A
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A
hand cranked drill press
How did farmers and mechanics drill steel or cast iron during the early industrial era before electrical power was common in every home and business? They used a hand-cranked drill press like the post drills shown on this page. No electric motor, no belt power, the drill is hand powered by turning the hand crank. The post drill is supplied with a self-feed mechanism that automatically advances the drill bit into the work while the drill is turning.
The post drill is capable of drilling anything that can be drilled by a modern drill press of equivalent size. Post drills were small (compared with the large line-shaft driven camelback drill presses) and easily crated and shipped to any location. The new owner assembled the post drill, mounted it to a wooden plank, and bolted the plank to a post or column in the workshop or barn.
Antique post drill -vs- the modern drill press. Drilling jobs performed by a post drill will proceed more slowly and with more difficulty because the user must supply the necessary hand power to turn the drill. Motor-driven drill presses will drill faster and are far less fatiguing to operate compared to a hand-cranked drill. Post drills were supplied with straight shank drill chucks. Modern Jacobs style chucks are much more convenient for use with modern drills bits. A modern style drill chuck can be fitted into the original straight shank chuck on the post drill by simple modification of a straight shank chuck arbor. The red drill shown on this page has a modern chuck installed in the original straight chuck.
Latest update June 20, 2010. Finished a very large re-write and upgrade of photos on January 18, 2010.
About the red post drill shown in this article: This drill (unknown manufacture) is owned by the author (me). It was purchased for $55 at a draft horse auction in Kalona, Iowa, USA, around 1998. The drill was in perfect/new condition and included a modern Jacobs #3B drill chuck with a homemade arbor that was fitted in the original antique screw chuck.
Drilling capacity of post drills. Manufacturers advertisements and catalogs often state the maximum size of hole that can be drilled with each model of post drill. As an example, the red post drill shown here is rated for drilling holes up to 1-inch in diameter. These drilled hole size ratings are correct but, due to the hand-powered nature of the post drill, maximum hole drilling capacity will actually depend on the physical strength and stamina of the user.
Straight shank drill bits. Special drill bits, called 'straight shank' bits, were made specifically for post drills. These drill bits were made in many sizes, but all had common shank sizes including 1/2-inch diameter, 5/8-inch diameter, and 41/64-inch diameter. Straight shank drill bits were round in cross section with a flat machined on one side of the shank. The straight shank drill bit was never truly centered in the drill chuck (due to the required manufacturing tolerances between the drill shanks and the chucks) and therefore some drill wobble or runout was always to be expected. These drills were made for simple manufacturing and repairs in farm shops and small home workshops, where a great amount of accuracy was not necessary.
Drill
chucks for post drills. Three types of post drill chucks are shown on this
webpage. The screw chuck, the Champion Blower & Forge 'Never-Slip Drill Chuck',
and the Canedy-Otto 'Western Chief Safety Chuck'. The drill chucks described
here were engineered to present no sharp edges or protrusions that might injure
the workman while the drills are turning.
The
Champion Never-Slip Chuck looks similar to the screw chuck described
above but, take a closer look, an important feature makes this chuck superior
to the screw chuck. We begin by describing features that the Never-Slip Chuck
shares in common with the screw chuck. On the outside, the Champion Never-Slip
Chuck looks identical to a screw chuck - a small hollow barrel with two holes
bored in one side, and a set screw threaded into the lower hole. The
Never-Slip Chuck is threaded onto the drill spindle, and the hole in the upper
section of the screw chuck appears to be a spanner wrench hole - to allow the
use of a spanner wrench to install the chuck on the drill spindle. The lower
hole was threaded and countersunk to allow the set screw to fit completely
inside the body of the chuck - thus presenting no protrusions that could cause
injury to the workman while the drill was turning. What makes the Never-Slip
Chuck different from a typical screw chuck is, the shape or profile of the
drill bit socket inside the chuck. The drill bit socket is not round, it is
instead shaped like the shank of the straight shank drill bit (round, with a
flat land), thus providing a solid physical interlock that prevents the drill
bit from slipping. The set screw therefore is only needed to prevent the drill
bit from pulling out of the chuck while being raised up out of the work. A
small wrench was supplied with the chuck for tightening the set screw onto the
drill bits.
