Waldown Drill press replacement bearing advice and grease vs oil?

[Ben Dono]

My neighbour just picked up a bargain. It's a 3hp 4speed Waldown bench drill press. It's in pretty good condition. Great buy really. The spindle runs very true with no visible runout or noticeable play when you grab the chuck.
I have some questions though.

I'm guessing on all of these so be kind!

1: Is the top bearing packed with grease and the bottom bearing (I can't get to it) is oil lubed from the port at the top of the quill?

2: the bottom bearing just above the chuck feel like it has some grit in it, how do you strip it down to clean it? My neighbour slid out the pinion/handle out and the chuck and rack just slides out. I'm guessing the bottom bearing is a cup and loose bearing setup.

3: to remove the top bearing, I'm guessing you tap it out from below with a piece of pipe once you have stripped the rack/quill and the top collar with the three screws.

4: The original motor runs very nicely. Their is a screw in the back just below where the shaft breaks out to the pulley. It's got a lot of old grease around it. Is this a grease port for the motor bearing?

Thanks guys! It's a nice piece of kit and worth cleaning up! Is it worth replacing the bearings?

[Michael G]

When ever I strip a machine down I usually replace the bearings (unless they are specials or expensive to replace) as they are normally relatively cheap and the hassle of getting in more than once is something I prefer to avoid.
It may be worth contacting Waldown for a manual or parts breakdown. As several members will attest, they are quite helpful and sometimes even have spares on the shelf.
Depending on vintage many machine bearings (including motors) used to be regular grease or oil lube. These days bearings are sealed for life so it may be worth seeing if you can get bearings for the drill and motor with seals and that way don't have to worry about regular lubrication (which I find for occasional use machines is a pain as you tend to spend more time lubricating than using)

Michael

[Anorak Bob]

Ben,

I imagine the 3 horsepower translates to 3 phase??

If the drill is an 8SN have a look here - http://www.woodworkforums.com/f65/wa...ebuild-144610/ - Ray's comprehensive coverage.

Bob.

[Ben Dono]

Ahh thanks Bob! That's the article I was looking for! I will email it over to my mate. I did a search but must have missed it.

It's not 3 phase. He bought it as a 3hp motor and to be honest, I didn't look at the plate on the motor. I will have a look at it next time I'm going past.
Thanks mate.