Drill Press

[thiggy]

This is obviously a drill press of some sort, but I wonder if someone has some specific information about it.  I have another one which came from my grandfather's blacksmith shop, but it was post mounted and had a different kind of feed system.  This one appears to be intended to be used on a workbench, and it has a gear which engages a rack gear that raises and lowers the drill mechanism as you crank the handles.  However, it moves too fast in relation to the drill shaft speed to be considered the feed while you are drilling.  I do not believe that there are any marks on the tool, but it all appears to be commercially manufactured, including the wooden frame.  Any information would be appreciated.  I forgot to add that the gear which engages the rack can be slid right or left on the shaft to engage/disengage with the rack.

[Nolatoolguy]

What is the first picture?


Looks like a beam drill.

[BruceS]

Ditto the barn beam drill.   I have a clone of yours.

[john k]

Right, beam drill.  Took a slightly different bit, used in boring holes in barn beams during construction.   Could be clamped, or one could kneel on it, and go to work with both arms.  Most are self feeding and a few are self retracting.   Every one I find has some gold on it somewhere, or the seller thinks it does.    You inherited that?   

[Lewill2]

The rack should fold out of the way for drilling, then fold it in to engage it to retract the drill bit from the hole.

[Branson]

The proper name for these is "boring machine," and they were used primarily for boring holes for draw pins in timber framing, most commonly barns.  Yours is one of the better ones, as it can be set to drill at angles -- it's adjustable. 

You set it on the beam, sit down on it and turn the crank like bicycle pedals.  The first guys to have one of these must have thought they had done died and gone to heaven.  Before the boring machine, all that hole drilling was done with T-handle augers.

There's a site that deals specifically with boring machines -- gives you history and an idea of their worth.

[thiggy]

Oops, one of those was the wrong photo.  (It shows several newly painted parts of an old Maytag gas engine I am working on.)  Thanks for the information, folks.  This was not an inherited item.  It was a  garage sale tool.