first drill press

Paul Hubbman

Member
Messages
582
Location
St. Louis, MO
One other little project we're working on in Hubbman's Hide-a-way - a small drill press rebuild for my 6 year old.

A couple of weekends ago Nick (my son) and i were walking through a resale shop full of building materials (Habitat for Humanity "Restore") looking for a kitchen wall cabinet to hang downstairs. No luck there, but when we turned the corner, there, gleaming as if illuminated from the heavens - a beacon of joy - was an old rusty 9" bench top drill press, no motor. He immediately started in "wouldn't that fit perfectly on my workbench, Dad?". "Don't you think that would be pretty useful, Dad?". "I'll bet that would work out just great, don't you Dad?"

OK, OK. I gave it a look over - Craftsman / King Seeley made. Everything was there except the motor, but it's one of those with the motor mounted on the bench anyway, so i wasn't very surprised. New bearings were in order. No biggie, i've never seen such a basic little drill press - cintered bronze bearings througout except for a ball thrust bearing. It's a light duty machine - perfect for a kid.

But there's no price tag.

I tell Nick that if it's more than $10, we're not buying it (i know, i'm cheap). We find an employee to ask about it. He looks at it and say's "how bout ten bucks?" I look back at Nick, who's grinning ear to ear. I have no doubt that if the guy gave a higher number, my 6 year old would have jumped in to haggle him down.

We brought it home and have been working on it a little bit here and there. I'll post pics when we've got it running (should be soon), but i thought someone out there might relate to the story.

This is a multi-generational rebuild project. My dad has helped me with others, but this is the first time my son has his hand in it. Dad reinforced a weak part, my son has helped with cleanup and repainting, and i'm doing most of the dis / re assembly (with proper 6 year old supervision, of course).

I think i'll scrounge up a clamping mechanism or two so he doesn't wind up holding anything with his bare hands. That would be good practice for me as well. Hmmm.

Paul Hubbman
 

Attachments

  • Nick's 1st press.jpg
    Nick's 1st press.jpg
    40.9 KB · Views: 114
Very cool, Paul. I'm sure that drill press will be remembered long after it's been replaced by something bigger.
...I think i'll scrounge up a clamping mechanism or two so he doesn't wind up holding anything with his bare hands...

Based on recent experience, I'd definitely vote for that idea. ;)
 
Wow your young son sure sounds like he's already bit buy the wood bug :thumb: Really cool Paul :thumb: Great family project. Something you all will remember :thumb: If that is the drill, be sure to put a guard around the belts and pulleys, don't want his hands wound up there either.
 
Hi Paul
Befor I was a woodbutcher I worked in a mirror shop putting mirror on Yatchets. :rofl: We had one of those but we used it for cutting holes in glass. It was a nice DP for our use.....nice score
Reg
 
Well, i'm a bit late with the update. The press has been done for a few weeks now. Nick picked out the color, we built a base, and wired it up with a foot switch.

Now he's showing everyone who stops by the house his work bench and new prized posession. Oh, and he's making swiss cheese out of the scrab bin contents.

paulh
 

Attachments

  • pic 1.JPG
    pic 1.JPG
    64.3 KB · Views: 42
  • pic 2.JPG
    pic 2.JPG
    42.2 KB · Views: 37
Looks good Paul. Take all that saw dust he is makeing and put it in the garden for some veggies. Might even get him started in gardening too
Reg
 
Looks good Paul. Take all that saw dust he is makeing and put it in the garden for some veggies. Might even get him started in gardening too
Reg

here is a ignorant question reg,,, you are sayun that all the lanner chips and the saw dust i have been burning or haulng away is good for gardens???? if so my brother needs alot:) specise doesnt matter?

oh and paul thats the way to bring up young into the tool world,, someday he will do the same for his offspring ... good job DAD!!!!
 
Wow! That's awesome your son has taken such an interest in getting his own real tools. At this point my 3 and 5 year old daughters are using a vibrating sander and the shop vac to help me out in the shop.

Do you clamp down your son's projects down for him to drill? How do you make certain he respects the exposed belt and pulley system?

here is a ignorant question reg,,, you are sayun that all the lanner chips and the saw dust i have been burning or haulng away is good for gardens???? if so my brother needs alot:) specise doesnt matter?

oh and paul thats the way to bring up young into the tool world,, someday he will do the same for his offspring ... good job DAD!!!!

It's best to compost the chips and sawdust first as it can deplete the nitrogen in the surrounding soil for a while as it decomposes. But as part of the dry component in composting, chips and sawdust work great. (No plywood or fiber boards though).

Cheers,
 
Last edited:
Larry,

What Dan says is true: decomposing wood chips and sawdust draw nitrogen from the soil. Still, that doesn't stop me: I use them for mulch, and even dig them in pretty fresh as organic material when I'm planting. Soil here is heavy clay, so I need a lot! And besides, I fertilize when I'm planting anyway.

Walnut chips, on the other hand, aren't good in large quantities, so I use it where I don't want anything to grow. Besides, I don't have horses, I have deer, and they don't seem to like the stuff... ;)

Thanks,

Bill
 
Take all that saw dust he is makeing and put it in the garden for some veggies. Might even get him started in gardening too
Reg

He's waaaaaay ahead of me here. This will be the 2nd year he's had his own garden. He's planted cucumbers, tomatoes, snow peas, carrots, corn, and marigolds (rabbit deterrent). For the past few years, i'd say less than 1/4 of the vegetables and rasberries actually make it into the kitchen. The rest are harvested and eaten off the vine by grazing kids throughout the summer. The book we're reading right now, at his request . . . a guide to organic gardening. He's even got his own compost going.

About the drill press - we're making a small drill press table for it so that he can easily clamp work down. As far as keeping fingers and other things away from the belt, That's all about one on one instructions and my confidence level with his personal level of caution. You'll also notice that the belt is not near any edges of the table. You can't just bump into it. You'd need to reach across the work table.

One safety device i like on my drill press and i also put on his, is a momentary foot switch. You can't leave the drill press running. It's only on when your foot is stepping on the switch. This makes it easier to keep your eyes on the work and your hands in the proper place when turning the thing on and off. And, should something happen, it shuts down when you lift your foot off.

It's not bullet proof safe, but it's pretty good. I think he's fine with it. My daughter, on the other hand, is not as cautious. We'll make a belt cover for it before she's allowed to run the machine.
 
here is a ignorant question reg,,, you are sayun that all the lanner chips and the saw dust i have been burning or haulng away is good for gardens???? if so my brother needs alot:) specise doesnt matter?

oh and paul thats the way to bring up young into the tool world,, someday he will do the same for his offspring ... good job DAD!!!!

Ok heres the poop on sawdust. I mix it with horse manure. I let it get rained on. Then I cove it with a plastic cover, 6mil black plastic. In two months a group of critters called thermafiles will heat the pile to about 145-180 degrees. Yes the do tie up all the nitrogen. It lastes only 2 months. In order to get it to heat you must have it in a, at least, 3 cubic pile. This gives the pile enough mass to hold the heat. In that amount of heat it kills all pathogens and weed seeds. I put it into a 4'X8'X10" of 12" beds. The highth is according to what I am going to grow in that bed. Then I plant what ever I want. There is no better growing medium with the biggest return
Reg
 
Last edited:
Top