what to look for in a Pillar Drill

[7oaks]

Any advice gratefully appreciated, prices seem to vary hugely and not entirely sure what I need.

Would use mainly for amateur car restoration projects and related things eg had in mind building myself a hydraulic press with a bottle jack and some big bit of steel frame, in which I would need to drill some fairly big holes to locate some bolts.

 

[Rannsachair]

This may help: https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/pillar-drill.107041/#post-1704941

i am a Fobco star owner having moved from a Ferm, the Fobco is night and day nicer to use and better made.

 

[daedalusminos]

I would suggest going for a second hand industrial (Fobco, Elliot, Meddings etc) rather than a new far east import. Expect to pay £150 for something in poor condition... doesn't matter so long as it drills a round(ish) hole. Plus you'll also have a nice project for the future.

 

[Wildatlanticwelder]

Id look for one with the lowest gearing, the slower the better , give the bit a chance to dig in and keep the heat down and the edge sharp

 

[James1979]

As above really

A rule of thumb I was told with machine tools is old and green is normally a good bet.

Bottom speed more important than top end.

Nice to have is an MOrse Taper quill so you can put MT drill bits in there or an adapter for a rotabroach cutter

 

[Ross365]

I bought a new Sealey some years ago (I think the same drill appears with different names, all made in China) and I've been pretty disappointed with that - agricultural! There was a time when they did good stuff, but not sure now.

 

[7oaks]

thanks all will look out for a Fobco, quick scan of ebay shows a fair few at around £1k, so might have to wait a while. Old and green from now on!

 

[Rannsachair]

thanks all will look out for a Fobco, quick scan of ebay shows a fair few at around £1k, so might have to wait a while. Old and green from now on!

Ebay can be expensive, better buys often on Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace, I would consider any old English made drills, there are still bargains out there.

 

[GraemeVW]

Look out for a kerry super 8.
Back geared! Means big holes in thick stuff is easy.
Table is round and rotates, so can be used as a basic rotary table, it also swivels so you can drill at any angle.
You can get every square mm of the table under the drill so it doesn't matter where you clamp the work.
Love mine!

All this, and they are often cheaper than fobco etc, even though IMO, they are better than fobco and most of the other old British stuff.

Oh, did I mention the hard chromed pillar?

Quality things.


Edit...
And it looks like one just went on ebay for £80. Another for £125 too.
They sometimes command more money but can often be got for under £150, even under £100.
People just don't know the make, everyone goes fobco. Fobco are nice, but over priced these days imo.

 

[BarrieJ]

You should be able to get a Fobco Star for about £200 to £250, unless you're lucky in that the seller doesn't know what they're selling; often happens.
Get to know what old British made industrial drills look like, then you'll be able to spot if someone's selling their dad's/grandad's without realising its value.
Do your research, you'll soon know what brands are valued most.
So much depends on what you want to spend, a Pollard 7/8 or 10/8 might not leave you much change out of a grand.

Try to steer clear of recent Chinese efforts, although early Taiwanese, Korean aren't too bad Naerok, Ajax, Warco etc., spring to mind but they don't have the quality of a British or American tool. I think Naerok (Korean backwards) did a 16 speed drill with a MT3, they seem to hold their price quite well but can be purchased cheaply if you keep your eyes peeled.
http://www.lathes.co.uk/naerok-mill-drill/ (for a bit of background).

Most issues with older drills can be solved; pockmarked tables can be filled, switches can be renewed, belts changed.
Things to look out for: the rack and bevel gearbox if fitted to the column elevation control; there could be wear in either and might not be cheaply repairable (you can always remove the rack and raise the table manually).

Play in the quill: Some, not all older drills have the facility to take out radial play by tightening a machined gap in the head casting. If there is radial play in the quill, it'll manifest itself in a rather irritating wobble in the drill bit until it bites.
Axial play will be down to worn bearings.
Radial play can be fixed in drills that have no 'from the factory' ability to be adjusted: https://www.instructables.com/Drill-Press-Quill-Play-Fix/

Best of luck with your search, a good drill is well worth waiting for and if you do find one, take a mate, they're not light.
(A Fobco 7/8 weighs 4cwt!)

 

[winchman]

Firstly if you can lift it with one man dont buy it.
Fobco
Loads swear by them I personally sold mine as I found our Meddings and Startrite easier to use.
Plenty of old stuff about dont worry too much about the brand as long as its an old English or american one that has the speeds you require you shouldn't go wrong.
Elliot are nice too

 

[Mark Davison]

Meddings with a gearbox. They can be a pain in that the weight of the head makes changing the height of the head itself a logistical challenge. Assume the Tufnell gears will be mashed and they are not cheap to replace. The column on mine is solid, not all are.

 

[8ob]

Age! Older the better

Bob

 

[7oaks]

Nutool any good, seem to be a bit cheaper?

 

[God mode restorations]

The bigger the better . The more weight they have the better. Something like mine will do ya good

 

[dobbslc]

Nutool any good, seem to be a bit cheaper?

I think some of the older ones are ok but the modern stuff not great! I usually say if it's got a plastic red and green start stop switch it's too new.
Tauco are another brand to look for, I've got a huge bench top one that is so heavy I can barely lift the base on it's own!

 

[Ross365]

What we seem to be saying is that there are two distinct populations of pillar drills;
i) modern ones from the far east, which nobody seems to have a good word for, but are affordable to hobbyists
and
ii) traditional British-made industrial machines, affordable for business use, but expensive for other use. I don't really want to go on a search for an old British one, which is sitting in a barn 200 miles away and would be a project in itself to make useable.

Is there really nothing in the middle??? If not, then the question arises as to what might I/we be able to do to make out Chinese stuff work better?

 

[brightspark]

The bigger the better . The more weight they have the better. Something like mine will do ya good

View attachment 318807

ideal for the small home workshop drilling 1.omm holes

 

[GraemeVW]

What we seem to be saying is that there are two distinct populations of pillar drills;
i) modern ones from the far east, which nobody seems to have a good word for, but are affordable to hobbyists
and
ii) traditional British-made industrial machines, affordable for business use, but expensive for other use. I don't really want to go on a search for an old British one, which is sitting in a barn 200 miles away and would be a project in itself to make useable.

Is there really nothing in the middle??? If not, then the question arises as to what might I/we be able to do to make out Chinese stuff work better?

Yep, that's about the size of it.

Luckily, old British made drills are still out there in large numbers.
If your desperate, but whatever you can find for now and keep looking for something better.

Search the more unusual terms. Most people say pillar drill, but bench drill, floor drill, drill press, even just drill all work.
Alot of people spell it piller.
See lots of badly listed ones.

 

[GraemeVW]

Startrite mercury

Log in to Facebook

Log in to Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family and people you know.

www.facebook.com

Or a big old floor standard

Log in to Facebook

Log in to Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family and people you know.

www.facebook.com

Its normally easy to swap in a single phase motor if you find a 3 phase one too.