Drill press parts

mac1911 · May 29, 2020

Im at my end of a search for a Older JET/Orbit floor model drill press. I know its a far cry from a lathe and all the other hitech stuff here on PM.com

So what I am in need of is a new rack for the table height adjustment and the crank handle. Plus of all things I cant find a chuck key that fits the 5/8 chuck?

I did not get anywhere with JET directly. This cant be a part that has change so much on a model/manufacture drill press that seems unchanged for many years.

Anyone have any tips or leads ?

I have had this press for sometime but only putting it to use more recently. I purchased it with the rack missing. The Key was removed from the machine at some point but not by me? With more use not having the table rack is geting old when I need to adjust it.

L Vanice · May 29, 2020

You do not have the rack, but you do have the gear. So determine the pitch of the gear and see if you can get a matching rack from Boston Gear or some other source. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rack+gea...d=1590805854&rnid=2528832011&ref=sr_nr_p_89_1

An old chuck on a Jet drill should probably be replaced with a better chuck, which will come with a new key.

I bought a new Jet lathe in 1980 or so and ordered a 4-jaw chuck at the same time. Jet sent a chuck with the wrong threads in the adapter. So I figure Jet did not know what they were selling when they sold it and it would be very surprising if they could find repair parts years after selling the machine.

Larry

thermite · May 30, 2020

mac1911 said:
Im at my end of a search for a Older JET/Orbit floor model drill press. I know its a far cry from a lathe and all the other hitech stuff here on PM.com

So what I am in need of is a new rack for the table height adjustment and the crank handle. Plus of all things I cant find a chuck key that fits the 5/8 chuck?

I did not get anywhere with JET directly. This cant be a part that has change so much on a model/manufacture drill press that seems unchanged for many years.

Anyone have any tips or leads ?

I have had this press for sometime but only putting it to use more recently. I purchased it with the rack missing. The Key was removed from the machine at some point but not by me? With more use not having the table rack is geting old when I need to adjust it.

Stock racks can be had, but not cheaply. The one (fully functional, thanks!) on my Alzmetall AB5/S has to have a curved back for a tight mate-up as it swivels about the column, though. That makes it harder.

A Jet DP isn't really worth a lot of investment before a whole "better" drillpress, not even new, makes more sense, both economically and functionally.

Meanwhile... might not be a BAD idea to fall back to what old "camelbacks" used.

To wit: Gravity.

Reliable stuff, most days, gravity is. Batteries not required. It's near-as-dammit "free" as well.

"Back in the day" - before really durable stainless cable was on the menu, most machine-tools as needed to make heavy tables or heads pragmatically human-moveable used chain.

Coupla roller/pulleys, drop a counterweight down the back, preferably inside the column, (or a length of PVC?) and the table's weight - or a horizontal boring mill's spindle & gearworks - were made to be an "effective" few pounds only.

And then? It wasn't at all hard to move by hand.

You can "test the concept" with ignorant poly rope in a matter of minutes.. but stainless cable is better.

Works OK, either way, most especially if yah can route it at the backside of the column to keep it out of harm's way. Might also want to counterweight the table itself backside of the column clamp - so it doesn't bind on the column?

Neither hard, expensive, nor time consuming to implement such things. Cee-clamps and such will let you try it out before yah "commit" to it as a solution.

Chuck key yah just buy up a buncha. One of those "4-Way" has the one yah need?
Mark it with sumthing and good to go. Got half a drawer here FULL of nought by keys, new or salvaged.

If you have a spare, you don't lose the OEM one. No spare, you will lose it. Lybarger's Corollary applies.

michiganbuck · May 30, 2020

Find a garage shop guy with having a mill and make one. or make from a bought rack, and mill to size to size..Not a good surface grinder job because of length.
Just made of CRS it will last a long time but *buy a rack one for 50-100 bucks best...

We bought a nice delta for the blind shop at low price because the rack was bent...yes it took me 10 minuets to make it straight..

metalmagpie · May 30, 2020

I may have a solution for you. I bought 2 old Orbit 14" benchtop drill presses. I intended to restore them both and pass them on to club members. After doing one, however, I decided against doing the second one. I tore it down to save space and now it's mostly in a milk crate in my shop. I do have the rack, and it is curved in the back. As for the chuck key, my solution is to simply replace the chuck, as the originals often have excessive runout.

Perhaps you should contact me by PM and then we can connect via email or voice?

metalmagpie

thermite · May 30, 2020

metalmagpie said:
I do have the rack, and it is curved in the back.

Go for it. Mac! "Bolt-on" solution?

metalmagpie · May 31, 2020

I did not hear from the OP. Still have the parts. Whoever said the back of the rack is curved to closely fit the DP column was right. In addition, the DP base has a bevel machined into it. The bottom of the rack is similarly beveled, the one riding inside the other. Finally, there is a cast iron ring which clamps to the column. It is also beveled and supports the top of the rack. In use, the table is unclamped and can rotate about the column taking the rack with it. This featore plus the ability to swivel the table means any spot on the table can be brought under the quill.

