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Thread: Drill press return spring

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
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    Los Angeles
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    Drill press return spring

    My drill press return spring went kaput today.
    It made an odd sound, and now doesn't work.

    Is it generally repairable - as in, has something slipped,
    or does it need to be replaced, and is this a difficult procedure?

    The DP is a Delta 70 200. Thanks!
    Mark

    IMG_6459.jpg IMG_6463.jpg IMG_6461.jpg

  2. #2
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    Nov 2013
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    Waterford, PA
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    I can't speak to your specific machine, but mine was easily replaced. The spring is a coil of spring steel that is wound up to produce tension and is called a "clock spring". They eventually break from being flexed over and over again. My machine, you had to remove the quill handle assembly and tensioning cover, remove the old spring pieces, slide the new spring into the cavity and engage the ends of the spring over little pins. Then you just re-assembled the cover etc and adjusted the tension.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
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    Central North Carolina
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    If you can't buy a replacement, what usually breaks is the very end that is bent at 90 degrees to hook into a slot in the cover and this bent piece is what breaks off. If this happens and no replacement is available, you can remove the spring and then carefully heat the end (only the end area) of the coil spring to red and bend a new end on it with a pair of pliers. Then, let the spring cool and replace it into the drill press. You will need several turns of the spring force for the spring to reliably return the quill to the upper position, so this tends to be the most difficult part of the repair and is trial and error. Some drill presses have a bolt through the center of the spring cover that can be loosened and the cover rotated until the quill is lifted to the up position where the bolt can then be retightened. Some use other methods. None use high tech methods, so they can easily be figured out. A 1930's drill press that I once owned needed this repair several times while I owned it. Of course, life is easier when you can just buy a replacement.

    Charley

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
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    Tampa Bay area
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Gibney View Post
    My drill press return spring went kaput today.
    Your return spring looks to be the same design as my Nova Voyager and most likely many different brands as well. I would be surprised if you could not find a replacement spring from another manufacturer that fits. As Lisa said, it is an easy replacement.
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  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
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    Piercefield, NY
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    My old Clausing drill press has adjustable spring tension, and once it slipped off the stops that hold it and made a little bang, but all I had to do was to grab the outer case and wind it up again, and stick it on the little holder part more carefully. It might be worth looking into whether the spring is actually broken before trying to find a new one.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
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    Thanks for all the insights. I’ll fiddle around with it later today. Good to know that it won’t be a big deal either way.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Peoria, IL
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    From what I've read, most just buy a generic spring on EBay or Amazon. I have a Craftsman that needs one too.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
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    9,885
    Some people ,who cannot find a spring that fits, replace it with a pulley and counterweight system. Or a gas strut. A counterweight system will last longer then a spring, espicaily on a long stroke quill.
    If you have a heavy mortiser on the dp the stock spring may not be strong enough to counterbalance that.
    Bill D

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