers
I have lost things inside my Elliot shaper just like that! After the several unplanned improvements to your drill, I'm sure you will enjoy using it more and it may even pay you back in better results over time. Thank you. I enjoyed your video.
Hi Workshopfriend I've always liked that drill but honestly I must have found 8 faults in the time I've had it down to bad manufacturing, assembly and maintenance. A good one was the pillar was not vertical and I found it was clamped down to the base on a load of muck. But now I think I have found all the gremlins and I like it. It's a good sturdy machine with an MT4 spindle, a strong table and loads of height. Cheers
Paul, I have a similar style of drill press. Mine is Taiwanese circa late 70's. I filled the column and base with epoxy granite to make it heavier and more rigid. I did it in one pour so there is no joint between the two parts. I'm glad I'm not the only one that experiences mission creep!
Hi Mark, good to hear from you. It is a good machine just put together roughly. It comes into its own when I need a big drop between head and table - for example when I'm using the tapping head on work in a big chuck on my rotary table. I had not thought of filling the column - that's innovative. Fixing tools or making tools to make tools or measure tools seems to take a fair bit of my time but I like the 'brain exercise' it gives me and the satisfaction at overcoming the odds. The taper did not drop out when I did my light milling job - I got away with it this time. Regards
I thought it was just me that had those days. Sometimes I go in the workshop just to fight gremlins. It will be interesting to see how the drill press handles a spot of milling. I think that it will do the job, especially if you saw off most of the excess material.
Best wishes, Dean.
Hi Dean, yes the bit of 'milling' worked ok. Nothing worked loose or fell out. Cheers
i could not help but to have a giggle as your day turned to shit ,,my days are like this on a regular basis but you succeeded in the end well done paul
Hi graedon, yep that just about summed it up. I'm over it now ......
Paul, I just discovered your channel from a recommendation of Dudley Toolwright. I’m looking forward to the rest of your content. Many thanks.
Hi Bruce, glad you dropped by. I hope you like it. Cheers
Dear Paul,
in this difficult time for Europe and the whole world, it is always nice to see your tests and your changes, I have also noticed how much it helps to have a hobby right now like your or like mine !! I too made efforts like yours to stiffen my old drill press, because I wanted to mill: I got some results (in particular with the column stiffness), but in the end I destroyed the main spindle bearing, because it was not a radial/axial thrust bearing but axial only;
your beautiful workshop (I envy you a lot for the shaper, here in Italy there are none, not even manuals) is missing a beautiful milling machine: keep in mind (even if you sure know it !!) that in England there are beautiful milling machines like the Vertical Elliot or vertical Centec (Harrison also made vertical milling machines I think, I think I saw them in some ads), if you install a DRO they will give you great satisfactions; or, if you have nothing against China (that's a joke, given international developments…) you can take a SIEG SX3L like mine, you can do anything !!
Ciao Paul see you soon, Alberto.
Hi Alberto the drill press is only suitable for milling in very limited applications, but it worked ok for me this time. Maybe some day there will be a mill on offer that I simply cannot refuse but for the moment I will find ways to complete my projects ..... somehow using flexible thinking and innovation. I like the challenge. Regards
Oh my, perseverance wins in the end. Well done. 👏👏👍😀
Hi Andrew, yep it was good see the improvement although a bit frustrating at the time. Cheers
You are not alone with one job leading to many more. It is interesting that you have decided against a mill and planning to mill with your drill press. We are aiming to go the opposite direction and use our Centec mill for drilling so that we do not need our large Clarke pillar drill which has a lot of runout. We have just bought the INT30 to Jacobs adaptor in preperation. If you fancy a quick trip to Norfolk you are more than welcome to use either of our mills
Hi GTB, I found runout in my drill but investigation showed it was the chucks not the spindle. It's not suitable for general milling but it's fine for the occasional job like cutting rounded ends on flat bar. It did what I needed on this occasion. I'm sure for most applications the mill is better for drilling but the pillar drill press does have the height for very tall jobs. Norfolk offer noted, maybe when it's sunny 😁
Always an enjoyable experience to watch you do you thing! Thanks, Paul!
