# What is/was this high speed drill press used for ?



## Nashtm (Dec 2, 2017)

Hi All

I acquired this cute little drill press, could you enlighten me as to its intended use? It is very heavily built and originally went to a very high speed.
I saw originally as the the speed plate on the side shows up to 18000rpm but I am sure the pulleys have been changed.
It isnt a sensitive drill design but the quill has a light return spring and uses an eccentric weight on the quill lever to help return the quill to the top.
It has a South African plate on the motor but no makers name on it.

I also don't understand how the speeds were achieved according to the diagram. 
There is no intermediate pulley, the shaft in that position is used to lower or raise the drill head.
The quill shaft is keyed but the pulley it has on now is held on only by a grub screw.


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## bl00 (Dec 2, 2017)

With a 3600 rpm motor you would need a 5 to 1 pulley ratio to hit 18000 rpm.  I think it is intended to be a 2 speed machine unless you change between pulley sizes - large, medium or small cone.  The diagram shows what speeds are available with each size cone (pulley).


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## bl00 (Dec 2, 2017)

I think it's an Italian "RoSa" made by Micromaccanica or Electromeccanica.  Here's a sold listing for one that looks like yours: http://www.graysonline.com/lot/0094...oolmaking/f-rosa-industrial-bench-drill-press


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## bl00 (Dec 2, 2017)

Found more info looking for "RoSa" trapani.

http://www.orologiko.it/forum/viewtopic.php?t=23798
http://www.orologiko.it/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14679
http://www.pendoleria.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2096
http://www.missiseipi.com/105794881


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## EmilioG (Dec 2, 2017)

Looks like a Watch makers type of drill press for small parts.  Doesn't appear to be a sensitive type drill press like the venerable Hamilton or cheaper Dumore., if it is, please let us know. What kind of taper or is it a threaded type? Interesting drill press.


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## Nashtm (Dec 2, 2017)

Thanks for the replies!
*bl00*
It bears a striking resemblance to the Rosa and must be a watchmakers drill.  (I initially thought it was for another purpose as it is so heavy).
I think you are spot on about the different pulleys to achieve the speeds. It has a 2400 rpm motor so ratio is even greater. Wonder if it had a belt and cone initially?

*EmilioG*
It has a No. 0 Jacobs chuck - don't know where I am going to get a key for it!!
Appears to be threaded.

This was kept for me by a scrapyard that I frequent after they bought a bunch of redundant /scrap items from a timber merchant.
The quill has no play in it and I want to get this going so i can get rid of my Dremel press.

Tim


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## Billh50 (Dec 2, 2017)

I have several small chuck keys. If you can tell me what the pilot hole size is and roughly the tooth pitch I will see if I have one.


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## Tim9 (Dec 2, 2017)

The fourth picture of the belt cones or pulleys,  appears to be missing the center pulley. In any case it's just the idler so it would not be too much trouble to bring it back to life. Its a nice little surdy drill IMO.


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## Nashtm (Dec 3, 2017)

Thanks *Billh50 *that is a very kind offer but I live in  South Africa 

*Tim9 *That shaft is for raising and lowering the head. I am going to give some thought as to how to implement the high speeds as it will be very handy to have a high speed press.


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## Billh50 (Dec 3, 2017)

Nashtm said:


> Thanks *Billh50 *that is a very kind offer but I live in  South Africa



mail doesn't go to South Africa ?


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## Downwindtracker2 (Dec 3, 2017)

We take the postal service for granted, but it's not always reliable in other parts of the world. Both packages I received from South Africa were couriered .


