Walker Turner Radial Drill Press. See photos here

c. 1939 (?)

This drill press was purchased from ebay. According to the seller it came from a small shop where it was clearly used for metalworking. Rather extensively, but not abusively, used for metalworking - the machine was caked with oil, grease and metal filings. It appeared to have been removed from service some years ago based on the fact that the RAM was completely stuck due to bad bearings and crystalized grease/oil. At some point, the machine had been disassembled and reassembled improperly - the turret/yoke had been turned backward.

The drill press arrived via truck - with a 48' trailer. There was no way this rig could have negotiated the last 1.5 miles of dirt road to the shop, so we unloaded the machine to the tractor and transported it the remaining distance by that means. Once inside the shop, the first step was to start disassembling the head. Each step required asking frequent questions to the Old Woodworking Machinery list (www.owwm.com) and discovering under the grease new bolts and screws to undo. Each seperate part was clean with a combination of Gunk engine cleaner and WD40. Bolts, etc. were soaked in WD40 for 24 hours +.

The first challenge was making sure the 1/2hp, 3phase Driver Line motor was operational. Although the seller had tested the drill, they did not disassemble the switch. Lead wires to the motor were wrapped in cloth based insulation which was brittle and deteriorating badly. The entire motor was disassembled, the old lead wires were removed and new wires (14ga) were soldered on. This was wrapped in electrical tape and the motor reassembled. Testing proved successful as the motor ran perfectly.

Next came the various drive elements. The gunk was cleaned out of the heads, nicks on the pulleys filed down, and the motor mount was cleaned so that it was useable. This is a 16 speed drill press and the motor mounts to a bracket with two steel posts which are adjustable for belt tension. Two bolts below the front belt serve both belt adjustment and attachment to the spindle head - a tricky task to adjust belt there.

The front belt requires removal of a bearing retainer on top of the spindle head for installation. This retainer is no small task to remove although once it was loosened, it was a matter of wiggling and pulling.

The spindle head was completely disassembled, cleaned, repainted, oiled, and reassembled.

The turret/yoke was the dirtiest part of the machine. The RAM required great effort and some force to dislodge. The inside of the yoke was full of hardened grease and dirt and the bearings were essentially shot. These bearings are #6203, but require a 17mm bore. The eight bearings are adjustable with an eccentric axel, but only the upper four adjust from outside. Installing the bottom four at their highest position, then adjusting the top bearings once the RAM is back in is the best procedure.

Once these issues were addressed and all parts cleaned reassembly was undertaken. Final results are most satisfying although total repainting will have to wait for another day.

Spindle runout at the chuck: .00125"

Spindle deflection (with some force): .008"

Only two missing parts: spindle cone/cap and chuck key. Chuck key was picked up at the local ACE hardware store and a spindle cap was turned from a piece of cherry.

The drill runs very smoothly and promises to be a most advantageous addition to the workshop.

George R. Hoelzeman, 6 February 2005