Drill press gloat and questions...

[Dan Friedrichs]

Picked up this Delta 17-900 drill press today for $75. It needs a good cleaning and de-rusting, and is missing one of the handles, but is in otherwise good condition. I measured the run-out at <0.003", so I'm happy with that!

Two questions:
1) If I hold a dial indicator to the chuck, and press the chuck back-and-forth, I see about 0.01" of wiggle. That seems like a lot to me - is it? This amount is the same with the quill fully extended or fully retracted. Do I need new quill bearings?

2) I was considering replacing the chuck with a keyless chuck. Is there any reason not to do this on a drill press?

[Roger Newby]

For 75 bucks you can justify new bearings real easy. Keyless chuck is a matter of preference. I have one and like it but don't consider it an improvement in the overall machine. BTW....YOU SUCK

[Brad Townsend]

Several years ago, I got one just like it for $50, but yours looks to be in better shape. I had to put another $125 in parts to bring it back to "like new". This included new handles, rack, pinion drive gear and elevation crank. (It was from a high school shop - need I say more.) When I rebuilt mine, Delta was very responsive on parts and I had little trouble getting replacements for everything. From what I have heard, things have gone somewhat downhill with Delta parts and service since then.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Well, I started unscrewing things The quill came out easily, and I discovered that the quill bearing itself is plenty tight (good thing, too - Delta wants $30 for it...). The quill appears to be slightly loose in the "head body", and I don't see any adjustment for that. The force needed to move it is quite a lot, though - I don't expect I'll actually have any problem, here.

A new question: this thing has sawdust-caked grease everywhere. Can I just use an automotive-type degreaser to wipe everything down? Once I do that, is there any special type of lube/grease I should re-apply to all the moving parts? Would any grease do?

Thanks!

[Phil Thien]

I believe for units that aren't split head that you're supposed to use the set screw on the left hand side that screws into the grove in the quill to make adjustments for slop in the bore. Here, parts #55 and #55 on this diagram:

http://www.dewaltservicenet.com/Prod...cumentId=29489

But I'm not sure, so wait for someone smarter than I to confirm first.

I've never understood how this wouldn't just cause ultra fast wear in the grove. If this IS the way you do it, then perhaps replacing the screw with a nylon-tip screw (McMaster has 'em) would be wise?

Nice find.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Thanks, Phil! I saw that screw, and was suspecting that was its function. Thank you for confirming my suspicion.

[Phil Thien]

Thanks, Phil! I saw that screw, and was suspecting that was its function. Thank you for confirming my suspicion.

Doing a little googling, I don't think that one screw is enough. Many people indicate they drill/tap more holes (I've seen four so far) to tighten-up the quill.

[glenn bradley]

I've been running a keyless chuck for years and would be loath to go back. No slipping with even large circle cutters.