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1946 Delta 17" drill press repulsion-induction motor bearings
- Thread starter yota
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2020
- Messages
- 50
Very interesting. I rechecked my serial# reference and with serial # starting with 51-xxxx and dating to 1947, and serial#s starting in 1941, that cast iron pulley cover was only offered for a max of 6 years. The notice is not dated.
That power downfeed option is massive and may be worth a lot on the open market. I see a little benefit to the foot operated downfeed option on mine and plan on piecing it together in the future. The power downfeed on the Bridgeport J head is spline driven and quite ingenious.
When I bought my DP600 covered in grease, dirt, and rust I was drawn to the fact that the production table was in fairly good shape. Days later I noticed what looked like a 1/8" plate on top of the table and thinking that it was covering the world's most abused damaged table. It was located by 2, 3/8" pins. Upon lifting it off, the table was perfect, save for a little rust and the 2 locating fixture holes. I've cleaned the plate up a bit and keep it on the table. For wood work, I have a pinned MFD table with a square hardwood fence. The fence can be rotated down for a lower profile.
That power downfeed option is massive and may be worth a lot on the open market. I see a little benefit to the foot operated downfeed option on mine and plan on piecing it together in the future. The power downfeed on the Bridgeport J head is spline driven and quite ingenious.
When I bought my DP600 covered in grease, dirt, and rust I was drawn to the fact that the production table was in fairly good shape. Days later I noticed what looked like a 1/8" plate on top of the table and thinking that it was covering the world's most abused damaged table. It was located by 2, 3/8" pins. Upon lifting it off, the table was perfect, save for a little rust and the 2 locating fixture holes. I've cleaned the plate up a bit and keep it on the table. For wood work, I have a pinned MFD table with a square hardwood fence. The fence can be rotated down for a lower profile.
the letter from Delta about the pulley cover was part of the paperwork package I got with the DP. I got it from the original owner's grandson. I suspect it was not common for a homeowner to purchase a 17" Delta new as they were quite expensive and were mostly used in production shops. the benefit of buying one from a homeowner purchaser is that there were very few hours on it when I got it. all the bearing were in great shape. the only reason I had bad motor bearings is that I had to trade the power down feed for a motor. when the grandson damaged the down feed casting, he also dented the motor housing which bound up the rotor. with the windings in the housing there was no reasonable way to fix it. the original motor was 1 hp as it had to also run the down feed with the bottom shaft. the motor I traded for is 3/4 hp, had been repainted but had noisy bearings.
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2015
- Messages
- 4,296
Your restoration thread for this drill press is what gave me that slight push that I needed to buy a vintage drill press.
Recently missed the opportunity of buying a floor stand version of my Walker-Turner due to the bad influence at home…. In the future, I will pay no attention to those voices…
Keep sharing!!
Recently missed the opportunity of buying a floor stand version of my Walker-Turner due to the bad influence at home…. In the future, I will pay no attention to those voices…
Keep sharing!!
that's pretty cool. I like the Walker Turners I've seen. going to restore these 2 soon. a 15" Craftsman and a 14" South Bend.
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2020
- Messages
- 50
This is the model I'm working on now. I think it is referred to as a DP 5 or DP-500 head casting. Mine is a bench top with a very heavy production table as a base. Meaning it does not have a table attached to the column that can be positioned up or down the column. So, the head has to be moved on the column and has the lever to lock it in position. The problem is the head with motor is quite heavy and more than a pain to move up or down in use. I need to find a solution to this, besides just buying a table for the 2.75" column, reason being the production table/base is immaculate and should be a core part of the work space.
I've thought about a gas strut secured between the head and base to neutralize the head weight or a big spring with a ID of a tad more than 2.75". I like the spring idea but not sure where to source one.
That South Bend drill press is a rare one. Does it have bronze bearings in the head like the lathes?