The
Canedy-Otto 'Western Chief Safety Chuck' is a wedge and sleeve design.
The flat surface of the wedge clamps tightly against the flat of the straight
shank drill bit inside the Safety Chuck. The lower sleeve of the chuck has a
tapered slot that presses against the inclined surface of the wedge - forcing
the wedge inward against the drill bit as the threaded ferrule is tightened
against the sleeve. Tightening the wedge against the flat of the drill bit
provides the non-slip interlock that holds the drill bit tightly in the chuck.
The Western Chief Safety Chuck needs no set screws or wrenches. The Safety
Chuck socket and wedge slot were machined directly into the end of the drill
spindle. Safety Chucks were also available as a separate product with a
straight shank arbor to fit in the socket of another chuck, this being
necessary when drill bit shanks were not of the same size as the chuck that
was originally installed on the post drill. The wedge and sleeve design was
vastly superior to the screw chuck in that, it provided a very strong non-slip
grip on the straight shank drill bit, and the wedge and sleeve design did not
cause any gouging or galling of the drill bit that was typically caused by a
set screw.
Self-feed
operation. Self-feed means that the drill will automatically lower the bit
into the work as the mechanic cranks the drill. Rotating the feed wheel (and
feed nut) causes the feed screw to move up or down, thus lifting or lowering the
drill as desired by the user. The self-feed is engaged by flipping the feed dog
(at top of the feed arm) onto the ratchet teeth at top of the feed wheel. With
the feed dog engaged, the self-feed will automatically lower the spindle and
drill bit into the work as the drill is cranked. To raise the spindle, the feed
dog is flipped backward off the ratchet teeth of the feed wheel, and the feed
wheel is turned in reverse direction thus lifting the drill out of the work.
Feed screw. A feed screw connects to the top of the drill spindle through a ball bearing. The ball bearings provide a low friction joint between the feed screw and the drill spindle. The feed screw is threaded through the feed nut inside the upper end of the drill frame. The feed wheel (at top of the drill) is fastened to the upper end of the feed nut with a set screw. The bearing race is fastened to the lower end of the feed screw with a long pin or rivet. The long end of the pin extends through the back of the bearing race and engages in the vertical slot that is machined into the drill frame, thus allowing free vertical travel of the feed screw while at the same time, preventing the feed screw from rotating.
Feed
arm. The feed arm is bolted loosely to the side of the drill frame. The bolt
is located approximately in the middle of the feed arm, the bolt acting as a
pivot that allows the feed arm to teeter or walk back and forth. A dog (pawl) is
riveted loosely to the top of the feed arm. The dog can be flipped "on" or "off"
of the feed wheel - engaging or disengaging the self feed as desired by the
user. When the self-feed dog is engaged on the feed wheel, the dog catches
against the ratchet teeth and causes the feed wheel to turn in the down-feed
direction. While traveling the opposite direction, the dog floats over the tops
of the ratchet teeth. Most small post drills had only very limited adjustment of
the self-feed speed - allowing the feed dog to advance the feed wheel by either
one or two teeth at a time.
Lower end of the feed arm rides on the surface of an eccentric wheel. The eccentric wheel is located on hub of either the flywheel or the drive gear, depending on the manufacturer or model of drill. The eccentric wheel provides the necessary motion that causes the feed arm to walk back and forth. The feed arm is held against the eccentric wheel by either spring pressure or gravity.
The feed arm on the red drill shown here has a hooked or bent shape so that the weight of the lower half of the arm holds it against the eccentric wheel on the flywheel hub by force of gravity. In addition, a small adjustable weight is fastened to the lower end of the feed arm to provide limited adjustment of the self-feed, and to provide more weight to hold the feed arm against the eccentric wheel.
Extra features found on larger post drills. Quick change speed gears for multiple drilling speeds. Greater range of self-feed speeds. Fixed and free pulleys for use with line shafts. Quick return gears built into the self-feed mechanism for changing direction of self-feed so that the drill will return itself to the raised position quickly. Combination of lever feed and self-feed with the option to disconnect the self-feed - thus allowing the user to quickly lift and lower the drill using the feed lever. To see a high quality heavy duty post drill with lots of features (currently waiting for restoration), go here: Canedy-Otto New No. 16 Drill.
