repair table lifter on Sher Power Tools Drill Press

[jasonblewis]

Hi,

I bought this drill press fairly cheaply off gumtree but its missing some parts from the table lift mechanism I think. I suspect there should be a ring around the column of the drill to stop the gear from rising? (see photo)

how might i find a part that could fit that to replace it?

IMG_6172.jpgIMG_6174.jpg

tia

Jason

[DSEL74]

YEs you are correct there is a collar missing. I don't know where you will find a replacement. It shouldn't to hard as I imagine it is a generic size part. it is a loose ring as it moves around the column when you rotate the table to the side. It would be easy to make, if you can find a suitable thick collar and just file a notch to fit the rack.

[jasonblewis]

thanks DSEL74, I thought so.

googling around I have found its a 71mm diameter column.

are there any good places i can ring to get machine parts?

Thanks,

Jason

[BobL]

I would remove the gear and add a counter weight table lift mechanism. It's just a pulley up near the motor and a SS wire connected to the table locking mechanism up over the pulley and then add a suitable counter weight. to move the table just unlock the locking mechanism and lift or push the table up and down. This was one of the first things I added to my DP and it has worked really well.

[pker]

A bit rough & ready but a simple fix would be a hose clamp around where the collar goes with a self tapping screw in the top of the rack teeth.
pker

[malb]

YEs you are correct there is a collar missing. I don't know where you will find a replacement. It shouldn't to hard as I imagine it is a generic size part. it is a loose ring as it moves around the column when you rotate the table to the side. It would be easy to make, if you can find a suitable thick collar and just file a notch to fit the rack.

The upper collar is definitely missing. However DSEL's explanation of what and where is not quite right.

The collar has a tapered lower edge that matches the bevel at the top of the rack. The collar is fixed to the pillar so that the parallel section is about 0.3-0.5 above the top of the bevel on the rack, normally with 2 or 3 grub screws. Provided that the upper and lower collars are kept clean and lubricated, the rack is normally free to rotate around the pillar as the table and mounting fittings rotate. However for this to work properly, the pillar has to free of rust and preferably lightly lubed as well.

Many of the middle aged cheapie drills in Oz seem to be missing the upper collar, probably because they were not installed when the drill was assembled by the initial purchaser, or incorrectly installed without sufficient clearance. I know some people had them crack and fail, because there was insufficient material, or the material was poorly selected or sized, and failed where the grub screw holes were drilled and tapped.

With the amount of rust present on the pillar, the table support would be difficult to raise or lower once it moves out of the rust free zone where the table support was set on the pillar for a long time. Once the support jams on the rust, attempts to continue to lower the table via the rack mechanism will lift the rack rather than lower the table. Conversely, raising the table can bow the rack away from the pillar once the table support jams on the rust. I have seen drills with the upper collar missing that work absolutely normally provided the pillar is smooth and shiny, as the support moved smoothly on the pillar and the table and support was sufficiently heavy to supply the down force that the collar normally would and keep the rack seated in the lower collar.

I suggest that your first priority should be to eliminate all the rust from the pillar and restore its surface finish, trying to keep it truly parallel over its length for efficient clamping at any level. This, and lube, may be enough to solve the problem for you. If not you need to be able to measure the pillar diameter and the angle of the top bevel of the rack and get a collar made to accurately reflect these measurements.

Chances of buying the exact part as an OEM replacement are pretty slim, but you may find that someone on metalwork forums can make you one reasonably cheaply. If you go the custom made route, try and get them to make it as a wide collar with the bore a close match to the pillar diameter and the parallel section of the bore at least 25mm long. This will limit the amount of tilt available to the collar, and help keep the collar concentric to the pillar for optimum alignment perpendicular to the rack.