Startrite Drill Recondition

Hi guys Im new here.

I live in the UK in Kent. I just picked up a Startrite 'Speedway' drill and I cant find any information about it online. Its a beast at 80kg!

I wondered if anybody could give me some guidence on how to dissasemble it to replace the bearings? Any other info about it also welcome.

Thanks!


Shown next to vac for scale.

Nice paint job.

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Tenson said:

Hi guys Im new here.

I live in the UK in Kent. I just picked up a Startrite 'Speedway' drill and I cant find any information about it online. Its a beast at 80kg!

I wondered if anybody could give me some guidence on how to dissasemble it to replace the bearings? Any other info about it also welcome.

Thanks!

View attachment 203989
Shown next to vac for scale.

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Looks like you got the baby DIY (home shop in American) brother of this line of industrial drills: http://www.lathes.co.uk/startrite-efi/

Larry

I can find some info about the Startrite Mercury which seems extreamly popular with many going on eBay. This Speedway is twice the weght so I dont know how similar it is.

I was surprised when I saw it because it has a badge on the front that says 'Startrite, Chatham, England'. I live in Gillingham which is litteraly next door to Chatham - I could walk there! I only had to drive about 150 miles to collect it from the seller haha!

You're nearly in my old stamping ground, .......but Startrite Chatham England is old - Startrite Engineering Co - Graces Guide

they moved to/ were also at Newington Causeway in the late 50's / early 60's Startrite Machine Tool Co - Graces Guide

And had a place in Dartford in the early 70's (up by Western Motorworks and KT trucks on the ''old A2'')

As for manuals etc etc I doubt there will be anything much about and what there is won't show you much detail.

However drill presses are one of the easiest machines to recon, and most guys with a rough idea of how to change the wheel bearings on a car shouldn't (famous last words ) ) have too many problems.

FWIW Whilst Startrite drills were fairly good they were nothing fancy

As Limy says all these direct belt drive dills are pretty much of a muchness. Worst head-scratcher can be figuring out bearing and retention arrangements for the step pulley. Some of the older breed can be a bit creative in this area.

Usually the quill assembly drops down and out after releasing the return spring and pulling the feed assembly handle out to disengage the feed pinion from the quill rack. Retraction springs can be somewhat carnivorous if you get careless so make sure all is safely held before pulling apart. Also make sure you have the means of winding the thing up again when putting back together. Verify that there is enough clearance between head and foot to drop the spindle and quill assembly out. May need to turn the head sideways to make room. Could be a problem if working on the floor.

Circlips or screwed rings to hold the bearings in the quill. Maybe seals or felt rings to help keep them clean. Don't touch bearings unless you are sure they are lunched. A good lube up can work wonders. I like a fairly sticky dual purpose way / bearing oil for such jobs. Easy for me as there is always a can of Castrol Magna BD 68 about the shop. If you are reasonably close to the Sussex border you could always step over and blag a pint!

Its top heavy and will try to fall over on you so do clamp it down. Or at least have a suitable supply of creative comments for when it does try to escape. Won't help but you'll feel better. How do I know!

Odds are the later 5 speed Mercury quill assembly is essentially the same. See here Startrite - STARTRITE DRILLING MACHINES - Mercury 1� Speed for down loadable pictures and parts info for the Mercury. Heck they might even have some parts for yours should components be common to later machines.

Agree with Limy that Startrite were a decent, workmanlike but un-fancy machine. The Mercury we had in the section trial prep workshop back at RARDE was horribly abused by pretty much everyone in the section (except me) for over 20 years but just kept on going. Outlasted me for sure!

Clive

Thanks for the links! Good to know there is nothing unusual in there.

I'm curious to ask, why are Fobco Star drills so valuable? They look similar in design to most others but go for crazy money. I paid £199 for this drill which I think is okay since it's been painted already. I hadnt realised it was this big though, they call it a bench drill but you need a bloody big bench!

Oh - anything I should do to give the Jacobs chuck some TLC?

Fobco value is partly due to the known name effect and partly because they are darn good drills. Very well made, simple straight-forward engineering and very durable. Pretty much ticks all the boxes and all the bits done right. In practice there is little to choose between the high end British bench drilling machines Fobco, Kerry, Meddings et al all made more than decent kit. I'd not argue with folk who say the Fobco has its nose a bit in front. Certainly I've not heard of any issues with them but have heard of others needing a bit of TLC.