Useful and reliable relic from the past. Today the post drill has been almost entirely forgotten, an archaic antique of unknown purpose, treasured only by tool collectors and craftsmen who enjoy the atmosphere that these old tools give. However if electrical power is unavailable (whether by emergency or as part of routine construction work), these old drills continue to offer the ability to get small drilling jobs done, albeit with plenty more effort than a modern electric drill press. The post drill is an excellent choice for small wood working shops and small blacksmith shops that don't have access to electricity.
Converting
the antique post drill for modern drill bits. Post drills were made during
an era when common size straight shank drill bits were widely available. These
old 'blacksmith' drill bits are no longer manufactured. Placing a modern drill
chuck in the original antique chuck allows the post drill to accept modern drill
bits without requiring any permanent changes to the original drill or chuck. The
only part that requires modification is the arbor of the new drill chuck. An
example of this is the Jacobs #3B 1/2-inch drill chuck installed on the red post
drill in the photos above. Mounting a modern drill chuck in the post drill will
not prevent wobble or runout because the drill chuck arbor is fitted into the
original chuck as though it were a straight shank drill bit. The round shank of
a new chuck arbor must be trimmed to length and machined with a flat similar to
the shank of a straight shank drill bit. The flat should be milled onto the
shank - not ground. Heat from grinding could warp the shank and cause the drill
to wobble or 'run-out' excessively during use. Arbor shank length should be
short as possible to reduce run-out or wobble.
Post drills require good quality drill chucks. Post drills are very tough drilling machines and they place a great deal of stress on the drill bit and chuck. When converting a modern drill chuck to use with a post drill, it is best to use Jacobs brand or equivalent heavy duty drill chucks. Cheap imported chucks often 'pop' open during heavy drilling.
Where
can I buy new chuck arbors? This author recommends
MSC Industrial and
Enco and
McMaster-Carr. MSC Industrial Supply
website: http://www1.mscdirect.com/
Enco website: http://www.use-enco.com/
McMaster-Carr website:
http://www.mcmaster.com/ These links also appear on my
Links page under the
heading Machine Shop Tooling & Supplies. There are only two sizes of straight
shank arbors available today, 1/2-inch round and 5/8-inch round. The 41/64-inch
size is no longer made. Straight shank chuck arbors can be ordered in all sizes
of Jacobs taper and threaded ends for use with modern drill chucks. New arbors
will require machining (as described in the previous paragraph 'Converting
the antique post drill for modern drill bits'). New arbors can be purchased
for around $15-19 (prices around 2008-2009) and machined to fit the post drill
for about $40.
Additional resources to learn about chucks, arbors, and tooling for drills. To learn more about chucks and arbors, see the author's description of taper shank tooling here: Morse Taper . The Jacobs Chuck Company website offers the manufacturers recommended procedures for removing and installing chucks and arbors. My own Jacobs Chuck page shows a Jacobs chuck disassembled, reassembled, and installation of taper shank arbors.
ATTENTION! - Hobbyists: get help! It is not possible to teach you over the internet. Find a local machinery supplier that can assess your tool requirements for you. Beginners must learn to distinguish between the different sizes of shank ends and arbor ends. The shank is the part that is inserted into the socket of a drill press spindle or in the bit end of a drill chuck. The arbor end is the short tapered or threaded end that fits into the mounting hole of the drill chuck. Learn to use rules, tape measures, and calipers, or find someone to measure your tools and machines for you.
Where to buy a post drill. Post drills can be found at draft horse auctions, steam power and antique engine shows and related flea markets and swap meets, and at some farm auctions and estate auctions where the owner used older tools.
What to look for. Look for drills that are complete - all parts present and in good working condition. Look for bearing journals (any joint that a moving part passes through) that are not worn out or loose. Replacing worn out bearing babbitt is a job for experts only. Look for gear teeth that are not worn out or badly pitted. Inspect movement of all rotating parts and see that they move and are not stuck or seized. Look for moving parts that do not feel or sound as though they are grinding together when the drill is rotating. Set screw in straight chuck turns completely in and out freely- NOT stuck or stripped or loose.
