Cnadian Fairbanks Company Drill Press , Year?

Here is an old Drill Press with some years "under it's belt"!
This came out of the Copper Mountain Mine, Out of Princeton B.C., A fellow in a neighbouring town gave it to me back in the 1980's.
I used it for a few years when it was at my parents shop, but when they moved I brought it to my place.
I just use it as yard art now.
Note, the unit is missing the auto feed set-up.


Would anyone know the age of this machine?

I believe some Machine tools were made in Toronto for a period of time by Fairbanks Morse or Canadian Fairbanks Morse but they were largely a retailer and distributor of machine tools across Canada for a long time .
There is an article about their factory and warehouse in and old magazine on archive.org that I may have posted some where on this forum
Your drill was likely made by another manufactured buy one of the American makers of this style of drill and Sold by Fairbanks or made in Toronto under some agreement with them.
I can’t find the article I am thinking of at the moment.
This thread has some information and links that may help you get an age range for the company going by the name changes.
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/...ns-223617/?highlight=Canadian+Fairbanks+Morse

If you use the forum search and try a search for" Canadian Fairbanks Morse” there are several more threads where you can look for information.

I imagine someone else will soon drop by and Identify your machine if it is one of the rebadged U.S.A. made machines.
That general style of machine was made for a long period of time so it might be hard to narrow it down to a given year but someone else may be able to give you a
time within 10 or 20 years perhaps .

Brian who started this thread ,
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/...id-drill-press-267777/?highlight=Barnes+Drill
had another thread about a Barnes drill that he fixed up that was sold by either Fairbanks Morse or A.R.Williams.
Both companies had outlets across Canada at one time .
Unfortunately the pictures can’t be seen too well now but the text may
I can’t find the link right now to his other thread.
All I can add for now.
Regards,
Jim

Shame its missing the powerfeed stuff. unless you get really lucky (i.e. someone sees the pic and goes hey i have seen one of those!) or find markings on it somewhere other than the distributor tag, identification will be tough. Are those gears part of the feed mechanism or a backgear like a lathe? If its a backgear between the drive pulley and the shaft going up to the spindle bevel gear, that could possibly narrow things down. Lots and lots of camelbacks do not have such a feature.

Also, we always like more pictures

More pics for all!




I wonder what the small stepped flat pulley would drive. The gear set I believe was to engage the self feed unit?

It resembles a Sibley and Ware 20"

Photo Index - Sibley & Ware - Sibley 20" Stationary-Head Drilling Machine | VintageMachinery.org

Sibley & Ware - Publication Reprints - Catalog #50 Sibley Machine Tool Company/Sibley & Ware | VintageMachinery.org

page 7 here looks very similar.

Sibley & Ware - Publication Reprints - Bulletin No. 64 Sibley 20-24-28-inch Drilling Machines | VintageMachinery.org

If it indeed is one of these, I would say production falls between the early teens and the late 40s designs.

Also, gee thanks alot, you got me jonesing for one of these things now....

Thank you again for posting!!
Eric

raven007 said:

It resembles a Sibley and Ware 20"

Photo Index - Sibley & Ware - Sibley 20" Stationary-Head Drilling Machine | VintageMachinery.org

Sibley & Ware - Publication Reprints - Catalog #50 Sibley Machine Tool Company/Sibley & Ware | VintageMachinery.org

page 7 here looks very similar.

Sibley & Ware - Publication Reprints - Bulletin No. 64 Sibley 20-24-28-inch Drilling Machines | VintageMachinery.org

If it indeed is one of these, I would say production falls between the early teens and the late 40s designs.

Also, gee thanks alot, you got me jonesing for one of these things now....

Click to expand...

Mine is shown on page 9 and 10 , it has the cast in pads for the Back Gears, Power Feed and Auto Stop.
i wish I had that mechanism!
Amazing you had this info to share!
Thank you,

I hope that if it is "yard art" it is under cover yard art or stored in the shop art.

EJHanson said:

Mine is shown on page 9 and 10 , it has the cast in pads for the Back Gears, Power Feed and Auto Stop.
i wish I had that mechanism!
Amazing you had this info to share!
Thank you,

Click to expand...

What man created once, man can create again.

Everything you need, you have in front of you and their may be drawings for alot of it here as well:

Sibley & Ware - Publication Reprints | VintageMachinery.org

Economically, it doesnt make sense, but from a satisfying project level, its priceless. Watch ebay, post want ads on some of the old iron boards. The part are out there. What you can't find make. If you don't have the skill, learn them.

The sash chain that's hanging next to the head is likely part of a counterbalance. See if it broke free and is rattling around inside the column (something like a cast iron weight with a small pulley on top). There will be a hole in the frame right behind where the chains are connected to and a couple pulleys inside that the chain would thread around.

http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/1873/15099.pdf

looks like a drawing of the machine too.

wdTom said:

I hope that if it is "yard art" it is under cover yard art or stored in the shop art.

Click to expand...

It is under my three foot overhang, and Kamloops gets around less than 12" of rain a year (semi-arid), so it has some protection.
I should have built a bigger shop!

Copper Mountain was mentioned in these links so the mine may have been around at that time .
1916
Engineering and contract record : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
If you know the date the mine opened you might be able to see something about it in one of Contract Record magazines usually a few months after the fact.
Internet Archive Search: Contract Record
I found a couple of other mentions about the company here.
1914
Engineering and contract record : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Many of the Canadian Machinery magazines also feature new industries such as this one a and will often show or mention the machinery in the shops buy make and or supplier
Here is one about Nickel Mining from 1918
Canadian machinery and metalworking
If you do some searching in Canadian Machinery in issues about the time the mine opened something may turn up.

Internet Archive Search: Canadian Machinery

Engineering - University of Toronto : Free Texts : Free Download, Borrow and Streaming : Internet Archive
To narrow the search field I would suggest using Princeton or Copper as a search term .
Here is another article about Fred Evans Manager of the Toronto Branch of Fairbanks Morse Canada in 1918
Canadian machinery and metalworking
Regards,
Jim
P.S. There are a few hits for the mine in this Engineering and Mining Journal
https://archive.org/details/emjengineeringmi105newy/page/83/mode/1up/search/Princeton+

I didn’t find any pictures of your drill or inside the shop but here are some links to pictures from Copper Mountain
Copper Mountain Mine Shops. - RBCM Archives

Copper Mountain Mine From Hope-Princeton Highway - RBCM Archives

The mill at Allenby, Copper Mountain; Granby concentrator and camp; near Princeton. - RBCM Archives

There are more here that I scrolled through quickly .
RBCM Archives
The search link will not save for me so you will have to type in Copper Mountain in the search on the page.
Jim
P.S. More from Engineering and Mining Journal
E/MJ : engineering and mining journal : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

This link about the Canadian Fairbanks Co. and their warehouse in Toronto from 1906 turned up in my files when I was searching for something else .
Canadian machinery and metalworking (January-December 1906)
scroll down to see a few more pictures .
The article about the manufacturing plant mentioned in the above link is here .
Canadian machinery and metalworking (January-December 1906)
I think these are the articles I had seen earlier and couldn’t find the links when I posted back in post # 2
Regards,
Jim