To be honest you'd be unlikely to notice any real difference relative to your Startright. Its when Penny Piecework and Hurry-Up Harry start leaning on things that the differences show up.

If you wanted cheap a Denbigh would probably have been a better bet. OK maybe they froze the design after Noah said he was really happy with his but what works works. Put taper bearings on mine about 40 years ago, flogged it to mate 30 years back and its still decently accurate.

As for big yours barely makes it out of short pants let alone being grown up! The 15AF from Fredk. Pollard weighs in at 680 lb and is some 5 ft high. Now that's one serious bench drill. I've got the floor mount version model 15 AY. Darn glad I didn't know it weighed 940 lb when I bought it as would never have dared think we could shift it. Amazing what you can do with a good sack barrow! http://www.lathes.co.uk/pollard/index.html three sections up from the bottom of the page.

Clive

Thanks for replying Tenson, as Clive 603 says. your Startrite is a lightweight.

As for your chuck, if it works, grips and runs true, leave well alone, .......if not replace - FWIW Jacobs are crap nowadays, I like Rohm, .......if it's on a Morse Taper Arbor then the jobs a doddle, if direct on the spindle taper - that subject has been covered many times on this forum - look up ''Jacobs taper''

Clive mentioned the Kerry drill - I've had mine for over 20 years and after a rebuild (little more than new bearings ream the MT socket and a coat of paint ) it's as good as the day it left their works.

Ref http://www.lathes.co.uk/kerrysuper8/

In Clives link on the 15AY I take it the gears are concentric with the shaft and sit directly under the motor? Like a planetary. Then the shaft extends, but the chuck end is held on a linear rail and slides rather than the quill basically getting more sobbly the further you extend it? I like that design; you dont need to move the actual motor up and down but the chuck is alwYs closely aupported.

Limy I notd the last photo in your li k shows the drill base rebated in the benxh so it likes up with the work surface. What a good idea Im going to copy!!

Hello again, I could use some help!

Today I made a start(rite) taking the drill apart to swapbthe bearings which are a little notchy.

I got the quill out but I'm not sure how to best remove the chuck and also the inner quill shaft?

There is no screw inside the chuck and there is no place for a wedge to remove an arbour.

Once the chuck is off I guess I can remove a circlip and pull the inner shaft complete with bearings.

Here is the item. Looking at the fourth photo, the more shiny ring close to the chuck spins with the chuck and the more dull ring appears to be part of the quill body.

That machine is a drill press. The thing in the drill press chuck is a drill.

Chuck removal - words and pictures here http://www.jacobschuck.com/drill-chuck-removal-guide

Any idea which kind of fixing this is?

There is a male JT taper on the end of the shaft. Corresponding female taper in the body of the chuck. The two parts are pushed together on assembly. Pair of chuck wedges are the proper tool for removing the chuck, can be found for under a tenner e.g. Chuck Removal Wedges - Arc Euro Trade. Put in a vice and squeeze. Various workarounds from creative to even worries Bubba but with the proper thing so cheap why bother. Don't be tempted to try a single sided wedge, ball joint splitter style. You will lunch things unless the chuck was about to fall off anyway.

Need to get the right size for the JT taper. Most likely same as the later Mercury. I'd expect to see a No 6. Occasionally its marked on the chuck but usually, for Jacobs chucks, you need to use the number to hunt down specifications.

Its said that drilling a small hole in the end of the chuck to let trapped air out makes fitting easier. Sounds logical.

Clive

PS Limy types faster

camscan said:

In the UK it's a drill or a drilling m/c and the item in the chuck is also a drill or a drill bit. Also in the UK machine can also be m/c.
That's cleared that up.

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In the USA, m/c is more likely to mean motorcycle than machine.

Larry

I'll get some chuck wedges.

Why are you guys commenting on what a drill is? Everyone knows it's a drill!

Tenson said:

I'll get some chuck wedges.

Why are you guys commenting on what a drill is? Everyone knows it's a drill!

Click to expand...

Because we speak English and they speak American, ..........they can't help it - they're still getting over the eclipse and or waiting for gods judgement to come down on them.

Tenson said:

I'll get some chuck wedges.

Why are you guys commenting on what a drill is? Everyone knows it's a drill!

Click to expand...

Because this is a PRECISE trade.

And if you want anymore help in your endeavor, you'll be PRECISE in your
text.

ehyafknwotmate