Witzig & Frank Radial Arm Drills

pez said:

Hey guys,

I'm looking to increase the drilling capacity in my shop, which until now has relied on a MT3 press and one of the mills with a quill. I've been looking at radial arm drills, as they seem to be more affordable with the current trends in the industry.

There are quite a few of the traditional style units around up to about 4ft, but I have also seen a German Witzig and Frank which is very different. Instead of the normal fixed round column it has a column that raises/lowers and a square beam that slides through the top of the column that holds a gear head.

Has anyone used/had experience with this style of radial drill? It looks like it may be a better fit in my shop but I don't want to waste time if they're junk...

Also similar style to a Danube DR 32 by google searching..

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pez said:

I actually looked into it a bit, there are patents available. They seem to have eight rollers, one per face of the beam at each end of the support. Not sure how they control freeplay or lock...

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