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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
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    Default Tough Bench drill to Pedestal conversion

    Following my 'looking for a pedestal drill' thread ( https://metalworkforums.com/f303/t20...-drill-quality ) my mind has turned to converting my trusty Tough bench drill to a pedestal drill. Despite quite a lot of work* on the pedestal drill I bought, I get no joy out of using it, but the old Tough is nice.
    * I'm happy to add details with photos to that thread if anyone is interested.
    IMG_3838_cr.jpg
    Basically the Tough just needs a longer column, and some way of taking the weight of the table. I do not want a rack and pinion system for table height adjustment, and a new 'pipe' column will simplify the counterweighting.

    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.

    Turning would be the cheapest way to shift the bulk of material, and may be good enough for final finishing as well: either way I would need to find someone to do the work. If grinding (centreless?) is best for finishing the column that's another search for who to take it on.

    Maybe I should just call Parken in Melbourne and see if they could do a column for me (with a flash of hard chrome??).
    Comments please!

    Bill

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    York, North Yorkshire UK
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    Default

    Hi Bill, Guys,

    My floor standing Fobco Star had a solid column and so does my Bench top one. It does make them very heavy but they feel very solid. I disposed of the floor standing one and mounted the bench top one on a steel cabinet with a piece of 30 mm kitchen worktop underneath as reinforcing. I then bought a cast iron X - Y table to sit on the drill base. This makes it very convenient to fit a drill vise for accurate co-ordinate hole drilling, particularly if you take the time and effort to make sure that everything is square.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2011
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    Murray Bridge S Aust.
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    Default

    Sorry to tell you, but the attachment doesn't work. Getting it hard chromed won't be cheap.
    Sounds like an interesting project.
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Sydney
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    505

    Default

    Kryn,
    Thanks for the heads-up on the attachment.
    I have no idea why it came up without the photo, but as an attachment, because I posted it as usual.
    However when I click the attachment link the photo does come up - maybe it's just because my PC has the photo?

    I know hardchrome is pricy - it was just a tongue in cheek comment because I know Parken offers that on their drills.
    Cheers,
    Bill

    PS - just fixed the photo issue - hopefully.

  5. #5
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    Dec 2011
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    Sydney
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by BaronJ View Post
    Hi Bill, Guys,

    My floor standing Fobco Star had a solid column and so does my Bench top one. It does make them very heavy but they feel very solid. I disposed of the floor standing one and mounted the bench top one on a steel cabinet with a piece of 30 mm kitchen worktop underneath as reinforcing. I then bought a cast iron X - Y table to sit on the drill base. This makes it very convenient to fit a drill vise for accurate co-ordinate hole drilling, particularly if you take the time and effort to make sure that everything is square.
    Yes a solid column certainly does feel solid! But I think a thick walled tube (I'm aiming for at least 5mm) will do the job just as well, tho' would be interested if others have experience to the contrary.
    Cheers,
    Bill

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
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    York, North Yorkshire UK
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    6,439

    Default My Fobco drill press.

    Hi Bill, Guys,

    This is a picture of my Fobco taken this morning.

    13-02-2021-001.jpg

    You can see the X-Y table and the Record vise on top. The whole thing is clamped down onto the Fobco drill base, then the lot is bolted to the top of that steel cabinet which has two shelves and is lockable.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
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    Sydney
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by BaronJ View Post
    Hi Bill, Guys,

    This is a picture of my Fobco taken this morning.
    That's a neat setup, well executed and something I would consider, but for the need of more Z than a bench drill can provide.
    Hence the proposed pedestal conversion.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
    Posts
    292

    Default

    If the head can be turned 180º when needed the back of a bench/cabinet can have a "track" and table that can be raised/lowered to give that extra Z.
    Just thinking of another way to accomplish the same as a new column.

    Pete

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by QC Inspector View Post
    If the head can be turned 180º when needed the back of a bench/cabinet can have a "track" and table that can be raised/lowered to give that extra Z.
    Just thinking of another way to accomplish the same as a new column.

