Anyone recognize this Delta/Rockwell drill press?

[Bill Bixby]

http://i.imgur.com/Icg5ll.jpg


Trying to figure out how much HP it has and if I can set it for low RPMs. I'm pretty sure I can fix it up.

and this is its current condition..:confused:


http://i.imgur.com/SwePtl.jpg

[Greg Portland]

What's on the motor plate? That should tell you the HP that it came with. You can measure the pulleys and determine the drive ratio. Use that and the motor RPM to determine the lowest and highest bit RPM.

[Bill Bixby]

What's on the motor plate? That should tell you the HP that it came with. You can measure the pulleys and determine the drive ratio. Use that and the motor RPM to determine the lowest and highest bit RPM.

Unfortunately this picture is all i have for now so I cant see the motor plate.

[pat warner]

Good machine, I have 2. Came with .5 HP and 4 speeds ~250 -~1100.
Had mine reworked. (http://patwarner.com/images/old_rock.jpg)

[Mike Wilkins]

I have that same drill press, manufactured some time in the early 70's. I think mine is 1974. 4 speeds/pulleys, but I am not at home now to check the motor HP. Good drill press but no hand crank to change the table elevation. Have to use the muscle method; not fun with my auxillary table mounted on it. Yours should clean up nicely and work great.

[Joe Kieve]

We used to have one just like that where I worked. IIRC it had a 1/2 hp motor. Good machine! Sure would be nice if it had a crank up/down table. That thing's murder on your back.

[Bill Bixby]

Good machine, I have 2. Came with .5 HP and 4 speeds ~250 -~1100.
Had mine reworked. (http://patwarner.com/images/old_rock.jpg)


wow thats some major modifications!

[Bill Bixby]

Anyone know what its worth?

[HANK METZ]

That's a nice find depending on price of course. You can shop-make table elevation schemes from simple to complex, it just depends on time and money- what doesn't?

Here's a couple of links to review for ideas:
Also, a used car jack, the scissors lift type can be employed as well.

Don't forget too, you can use a jackshaft (http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/build-yourself/238455d1321878768-new-me-drill-press-img_4426.jpg)combo to get the speed range anywhere you want it to be.

- Beachside Hank
Improvise, adapt, overcome; the essence of true craftsmanship.

[John McClanahan]

It looks to me like the mount is missing from the motor. If so, you will need a motor for it. I would also find out if it comes with the 4 sheave pulley for the motor. Those can be rather pricey.

John

[Bill Bixby]

It looks to me like the mount is missing from the motor. If so, you will need a motor for it. I would also find out if it comes with the 4 sheave pulley for the motor. Those can be rather pricey.

John

Here is another pic of the motor.

http://i.imgur.com/3KKcZ.jpg

[John McClanahan]

That motor sits in a cradle mount. The cradle is missing. You will need a cradle or a different motor. I'm guessing the step pulley is missing, too. Keep these things in mind when determining a value on the drill press.

John

[Rich Riddle]

Looks to be a 15-081 model.

Here are a couple more like it:

http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=12217
http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?ID=13592
http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=14163
http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=9249

What it is worth ultimately lies in what you want. I prefer old iron to the new stuff for the most part. If I planned on keeping it long term and it was a good drill press, up to about $275. You would likely spend another $200 or so going through it and setting it up well. There are few, if any, drill presses made today that would stack up to it, especially for less than $500 and a bit of time.

[Rich Riddle]

Here is a restoration of a very pretty drill press:

http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=13775

This design you are considering is the "split head" and consequently desirable.

[Bill Bixby]

That motor sits in a cradle mount. The cradle is missing. You will need a cradle or a different motor. I'm guessing the step pulley is missing, too. Keep these things in mind when determining a value on the drill press.

John

Could the step pulley be on the spindle or is it always on the motor side? I'm thinking it may be worth about $25??

[Bill Bixby]

Looks to be a 15-081 model.

If I planned on keeping it long term and it was a good drill press, up to about $275..

Wow I was thinking 25 to $50 based on Johns comment about the step pulley and probably needing a new motor.

[John McClanahan]

Wow I was thinking 25 to $50 based on Johns comment about the step pulley and probably needing a new motor.

I didn't mention the condition of the chuck, or if the quill traveled properly. It's almost a basket case. I would try to get it for less than $50, but that's me.

