pillar drill recommendations

[ronan]

A tidy Fobco Star can't be beaten in my view.

Aren't the Fobco's the same as the Progress drills ? The two companies had some connection.

 

[Dev]

A tidy Fobco Star can't be beaten in my view.

I'm fairly happy with the one I found. My only regret is the table isn't rack and pinion - thing is bloody heavy to move up and down

 

[cecotto479]

Aren't the Fobco's the same as the Progress drills ? The two companies had some connection.

Is the story not that Fred O'Brien Engineering made the majority of the components for Progress who assembled and sold them, then he found out how much they were charging for the finished item and his son "designed" one of their own?

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Pollard are also another excellent British made drill, mine is floor standing, has a 9 speed gearbox, so no belt changing, and a 3 speed feed gearbox.
Stands about 8' tall though and must weigh around 400kg!

 

[dan.taylor.1]

Sorry to hijack the thread a bit but I've found this box profile floor standing jobbie near me, anyone know if they're any good?

eBay no. 111141242993

Dan

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Not a bad price if its got good bearings and the pulley's are decent.

 

[brightspark]

I'm fairly happy with the one I found. My only regret is the table isn't rack and pinion - thing is bloody heavy to move up and down

add a counterweight and a pulley to it then

 

[MattF]

Pollard are also another excellent British made drill

I'll second that. Cracking pieces of kit. Absolute lead bricks weight wise too, as you mention.

 

[Powermyster]

I spent ages looking for a decent single phase drill. In the end I bought a three phase startrite mercury floor standing drill in almost new condition for £100 off ebay. It came from a local school. I bought the book "electric motors in the home workshop" (£4 from amazon) which shows how to convert three phase motors to single phase. Another £20 to Maplins and I've got a decent medium duty drill with absolutely no play in the quill. In comparison I bought a brand new ED16 from Axminster for a lot more money, assembled it, dissassembled it and returned it - loads of play in the quill, horrid castings, rise and fall table that got jammed etc. Only problem with the mercury is it hasn't got the oomph to start up on the higher two of the five speeds. For metalwork it's fine and I regularly drill >10mm holes through 8mm steel.

Add a larger start capacitor on a push button to start the drill on those gears. I have a mercury startrite running 3ph motor off single phase and works fine with start capacitor and separate run capacitor

 

[outofthefire]

My only regret is the table isn't rack and pinion - thing is bloody heavy to move up and down

I have the same problem, I can usually move it with brute force and ignorance but I have resorted to a bottle jack under the table before now.

 

[rtbcomp]

A scissors jack will give more control

 

[brightspark]

I have the same problem, I can usually move it with brute force and ignorance but I have resorted to a bottle jack under the table before now.

have u got all day to alter it and chock it up