Thank you Danny.
Thanks for sharing Paul
You are welcome Kimber, thanks for watching. Cheers
That 16mm ready rod is the ticket alright! Structurally speaking there is still a chance the building could rotate (go a rhombus shape) if the gable ends fell off first. You could brace the rod on the outside to the ground to prevent this. Nice work on the drill, oiling bearings, there's a thought!
Hi Bootsowen, I also put ties between the purlins at the ends where they go into the end walls. The end walls are in fact dividing walls creating rooms within in a longer range but built in the same double brick and have not shifted. Grease would be better for the bearings but I did not want to strip the motor, and I think the bearings were probably ok anyway. By that stage I just wanted to get it done so took the easy route. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed Sorry, I was in my sarcastic mood! Oiling or greasing bearings would be good for my pillar drill, I got it used about 8 years ago, I imagine it is a few years since it has had any oil or grease.
Your shed is sound for years to come!
In my own experience older Taiwanese switchgear is poor but at least yours has an NVR switch; my similar but smaller drill press didn't and I have recently upgraded it along with my Taiwanese bandsaw with some very neat NVR switches from Axminster Tool Centre.
When small non-magnetic parts go AWOL a long three-pronged pearl catch is helpful.
Thank you for an interesting video and good luck with milling with a drill press!
Hi eegaugh, when the socket dropped into the shaper, and then I could not find it, it was in keeping with the rest of the frustrating project! But it came good in the end and I completed my little milling job successfully (in a later vid). Cheers
Very well done. I have been trying to fit a gaurd on one of the dro read heads on my lathe for 3 months now, with similar results. So don't feel too bad!
Thanks Carl I feel better now 😁
@@HaxbyShed I'm glad somebody does.
I tried some milling on my drill press before I got my small milling machine. I ordered an XY table, clamped down the work and started taking light cuts. Everything was going so well when the drill chuck came off its short taper on the spindle! Yikes! Nothing really awful happened but I decided it was not a good long-term way to go since the chuck taper is not designed for side loads. You will be fine for a short project. The XY table on the drill is great though! Easy to line up on a center punch, move over an amount on the dial and drill another hole, etc.
As this chap says, side loads (with vibration) on a taper have a habit of breaking it free, either the short taper or the morse taper itself (if there is nothing to retain it). You may be lucky, you may not be.
Exactly my thoughts. Highly likely to pop the taper, hence why a miller has a draw bolt .
Hi bkoh it was only a short job and I was lucky the taper(s) did not work loose. I changed my plan a bit and used a carbide burr rather than an endmill and maybe the vibration was less. So I got away with it this time ...... and generally the drill is a lot quieter and sturdier now. Cheers
Yes sir, that seems to be the way with equipment, you find the hidden problems, then while fixing them, something else is out of wack.
I that shaper has the same fitting to be adjusted, dedicate a wrench for it on the machine.
enjoyed your thinking process going through the defects you found.
Hi mangomay1, there are are problems lurking in my shaper too which I will have to service soon. 100 times I must have used that wrench to adjust the shaper stroke and then ..... I need to make it 'fail safe' sooner rather than later.
Hello Paul,
That seemed to do the trick... I need to make most of my machines more rigid... See you on the next one...
Take care.
Paul,,
Hi Paul, it had been on my mind for a while and it's made a big difference. Cheers
I'm glad it's not just me that has days like that!
Good luck with the milling, and go careful.
Not sure if your machine is morse taper but I'd recommend trying to get as much of the cutter shank inside the spindle as possible and use the fewest possible adapters (minimise the stick out). Without a draw bar the slightest chatter is likely to have the cutter fall out on to your work.
If that fails perhaps some sort of pivoted fixture on the bench grinder might give you a nice finish on the edge?
