Drill press converted to tapping machine

[Shawn]

Only took about an hour and I was able to convert an old rarely used drill press into a tapping guide.

Shawn

 

[GWRdriver]

Good job! For a time one could buy a small drill press in the USA for around $30/US (Harbor-Frt Chinese), if you had to resort to buying one. There were used ones available for less, and unless you price your time at $2/hr even the new price is cheap enough to throw everything away except what is needed to make a tapping stand.

 

[goldstar31]

But what about the old classic tapping machine made with three con rods from an A series Morris Minor?

 

[Shawn]

But what about the old classic tapping machine made with three con rods from an A series Morris Minor?

I tried googling that one but came up empty, you wouldn't have a picture by chance?

Shawn

 

[goldstar31]

Gosh No! It's as old as Methusaleh. You simply pull a set of conrods out of a small engine.
The pillar fits the big bearing whilst the small ends clamp the drilling piece and the base for rivetting and so on.
My first one- ye Gods how old- was made up from these to a design-- roughly- by George Thomas, a Brit bloke who made up one from castings. It was Described in his book Workshop Techniques. My early effort is long gone but I made up something called a Staking and Tapping Tool( without the drill head) yonks ago.

Have a look at Hemingway Kits and you will get the general idea.

Superb bit of kit- even the crude one of old.

Cheers

Norman

 

[rdhem2]

Shawn;
Good thinking, great work. The kind of stuff I like to do given the chance. Dirty old ratty little gray drill press no one notices. Clean, bright cared for tool people will fight over just to use.

I proved this many times to myself. Our shop had many 3/8" Milwaukee drills. I picked a couple and cleaned them up, polished the chucks and installed new cords on them. Threw them back on the shelf and waited. People would hunt up these "CLEAN" ones and actually wait to use them over a newer dirty tool. Difference in operation or ease of use, ZERO! Same as needing a single 1/2" nut. They will request and open a brand new box of 1/2" nuts rather than reaching into a box of mixed nuts containing at least 50% 1/2" nuts. People never fail to amaze me.

I did this kind of stuff many times to my employees just to test their reactions. Read about it in a trade magazine so thought I would try it myself. They never did catch on to the source of my amusment.

 

[S3MIH3MI]

Thanks for the idea. Took an old drill press out of storage and converted it. Works well.
I adjusted the spring return so that it was sitting in the middle instead of all the way to the top.
Now it has enough force down to auto start the thread process as I turn.

Cheers