The Post Drill - one of the greatest hand tools ever made...

[Alan DuBoff]

There are some tools that just amaze me, and the post drill is one of them. I mean, here's a tool that was basically designed and created before electricity, and along with the Emmert Pattern Maker's Vise, the post drill is up there on the galootability list as one of the mechanical wonders of yesteryear. The gears is a very interesting design with a spur gear that drives the flywheel and the screw at the same time.

Unfortunately this post drill was damaged in shipping, but the guy I bought it from had UPS pack it...it still took several months to sort it out, and the UPS store went through 2 managers in the time it took...which caused the clock to basically start ticking over again...UPS wouldn't pay me to fix it myself, but would pay Scott Thomas over at Ardenwood to forge a new ratchet arm for me.

I started to clean it up tonight, and might be able to get it mounted on the wall during the break I'm taking advantage of for shop time...

From left to right, broken ratchet, new ratchet, bearing/shaft before cleaning, bearings/shaft after cleaning some. I'm waiting for an email from a friend, I can't figure out how to get the screw/shaft out of the body. I want to take the entire tool apart so I can really clean it good. I suspect in the last picture that there is a pin under the bearings, on the left side, but before I mash something I am confirming with a smithy friend.

Amazing how smooth the screw works after it was cleaned...this is going to be a very nice tool after I can get it cleaned up nicely...hard to find good post drills, there's a lot of broken down ones, and the ones that are working most galoots don't want to sell them. Just takes more time to search them out. I have a 1/2" Albrecht keyless chuck on a 1/2" shaft that will fit in the post drill chuck nicely!

[Tony Zaffuto]

Jeez Alan,

Again we got some similar tool likes! I have three such drills: a Champion which is in fine operating condition, an older Cannedy (IIRC the name) which is awaiting some repair I can do (since 2003!) and a Millers Falls that is much smaller and clamps to the bench edge.

I got a real laugh out of UPS's approach of contracting someone to fix it at probably a much higher cost instead of paying you (plus you didn't get to have the fun of the fix).

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Tony Z.

[Alan DuBoff]

Again we got some similar tool likes! I have three such drills: a Champion which is in fine operating condition, an older Cannedy (IIRC the name) which is awaiting some repair I can do (since 2003!) and a Millers Falls that is much smaller and clamps to the bench edge.

Tony,

You have 3 post drills? Did I ever tell you I hate you? (just kidding;-)

I saw a Cannedy a while back, but it needed some parts and the styling was not what I was after.

My hand tool area was a shed to start with, so I didn't want to hang anything too large on the wall...I think it's strong, just that the ceiling is short (7'3" at the sides).

I was having a hard time finding clean small post drills. This is not to say that back east where you are, anvils, post drills, and post vises seem to fall out of the sky, makes sense you have 3.

I do have 3 post vises, one stays on a stump in the backyard, just outside the shed. 2 of them are small, one is decent size (5.5" - 6" jaws). I had a great 7" Columbia, it was a beauty, but the jaw throat was cracked, so I traded it to a friend that knew how to fix it. The big vises are hard to find, similar to the small post drill for me.

A post drill is one of the ultimate hand tools for any type of boring or mortising, I'm looking forward to using a forestner bit to clean out the mortises.

I got a real laugh out of UPS's approach of contracting someone to fix it at probably a much higher cost instead of paying you (plus you didn't get to have the fun of the fix).

Yeah, while it had $100 of insurance, they said it wouldn't need to be insured if I could fix it... Given that, it was a no brainer to get Scott Thomas to do it, he charged $90, and in the end UPS ended up giving me $158 in damages.

These are also amazing in drilling through metal, I have used Scott Thomas' massive post drill to go through 3/4" stock with a 1" hole. I didn't even have to crank hard at all...this small one should be fine for wood.

BTW, do you by chance have a lever operated post drill? Some models had both self feed and a lever, some only had lever, and some like mine only had only self feed. Can't wait to get it cleaned up and on the wall with the Albrecht keyless chuck, I hope it's the setup I have hoped for...

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Tony Z.[/quote]

[Keith Outten]

Alan,

I own two Buffalo Forge post drills. One is in perfect condition, the other has a damaged table that I haven't had the time to fix yet.

The first one I cleaned up and reconditioned about 15 years ago, with a fresh coat of gray paint it looks great and is as smooth as when it was new. Both currently reside in my barn as I don't have a place for either of them in my shop. I can get some pictures if you prefer.

.

[Tony Zaffuto]

Alan,

No lever operated post drill and to tell the truth, I'm really familiar with them! The Champion was the last post drill I bought--about 3 or 4 years ago. It was right after the Donnelly auction in Avoca, NY, and my wife and I were at a flea market near our home. I was unable to go to the Donnelly auction, but at the flea market, I met up with an acquaintance who was there and did real, real well. The post drill came from the auction and is in excellent running order, with all parts present and none broken. I got it for $50.00 and the seller was happy to sell it at that!