Hi TRM, yes theory says the taper would drop out but in practice the job went fine. The pillar drill press is only suitable for very limited milling jobs but it was ok for my application this time. Gotta try, and sometimes you are lucky. Cheers
Ah the scientist prevails! The triangle is the stiffest support. Put some well cooked oatmeal onto the splined spindle shaft: it will quiet it down & you can sell it to an unsuspecting soul & buy a minny mill. Good diagnosis on all the other problems that befell you though. Cheers.
Hi Bob even a mini mill would be expensive around here. Nope I'll struggle on innovating .... necessity is the mother of invention. Cheers
I laughed out loud! Dropping sockets and everything you touch slides sideways is so like me.
I tried using my drill press as a mill with very disappointing results. The chuck used a #2MT and side loading the chuck with a helical end mill simply drew the chuck out. I had considered trying to drill the splined shaft and using a draw bar. However I ended up buying a RF 45 clone and never looked back. If I had to get rid of one machine the drill press would be gone.
Hi Glenn, sorry for the late reply, CZcams thought you were trying to sell me something and held back the comment in the naughty bin. I see the appeal of drilling in a mill, with rigidity and an xyz table and all that, but one advantage the drill press has it can hold work 3 feet tall 😁. I did manage to put a semi on the end of that flat bar and maybe by luck or judgement I used a carbide burr in the chuck rather than an end mill and that was quite happy. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed great! You must have a lucky horseshoe. When I tried using my drill press as a light duty mill I think I got about one inch before it loosened the taper. After that it was only a matter of seconds before it walked out. For me it was a total waste buying an x y cross slide vice for the drill press. Needless to say the vice was ‘chineseum’.
Hi Paul, I'd love to see this work as a light mill, but I do have some doubts that the tapers on the quill might not be suitable for milling, in any case, you will certainly have ended up with a more stable and reliable drill press, I'll be interested in how this goes, best of luck, cheers Dave
Hi Dave, I was able to do the job rounding off the end of the plate without any problems (will be in a later vid). I know it is not ideal to apply side forces to a morse taper without a drawbar. I got away with it this time. Cheers
Thanks for sharing 👍
You are welcome Craig. Thanks for stopping by.
How's she goin'? This 'simple' project went about the way a lot of my projects go!! I'm glad to see I'm not the only one this happens too. LOL That switch was an interesting set up for sure. Nice job securing the drill press!! Take care!!!
Thank you Grampie. I sometimes think it would be better to fully dismantle and service used machines on arrival to find all the gremlins at the beginning ..... there are always more than I could ever imagine.
Lime mortar is the right stuff for bricks like that. Cement is too hard, and bonds too well to the bricks, leading to premature decay of the bricks. You're right that lime mortar starts off like a paste, but once it's well cured it's actually very hard. The main reason you don't get so much cracking is that it self-heals. It's also breathable.
Hi Cooperised, I know it's pretty magic stuff. Not being knowledgeable or experienced about 10 years ago I laid about 300 old bricks without lime although they seem to be ok still, but now I always add lime in the mix. It also helps with matching the colour.
@@HaxbyShed For best results leave out the cement entirely. 😁 Non-hydraulic lime is the stuff you want instead, NHL 3.5 for general building work. Any cement content increases the strength and bond (which sounds good but isn't!) and decreases breathability.
Soft bricks laid with cement mortar will last a good while, but the next time the pointing fails the bricks will tend to fail with it.
I suppose, the assembly of this drill press was done on a Monday morning. With the workers still in "weekend mode" :-)
Michel it was made in England in the 1970's - what can I say .....
Hi paul ive a few 12mm endmills ( Spare ) should you need a couple hope to send the pics over the weekend
Thanks Alain, no pictures yet but I will keep checking. One way or another we'll get it done. Cheers.
Id did the same. Bigger bearings for the spindle, made it threaded for the chuck, filled column with cement. Anchored the drill to wall. After all done i bent the spindle. Its a 5/8 shaft.
Hi Rich, well it goes that way sometimes ...... this drill came in 3 sizes and this is the largest. Lucky find. Pretty sturdy with the those straps now. And the large table is very useful. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed i got lucky and found a drill press for parts and changed the spindle. So im back in business, now very cautious with lighter cuts.
