Drill Press Made From Car Parts

Drill Press Made From Car Parts FARM HOME Cars After more than 60 years Forrest Spindler’s homemade drill press still works great His father Joseph made it while Spindler was serving in World War II When he got home and took over the family car repair business he got the drill press too “What parts he couldn’t adapt from car parts directly like the pulleys and hand tightener knobs he cast from old pistons he melted down ” recalls Spindler “Other pieces like the Morris taper for the chuck were turned on his lathe The only things he didn’t make were the Jacobs chuck fan belt and electric motor ” The base is an old flywheel and the upright column is a piece of drive shaft The housing for the drill press head is from parts of an old car frame cut and welded together The press table is also made from a flywheel It is attached to the column with a clamp from a shackle for springs Loosening the hand cast knob on the clamp lets Spindler move the table up and down to accommodate larger work pieces The spindle assembly itself is made from a torque tube from an old truck A piece of sprocket from a starter drive attached to it controls vertical movement within the shaft assembly The shaft handle turns a ring gear that turns into the straightened out sprocket A double set of ball bearings top and bottom in the shaft assembly hold the spindle in place Exactly how the spindle is constructed is a mystery to Spindler as it is encased in the drill head housing and he has never taken it apart “It had been set aside for many years ” says Spindler “A few years ago I dusted it off and it started right up It still works great ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Forrest Spindler 106 8th St W Park Rapids Minn 56470 ph 218 732-3170; fospin@unitelc com

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