A tale of 3 Toughs

**node105** · 24th July 2015, 02:02 PM

Tough drill presses were made in Western Australia.

My TOUGH Drill presses:

Tough-bsm #4356
Tough-green #2553
Tough-VH #995

#4356 (I scrounged18months ago) is heavier duty machine than the subsequent 2 and 3 and has a number of differences. It also goes back in the family for 45 years or more, its life spent from new in a sheet metal factory. As elsewhere reported, it was stripped down and tanked, primered, and the quill fettled to fit a new Albrecht chuck. And there it sat since, once the state of the quill rack (not so bad) and the pinion teeth (bad) were considered.

The second acquisition Tough_green (#2553) sort of fell in my lap. An unsightly green but full height, a good enough deal at the time for $150. A bottom mounting had been fabricated in ¼ inch angle iron by the prior owner, and 2” of concrete added just in case. More awkward than the average to move. A set of Whitworths on the day dissembled it into manageable chunks. Moving it within my small workshop was unduly difficult, and the base unsightly, so it had to go. It was then of course unstable sans base and so a plinth was made from 2 layers of 3/4” ply. Smooth and quiet, but still unsightly green.

Number 3 Tough_VH (#995) came up on Gumtree a month or so ago. A Friday night random glance (first in numerous months), and there it was. The pics were small and no detail, but the table despite this looked worth a chance; a replacement for the first (#4356) I thought, which bore the scars of long years of factory use. A trip 50km down the coast to Victor Harbour, brought it and yet another heavy ( even heavier?) stand back. On disassembly the stand is Jarrah (some 4”x4”). Quite a bit of work in construction, angle tensors and such.

There was plenty of surface rust due the coastal history, but a couple of hours cleanup, it was surprisingly good.

**node105** · 24th July 2015, 02:18 PM

The motor in Tough-VH was 1/3 HP as compared to Tough-green 1/4HP.The motor was also in very good nick, and it was mounted as per originally.
Tough-green's motor had obviously been replaced and functional but unsightly angle iron employed to bridge between the mounting plate and the motor body.

Initially as the Tough_vh was in such good overall nick, I mounted it on the tall post, and would then have Tough_bsm for the metal workshop and a tall-erised Tough-VH for the wood shop. And this seemed like a good idea. Tough-green was superflous really.

It also occurred to me that I could repurpose (scavenge) the quill and pinion from Tough-green, now that it was slated for moving on, into Tough-bsm. Problems solvered.

Tough-vh had a nice motor, a good table (to be scavenged for Tough-bsm), it had its original brass id plate (tough-green only had the 4 screws where one used to be, and a nice period Rowco switch with a bakelite paddle. The depth bar was perfect ( the Tough-bsm was badly worn). And it ran well. Even the undersides of the table and the base plate were painted, with what looked like factory treatment (although probably just a keen first owner). AND it was earlier than the other two by far. It was a keeper.

It then dawned that the tall column mounted on Tough-VH was a mistake.The serial number is stamped in the top of the column, and this would have been a mismatch between the brass plate on the had casting and the column, an affront to historical integrity, and my inner ocd just wouldn't cope.

So swap columns again. Having seen a couple of 'restoration' videos on much more modern drill presses, with hollow tube for the column, it is worth mentioning for any who may not have encountered older examples, that the column is solid steel, and heavy.

**Grahame Collins** · 24th July 2015, 02:19 PM

We had a Tough Drill press at high school .
When I left it was the only drill press in the school with minimal run out. It was nearly forty years old I would guess.

They don't make em like they used to.

Grahame

**node105** · 24th July 2015, 02:32 PM

The pinion shafts are different between the later heavier duty #4356 (tough_bsm) and the other 2.

Each of the 3 motor mounting plates are also different. The Tough-Bsm is a plain flat plate, Tough_vh has a ribbed/webbed plate, while Tough_greeen (now grey in the pics) has a a plate with a third bar guide.

What would be the purpose of the third (top) bar guide? It is possible this ws not an original fitment.

**Pat** · 24th July 2015, 06:48 PM

it is worth mentioning for any who may not have encountered older examples, that the column is solid steel, and heavy.

My Fidax Bench Drill Press has a solid Column and cast Steel everything else. It too has to be disassembled to move, motor off first as it and the head are too heavy to move as one unit.

**jhovel** · 24th July 2015, 07:08 PM

The top bar mount on one of them is likely to be the mounting for an intermediate pulley.
I've seen a Tough with it and will try and find a photo.

This is not a Tough (a Walker Turner actually), but the attachment of the intermediate pulley is exactly like the Tough I've seen with it.
1947 Walker Turner drill press sm.jpg

**node105** · 26th July 2015, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by jhovel

The top bar mount on one of them is likely to be the mounting for an intermediate pulley.
I've seen a Tough with it and will try and find a photo.

This is not a Tough (a Walker Turner actually), but the attachment of the intermediate pulley is exactly like the Tough I've seen with it.
1947 Walker Turner drill press sm.jpg

thanks, that sounds like the intent. A bit of interweb searching found these pics of a Walker Turner, and an intermediate pulley add-on that locates inside the hollow column tube.
Not applicable to the solid column of the Tough of course. But I get the idea.

**node105** · 26th July 2015, 12:37 PM

Tough drill press badges

#995 brass , oval
#2553 chromed (over possibly brass), oval
#4365 alloy - ? zinc diecast, oval with wings!

**node105** · 27th July 2015, 08:25 PM

Ha! there is a Tough on f-bay currently, with an intermediate pulley!

**nadroj** · 28th July 2015, 01:12 AM

Originally Posted by jhovel

This is not a Tough (a Walker Turner actually), but the attachment of the intermediate pulley is exactly like the Tough I've seen with it.

I have a Walker-Turner very similar to this, except floor mounted and different style table. Yours also has the intermediate pulley, an option missing on mine. The column is solid, super heavy. It's a quality item.

I was pleased to discover there's a firm in USA that sells new repro parts for it, as the spindle and quill bearings were kaput. I thought I was snookered, as they are specials - mixed metric/inch sizing (amazing enough!). However, I was able to buy new ones, 4 in all, for about $40 including postage a couple of years ago. They are even fully sealed, an upgrade from the standard fitments. This drill press was patented in 1935. Those Yanks love their machine tool heritage, lucky for me.

Jordan

**node105** · 6th August 2015, 08:47 PM

Tough # 2 is starting to look reasonable. A Tough mortiser another thread) arrived today, and already I have scavenged the intermediate pulley mounting bar...

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