If the owner takes a hand stone and stones the sides and back corners and ends of the rack, it will move silky smooth. Part of what I do during a rebuild.

metalmagpie

mac1911 · Jun 4, 2020

thermite said:
Stock racks can be had, but not cheaply. The one (fully functional, thanks!) on my Alzmetall AB5/S has to have a curved back for a tight mate-up as it swivels about the column, though. That makes it harder.

A Jet DP isn't really worth a lot of investment before a whole "better" drillpress, not even new, makes more sense, both economically and functionally.

Meanwhile... might not be a BAD idea to fall back to what old "camelbacks" used.

To wit: Gravity.

Reliable stuff, most days, gravity is. Batteries not required. It's near-as-dammit "free" as well.

"Back in the day" - before really durable stainless cable was on the menu, most machine-tools as needed to make heavy tables or heads pragmatically human-moveable used chain.

Coupla roller/pulleys, drop a counterweight down the back, preferably inside the column, (or a length of PVC?) and the table's weight - or a horizontal boring mill's spindle & gearworks - were made to be an "effective" few pounds only.

And then? It wasn't at all hard to move by hand.

You can "test the concept" with ignorant poly rope in a matter of minutes.. but stainless cable is better.

Works OK, either way, most especially if yah can route it at the backside of the column to keep it out of harm's way. Might also want to counterweight the table itself backside of the column clamp - so it doesn't bind on the column?

Neither hard, expensive, nor time consuming to implement such things. Cee-clamps and such will let you try it out before yah "commit" to it as a solution.

Chuck key yah just buy up a buncha. One of those "4-Way" has the one yah need?
Mark it with sumthing and good to go. Got half a drawer here FULL of nought by keys, new or salvaged.

If you have a spare, you don't lose the OEM one. No spare, you will lose it. Lybarger's Corollary applies.

I bought 2 4 ways already both are not right....but they fit my other drills so not a total loss.
This drill was free so even if I put $50-100 into it for the rack....I have no idea what a better chuck would cost or even what will fit.
So im not sure whats out there for a comparable machine same or better for $250? Im just growing tired of lifting and lowering it by hand.

thermite · Jun 4, 2020

mac1911 said:
I bought 2 4 ways already both are not right....but they fit my other drills so not a total loss.
This drill was free so even if I put $50-100 into it for the rack....I have no idea what a better chuck would cost or even what will fit.
So im not sure whats out there for a comparable machine same or better for $250? Im just growing tired of lifting and lowering it by hand.

Hope you jumped on that proper rack metalmagpie offered? Sounded like a straightforward "bolt on" or near-as-dammit.

$250? Yah. Well. My "larger" DP wuz only $800, used. But over $4,000 once hauled to-home, messed-with. Messed with some more. Stiil doin' "stuff" to it. Might even get painted this summer.

Add another $1,500-plus to furnish it with several chucks, collet systems, MT drills, annular cutters... and a bunch of "the usual suspects" one kinda goes OCD overboard at after half a century of frustration struggling with a loyal, valiant, but too-damned-small ...Walker-Turner "benchtop"!

Which STILL make most of the holes around here as ain't done with portable hand-helds!

The ~ 4,400 lb Avoir Alzmetall AB5/S massive rectangular table actually sees more use as an adjustable height WORKBENCH! Obviously, to doo that, it DOES have its rack, gearbox, and crank-handle!

So nice to have, I'm now looking to fab a bespoke bench with that very sort of feature.. and make it power-operated!

Congenital scoliosis, "improved" by old-age ...so I surely wish I had rigged meself a variable-height "real" workbench 60 or more years ago!

Last one I fabbed was built to my height, just perfect for sawing, filing, wrenching, scraping, makin' cold stuff hot.. etc.

Then.. wuddn' yah know it? I got done with that particular family of parts.. and had to work on some damnned thing or another, and one AFTER another... as was a different SIZE!

Go Figure...

mac1911 · Jun 5, 2020

metalmagpie said:
I may have a solution for you. I bought 2 old Orbit 14" benchtop drill presses. I intended to restore them both and pass them on to club members. After doing one, however, I decided against doing the second one. I tore it down to save space and now it's mostly in a milk crate in my shop. I do have the rack, and it is curved in the back. As for the chuck key, my solution is to simply replace the chuck, as the originals often have excessive runout.

Perhaps you should contact me by PM and then we can connect via email or voice?

metalmagpie

sent a pm with email address

guest · Jun 6, 2020

I have 4 drill presses, all have different diameter columns.

I remove the gear racks- the tables are not heavy. The racks limit the up/down range and prevent the table from rotating 360 degrees- a lot of the time I need to swing the table out of the way for long parts.

I may have a rack and rings that fit, but would need to know the diameter of the column.

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