My wife asked what I was going to do with it, and upon questioning her why, she replied that it would look kind of nice in our mud room! Now bear in mind, we have a very formal home and I was floored with that statement. Our youngest was around 3 or 4 at the time and I replied there were too many pinch points with the gears and all (not to mention the grease and oh does it smell good!).

Life is good, especially coming in to the holiday season.

T.Z.

[Alan DuBoff]

Keith,

Would like to see pics if you have. Once cleaned up these will last forever...

I checked with one of my friends who I exchange email with, Ron Reil, and he kinda advised me not to take the entire thing apart and just finish cleaning it up in a tub of kerosene. I've been using mineral spirits, hope I didn't screw it up, but I oiled the quill bearing and screw with Mobile Vactra #2, that's what I use on the ways of my Nichols mill and South Bend lathe. Ron mentioned that if you clean too much of the gunk out of the pores, they have a tendency to get sloppy. This seems pretty clean after I got it oiled up...it is so filthy, there is so much coal soot caked on this tool...that stuff is filthy...coal is one of the most disgusting fuels, IMO, but it sure burns nice when you forge with it. Ron is trying to break me of using coal, because it's so bad for our system to inhale. He went through a nervous condition, and what caused him to seek a way to build a propane forge. They are not without problems either, sounds like your working inside of a wind tunnel...

After I got it oiled up, it spins really nicely, and can give it a twirl on the top ratchet wheel, and it will spin 4 or 5 revolutions easily. I can get the one piece that the ratchet arm bolts to, off, so I can clean that up a bit, but I think I'm gonna leave the quill in the drill, at least that is what Ron suggests.

Tony,

I have a copy of a January 1, 1909 catalog, and they show several models with the lever arm, it looks cool, and kinda makes sense as you can drill and advance as you wish, where the self feed will just ratchet down, AFAIK.

That wife is a keeper! Letting you turn the mudroom into more shop space, what a gal! You better love her and keep her forever!

This post drill has a bit of an interesting history. It came out of the Montgomery Wards warehouse in Kansas City. The guy I bought it from, who I have bought a couple Hay Budden anvils from knew it as a kid, and grew up hanging around the warehouse. When they closed the warehouse down several years ago he bought all the equipment inside. There's a paper take with the address or some such on the broken post. I can cut the breakage off and salvage the post, I think.

Anyway, it was on St. Johns street or Johns street, something like that, but he knew the entire history. He has sold tons of blacksmithing equipment, I have bought 2 Hay Budden anvils from him plus a saw maker's anvil I use on my bench. Great guy, he's located in Kansas.

He was sad that UPS damaged it, after all he let them pack it. His wife helped me work through the UPS headaches. Great people, he gets a lot of smithy gear.

The last Hay Budden 128# I got from him was so nice, Ron Reil said if I didn't snag it up, he would, because you just can't find quality anvils like that these days, very often. I have another 160# anvil I got from him, he knew the guy he got it from, knew him for years...called him "'ol Milt, down south a ways...took good care of his tools...used them, but took care of them...". Some of these old tools have stories inside of them, it's fascinating to me...

Ok, I need to cut some wood today...got much of my shelves jointed last night, but need to rip to size, glue the corbel material up, and laminate the shelving...in between I'm playing with this post drill...

[Chris Padilla]

Ah, so now I understand what a post drill is!! Never heard of one.

[Alan DuBoff]

Ah, so now I understand what a post drill is!! Never heard of one.

Chris,

Mine is exactly like the Champion 98 they list on that page, and in fact in the catalog it says the 101 is exactly the same but slightly smaller. Mine will take shanks to 1/2" and drill holes up to 3/4" (at least what they say, you could probably do a larger hole if you had the bits, these tools are pretty robust...the 98 will take 1/2" shank and drill holes up to 1".

The 98 will drill a hole in the center of a 14" circle, and the 101 will only drill a hole in the center of a 12" circle. This means the quill is 6" from the back bar the table rides on for my No 101, and the 98 is 7" distance.

I have one non-original part on mine, the table. The table I have is solid, but it is supposed to have a slotted lathe turned table. I think most everything else is original, even the wrench, I have the original wrench for the square head bolts.

Probably more info that you were curious about, but lastly there was also a No 100, it had a lever feed, where mine has self feed. With mine it ratchets the wheel automatically as the handle is cranked to advance the quill. The 100 has a lever that the operator pulls to advance the quill. There are all types of models and sizes, this is one of the smaller sizes, sought after intentionally for the location it is being mounted to.

This is a marvelous tool, and it really shows old fashioned ingenuity. Very simple at the heart of it, but fascinating how the mathematics are involved to make the gears, ratchet, advance, and drilling motion all work together.

