Millers Falls #5 restoration.

[Andrew Gibson]

As many of you may recall from my Boston trip thread I picked up a Millers Falls #5 hand drill in rather nice condition. the only major Problem with it was that it was missing its bearings.

After some research and some help from members here I found wktools.com
Having nothing to loose I sent them an e-mail asking what size bearings I needed for my drill. Wilker was kind enough to e-mail me back and confirm that I needed 1/8th" bearings.

Over to McMastercarr I wen to order the bearings. $8 shipped for 100 bearings and arrived in 2 days.

The funny thing was that my invoice showed that the bearings shipped before I ordered them, apparently there system is running on central time even though they are in Atlanta. I think they got a kick out of my e-mail saying shipping before I ordered was going above and beyond.

The drill runs perfectly. The bearings really did make a considerable difference in the smoothness of the drill... hopefully the drill is ready for another 100 years of drilling pleasure.

If anyone needs some 1/8th" bearings let me know. I have 96 or so extra.

Here is a pic of the drill just for fun. Not really much of a restoration but I did wipe the dust and grime off and gave the wood a little BLO.

[Marv Werner]

Nice little drill. The No.5 and the No.2 were the two most popular eggbeater drills that Millers Falls made. You probably already know this, but others might not....the reason for the thicker drive gear is for turning the gear with your fingers while not using the crank handle. This is done when drilling something delicate with very small bits. Gives you just a tad more control in certain situations.

Marv

[Chris Vandiver]

Nice little drill. The No.5 and the No.2 were the two most popular eggbeater drills that Millers Falls made. You probably already know this, but others might not....the reason for the thicker drive gear is for turning the gear with your fingers while not using the crank handle. This is done when drilling something delicate with very small bits. Gives you just a tad more control in certain situations.

Marv


Now that is a valuable piece of information!

[Jim Koepke]

I have a pair of #2s that do a great job.

I am sure your heirs will enjoy your restoration when they get to use this little jewel.

jtk

[Marv Werner]

Hi Chris,

I see you have some familiar saws for sale in the classified section.

Hope all is well in your world. :)

Marv

[Bill Houghton]

Over to McMastercarr I wen to order the bearings. $8 shipped for 100 bearings and arrived in 2 days.

The funny thing was that my invoice showed that the bearings shipped before I ordered them, apparently there system is running on central time even though they are in Atlanta. I think they got a kick out of my e-mail saying shipping before I ordered was going above and beyond.


Nice little drill.

In future, unless you're far from civilization, you might call your local bearing shop. You might well have been able to get the four bearings you needed for less than that.

As to shipping before you ordered: I've been doing some reading on quantum theory this week, and am now really confused about the universe; perhaps they're in a quantum fluctuation.

[Andrew Gibson]

Nice little drill.

In future, unless you're far from civilization, you might call your local bearing shop. You might well have been able to get the four bearings you needed for less than that.

As to shipping before you ordered: I've been doing some reading on quantum theory this week, and am now really confused about the universe; perhaps they're in a quantum fluctuation.

Yea I could not think of anywhere close that would have potentially have the bearings, and driving arould town looking for them would most likely have turned into a 20-30 mile round trip or more. 8 cents a bearing does not sound to bad with the price of gas.

[Robert Culver]

Nice drill. Thats what I like about the older tools they last what seems to be forever. While some do infact wear out its not nearly as fact as most of the consumer grade tools on the market today. Im not saying that for quality made products and most of us know what those names are so theres no need to mention any. The nice thing is that some old beaters just need a little tlc.

[Dan Andrews]

I had an old No. 2 (unsure of date due to some contadiction of the parts on it, but it would be from pre 1921). The spindle bearings seemed smaller than 1/8" and there were 7 of them. The point being that if you need bearings for your hand drill, it would be best to take it apart before ordering bearings, even if it is a MF. I would say by the shape of the head that Andrew's No.5 makes it at least as old as my No. 2. Maybe the bearings varied by model.

[Andrew Gibson]

I had an old No. 2 (unsure of date due to some contadiction of the parts on it, but it would be from pre 1921). The spindle bearings seemed smaller than 1/8" and there were 7 of them. The point being that if you need bearings for your hand drill, it would be best to take it apart before ordering bearings, even if it is a MF. I would say by the shape of the head that Andrew's No.5 makes it at least as old as my No. 2. Maybe the bearings varied by model.

This is a good point, I did a fair amount of measuring and math in my head... usually fuzzy math. The 1/8th" bearings ended up working perfectly in my drill, and eliminated basically all slop in the drive shaft.

[Jess Van Diest]

I have an old Miller's Falls No. 2 Drill that has some slop in both pinion gears. Replacing the bearings should fix this, but what is the best way to knock out the locking pins that hold it together without doing any damage? And how much improvement in smoothness of operation have you experienced? By the way, they are neat looking drills! Thanks in advance.

[Jim Koepke]

Jess,

Welcome to the Creek.

Your information does not indicate a location. You may live close to someone who is willing to work with you on your drill.

Some slop in an egg beater drill is normal.

I have not fully taken apart a Millers Falls drill of yet. I think a pin punch and a small hammer is all you will need. I would have to look and see if the pins are peened and need a touch with a file first.

The first place to look is here:

http://www.georgesbasement.com/

jtk

[Mark Baldwin III]

Nice little drill.

In future, unless you're far from civilization, you might call your local bearing shop. You might well have been able to get the four bearings you needed for less than that.

As to shipping before you ordered: I've been doing some reading on quantum theory this week, and am now really confused about the universe; perhaps they're in a quantum fluctuation.

It's possible that they inhabit the fourth dimension, in which case they'd be able to see what you're going to order before you order it and send the part on its way. Too bad they don't sell hyper-chisels for chopping the hyper-dovetails required to build a four dimensional chest.
Haven't had the second cup of coffee yet...

[Jess Van Diest]

Thank you Jim, I've been reading these posts for a while and I really like the Neander forum.

I've been interested in the the traditional artisan way of doing things and with woodworking for a while. I ordered the Joiner and Cabinetmaker and Woodworking Essentials to get a start on building more knowledge about all this woodworking stuff. I think I've got pretty steady hands and a fairly keen eye so why not put them to good work instead of being stuck behind a TV (home) or computer (home and work) all the time. I could go on for a while about this...

Back to the drill... did quite a bit of searching and didn't find any specifics on removing the pins, but my first thought was to do exactly that, file and punch (they are peened a bit). It's really awesome to have a place like this to ask these questions and get responses from people that have done it before or have good advice so you don't mess anything up. Looking to buy a brace so I'll probably go to georgesbasement.com for that. Thanks for the link.

[Jim Koepke]

Looking to buy a brace so I'll probably go to georgesbasement.com for that. Thanks for the link.

You are welcome for the link. Here is one with more information on braces:

http://www.sydnassloot.com/

I have three good spare braces, but someone was going to get a hold of me after the new year to trade for something, so I don't want to sell them before that comes or goes.

You will find once you start using braces that you will want more than just one. Besides different sizes you will want extras for when you are doing a lot of drilling or using one for a screwdriver.

If I get a chance to buy another 8" or find a 6" throw, my wallet will come out.

jtk