    Pete
    Hi Pete, Bill, Guys,

    Its not obvious in the picture, but the Fobco drill base is drilled so that the if you really wanted to, you could turn the whole drill around and rotate the head 180 degrees to drill from the floor. You would only loose about an inch in throat depth doing this. However the cabinet might get in the way for some jobs, and it actually would be about a foot taller than the floor standing model. Having said that I have swung the head round 90 degrees several times in order to drill some parts that wouldn't fit otherwise.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
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    Southern Flinders Ranges
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    Default

    Possibly considered sacrilegious depending on your view but you could bore the three sleeves of the drill to suit 65 heavy wall hydraulic tube. Pretty sure there’d be adequate material left. You could do that on just about any mill, machining a 1500 length of tube requires a decent size lathe that will be harder to find. If you decided to put it back to a table top just make some shims to fill the voids.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Perth
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    332

    Default

    I have just given a Tough a bit of a refurb, several things that may help, I retained the solid column and put an eye bolt at the top to make it easier for lifting, made a split collar with nylon washer to go below the table arm on the column so that the arm can be swivelled easily for alignment before locking down.
    The column on mine was 1050mm high so neither pedestal or bench ideal height, so cantilevered off the side of the workbench and its possible to swivel the head as others have mentioned to drill off the side. Alan
    Attached Images Attached Images

  12. #12
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    Default

    All these machines are suspiciously clean.....lol

  13. #13
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    This has turned out to be one of the best mods I've done on my DP

    https://metalworkforums.com/f65/t203...ght-adjustment

    Have modified it since that thread was posted to give a bit longer Z travel. It needs a bit of a tidy up them I will take some pics and show teh fine result.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Healesville
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    2,129

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    Bill have you thought about just getting a larger drill and keeping the Tough for the smaller work?
    I have 3 drills, a bench top drill, arboga radial arm drill and a hercus camel back drill, also the milling machines do their fair share of drilling.
    If you mod the Tough drill you will just have a taller small drill.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by QC Inspector View Post
    If the head can be turned 180º when needed the back of a bench/cabinet can have a "track" and table that can be raised/lowered to give that extra Z. Pete
    Quote Originally Posted by BaronJ View Post
    .. the Fobco drill base is drilled so that ..... you could turn the whole drill around and rotate the head 180 degrees to drill from the floor... .
    Thanks Pete and BaronJ, that's a good idea, but I am desperate for every tiny piece of floor space, so need the drill on wheels and it would be dodgy to rotate the head and drill on a floor mounted workpiece.

    Quote Originally Posted by racingtadpole View Post
    .. you could bore the three sleeves of the drill to suit 65 heavy wall hydraulic tube..
    Yes I did think of that, and now knowing that 65mm hydraulic tube is available makes the option enticing (now where's that 62.5mm hydraulic tube hiding?) but my milling machine still needs work, and I admit to apprehension about an error in alignment when setting up for boring.

    Quote Originally Posted by C-47 View Post
    I have just given a Tough a bit of a refurb ....The column on mine was 1050mm high so neither pedestal or bench ideal height......... Alan
    That's a nice refurb Alan. You got lucky with that column: mine is only 760mm, and chuck to table distance is only about 260mm max.. If you get a chance I would be grateful for a measurement of your column diameter so I can get a second data point on the tolerance chart.

    Quote Originally Posted by Sterob View Post
    All these machines are suspiciously clean.....lol
    That's Tough love for you! (Fobco love North of the equator.)

    Quote Originally Posted by BobL View Post
    This has turned out to be one of the best mods I've done on my DP https://metalworkforums.com/f65/t203...ght-adjustment
    BobL, I am inspired by your work in setting up the powered actuator and may do that in time. My drill table is not heavily loaded (no coordinate tables planned) and counterweighting will likely be adequate for me, but following your example I want to fit a support bracket applying lift under the table arm, and probably riding on the column with delrin bushings or rollers.

    Quote Originally Posted by shedhappens View Post
    Bill have you thought about just getting a larger drill and keeping the Tough for the smaller work? I have 3 drills, a bench top drill, arboga radial arm drill and a hercus camel back drill, also the milling machines do their fair share of drilling.
    Yes, often! But "thought" only. My inner city house boasts a tiny block of land, and 18sq metres of shed jam packed with machinery and associated stuff. I only have room for smaller work (and if things get tighter I can always break out the Lorch lathes in the attic).

    Thanks for all of your thoughts and suggestions, which give me a much better coverage of the options than I could do on my own.
    At this stage I will start looking at where to get a column machined up from hollow bar, and possibly also talk to the hydraulic cylinder repair people about possible options there.
    Also might turn up a disc to see if what size best fits the column bores in my Tough.

    Cheers,
    Bill

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