John

[Joe Jensen]

I have a very similar one. It has a 6" stroke and for me that's REALLY useful. I rarely have to raise and lower the table. One downside, raising the table is hard and lowering precisely is impossible. If I were to buy again I'd wait for one with a table raising crank.

[Rich Riddle]

Wow I was thinking 25 to $50 based on Johns comment about the step pulley and probably needing a new motor.At $315 a ton for iron, it's worth that in scrap and the owner likely knows it. You can't buy a decent cordless hand drill for what you are considering offering. You can also find tons of motors on Craiglist if you watch. I find lots of them for $25 or $30. Pulleys are inexpensive as well.

You will have to look at it to see if the quill travels well. If it extends the full 6" then it's worth something. New ones cost over a thousand dollars from Delta and Powermatic but have more bell's and whistles. The downside to that one is the table as some people mentioned. You can find a crank handle table for that column size. It's a very common size.

You need to look at it in person to ascertain the condition. If that's simply surface rust, treat it and move on. One cannot look at the picture and tell it is a "basket case." If it is a basket case, move on and don't look back. If it's too much work for you, move on. If not, make a reasonable offer for the time/cost it would take you to get it into good condition. I cap the used tool total input at half what a new one costs. If you want the best advice on it, go to OWWM's forum and discuss it. They won't let you talk about value though.

I have a different Delta Rockwell model from the same era, used it yesterday. Mine was covered in the same looking kind of rust, and mine was simple surface rust. Took about two hours to clean off with oil and steel wool. It will be working decades after these new plastic models stop.

[Bill Bixby]

well its a teenager or something selling it for her grandfather...sounds fishy...she wants $50 so I'm going to go check it out. If I dont post for a few days, it means I got beat up by a girl and her boyfriend for $50.

[Lee Schierer]

Could the step pulley be on the spindle or is it always on the motor side? I'm thinking it may be worth about $25??

There should be a step pulley on each shaft to get the best speed variations. One is right side up the other is upside down. With two stepped pulleys you don't have to retension the belt when changing speeds.

[Bill Bixby]

Well I got it for $40. It had been lying in the driveway for a few weeks and had gotten rained on a few times. When I asked if he had any of the missing parts he says oh yeah....goes to the trash can and pulls out the other stepped pulley!!

THe spindle travels 6 inches and there's no play in it. However when you allow the stop screw to stop the spindle, it pulls to the right as it stops.

Heres some new photos

http://imgur.com/a/AXzgk

Some things I've noticed so far....

Model No. is 15-665
Pretty sure its called a 6+6, I've downloaded several manuals from vintages machines but none of them have the exact model number.
Theres a black tensioning wheel that wont turn
There is a place to put machine oil but it just dumps into the cavity that contains the spindle.


Getting the motor running will be the first step..
Not sure if it will run on 120v...says 208-230/115v
all the external wiring was not included. (power cord and between switch and motor)
Looks like I'm missing the motor junction box
I found a used Baldor 1hp motor with mounting bracket on craigslist for $35...may be easier just to go with that. Its 220 only so I'm going to pass.

[John McClanahan]

Bill,
I think you did good on the drill press. Glad to hear you got the pulley. An ebay replacement would cost as much as the drill press. That's a steal of a price an a 1 HP Baldor, if it looks decent.

If you go after the motor, be sure the pulley will fit the shaft.

John

[Bill Bixby]

I ended up grabbing a motor for the same price it would be to order a resilient motor mount which is what this needs. I guess wiring it up is as simple as power --> switch --> motor. The motor wiring diagram doesnt indicate hot and neutral...just line 1 and line 1. Hopefully the worst that will happen is that it will spin backwards.

[Andrew Joiner]

well its a teenager or something selling it for her grandfather...sounds fishy...she wants $50 so I'm going to go check it out. If I dont post for a few days, it means I got beat up by a girl and her boyfriend for $50.

Congratulations on your drill press ,Bill. Glad you didn't get beat up. However I think anyone who leaves a beautiful vintage drill press like that out in the rain deserves a good----- well let's just say I'm glad you saved it.

[Rollie Meyers]

Rockwell used some odd frame size motors for some of their tools, the shaft size is 1/2" for the motor pulley so a NEMA 56 frame motor will not work because of the 5/8" shaft.

[Bill Bixby]

Got it running!! May be missing a part that holds the belt tension. Luckily I used an adjustable belt so its okay for now.

