Union Bench Drill

[raynerd]

I have been looking for a new bench drill for a while now but I can`t really afford one. I have a large Asian made pillar drill which is fine if you don`t need any accuracy, but for any precision I have to use my mill which is a bit of a pain if work is setup on there. A friend of mine has a large Union drill which I often admire, a lovely drill, old but working perfectly accurately. He rang me on Saturday to tell me there was a chap selling a Union Drill for 99p, 2 hours to go and no bid. By the time I`d got home it was at 99p and with 20 seconds to go I bid £20 - ended up winning it for £10.50.









I picked it up on Sunday and it is currently in my grandparents garage where it will no doubt sit for a few weeks until I get around to dismantling it to get it into the workshop.

The motor attached is a lovely 3 phase 0.5 hp 3 PHASE 0.5 HP Brook motor, so I`m not sure whether to put an inverter onto it for variable speed or to swap it to a single phase motor (that being said, sitting here at the keypad I`m just thinking, I`ve not checked to see if it dual voltage!

The drill is actually much bigger than I expected from the photos.

It will be a few weeks before any more progress is made but if anyone has any details, comments or suggestions on this drill and it`s restoration then I`d be pleased to hear them.

Chris

[Stilldrillin]

Nicely done Chris! 

The anticipation regarding what is to be done/ modded is half the enjoyment of something "new"..... 

David D

[raynerd]

Someone contacted me  on my website and inferred that I might be able to use my inverter that I use for the boxford on this motor as well. The invert I think is rater 3/4HP. Would this route be possible or worth investigating? If I was to use it, I would need an easy way of switching from one machine to the other.

I know very little about inverters just enough to hook the one I have to the boxford so this could very well be a silly idea,

Chris

[SemiSkilled]

If the lathe and the drill can have the same settings on the vfd ie ramp up / soft start, reverse etc one of these might do the trick.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SZW26-On-Off-On-Panel-Mount-Universal-Changeover-Switch-/130518260430?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item1e637e9ace#ht_2465wt_1139

a foot switch on the drill for reverse could be handy for tapping, one of the things I plan for my floor standing union drill.


Lee.

[millwright]

well done Chris a nice bargain, bits are still available from Boxford, though it should, be sound its a model PD4. a complete dismantle it will be good as new and should be more accurate as regards the table being square and true to the spindle than the far east imports. just looks like a home made belt cover has been added  wonder where the original went. not sure if covers are still available, internals are though.
John

[raynerd]

Thanks for the info guys, although it currently isn`t getting any attention at present, it will be soon and this is exactly the stuff I wanted to know.

Semiskilled, if the settings are the same I can see that one of those may be just the ticket!

Millwright, thanks for the info regarding the model number. Yes, the cover was advertised as missing. I may contact boxford and see if they are availble - not too much of an issue if not but it would be nice to restore it to some former glory. I was supprised when I contacted Boxford a while ago how much stuff they stocked for the lathe and for the shaper I use to own!!

Chris