Thread: Buffalo Forge No 615 Post Drill

Originally Posted by Gatehouse

...appears complete apart from the crank handle and the lever that actuates the advance wheel...

The crank handle won't be too difficult to make. The hardest thing will be finding imperial size bar in this metric age.

The self-feed lever is often missing - especially on post drills that have been motorised.

I have a Canadian Blower & Forge No.61 (made by the Canadian branch of Buffalo Forge) and can measure up the crank handle if you want. The No.61 is the baby of the range, but I think the crank handles are the same.

Originally Posted by Gatehouse

...Can anyone throw any light on when this may have been manufactured...

Good luck with that. If it has 5 straight spokes on the flywheel it probably dates to the 20th century. My CB&F is cast with "Kitchener" on the main casting. Kitchener (a city in Ontario) was originally "Berlin", but was changed to "Kitchener" in 1916 - as anything German wasn't popular in the middle of WW1. So mine was made sometime between 1916 and whenever... I would guess some companies were still making post drills into the 1950s for use on farms without electricity.

Originally Posted by Gatehouse

...mount it on a moveable stand so that I can admire and display it to my friends...

Don't overlook that these machines can still be useful. You can drill an inch+ hole through steel plate with one of these if you don't have a big electric drill press (and you'll have earned yourself a beer when you're done ).

Cheers, Vann.

Hi Vann,
Thank you for your reply. The flywheel does have 5 straight spokes and there are two drive attachments for the crank which I am guessing it makes it a 2-speed drill.
The measurement of the crank would be useful as I was going to guess it based on images I found on Chief Engineer Google website. My drill has a modern style chuck and I'm wondering if this was a later modification by a previous owner or whether these post drills were ever originally supplied with them.
Again, my grateful thanks.
regards, Neville

Originally Posted by Gatehouse

...there are two drive attachments for the crank which I am guessing it makes it a 2-speed drill...

The last time I suggested a post drill was two speed, some wag pointed out that as it was hand-cranked it was variable speed .

Originally Posted by Gatehouse

...My drill has a modern style chuck and I'm wondering if this was a later modification by a previous owner or whether these post drills were ever originally supplied with them...

To the best of my knowledge these were never supplied with modern chucks. Some pictures of your machine would be appreciated to help make more informed comments.

Here are links to three of my post drill refurb threads:
Post Drill - Canadian Blower & Forge No.61
Dawn Post Drill - part II
Boynton & Plummer Post Drill
You'll see that I'm a bottom feeder - only buying basket case drills .

I'll measure the crank handle for you.

Cheers, Vann.

By co-incidence, here's one (or maybe it's a Buffalo Forge No.616) listed on Trademe.

1618979265.jpg 1618979281.jpg

Note: flywheel replaced by a pulley wheel, and missing the crank arm, but otherwise appears complete.

Cheers, Vann.

Vann,

That certainly looks like what mine should like like!

regards, Neville

Vann,

I've had trouble trying to attach images but finally got there

Buffalo IMG_2683.jpgBuffalo IMG_2685.jpgBuffalo IMG_2686.jpgBuffalo IMG_2687.jpg

regards, Neville

Finally got My drill reassembled - now have to make a replacement handle and ratcheting mechanism which were missing when I acquired it.

The stand is Southern Mahogany and is on castors for easy moving around my workshop.

Apologies for photos being sideways - don't know why and can't rotate them.

IMG_3342.jpgIMG_3341.jpgIMG_3340.jpg