Mag drill stand

[Thrashsmith]

Hi all, I have an old column & base from a floor standing Elliot Progress drill which died a while back. The column is 69mm diameter. On the column there's the table, which I was thinking of bolting a bench vice to for the sake of locking work pieces in that I want to drill with a mag drill.
I'd like to fabricate some kind of split collar system with a piece of plate welded to it that I can sit my mag drill on, so I can drill the work pieces on the table below.
The collar will have to grip the column like s.. to a blanket, so there's no chance of it slipping, if the mag drill bit snags.
What do you think is the best way of fabricating the collar? Should I forge the collar from something like 60x20mm flat? Or should I buy pre-made collars? Does anyone know where I can buy especially wide shaft collars?
I guess the collar should have some threaded holes in the sides too, to allow bolts to go through & bite onto the column, for extra grip?
Cheers

 

[Memmeddu]

Hi all, I have an old column & base from a floor standing Elliot Progress drill which died a while back. The column is 69mm diameter. On the column there's the table, which I was thinking of bolting a bench vice to for the sake of locking work pieces in that I want to drill with a mag drill.
I'd like to fabricate some kind of split collar system with a piece of plate welded to it that I can sit my mag drill on, so I can drill the work pieces on the table below.
The collar will have to grip the column like s.. to a blanket, so there's no chance of it slipping, if the mag drill bit snags.
What do you think is the best way of fabricating the collar? Should I forge the collar from something like 60x20mm flat? Or should I buy pre-made collars? Does anyone know where I can buy especially wide shaft collars?
I guess the collar should have some threaded holes in the sides too, to allow bolts to go through & bite onto the column, for extra grip?
Cheers

I'd replace the motor on the Elliott instead

 

[Agroshield]

I guess the collar should have some threaded holes in the sides too, to allow bolts to go through & bite onto the column, for extra grip?

Look at every drill press in the whole wide world. Not one of them secures their head or table by means of things that "bite onto the column". To do so would raise a burr and make it impossible to slide things up and down the column.

Look at how the table of the one you have is secured and copy it. It will use one of two clamping mechanisms: a split clamp that is closed by a bolt (and only the cylindrical surface of the clamp touches the column) or a split cotter.

A piece of 100mm dia. steel round bar and a friend with a lathe would be a good place to start. Weld on the ears for the clamping bolt, bore it to 69mm and slit with hacksaw. Alternatively, as you say, forge a ring that can be bored out to 69mm ID.

The challenge will be preventing it distorting when you weld on the platform to take the drill - perhaps bore roughly to size and finish bore on a milling machine. The mill would allow you to face the platform so it is 90 degrees to the bored hole.

 

[MetalMonkey]

I'd replace the motor on the Elliott instead

I'll echo this - if you already have a quality drill press, just fix that rather than trying to convert a mag drill into a drill press?
Unless it is severely damaged or major bits missing it will be less work and more betterer.

 

[Thrashsmith]

I'll echo this - if you already have a quality drill press, just fix that rather than trying to convert a mag drill into a drill press?
Unless it is severely damaged or major bits missing it will be less work and more betterer.

I scrapped it ages ago, it was totally kaput. It wasn't just the motor. I have a Fobco 7/8 now, the thinking behind having my mag drill permanently setup was because I use it for drilling angled holes.

 

[DAPPH]

Several years ago for a friend I made a sliding collar for a hefty drill press .
I cut two one inch thick slabs of mild steel on my mechanical hacksaw in hexagonal positively located them with two 5 mm bolts that would allow me to turn the inners & outer on my lathe & drilled so after turning everything still aligned correctly , Then I cut an 1/8 inch vertical slot right through them as I was making a big pinch bolt clamp .

Then made up two inch thick lugs for welding on to complete the clamp , putting a clearance hole in one and a 12 mm tap thread hole in the other for the pinch bolt
Set it up on the drill post ( laid on its side ) with a few magnets to keep things in place , did a few tack welds , then did a bit of serious welding to get it all firmly stuck together whilst it was on the drill stand post .
It worked well & as far as I know is still OK six years on .

 

[steve t]

Does the table move up and down? If so could you get away with a fixed bit for the drill? Just position it in the spot you'll use most and move table when needed?

 

[Thrashsmith]

Does the table move up and down? If so could you get away with a fixed bit for the drill? Just position it in the spot you'll use most and move table when needed?

Yeah the table does move. Yeah, I'd wondered the same thing.

 

[Thrashsmith]

Does the table move up and down? If so could you get away with a fixed bit for the drill? Just position it in the spot you'll use most and move table when needed?

Do you think I could weld to the column?

 

[Kram]

Clamps are cheap enough, what diameter is the column?

 

[DAPPH]

A pictures of the column and the table would also be very helpful.

 

[Thrashsmith]

There's a small parts tray on a split collar, but I don't think I'd trust that alone to be strong enough to grip the column & support the mag drill.

 

[Beanwood]

Ideally you would get another clamp (scrap drill?) the same as the bottom table one- it would easily hold a mag drill I’m sure. The head of a Meddings is pretty damn heavy and held in place by a 17mm bolt.

 

[Thrashsmith]

Ideally you would get another clamp (scrap drill?) the same as the bottom table one- it would easily hold a mag drill I’m sure. The head of a Meddings is pretty damn heavy and held in place by a 17mm bolt.

Haha yeah, I was looking this morning online for a spares/repair one

 

[MetalMonkey]

I would just hog out a split coller from a piece of thick plate.

 

[DAPPH]

Or get one of our decent plasma cutter machine ownings guys to blow you out two identical thick parts that you can set the mag drill on .

Turn them into a split clamp and clamp that to the shaft . You never know someone may PM you about it .

 

[Thrashsmith]

Huzzah! Found a cheap scrap price drill local to me on Marketplace which had the same column size as my old Elliot Progress so I bought it & nabbed the table off it. Idea is coming together...

 

[steve t]

Result