Just wanted to share my find I have had her for about 5 months now and have used it almost daily picked her up for 100 bucks off of marketplace and hooked it up to an old tig floor pedal weighs more then 300lbs and works better then the big jet brand one at my trade school

She used to be run off a line shaft but has been converted to an electric motor she is gonna outlive me even though I am only 16 lol

Yeah, that's worth a C note. Do you KNOW for sure an electronic current control is compatible with the motor? If not it will fry the motor in a short time. There are a couple guys on the forum who know the specifics, I don't. IIRC newer induction motors and rheostat power controllers don't play well together. 

It's worth looking into, a nice big motor isn't cheap.

Frosty The Lucky.

7 minutes ago, Frosty said:

Yeah, that's worth a C note. Do you KNOW for sure an electronic current control is compatible with the motor? If not it will fry the motor in a short time. There are a couple guys on the forum who know the specifics, I don't. IIRC newer induction motors and rheostat power controllers don't play well together. 

It's worth looking into, a nice big motor isn't cheap.

Frosty The Lucky.

 

7 minutes ago, Frosty said:

Yeah, that's worth a C note. Do you KNOW for sure an electronic current control is compatible with the motor? If not it will fry the motor in a short time. There are a couple guys on the forum who know the specifics, I don't. IIRC newer induction motors and rheostat power controllers don't play well together. 

It's worth looking into, a nice big motor isn't cheap.

Frosty The Lucky.

If you are speaking of the tig floor pedal then not to worry as I am just using the shell it was an old broken one from my trade school so I took the electronics out and just wired up a push button onto it

but if you are speaking of the thing on the wall I have no idea my step dad just bought it and gave it to me lol

Okay, it's the on off switch, no problem, So long as you or someone can't step on it and turn the drill on accidentally. Having it start while you're turning the chuck key or rolling the belt to a different speed SMARTS!

We're big on safety here, no criticism implied.

Frosty The Lucky.

Yeah thanks I am going to set it up so there is a secondary switch as a hard stop and saddly the motor is only a 1/2 horsepower but she is still a champ and she was manufactured and ran in my home city of Erie pa so she is definitely worth it

Good, I'm less nervous now.  A foot switch isn't really necessary or even desirable on a drill press, you aren't likely to be turning it on and off quickly. A switch on the wall where the speed control is would be perfect. An old beauty like that can be hand turned for fine adjustments. Seriously, I'v been using drill presses for more than 60 years and have never needed anything but a simple switch. I have to admit I've worked with enough knuckleheads I'm highly in favor of needing to poke the chuck key in the safety switch to turn one of and an emergency kill switch. 

Another word of caution, NEVER use a drill press or other rotary tool, lathe, grinder, etc. wearing loose clothing or loose long hair. For example, one of the worst imagine long hair getting tangled in a drill bit or lathe chuck. Your head WILL be dragged into and wrapped around the bit faster than you can scream ouch. If you are LUCKY it will just rip a big patch of your scalp off your skull. If not lucky a powerful machine will literally wrap you around the rotating part resulting in an arm so badly broken it's just there, rip it off or kill you outright.  

As old as that motor looks it's probably a lot more powerful than a modern 1/2 HP motor now. Now motors are rated at their burn out power, to get a full 1/2 Hp out of a new motor you'd literally be burning it up as in letting the smoke out, sparks and motor death. 

Old motors were rated at their maximum output BEFORE damage occurs so you could run a 1/2Hp motor to it's capacity all day without damaging it. 

If it turns out drilling drags the motor down, use a slower setting on the belts. Drilling steel especially is a low RPM task. Use low gear, step pullies are literally the same principle as shifting gears in vehicle. 

Frosty The Lucky.