[Bruce Kohl]

Bill - You got a nice deal for $40. That's one great drill press. I have the same model except mine has the intermediate idler pulley so it has twelve speeds. It has the original 1/2 hp motor on it, but a 3/4 or 1 hp would also work. My motor has dual speeds and it is wired for the lower speed (approximatly 1,150 rpms) so my speed range goes from 150 to 2,500 rpms or so. The oil cup on the left side is so you can lubricate the quill. I also have a hand crank to raise and lower the table, which came as a Rockwell/Delta accessory. I also have a 15" Rockwell utility drill press of the same vintage that has a 4" quill travel, so I can tell you the 6" travel on this one comes in very handy.


If you spend a couple of hundred bucks restoring it you'll have a great machine that will give you good service and last far longer than the lightweight stuff they sell today.

[Bill Bixby]

Bill - You got a nice deal for $40. That's one great drill press. I have the same model except mine has the intermediate idler pulley so it has twelve speeds.

is there anyway to add that to this drill press?

Also, evaporust is incredible.

[John McClanahan]

Lots of speeds sounds fun, but you will probably find you only really use 3 or 4. I had a drill press with 2 belts a long time ago. I found speed changes to be a bit of a pain.

John

[Bruce Kohl]

Bill -

Converting the drill press to the twelve speeds involves an idler pulley that mounts between the two existing pulleys, a replacement for the rear pulley and two new belts. This was a Rockwell/Delta accessory that I doubt is available any longer. You might find one on Ebay, but I'd bet it would be pricey. As noted speed changes can be a bit difficult with this setup. I wouldn't worry about it and just use the four speeds you have. Getting a replacement motor with a slow speed option (1,150 rpm instead of the standard approx 1,700) might be a better expenditure as it would give you a slower low speed which is helpful for larger bits. You'd sacrifice some high speed but it would still be high enough to spin small bits for woodworking.

You might try to find a table raising accessory so you can crank it up and down, as adjusting the height of the table without this feature is difficult. You could try to find the Rockwell/Delta accessory for this but the same rule applies as above. Instead, I got a drill press table raising accessory from General as it was half the price of the R/D and much more substantial. You could get any make table raising accessory so long as it matches the diameter of the column on your drill press. Also as noted by others, with the 6" quill travel raising and lowering the table becomes less of an issue.

Good luck with it and enjoy. Be sure to post some pictures when you get it cleaned up.

[Bill Bixby]

I got so much help from this thread that I bought a subscription. I'm super happy with this drill press too. Thanks again everyone!

[robert morrison]

Hi Bill

If you really want change of speeds, change to a 3 phase motor combined with a VFD.

A 3 phase motor can often be had for very little $. A VFD will set you back at least a C note.

Some VFD's loose torque at slower speeds others do not.

The VFD gives you araiable speeds at the touch of a button or dial.

If you change over to a 3 phase motor, you can put a motor with more hp on the drill.

Now if you really want to spend some money take a lift cart like this
http://www.harborfreight.com/1000-lb-capacity-hydraulic-table-cart-69148.html
Take the wheels and pull handle off it, and position it under the drill press. You will probably have to make some type of platform for it. Make a drill press table top to go on the lift surface that is 20" x 33".

Now you can raise the table by stepping on a foot pedal. Overkill, yea maybe, but sweeeeet.

[Bill Bixby]

Hi Bill

If you really want change of speeds, change to a 3 phase motor combined with a VFD.

.


Theres a 3 phase motor on CL right now for $35....Its the converter thats going to be expensive.

EDIT: i just googled and see that the VFD is the converter as well. They are on ebay for $400. (http://www.ebay.com/itm/WEG-VFD-Variable-Speed-Drive-VSD-4A-1HP-120V-CFW10-IP-20-CFW100040S1112ESZ-/280894579534?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item41669f234e)

[Michael Mayo]

I also got an older Rockwell drill press recently and refurbished it. I saw on another forum guy's using a trailer tongue jack u-bolted to the column as a table raising mechanism. Pretty ingenious I think and I am going to keep a look out for one on CL and put one on my new drill press as it doesn't have a rack and pinion table raiser and never did. The table is pretty small but once I put an auxiliary table on it adjusting the position is going to become difficult with out a raising mechanism.

[Bill Bixby]

I also got an older Rockwell drill press recently and refurbished it. I saw on another forum guy's using a trailer tongue jack u-bolted to the column as a table raising mechanism. Pretty ingenious I think and I am going to keep a look out for one on CL

Harbor Freight has them for $20 - $30