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## core-oil (Dec 4, 2017)

Nashtem  I have that little drilling machines sister, My machine is in mint condition, The builder of yours & my machine is Alfred Herbert & Co of Coventry England, Sadly now gone  It is an instrument makers drilling machine, and as a design goes back quite a long time , I have an illustration of one in a 1940/s Herbert catalogue,  A similar style of drilling machine (And in my estimation a better & heavier machine) was built by Fredrick Pollard & Sons of Leicester  England, although my little Herbert would be hard to beat, It is a sweet little machine,  I have not used it for a long time  The last Task I carried out with it was drilling 0.010" dia holes No problem

Some one has altered your machine by changing the original pulleys to Vee pulleys, It should have pulleys for a flat belt drive, The pulleys are heavily crowned to hold the fast running belt on the pulleys  The flat pulleys give an exceptionally fine & smooth drive   Given some pieces of Duralumin the pulleys are a simple enough shape to reproduce  My belt is a very light and fine Miraclo, But now needing replaced  Try as I might I cannot get the pulley off the motor , I will have to examine it in further detail  Up until  the late 1980 period the light instrumentation works around where I live had lots of these little Herberts of that size I am not in my workshop at the moment, I will check I believe it is a Herbert No 0 size


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## core-oil (Dec 4, 2017)

Hold that result Nashtem,  I have had another detailed look at your photographs of your drill,  I think your machine  It is not a Herbert but a PollardI can look up my catalogues and send you illustrations of both machines to South Africa if you can find any way of getting me a private message Both machines are very similar in design parameters, The give away is the lubricator on the front of the machine, and the nice heavy serated handle on the top of the cover tend to be a Pollard feature    The last Pollard I came across was a double machine Two spindles on the one common bed , I have seen them up to four spindle machines   I obtained one for a man and in lifting it on the crane, He looped the sling strop around the little chucks , Bent the spindles and totally wrecked the machine!


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## Silverbullet (Dec 4, 2017)

core-oil said:


> Hold that result Nashtem,  I have had another detailed look at your photographs of your drill,  I think your machine  It is not a Herbert but a PollardI can look up my catalogues and send you illustrations of both machines to South Africa if you can find any way of getting me a private message Both machines are very similar in design parameters, The give away is the lubricator on the front of the machine, and the nice heavy serated handle on the top of the cover tend to be a Pollard feature    The last Pollard I came across was a double machine Two spindles on the one common bed , I have seen them up to four spindle machines   I obtained one for a man and in lifting it on the crane, He looped the sling strop around the little chucks , Bent the spindles and totally wrecked the machine!


That's a pure sin , I hate when the so called no nothings , when working with precision machinery even just moving them.


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## Nashtm (Dec 6, 2017)

Thanks to *core-oil *for identifying the drill as a Pollard Corona Super High Speed Bench Drill  (9FX)  This is confirmed by the 9fx numbers on castings of the machine I have.  

As suggested it was driven by a flat belt and had interchangeable pulleys to achieve the various speed.
I am probably going to replace the non standard motor and pulleys with a variable speed DC motor and drive.


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## Tim9 (Dec 8, 2017)

Just to add to my earlier post.I'm still thinking your drill is missing an idler pulley. I read the flyer of the previous post of the Carona High Speed Drilling Machine by enlarging it and it says the drill has* 6 speeds from 3 pulleys*. Also, the brass plate clearly shows a *small pulley, medium pulley and a large pulley* listed with the belt positions for the 6 speeds. Without three pulleys, I'm not sure how one would get 6 speeds if each pulley only has three diameters each....Unless of course you have a 2 speed motor.


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## Nashtm (Dec 9, 2017)




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## Tim9 (Dec 14, 2017)

By the way... from looking at your last picture, it appears as that the center shaft has a cast iron bushing in which the center pulley would idle on. The center pulley would have an integral bronze bushing which would serve as your pulley bearing. In any case, if you just want 3 speeds, you’re good to go as it is. For 6 speeds, think about the center idler step pulley.


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## Bob Korves (Dec 14, 2017)

Tim9 said:


> By the way... from looking at your last picture, it appears as that the center shaft has a cast iron bushing in which the center pulley would idle on. The center pulley would have an integral bronze bushing which would serve as your pulley bearing. In any case, if you just want 3 speeds, you’re good to go as it is. For 6 speeds, think about the center idler step pulley.


Adding the center pulley would also allow for both higher high end spindle RPM and lower low end spindle RPM, actual speeds would depend on the pulley sizes chosen.  If it was my drill press, I would already be working on that...


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