What to avoid. Beware! Many of these old drills have been damaged and dismembered by recent owners and some drills might be in crippled or unserviceable condition. Parts might be worn out or missing entirely. DON'T BUY a drill if any of the following conditions are present: feed wheel missing or broken, feed arm missing or broken, drill spindle bent or missing or broken, flywheel missing or broken, lower frame or table missing or broken, gears missing or broken or teeth broken or missing or excessively corroded, crank handle missing or broken, babbitt bearings worn out around spindle or crank shafts, broken or worn out bearing connection between feed screw and spindle or bearing balls missing at this joint, or any other parts missing or broken. Repairing these old drills is a job for expert machinists and mechanics - NOT beginners! If a person must ask, they are not experts.
Champion
No. 98 Post Drill. (Photos at left) The Champion Blower & Forge
Company Number 98 post drill is one of Champion's smaller models and was
designed for farmer's home workshops. The #98 is a single speed drill,
self-feed, rated for drilling holes up to 1 inch diameter, length of vertical
feed travel is 3 inches. The #98 will drill to the center of a 14-inch circle,
thus making it a 7-inch drill press. Crank handle length is adjustable. The #98
accepts 1/2-inch straight shank drill bits and was also available by special
order for use with 41/64-inch drill bits.
About this drill: This drill is owned by the author. It was purchased for $65 at an antique tractor swap meet around 1999. More photos will be added later after this drill has been set up in the author's shop. The drill was in good working condition and was complete, no missing parts except for the chuck wrench. This drill appears to be an early model that was made before the introduction of the Champion Never-Slip Chuck. The chuck that was mounted on the author's post drill is a simple screw chuck that is identical to the red drill featured at top of this page. The chuck was in poor condition - the threads of the set screw hole were stripped out and the original set screw lost. The author re-threaded the set screw hole to a larger size and installed a cap screw temporarily in place of a suitable set screw.
Feed arm & drive gear. The feed arm of the #98 is held against the eccentric wheel by spring pressure. The spring is installed in the frame near the feed arm pivot bolt. Another bolt on the feed arm frame (on the front side of the feed arm opposite of the spring) provides limited adjustment of the self-feed. A wheel is riveted to the lower end of the feed arm where it rides against the eccentric wheel. The eccentric wheel is built into the hub of the drive gear on this drill.
Champion Blower & Forge Company Catalog 1909 reprint. For anyone interested in Champion Blower & Forge Company products, I recommend buying a reprint of The Champion Blower & Forge Company Catalog circa January 1909. Reprints of this catalog can be purchased from Centaur Forge: http://www.centaurforge.com in Burlington, Wisconsin, USA.
Champion
Number 200 Post Drill. The Champion #200 is a medium size heavy
duty post drill that was rated to drill a 1 1/4-inch diameter hole and could
drill to the center of a 16-inch circle (8-inch drill press). The #200 was
designed specifically for the small professional blacksmith shop. Vertical feed
pressure is transmitted to the quill through ball bearings to reduce friction.
This drill had two feed options, self-feed, and lever feed. Changing between
each feed option took only a couple seconds. This fast-change dual feed option
cut work time dramatically by allowing the blacksmith to raise the drill up out
of the work by lever instead of unwinding the feed wheel, and the blacksmith
also had the option of using the lever feed for faster drilling in light work.
The Champion #200 is a two-speed drill and the crank is turned in the same
direction at both speed settings. The #200 drill was bored for 1/2-inch straight
shank drill bits, but could be special ordered for 5/8-inch or 41/64-inch
straight shank drill bits. Drive and free pulley sets could also be special
ordered to allow this drill to run on line-shaft power in the shop. Author's
note - this is an excellent drill. A medium size drill with most of the options
normally found on the largest drills.
The Number 200 drill shown here is mounted on a wall of a blacksmith's shop. It is in beautiful condition and appears to be complete (no parts missing). The blacksmith/owner uses this drill every day. A wood block has been placed on the drill table by the smith for drilling small objects. The #200 shows up in Champion's 1909 catalog so I estimate the age of this drill is probably around 100 years old.