[Tom Wiarda]

This post drill is listed for sale on Craigs List in our area- http://grandrapids.craigslist.org/tls/968963481.html

It looks like it is missing the table and chuck. The seller says the gears turn smoothly. What do you think? Would it be worth buying? Can it be put back in to use? I would value the advice of other post drill users. Thanks, Tom

[Alan DuBoff]

This post drill is listed for sale on Craigs List in our area- http://grandrapids.craigslist.org/tls/968963481.html

It looks like it is missing the table and chuck. The seller says the gears turn smoothly. What do you think? Would it be worth buying? Can it be put back in to use? I would value the advice of other post drill users. Thanks, Tom

Tom,

Hard to tell what is there, but it looks like it is missing the table and chuck, the chuck might be hard to replace, hard to tell...you would need to look at it.

The table might be able to be found, not the same one, or one could be made.

My suggestion is that even though this is probably worth $20, try to find one that has most of the parts with it, so you won't have to fabricate anything. It also looks like one of the hand feed models, which are ok, but you need to feed the top wheel as you crank it, as I don't see a ratchet. Notice the handle wheel has teeth on it, which are directly connected to the gear, so there is no reduction. Kinda like a large hand drill that mounds on the wall. Since you can feed it slowly, it would go through decent material, certainly wood. I would try to find one that is more complete and/or has self-feed if possible, but at $20 it would probably be in my shop had I seen it close to me.

[Will Krautkramer]

Ever heard of a champion #96 post drill? I Accidentally bought a post drill this fall at an auction when I thought they were selling the post vise right next to it! The plank it was screwed two has "No.96" painted at the top and the drill has cast on its frame "champion forge & blower lancaster pa." & "warranteed everydrill" but no # that I could find. It looks similar to the pictures I've seen of a #98 but it has a gear and support arrangement over the side bevel gear and the handle can be moved to two different posts to drive the different gears. I tried searching Google web & books but didn't come up with much.

[Alan DuBoff]

Ever heard of a champion #96 post drill? I Accidentally bought a post drill this fall at an auction when I thought they were selling the post vise right next to it! The plank it was screwed two has "No.96" painted at the top and the drill has cast on its frame "champion forge & blower lancaster pa." & "warranteed everydrill" but no # that I could find. It looks similar to the pictures I've seen of a #98 but it has a gear and support arrangement over the side bevel gear and the handle can be moved to two different posts to drive the different gears. I tried searching Google web & books but didn't come up with much.

Yes, not only have I heard of the 96, I have some info in the copy of the 1909 catalog I have.

This is what it says in the catalog:

--------------------------------------------
No. 96 Champion Quick Screw Return Self-Feed Post Drill

No. 96 Champion Quick Screw Return Self-Feed Post Drill has three
back gears with double journal bearings ground out of the solid metal.
Two speeds, Crank turns in same direction on both speeds, The screw
quick return is handled by an automatic lever. Drill to center of 15 1/2"
circle. Spindle bored like Champion "Patented" Never Slip Drill Chuck (see
page 25) for 1/2" straight shank bits, if specially ordered board for
41/64-inch bits. Drills holes up to 1 1/4 inches.

No. 96 Champion Quick Screw Return Self-Feed Drill. Wt.
135 lbs. .................................................. .$ 12.50
Extra for Power............................................$ 3.00
--------------------------------------------

I would say it's a much larger, and better vise than mine, which weighs 80 lbs. I wanted mine for the small size though...You can swap the handle onto the other gear to change the speeds, it's a manual process to change speeds by moving the handle.

Could be similar to this one I will attach, which belongs to Ron Reil, but I don't know the model of Ron's post drill (this one, he has about 3 or 4 of them I think).

[Will Krautkramer]

Thanks for the info. I 'll have to get a table fab'd up for it. I was thinking of using an old lathe face plate with t-slots. It has the "fork" for the table but is missing the table itself. Besides the missing table the only other problem I've noticed with it is a broken mounting boss for the weighted handle I think is part of the feed mechanism. I was disappointed with my stupid mistake at the auction and having to haul it a mile back to my car but after I looked it over it a lot nicer than the others I have.

Here are some pics of my two smaller post drills. I think the larger one is another champion, its missing its table to. I found the smaller one at the scrap yard a few years ago. Some one had it all wrapped up in a sheet. It always amazes me to see the things people scrap out!

[Gary Herrmann]

Will, I saw a champion table for sale on the bay just now. 260338865096

[harry strasil]

I have 3 or 4 post drills, the smallest is about 12 inches total lengthfrom top to bottom and is top fed by a small hand screw, I have my grandfathers humongous one that takes at least 2 men to pick up, that he converted to line shaft power, and a couple of in between ones.

My son in law just gave me another one awhile back, and a friend who goes to a lot of hardware store auctions, brought me a brand new one with the store tag on it yet. It when to a smith friend for his demo shop for $50.

I also have several styles of Wheelwrights tire bolt drills. this is the latest one. from my Son in Law. It uses taper shank drill bits.



You can see my old demo drill in the background here.