New delta rockwell drill press

C

catcalls

Joined
May 7, 2012
Messages
250
I bought myself a very old delta rockwell drill press today. It came with a gerbing sliding vise mount and a columbian vise. $100 is what I paid for it. Did I get ripped off? I don't know much about it other than it weighs a freaking ton. It is the floor model also. Is there anything I need to know about this machine?
 
I can't upload pictures with my phone but there isn't any rust, and was covered in thick dust filled black grease stuff. I probably could have gotten it all off if I worked hard to clean it for hours but I just got the majority off. It's model is dp220.
 
Definitely didn't get ripped off. If it works then it's a great deal on a very usable drill press that will last you another 100 years. If it doesn't work, motors and other parts are fairly easy to come by and worst case scenario you can part it out for an easy profit.
 
catcalls said:
I can't upload pictures with my phone but there isn't any rust, and was covered in thick dust filled black grease stuff. I probably could have gotten it all off if I worked hard to clean it for hours but I just got the majority off. It's model is dp220.
Click to expand...

Gasoline is the cheapest solvent I know, just work outside.
 
It's worth the money but don't use the sliding vice like it's a mill. Drill presses are not designed for side loading.
 
I'd use kerosene, too. Not quite as nasty to work with. WEAR GLOVES!!!!!!! Wouldn't hurt you to wear the normal battery of protection, too. Eyes, respirator, etc.
 
it's not terribly bad, but the chuck doesn't spin 100% true. Is there anyway to make it spin better? I would like to be able to be as close to perfect as I can get with it.
 
Is the chuck on a morse taper. Use an indicator and check the male jacobs taper for runout. Now check the chuck on the arbor for runout using precision ground stock and indicator on the rod. Are they similar? If not you found start turning the chuck on the arbor in 90 degree increments and rechecking. You will likely find a position where some of the chuck runout cancels out the arbor runout. You can find the 90 degree segment that accomplishes this the best and divide that segment in half. At some point you will have the best setup between arbor and chuck that you can.

Worn bearings are we while nother ball games that can cause some this runout.
 
What is a morse taper? And what is runout on said morse taper? I am really confused about what you mean, could you be more detailed as to how this can be accomplished?
 
Drill press chucks generally mount in one of 3 ways and 2 involve tapers. A taper consists of precisely machined male and female partial cone shapes that are so closely fitted they stick together when you put them together. Big old drill presses frequently had an internal Morse taper in the main shaft which you could put taper shank drill bits into, or could mount a chuck using an "arbor" that has a external (male) Morse taper on one end and a different external taper on the other end that fits into the chuck (usually some type of "Jacobs" taper depending on the chuck) If there's a rounded rectangular hole through the main shaft about 6-8" up, that's a sign you may have a drill press with an internal Morse taper. If you are lucky, the run-out is due to a bent arbor or worn out chuck jaws, both are easily and cheaply replaced. Otherwise, the bearings could need replacement, or the main shaft could be bent or worn. The second chuck mounting method is to have a male Jacobs taper on the end of the main shaft that the drill chuck is pressed onto, sometimes there is a threaded retaining ring as well. In this case, if the problem is not worn out chuck jaws or bent chuck body, then it's the shaft or bearings. The last chuck mounting method uses external threads on the end of the main shaft that the chuck threads on to, in my experience this is mostly seen on newer, smaller and cheaper drill presses. If you can figure out how to remove the chuck (spend the few dollars for the proper drift tool or wedges, improper removal can cause more problems) you can use an indicator on the main shaft end and find out where the run-out is coming from. If the manufacturer name and part# are visible on the chuck, Google may help you find the mounting method and taper
 
I'd use kerosene too. Could even use a jug of "lamp oil" from walmart, which is just kerosene denatured. I use it all the time on my motorcycles chain. Does a good job with grease and other nastiness. Not as dangerous as gasoline.
 
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