Brian Marks
02-28-2012, 10:22 AM
After a long search for a drill press, I was able to find a "new" Rockwell 15-655, circa 1978, that had never been used. It was sitting behind some other boxes in a warehouse and only recently discovered by the factory owner, who then sold to me. After getting this behemoth home and polishing off the minor rust on the table and column, I checked out the mechanicals in detail. The good news: runout is virtually nonexistent and the quill is smooth as silk. The only thing that concerns me is some vibration I can feel while it is running. As this is my first drill press, I can't tell if it's a normal amount of vibration or if the 30+ years of sitting idle has had an effect. So, a few questions:
How much vibration is normal for a variable speed (Reaves) system? Is there an objective way to conclude whether it falls within acceptable bounds? For example, I've heard that you shouldn't be able to see any ripples in a glass of water on the table, or that a nickel should be able to stand straight up as you turn it on and off. My press would not pass these tests, but I wouldn't say it vibrates to the point that stuff shakes off the table, either.
Would the long inactivity have caused the v-belt to "set" in one position? The belt seems to be of high quality, and this press is clearly a time-tested design, so I'm thinking the belt may "break-in" over time. Is this a good assumption or should I look to replace it? I assume I will have to go with the same design (if not the exact part number) because I don't think link belts will work on a variable speed system, right?
When I run the motor without the belt attached, there is almost no vibration, so I think the issue is with the pulleys and/or belt. Lubrication doesn't seem to be an issue, though I added a couple of drops as the manual recommends.
How important is the belt tension? I've tried to make sure I'm set up as the manual suggests (15.125" between motor and spindle pulleys) but I get the feeling my belt is either too tight or too loose. When running, the belt tends to "flop" a little as opposed to being taut.
There are set screws built in to dampen the pulleys. It appears that the motor pulley spins freely with no resistance but the spindle pulley has a bit of friction, which I think was set at the factory. Should I try loosening the screw to allow it to spin freely?
The bottom line is it drills nice holes and should last me a lifetime -- but I just want to see if there is something not quite right. As I said, it's never been used before, and I am hoping it wasn't due to some defect.
Thanks!
How much vibration is normal for a variable speed (Reaves) system? Is there an objective way to conclude whether it falls within acceptable bounds? For example, I've heard that you shouldn't be able to see any ripples in a glass of water on the table, or that a nickel should be able to stand straight up as you turn it on and off. My press would not pass these tests, but I wouldn't say it vibrates to the point that stuff shakes off the table, either.
Would the long inactivity have caused the v-belt to "set" in one position? The belt seems to be of high quality, and this press is clearly a time-tested design, so I'm thinking the belt may "break-in" over time. Is this a good assumption or should I look to replace it? I assume I will have to go with the same design (if not the exact part number) because I don't think link belts will work on a variable speed system, right?
When I run the motor without the belt attached, there is almost no vibration, so I think the issue is with the pulleys and/or belt. Lubrication doesn't seem to be an issue, though I added a couple of drops as the manual recommends.
How important is the belt tension? I've tried to make sure I'm set up as the manual suggests (15.125" between motor and spindle pulleys) but I get the feeling my belt is either too tight or too loose. When running, the belt tends to "flop" a little as opposed to being taut.
There are set screws built in to dampen the pulleys. It appears that the motor pulley spins freely with no resistance but the spindle pulley has a bit of friction, which I think was set at the factory. Should I try loosening the screw to allow it to spin freely?
The bottom line is it drills nice holes and should last me a lifetime -- but I just want to see if there is something not quite right. As I said, it's never been used before, and I am hoping it wasn't due to some defect.
Thanks!