Where to see this drill: Old Thresher's Reunion grounds, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, USA. The drill featured here, is privately owned, and can be seen at the blacksmith shop in the North Village.
Old Threshers Reunion in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, USA, is a very large antique steam power and steam tractor show held once each year. Visitors to Old Threshers' will find a steam tractors, steam locomotives, agricultural equipment, and steam power industrial machinery in operation throughout the entire event. Visitors can ride on the restored steam trains and electric trolleys. Flea markets offer antique and modern tools for sale. Antique steam, gasoline, and oil engines and tractors are offered for sale as restoration prospects. To learn more about Old Threshers' Reunion go here: http://www.oldthreshers.org/
More photos of the blacksmith shop where this drill is located, can be see by following these links: Steam Show Blacksmith here: http://www.beautifuliron.com/steam.htm
Champion Blower & Forge Company Catalog 1909 reprint. For anyone interested in Champion Blower & Forge Company products, I recommend buying a reprint of The Champion Blower & Forge Company Catalog circa January 1909. Reprints of this catalog can be purchased from Centaur Forge: http://www.centaurforge.com .in Burlington, Wisconsin, USA.
Canedy-Otto
Number 18 Post Drill. The large drill in these photos (photos at
left) is a Canedy-Otto #18. The #18 is a very large post drill that will stand
over 6 feet tall when mounted to a post or wall at a comfortable working height.
The #18 is similar in size and design compared with the author's New #16 shown
on the restoration page at
Canedy-Otto New No. 16 Drill. Both drills still have their original Western
Chief Safety Chucks, and the #18 has an old Jacobs chuck fastened in the Safety
Chuck, thus allowing the drill to accept modern drill bits. The chuck key is
tied to the Jacobs chuck arbor with wire to prevent its loss while the museum
prepares to move this drill to a more permanent display. I could not positively
identify the smaller drill in the photo but I did notice that the smaller drill
uses the same Canedy-Otto Western Chief Safety Chuck as the #18.
Both
drills described above are incomplete (missing parts). The larger #18 is
missing the big flywheel that was originally attached to the top of the vertical
shaft (at top of the drill). The small drill is missing the feed wheel - the
feed wheel would have been located on top of the drill spindle. Compare with the
drill in the photo at right, the feed wheel is clearly visible at the top of the
post drill in the farmer's workshop display.
Farmer's
home shop. Another small hand cranked drill (photo at right) is found in the
farmer's shop exhibit in Museum A. The thumbnail photos at left show the entire
display as though it might have appeared in the farmers barn or work shed. Small
post drills were often purchased by mail order as part of a tool kit along with
some small blacksmithing tools. These are just a small sample of some of the
tools that would have been found in a small workshop on a farm around
1900.
Where
to see these drills: Old Threshers grounds, Heritage Museum A. The museums
are located near center of the park.
Old Threshers Reunion in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, USA, is a very large antique steam power and steam tractor show held once each year. Visitors to Old Threshers' will find a steam tractors, steam locomotives, agricultural equipment, and steam power industrial machinery in operation throughout the entire event. Visitors can ride on the restored steam trains and electric trolleys. Flea markets offer antique and modern tools for sale. Antique steam, gasoline, and oil engines and tractors are offered for sale as restoration prospects. To learn more about Old Threshers' Reunion go here: http://www.oldthreshers.org/
Updated June 20, 2010.
There is very little documentation on these old drills. The information that appears on this webpage is mostly from my own observation. What you see here is everything I have. With exception of a couple of antique catalogues and old magazines, there is no other information available. The purpose of this page is to introduce the new user to these old drills. Setting up and using a post drill requires common sense. In the bygone era when these tools were made, people were much more intelligent then they are today. They understood how to set up and use the tools that they made or bought. They didn't need a 27 page booklet explaining to them for example, how to use a hammer or a wrench. If the modern buyer can't figure out on their own how to use these drills, then they have no business getting one. Tools are useless and dangerous in the hands of a dummy who lacks common sense. There are no instructions for these old tools. When you buy an antique, you are on your own as far as learning how to take care of it and using it. If you need more information on your drill, you are out of luck as it most likely doesn't exist.
Original post October, 1999