My new drill press is coming this weekend...

[toomanysplinters]

Do you think this will be good enough for drilling my pen blanks?

http://www.penturners.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=47849&stc=1&d=1300379777

 

[Dave Turner]

It looks like someone has already claimed first "dibs" on it . Your official blank driller. That thing's a monster! (the drill press, not the aspiring pen maker).

 

[Boz]

When you and your apprentice are done drilling pens blanks you can bore some holes in solid rock with that big fella.

 

[unclefuzzy]

Good Grief! How old is that thing and how much does it weigh? (the drill press,not the kid).

 

[toomanysplinters]

It looks like someone has already claimed first "dibs" on it . Your official blank driller. That thing's a monster! (the drill press, not the aspiring pen maker).

Hahahaha... The aspiring pen maker is too!

The drill press was too good to let the current owner send it to the scrapyard. I hope to someday tear it down and refinish it.

Getting it into my shop is going to be a challenge though.

 

[ThomJ]

Age?? I bet Noah used it to drill peg holes for the ark

 

[toomanysplinters]

Good Grief! How old is that thing and how much does it weigh? (the drill press,not the kid).

I'm guessing it's from the 20's (maybe 10's) and weighs in at a mere 850lbs. It has a 9" quill travel I believe, as well as power feed and backgears.

The main reason I'm keeping it is for the "coolness" factor.

 

[IPD_Mr]

That is a sweet sweet machine.

 

[MarkD]

You "might" be able to use it as a pen press also! Wear your safety glasses! :biggrin:

 

[Edward Cypher]

I think you cornered the market on the coolness factor.

 

[Draygore]

You gotta love it.... She's got some serious curves!

 

[toomanysplinters]

Hahahaha, yes she certainly does!

 

[IPD_Mr]

BTW, that drill originally never had a motor on it. It would have ran off of a pulley system in the rafters of a factory. I bet if you could find some markings and did some research on it you will find it was more towards the tun of the century. Our oldest piece of equipment is a spinning machine that spins a head on a metal rod. It too never had a motor originally and was made in 1905. The company is still in business and making parts for these machines. You have a really awesome piece of machinery there.

 

[toomanysplinters]

I hope to find some more definitive information when I get to restoring it. I do know that it's a Canedy-Otto and think it's a No.36. There's a catalog at vintagemachinery.com that has this one it, but mine has babbitt bearings while those may have bushings or ball bearings (bearings are not split like on this one) so I have to assume this one is older. The catalog also shows that these were still for use with a line-shat setup, as they had the idle and drive pulley on them rather than the v-belt drive. I didn't see a date in that catalog, but didn't look too hard either.

BTW, I'm in the process of restoring my lathe... also from the 20's. She's wet with paint as I type.

 

[Atherton Pens]

It might work ok for slims and other 7 mm pens with softwood blanks, but may a need a little "heavier" equipment for more advanced work.......

Seriously, that's a SWEET vintage machine!

 

[workinforwood]

I am so glad you snatched that machine up! I would hate to see that cool machine go to scrap. My drill press is huge, with an even bigger pull than that, but not nearly as unique. You have to get that into the shop no matter what it takes. The power feed sounds like a really neat option too.

 

[Fred]

Cool tool ... but will it take a 13/64" bit?

Good luck on the move to the house and I hope your floor can hold it.

 

[PenPal]

THAT IS A DRILL.

Big is beautiful and will demand profound respect with regard to pulley coverings etc. It will have the strength to maim or dismember. When I was 15 I commenced an Apprenticeship in the 1950,s as a Printing Engineer the whole building ran on flat belts and community shafts.
As a misguided youth I changed stream because I was a heavy smoker and only smoking allowed during the day was in the gents. The front door was policed and locked entrance to the building was by request for security, like being in Jail.

Using drills such as these never was casual and demanded great respect even before OH&S was but a byword.

Enjoy the prospect of restoration my guess is the young fellow will have to wait a long time before he will access that drill to use.

Lathes in use were large enough to control sitting at the top rails they were enormous as well.

Have fun they are wonderfull units to handle large projects.

Kind regards Peter.

 

[IPD_Mrs]

Beautiful piece of machinery. I think what you may have is a Camelback Drill from the early part of the 20th Century (give or take). These drills have a pretty fascinating history to them and according to a website I found are basically considered "obsolete" by the writer (including parts - which he states you have to either make yourself or have a competent machinist to make for you.)

I am linking the article here - it's rather long, but a good read and it has some NICE photos on it that I think will be of great help if indeed this is what you have coming (and it looks darn similar to me from what I can see in your photo.) Enjoy it no matter what it is because it truly is an awesome tool!

http://www.beautifuliron.com/gs_drills_camelback.htm

Linda

 

[toomanysplinters]

Peter,

I appreciate the safety advice. I completely agree that is is not a tool that should be used carelessly. Whenever I use any of tools I realize the risks and dangers of any situation. I keep all of machines unplugged in the event that one of my boys flips a switch in curiosity. I remember as a child have an experience with a radial arm saw that scared the sh!t out of me. Once I had my own children I mad sure that they would not me able to do the same as I did. While this machine has many places where bad things can happen, I will make them unavailable to the the little ones in my house by keeping them off limits to them.

Linda, thank you for the link. I read a lot of it and only confirms what I expect from the drill. I hope for it to be an occasionally used tool as I spend most of my time working with wood and this is certainly a metal working tool.

I will post pics of it once it's safely in my workshop. Luckily I don't have any stairs to deal with.

 

[Nate Davey]

Nice find on the drill, they don't even make tanks like that anymore:biggrin: Here is another good resource for older equipment.

http://www.owwm.com/

 

[workinforwood]

It's pretty fascinating, the history of tools like this. I never would have even thought of the machine not being run on a motor of it's own, but rather a drive shaft over head through the factory..that's really neat, I'm glad I learned that.