adding speeds to my drill press

[skylarkguy]

Is anyone aware of a kit or plans to add speeds to a drill press. I have an old JET machine with 2 sets of stepped pulleys. What I imagine is adding a third pulley in between the 2 and running with 2 belts. This way I increase the total number of drive ratios. I have minimal machining capability, so extensive fabrication can be difficult...thus a desire for a "pre-engineered" kit. Thought?

My other thought is to somehow add a variable speed motor but I'm not really sure how to do it.

 

[Groo]

do you really need more speeds?

You are going to max out the torque your chuck can handle pretty quick. I've been using hole-saws on 1/4" hot rolled lately, and I have to take it real easy or I have problems elsewhere.

variable speed motors are different than the one you probably have in your machine, so just adding a variable resistor probably won't work so well.

I suppose the easiest way would be drive the motor pulley with another motor and let the primary motor freewheel.

 

[BXpanded]

Google "variable frequency drive" That's a speed control unit for an AC motor. They're quite economical now, and can adjust the speed without affecting torque. It will work with your existing motor. Adding step pulleys will be far more trouble.

 

[vwnotrunning]

Are you wanting more faster speeds or slower speeds? There has been threads on this that included a link that had good details of adding a shaft with pulleys and remount the motor with stepped pulley to allow for slower speeds than orginally designed.

 

[dieselscout80]

Drill Press with Crawler gears.. Oh ya.. - Pirate4x4.Com

 

[skylarkguy]

Thanks guys...this should get me going in the right direction...looking for some slower speeds.

 

[Renze]

you just want to lower the speed in order to keep the drill from burning, or to get more torque ? The problem usually is that the secundary belt cant get the power to the spindle pulley. I had a cheap chinese drill and replaced it with a Gates automotive fanbelt, it transferred quite some more power than the original.

Oh... and if your drill press doesnt have morse cone to take up drills, dont even bother with the speeds, the rest of the drill cant handle bigger drills anyways.

 

[kthompson]

You have two pulleys now, one on the motor and one on the spindle correct? Look and see if there is a hole about mid ways between those two but to the side of them for a third pully to be mounted. If so, all you should need is pully and mount and it should just sit in the casted hole in the frame. You will need to turn one of the two current pullys over. I suggest you not trying to make that but get proper bearing setup for the pulley.

The third pully of course cost more and some drill presses they sell both ways.

 

[Groo]

this is cheap enough to try before messing with belts an pulleys
Router Speed Control

 

[oscer]

Hi fellas, I like BXpanded's Idea about the VFD. however I've only used them on 3 phase motors which you can usually pick up pretty cheap. The problem with slowing down a single phase motor is, if it goes slow enough to kick out the centrifugal switch and goes back into the start circuit you can fry the motor.

 

[gizmo]

Do not use a router speed control. They are for universal motors, not induction motors. Induction motor speed is determined by frequency, not voltage. I have a VFD and 3-phase motor on mine. The reversing ability and slow speed are great for tapping holes.

 

[ZJ_HR]

Router speed control is useless for anything then fans/pumps, or machines with some load This is voltage regulation, and it decreases speed only if you have load. Problem is that on drill it will stop or run. When you decrease speed, motor is heating, and you ca easili burn it. It is not like a VFD.

 

[Raspy]

My father put a three speed single phase motor on his five speed drill press and it had more power than the original motor. Rated for less, but actually produced more. The foreign motors on most cheap modern drill presses won't produce near the rated power.

His came from a three speed cooler of some kind. It has a four position switch that came with it which includes off. It's been on there for years.

 

[Bob_in_VT]

I have one of those chinese combination mill/lathe machines. I replaced the (2) 3/4 hp motors with (2) 2hp DC variable speed reversible treadmill motors and a speed controller. Works great. You can find treadmill motors at Surplus Center and on ebay. You local classifieds are also a good source for cheap treadmills.

 

[Raspy]

Treadmill motors. That's brilliant! What a great source for a variable speed motor and controller.