Just Bought a Walker Turner Drill Press - good buy?

D

DaveBarbier

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Hi everyone,

I just spent $300 on an old Walker Turner drill press off Craigslist. I'm thinking that I way over paid, hope I got a decent machine for what I want it for. I'll be using it for drilling metal, not giant holes, I doubt I'll go over a half inch in no more than 1/4" plate.

It was in a dark trailer and I thought I saw 1/2 HP motor, but as I got it home I see that it's only a 1/4 HP Century. It seems to not really fit well either. I want it to be a bit lower and there's no more room for adjustment. Right now I can't use the lowest step on the spindle pulley.

I'm curious how old this thing is, it's in decent shape but the table has an arc of drill marks. Runs very smooth and I didn't feel any play as I tried to wiggle the chuck back and forth. There's a name plate as you can see but it doesn't have a serial number on it. My goal for this thread is to identify the vintage, what's missing, and if I'm a complete sucker :) for paying $300. The guy threw in a small machinist vise which I think is made in Taiwan.

An annoying thing is that the table doesn't have screws to hold it secure. Were there just set screws in there?

I was looking for drill presses for about a month on Craigslist and only saw new Ryobi ones and other cheap stuff. Mostly table top and I wanted a free standing. Saw this and jumped on it. It SUCKS because I now see a table top Clausing for $375. I happily would have gotten that because I know Clausings are good. I would have made a separate bench for it or something.

What would you guys do? Get a better motor for the Walker Turner and use that or sell this and buy the Clausing or something similar?

Thanks in advance! I also was debating putting this in the "drill press" section but this is an antique...I can try and move it if I have to.

IMG_9363.JPG IMG_9364.JPG IMG_9365.JPG IMG_9366.JPG IMG_9367.JPG IMG_9368.JPG IMG_9369.JPG
 
You did fine. It's a very nice drill press.

You can fill the arc of shame with a metal epoxy. See how the motor does and get a larger one if it doesn't perform. Clean it up and enjoy
 
Dave, that may be a little high depending what the vise looks like. The chuck if in good shape is a nice one, and the table can be fixed. You may find that a motor that old will match a newer 1/2hp for power, and if not it can be changed out to something bigger that would look right on the machine. Looks like it's missing one of the quill handles and the table lock set up. You will probably find something stripped out or broken there, but again fixable. If your happy with the performance, fix her up and use her. There is a learning curve on buying old equipment that we all go through, a few more and you will have it down, and your shop will be full, and your pockets empty like the rest of us hopeless machine addicts. Cheers, Mike
 
It looks like the motor pulley is three step and the spindle pulley is four step. The motor pulley has probably been replaced with an incorrect one, should be four grooves in each one. The motor position should be the same in all the speeds if the correct pulleys are mounted. The drill press will work as it is, however.

It would have been much better if the seller would have paid you to haul it off, but life doesn't always work that way... ;)

Edit: The Rohm chuck is a nice bonus, those are very good chucks, and hopefully yours is in good shape.
 
One thing I've learned about buying used machines (or even new ones for that matter) is that each and every purchase is a new learning experience. Yes, the Clausing may initially look like a better machine, but a little bit of work on your W-T and you will have a fine drill press. I personally prefer the free standing machines, but that is just me.

Later on you may decide that you would prefer something else and you can start your search, but at least you will have your W-T available to use while you are waiting for just the right drill press to come along. Patience is a big part of this hobby, with what we are working on, and with our machines.

You did okay, and I agree that a little bit of work on the table, table lock, and a different motor pulley will probably take care of most of the issues on that drill press.

One other note: $375 for a Clausing DP sounds a little low. It may have more issues than your W-T.
 
I have one of those in the bench model. I used mine for light milling until the bearings started going. Anyway, just fill those holes up with JB Weld then scrape and sand the excess off. The tapped holes for the table originally had set screws. But I would consider using a brass piece in the hole first to keep from marring up the tubing. Also if you plan on moving the table up and down you might want to use regular screws as they won't strip out as easily.
I would also change the motor to a 1/2 hp in case you need to drill a bigger hole.
 
