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  1. #31
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Perth WA
    Age
    71
    Posts
    6,458

    Default

    Bill,

    I have two Toughs, one a two bolt the other, the single. Neither have a maker's plate nor do they have the four holes required for fixing the plate with U-Drive screws. Also, both drills had pressed steel guards with no fixing holes for the Tough winged badge. To the unfamiliar eye the only give away to their identity was 'Tough' stamped into the pewter(?) knobs.

    Tough drills were featured in the McPhersons catalogues I have up until 1966. Parken appear to have replaced them in the later, probably late seventies catalogue. McPherson most often badged the products they sold. My first Tough, similar to Alan's, only had the cast badge on the abbreviated belt guard.

    So I guess in answer to your question, the presence of a badge depended on who may have sold it and when. It does seem a bit strange that the maker's badge incorporating the pulley/speed diagram, was left off some machines.

    IMG_20190531_162959599.jpg

    Bob.

  2. #32
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    332

    Default

    Just to expand a little on Bob's post, my machine had no indication that a plate had been attached to the head, but a fellow here in WA kindly provided me one and its mounted on the left side of the head, yes it should be on the right for the pulley diagram info to be correct, but as Bob says it probably depended on who was selling the machine. I still have not found a serial number though. Alan.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    505

    Default

    Alan,
    Thanks for the photo - the first time I have seen the maker's plate, and the reason I never knew the drill was made in Perth untill learning that on this forum.
    As you "Tough locals" suggest, I get the impression the dealer decided what options he wanted to sell. Mine came with a 'deluxe' belt guard of quite thick wall cast aluminium complete with winged Tough escutcheon , and also had the slow speed option mentioned on the maker's plate in your photo. Quite possibly mine had been hanging around in Demco for years before I turned up wanting a bench drill but unable to afford one with a motor. so they dug it out.
    Cheers, Bill

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    168

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    505

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Sparksy View Post
    Thanks Sparksy! Have done.
    Bill

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    505

    Default

    Time for an update.

    First let me thank Anorak Bob for his suggestion of getting a longer column from Waldown's stock of 8SN spare parts, which I did. It turned out that only a solid bar column (not hollow) was available.
    As AB mentioned, this column is too short to allow the the Tough to stand at proper pedestal drill height, but that works in my favour.
    With the new column the airspace between chuck and table has increased from 260mm max (bench configuration) to 690mm, and of course even more if I swing the table aside. In raising my long-column Tough to a good height I have been able to recycle my mobile 'bench drill' base simply by cutting it down, and it now has a useful drawer at the base for heavy stuff. Later I can build a light lift-off storage shelf to sit on top of the drawer base, removing it if necessary.

    So here it is with the table positioned at the lowest level possible befoire the column change compared with now:

    Table high.jpgTable low.jpg

    Some extra details for Tough fans:
    The top of the original bench drill column carries the stamped number 7470, possibly a serial no or date reference?
    Serial No maybe.jpg


    The column base casting on later model Tough drills was mentioned by Anorak Bob (post 22) as possibly a bit weak for pedestal drill use due to the elimination of reinforcing support ribs on the underside, but mine turns out to have ribs.
    Base underside.jpgBase underside closeup.jpg
    The black item on the underside is a wooden barrier I fitted to exclude items that fall through the base slots from getting to the back where recovery would be hard. It's happened to me before.
    As built, my drill press had the column inserted into the base by 70mm (black smudge shows where it came to), wheras the depth of the bored hole available is 90mm: I used the full depth for the longer column.

    I must say it was a joy to see how well the parts fitted for this column swap.

    The drill head was just a little tight on columns old and new, but just a gentle tap of a flat head screwdriver blade into the slot at the back of the head had it sliding off the old column and onto the new.

    Still to do:
    Devise a system for raising and lowering the table: currently thinking about a small manual Weston-brake winch (something like this) mounted on the column just below the headstock. Did consider a counterbalance approach but fiddling with balance weights is not for me, and my usage could not justify the impressive powered actuator BobL mentioned in post 13.

    Oh, and I also need to find a project for the old Tough column!

    Bill

  7. #37
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Perth WA
    Age
    71
    Posts
    6,458

    Default

    A practical solution Bill. Well done.

    Bob.

  8. #38
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by WCD View Post
    How to get a column? The one on my Tough measures 63.38mm OD, which is just a little less than 2.5 inches (63.50mm), a nice round number from days of old. I do wonder if the upper limit of the Tough tolerance range for this part was actually 63.5mm. Any information or clues on that would be appreciated!

    Fingers crossed, 2.5 inch diameter would be OK in which case (crossing toes as well) I might be able to find a 1.5 metre length of 2.5 inch hydraulic ram (or some such) to serve as a column.
    Back in the real world, it looks like carbon steel hollow bar would be the best starting point: adequate wall thickness is easy to get and it's not made by an ERW (welded seam) process. Hollow bar dimensions are "nominal" (the OD as supplied is larger to allow for finishing to the nominal size), so with a bit of luck 63mm hollow bar may be big enough to be finished to 63.5mm, otherwise it looks like 65mm OD would be needed.Bill
    This any good?
    scroll down for 71mm tube.

    https://handysteel.com.au/hollow-bar?p=2


    Grahame

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    505

    Default

    Thanks Grahame,
    Good of you to find that.
    However the job's now done (see 2 posts up) with solid bar - a spare part for a Waldown, so the size and finish are perfect.
    Cheers,
    Bill

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