Interesting video, thanks for posting. I will ask however, do you think the bearings on the quill can take the lateral movement when using it as a shaper/milling machine? It wasn't designed to take lateral pressure so you might want to be careful! BTW, does the drill have a brand name?
Hi Jay, it did the job on that occasion but since then I have bought a Harrison mill. The drill is branded Nutool. Morse taper 4. It's quite versatile with a nice big table. The casting looks similar to many I've seen so perhaps they bought them in and stuck their badge on. Cheers
Hi one area you could have a problem with is the jacobs Chuck taper, it is not designed for side cutting
Terry you are right of course. Luckily I was able to do the job without the chuck falling off but if it had I could have given the chuck the overhaul it needs. Now I've got to find another way to get it off the taper ...... cheers
@@HaxbyShed , I had the same problem, I drill inside the Chuck an taped the jacobs taper, this worked for a while, I now have completely rebuilt the quill with tapered bearings
I had same drill from new done a chain drive conversion from a bike the original chuck shit the bed second use nothing but fixes before you done any work gave it away the man I gave it to never has a problem with it and uses it more then I did I think I made it a good drill before giving it away 😂
Hi UKH&S yep, gotta stick with it. Same story with cars ..... err, well sometimes it is .😁 Cheers
I’d like to see an E-Stop fitted plenty of room on the casting facing you. Think you should consider a mill if you get the opportunity.
Have you got an e-stop fitted to all your tools Tony?
@@bootsowen All machine tools yes
It's a good idea Tony. It was totally scary when that motor was doing on-off-on. If that had happened when I was using the big trepanning circle cutter it would have taken my arm off! Cheers
👍👍👍
Hi Lennart, probably not skf bearing in this machine.
I tried milling on my almost identical drill press. The morse taper didn’t like side thrust, so the chuck kept dropping out.
Hi PG3, I agree it only has limited light uses. I was fortunate and able to use a carbide burr to round off the end of that plate without the taper breaking free. It will be in a later video. Cheers.
Maybe the cable to the motor was a structural member???
Only 5 Mods, 🤔.
Probably ten quid in copper tube there.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi John, I had recovered the copper from scrap and of course the colour blended perfectly with the brick to complement the aesthetics and ambiance (maybe I should have been in interior design or an estate agent?). Cheers
@@HaxbyShed Please, not an Estate agent, I know sales people have to make a living.
Certainly aesthetically pleasing, adds to the property no doubt 👌 😉.
It seems part of the course to have perform remedial work on most new equipment, especially far east stuff, though I have a mill and lathe made in Taiwan, and electrics added in the UK, and they are very good. Hope China doesn't invade them, I think NATO Et Al, are looking to expand into the Pacific, ref China's activity there.
I never thought I would see war in Europe again, after Bosnia.
Stay safe.
Best regards John Quinn
as clumsy as I am, I couldn't get by with out a magnet on a stick.. lol
Hi Vernon I really cursed when I dropped that socket into the shaper body and then I spent ages trying to find it. But I always try to find a happy face for the camera .....
The morse taper in a drill press is not suitable for milling . The side forces will pull the morse taper out of the spindle without a draw bar. Milling machines have a draw bar to prevent this. Mills also have much heavier bearings to take the side load
Hi Seven, I do agree of course but I was able complete my small job successfully this time without difficulty. Some days are lucky days I guess ...... cheers
I had one of those drill presses. I eventually changed it for an old Elliott progress 2GS a better job
Hi Digg the drill press I have can be found with many badges - I think somebody must have made and sold the castings for others to finish badged as their own. It's a bit basic but it has a lot of grunt and the work table is a good size. Cheers
How you doing young man?
Hi mongomay1, I'm fine as far as I know ...... thanks.
Zee?
Hi Andrew, 🙂 I have viewers in many countries so I have to follow my audience....
Pesky Gremlins. 🤣
My thought as well
Hi James, the gremlins are always there you just don't know when they will get you but it's usually at the most inconvenient time.