Thanks guys, that makes me feel better. The chuck is in very nice shape. It was a little rusty but I just held a scotch brite pad on it as it spun. Cleaned up nicely.

The vise is just a generic small milling machine vise. Other than a little rust it looks brand new. I can tell it's not as high quality as an American made, but it should serve its purpose.

I'll look around for a 4 step pulley on eBay. I'd like to use the bottom of the spindle pulley for slower speeds. Right now the belt is too short to go on it. By the way, it came with a new belt as well. Also a c-clamp was clamped on the table. The seller didn't seem too worried about that.

For the table lock, can I just thread a couple bolts in there or will that just mar up the stand?

I don't know if I mind the "arc of shame" haha, unless it will actually impede use. The tables are cast iron, right? Not steel where I could weld up a hole and grind it down?

@FOMOGO, I can't wait until my pockets are empty, haha.

I see on http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/WalkerTurnerSerialNumbers.ashx that this might be pre 1939. If indeed it doesn't have a serial number on the plate. I'll have to clean it up and have a look.
 
As Bob said the motor pulley is wrong but the chuck is nice. It has floor length column with the desirable round base, it's stable and yet makes it easy to move. The belt guard is also a nice plus, they are hard to find, I wish I had one! I think you did ok.

This is a model 900 and was made from about 1936 until about 1950. Exact dates for Walker Turner machines are hard to pin down since they really didn't use serial numbers. The"serial number" on the tag is really more like a detailed model number.

This link is for a later 900 series users manual which I believe matches your machine:
http://www.vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=2244

This link is for all the Walker Turner info at the Vintage Machinery web site. Under "Publication Reprints" you will find downloads for other versions of the owners manual and a bunch of old catalogs.
http://www.vintagemachinery.org/mfgIndex/detail.aspx?id=808&tab=3

Enjoy!
 
DaveBarbier said:
Thanks guys, that makes me feel better. The chuck is in very nice shape. It was a little rusty but I just held a scotch brite pad on it as it spun. Cleaned up nicely.

The vise is just a generic small milling machine vise. Other than a little rust it looks brand new. I can tell it's not as high quality as an American made, but it should serve its purpose.

I'll look around for a 4 step pulley on eBay. I'd like to use the bottom of the spindle pulley for slower speeds. Right now the belt is too short to go on it. By the way, it came with a new belt as well. Also a c-clamp was clamped on the table. The seller didn't seem too worried about that.

For the table lock, can I just thread a couple bolts in there or will that just mar up the stand?

I don't know if I mind the "arc of shame" haha, unless it will actually impede use. The tables are cast iron, right? Not steel where I could weld up a hole and grind it down?

@FOMOGO, I can't wait until my pockets are empty, haha.

I see on http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/WalkerTurnerSerialNumbers.ashx that this might be pre 1939. If indeed it doesn't have a serial number on the plate. I'll have to clean it up and have a look.
Click to expand...
If you try to fill the holes, they will still always be visible and will look like you are trying to hide something. Instead, how about cleaning up the table beautifully, and leave the arc of shame as is, rust and all, which will leave a clear message of "not mine!";) The dings will not interfere with normal work, and an intermediate plate can be used over the holes if it does cause a problem on, for instance, a job with very small table contact. Using a vise there are no issues at all unless there are high spots, unlikely on cast iron, and easily addressed anyway. Edit: Old tools are OLD, and they can certainly look that way. They have earned all those dings, gouges, and rust. Beautiful restorations to better than new always look nice, but they do take away all the honest wear as well as stupid damage the machine has earned over all those decades and still survived. It is often a shame to wipe all that away...

A replacement pulley should have the same changes in step diameter as the spindle pulley does. It does not need to be the same diameter, but if each groove is one inch bigger on the motor pulley, then each groove should be one inch smaller on the spindle pulley, so the distance between pulleys stays the same for all speeds. Often one needs to be made.
 
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