 

5 hours ago, Frosty said:

Good, I'm less nervous now.  A foot switch isn't really necessary or even desirable on a drill press, you aren't likely to be turning it on and off quickly. A switch on the wall where the speed control is would be perfect. An old beauty like that can be hand turned for fine adjustments. Seriously, I'v been using drill presses for more than 60 years and have never needed anything but a simple switch. I have to admit I've worked with enough knuckleheads I'm highly in favor of needing to poke the chuck key in the safety switch to turn one of and an emergency kill switch. 

Another word of caution, NEVER use a drill press or other rotary tool, lathe, grinder, etc. wearing loose clothing or loose long hair. For example, one of the worst imagine long hair getting tangled in a drill bit or lathe chuck. Your head WILL be dragged into and wrapped around the bit faster than you can scream ouch. If you are LUCKY it will just rip a big patch of your scalp off your skull. If not lucky a powerful machine will literally wrap you around the rotating part resulting in an arm so badly broken it's just there, rip it off or kill you outright.  

As old as that motor looks it's probably a lot more powerful than a modern 1/2 HP motor now. Now motors are rated at their burn out power, to get a full 1/2 Hp out of a new motor you'd literally be burning it up as in letting the smoke out, sparks and motor death. 

Old motors were rated at their maximum output BEFORE damage occurs so you could run a 1/2Hp motor to it's capacity all day without damaging it. 

If it turns out drilling drags the motor down, use a slower setting on the belts. Drilling steel especially is a low RPM task. Use low gear, step pullies are literally the same principle as shifting gears in vehicle. 

Frosty The Lucky.

 

Oh boy do I know with loose clothing and jewelry my first day at my trade school in our first safety briefing we got a look at injuries that can occur and one of em was what they like to call “hamburger hand” the result of a guy getting his entire hand dragged in when running a boring head on a Bridgeport because he was wearing gloves 

Okay, good. I don't recall if you told us but what trade did you study? 

I grew up in Dad's metal spinning shop and one of the things he used to say till I was sick of hearing it was. "You can't fear a machine but you MUST respect it." Being afraid of it will get you in trouble almost as fast as contempt. One of his other favorite sayings was. "Familiarity breeds contempt."

I was maybe 9 or 10 doing sweeping, wiping, oiling, fetch and carry work when Jonesy Snigle (Not his real name) took his hand off in a straight line from the 1st knuckle across. It was taken by a 12 ton punch press that was punching the center hole in a blank to be spun. I learned as Dad pounded it into my head that you never NEVER try to remove a stuck blank from the press until the flywheel stops moving. It's a very repetitive job, one hand inserts the blank, your foot hits the treadle and you remove the punched blank with the other hand while the first one is ready to put the next one in. It's a very fast smooth set of motions. I was 12 and was punching 2 blanks per second. ticka boom, ticka boom, ticka boom 1-2 times a second. What happens if a blank sticks, you reflexively try to free it but you other hand is already putting the next in and your foot hits the treadle and the press sprays whatever part of your hand is between the die plates across the room.

The ONLY time Dad ever struck me, EVER was when he heard a blank stick, looked around and I wasn't standing up with my hands in clear sight. You can't step on the treadle if you're standing on your feet. 

After I'd run the press a while I was allowed to free a stuck blank IF I was standing and used the hand I loaded the die with. You MUST break the reflexive routine or you're going to pay in body parts.

When Jonesy took his hand off I was picking up a box with spun parts to take to the next step. Believe me the sound of the press atomizing flesh and bone sounds very different from a blank being flattened and the punches going through. Heck, I could tell the blank has stuck from the sound. 

I didn't see it happen but I can relive the experience anytime like just now. I was maybe 9-10, that I don't recall for sure but I can hear it, smell the blood, see the fog it made and hear all the spinning lathes shut off and feet rushing to the press. 

Jonesy didn't know what happened, he was sitting on the stool trying to free the blank with a fingerless hand. The other spinners helped take Jonesy to the breakroom, bandaged his hand and load him in Dad's pickup. Dad shouted, "That's it everybody go home! them Butch call your mother tell her I'm fine, come pick you up and lock the front door.

