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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    South Coast, Australia
    Age
    62
    Posts
    225

    Default Richardson E39 Bench Drill Press Restoration

    I picked up an old Richardson E39 drill press for $30 about a month ago, it had been lying in pieces in a shed on a rural property for many years and was pretty rusted up.

    Drill1 (Medium).jpg drill2 (Medium).jpg

    I already have an el-cheapo floor model that I got from Supa-Cheap but the quill was sloppy out of the box and far from a precision machine. The Richardson looks to have been made in the 60s and is solid as the preverbial.

    The wiring was totally perished so I stripped it out (will replace with more up-to-date setup) and temporarily hooked up a plug and reassembled it. It fired up and ran OK but it needed a bit of TLC to restore it to its former glory.

    Pulled it right down and wire brushed the rust off (angle grinder driven), followed by a lot of elbow grease and emery cloth... it took many hours to get it rust free... more than a bit of a wire brush that the seller reckoned it needed

    Then on to the paintwork, first with a flap disk and more elbow grease and emery cloth.

    Stripped (Medium).jpg

    Last weekend I welded up some tube for the stand that it will live on, you can see it in the picture above, it still needs a bit of work to finish it off, some drawers need to go in between the framework.

    This weekend I got around to putting a coat of hammer finish green on the beast, black on the motor after a coat of rust converter, and got all the parts ready for reassembly.

    Base (Medium).jpgParts (Medium).jpg

    I will blacken all the nuts and bolts before I re-assemble.
    He Who Dies With the Most Tools Wins

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Victoria, Australia
    Age
    74
    Posts
    5,080

    Default

    Congratulations on a fine looking restoration, it looks like it will come up as good as new.

    The table looks to be in remarkably good condition as well.

    It's good to see restorations like this, another machine saved for posterity!..

    Regards
    Ray

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    shep Victoria
    Age
    97
    Posts
    157

    Default

    T^hey just don't make tools like this any more ,and if they did you cant afford to buy them, nice restoration. Eddie

  4. #4
    Dave J Guest

    Default

    Great restro, that will see your life out now.

    Dave

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    South Coast, Australia
    Age
    62
    Posts
    225

    Default

    Thanks guys. I just love the old stuff... it's well made, solid, feels good to use and it's good for probably several life times. I bought it off a guy who looked to be in his 70s and the drill press was his dad's, a fitter and turner.

    Ray, that shot of the base and table is pretty flattering on the table's surface, here is another that shows the inevitable holes that have been drilled in it, still not to bad for a 50-year old machine.

    Table (Medium).jpg

    I filled the divots with Devcon epoxy.
    He Who Dies With the Most Tools Wins

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    South Coast, Australia
    Age
    62
    Posts
    225

    Default Richardson E39 Drill Press Resoration and Stand

    Finished off the Richardson today, I'm pretty happy with the end result.

    Upgraded electricals, the enclosure looks like it was made for it. I've used the same type of LED light on my mill, lathe and and other drill press, good value online for about $20.

    Elect (Medium).jpg Drill3 (Medium).jpg Drill4 (Medium).jpg

    Replaced the chuck with a keyless, about 0.03mm runout after some 'fine tuning'

    Chuck (Medium).jpg

    Stand is now finished too. Picked up the steel 3-drawer cabinet for $20 from the recyclers and made the stand to suit.

    Stand1 (Medium).jpg Stand2 (Medium).jpg
    He Who Dies With the Most Tools Wins

  7. #7
    jatt's Avatar
    jatt is offline Always within 10 paces from nearest stubby holder
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Bendigo
    Age
    51
    Posts
    760

    Default

    Nuthin wrong with the old stuff.

    I do try n keep my old hand me down gear going as long as I reasonably can. Hard to find stuff built as good nowdays.
    Frisky wife, happy life. ​Then I woke up. Oh well it was fun while it lasted.
    From an early age my father taught me to wear welding gloves . "Its not to protect your hands son, its to put out the fire when u set yourself alight".

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Melbourne, Victoria
    Posts
    165

    Default

    Great job. I think that the drill looks fantastic, and I particularly like the stand/cabinet set-up. I've been inspired to do something similar.

    Joe

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    sandstone point queensland
    Age
    69
    Posts
    182

    Default

    I have the same drill press and i was wondering how to get the shaft further up the quill as your is ,and what do the two bolts at the front do? I tighten them then the quill wont move? thanks bob
    Attached Images Attached Images

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Charlestown NSW
    Age
    65
    Posts
    1,669

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by robyn2839 View Post
    ,and what do the two bolts at the front do? I tighten them then the quill wont move? thanks bob
    Yes. Basically there to adjust the amount of play between the quil and the housing

    Peter

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2022
    Location
    Wattlegrove NSW
    Age
    54
    Posts
    10

    Smile earth connection on handle side i need a picture i lost my connection

    hi the other side of drill do you have a picture of the earth connection?

    earth connection?
    Quote Originally Posted by Blu_Rock View Post
    I picked up an old Richardson E39 drill press for $30 about a month ago, it had been lying in pieces in a shed on a rural property for many years and was pretty rusted up.

    Drill1 (Medium).jpg drill2 (Medium).jpg

    I already have an el-cheapo floor model that I got from Supa-Cheap but the quill was sloppy out of the box and far from a precision machine. The Richardson looks to have been made in the 60s and is solid as the preverbial.

    The wiring was totally perished so I stripped it out (will replace with more up-to-date setup) and temporarily hooked up a plug and reassembled it. It fired up and ran OK but it needed a bit of TLC to restore it to its former glory.

    Pulled it right down and wire brushed the rust off (angle grinder driven), followed by a lot of elbow grease and emery cloth... it took many hours to get it rust free... more than a bit of a wire brush that the seller reckoned it needed

    Then on to the paintwork, first with a flap disk and more elbow grease and emery cloth.

    Stripped (Medium).jpg

    Last weekend I welded up some tube for the stand that it will live on, you can see it in the picture above, it still needs a bit of work to finish it off, some drawers need to go in between the framework.

    This weekend I got around to putting a coat of hammer finish green on the beast, black on the motor after a coat of rust converter, and got all the parts ready for reassembly.

    Base (Medium).jpgParts (Medium).jpg

    I will blacken all the nuts and bolts before I re-assemble.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2022
    Location
    Melbourne
    Age
    37
    Posts
    1

    Default E39 belt

    Hey Glen69
    It’s a little off topic… but how do you change the belt on an e39?

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