It's funny, Dad NEVER got past making the mistake of telling Mother he was fine before telling her what he wanted. She heard that and all you were going to hear on the other end was the sound of the receiver hitting the cradle or maybe floor.

I did that ONCE and survived the mad hatter's indy car drive to the ER as terrified as I've ever been. You wouldn't believe what Mother could make a 63 Chevy station wagon do on LA surface streets.

Oh MAN I didn't need to remember that one or the other times Dad took a crazy ride while leaking profusely.

Anyway, I grew up careful around machinery, any machinery.

One of the secrets is to pay attention to what the machine is telling you, if it's moving it's telling you what's going on.

Frosty The Lucky.

16 hours ago, Frosty said:

Okay, good. I don't recall if you told us but what trade did you study? 

I grew up in Dad's metal spinning shop and one of the things he used to say till I was sick of hearing it was. "You can't fear a machine but you MUST respect it." Being afraid of it will get you in trouble almost as fast as contempt. One of his other favorite sayings was. "Familiarity breeds contempt."

I was maybe 9 or 10 doing sweeping, wiping, oiling, fetch and carry work when Jonesy Snigle (Not his real name) took his hand off in a straight line from the 1st knuckle across. It was taken by a 12 ton punch press that was punching the center hole in a blank to be spun. I learned as Dad pounded it into my head that you never NEVER try to remove a stuck blank from the press until the flywheel stops moving. It's a very repetitive job, one hand inserts the blank, your foot hits the treadle and you remove the punched blank with the other hand while the first one is ready to put the next one in. It's a very fast smooth set of motions. I was 12 and was punching 2 blanks per second. ticka boom, ticka boom, ticka boom 1-2 times a second. What happens if a blank sticks, you reflexively try to free it but you other hand is already putting the next in and your foot hits the treadle and the press sprays whatever part of your hand is between the die plates across the room.

The ONLY time Dad ever struck me, EVER was when he heard a blank stick, looked around and I wasn't standing up with my hands in clear sight. You can't step on the treadle if you're standing on your feet. 

After I'd run the press a while I was allowed to free a stuck blank IF I was standing and used the hand I loaded the die with. You MUST break the reflexive routine or you're going to pay in body parts.

When Jonesy took his hand off I was picking up a box with spun parts to take to the next step. Believe me the sound of the press atomizing flesh and bone sounds very different from a blank being flattened and the punches going through. Heck, I could tell the blank has stuck from the sound. 

I didn't see it happen but I can relive the experience anytime like just now. I was maybe 9-10, that I don't recall for sure but I can hear it, smell the blood, see the fog it made and hear all the spinning lathes shut off and feet rushing to the press. 

Jonesy didn't know what happened, he was sitting on the stool trying to free the blank with a fingerless hand. The other spinners helped take Jonesy to the breakroom, bandaged his hand and load him in Dad's pickup. Dad shouted, "That's it everybody go home! them Butch call your mother tell her I'm fine, come pick you up and lock the front door.

It's funny, Dad NEVER got past making the mistake of telling Mother he was fine before telling her what he wanted. She heard that and all you were going to hear on the other end was the sound of the receiver hitting the cradle or maybe floor.

I did that ONCE and survived the mad hatter's indy car drive to the ER as terrified as I've ever been. You wouldn't believe what Mother could make a 63 Chevy station wagon do on LA surface streets.

Oh MAN I didn't need to remember that one or the other times Dad took a crazy ride while leaking profusely.

Anyway, I grew up careful around machinery, any machinery.

One of the secrets is to pay attention to what the machine is telling you, if it's moving it's telling you what's going on.

Frosty The Lucky.

I am studying welding but the two instructors in my school have taught us the general way to use a Bridgeport as it is always a good thing to know how to use as a welder and the reason I put it as a floor pedal is I do cycle through a lot of different tools when using it It is not a dc motor so I can’t reverse it but I still use it for threading as on the lowest speed it is probably at most 120 rpm so it makes for a great threading tool