Drill press for motor setup?

[BriarWorldNick]

Anyone here use or know of someone who has used a drill press as a motor setup?

You know buying a drill press from craigslist and tearing it down and using its components, pulley setup included, as a variable speed sanding motor.

Any details or pictures or advice is welcomed.

[KurtHuhn]

You could probably make the conversion super simple, and just lay the drill press on it's side and clamp it to a support. Problem is, drill press bearings aren't designed to take the lateral loads, so you might end up wearing them out very quickly.

But, if you use the motor, pulleys, and shaft, it's possible that all you would need to buy is a couple pillow blocks. Maybe. I've never disassembled a drill press, so I don't know how long the shaft is, or if it's usable once it's removed from the spindle.

[Grammaton]

It seems to me that the time and effort required to make a drill press into a variable speed sander would be better spent elsewhere.
The speed range on my DP is 200 rpm to 3630 rpm in 16 somewhat oddly distributed steps.
How many speeds do you need for a sander?

[KurtHuhn]

Infinite speeds.....

[BriarWorldNick]

The point was really less about time spent, and more about the most parts located in one tool that I could acquire relatively cheaply.

I was planning to take out the shaft and use the available pulley setup alongside the motor, and pillow blocks was all I could see that would need to be purchased, ultimately significantly simplifying my trips to grab parts.

But I wasn't sure if there was something I maybe wasn't compensating for, it seems like a simple great idea in theory, everything is already available.

[caskwith]

Been using one for years. Best tool I ever built.

[RadDavis]

How many speeds do you need for a sander?

One.

Rad

[FredS]

How many speeds do you need for a sander?

One.

Rad

But if this is to be the only rotary tool in your shop, you'll want a different speed for buffing, and maybe another for waxing.

[RadDavis]

How many speeds do you need for a sander?

One.

Rad

But if this is to be the only rotary tool in your shop, you'll want a different speed for buffing, and maybe another for waxing.

I do everything at 1150 rpm. It seems to work ok.

Rad

[BriarWorldNick]

Why use only one speed when a setup like what I am talking about solves all your speeds.

Not to mention this is going to be specifically for sanding, I am going to use a modified bench grinder for the buffing setup.

[RadDavis]

Why use only one speed when a setup like what I am talking about solves all your speeds.

My point is: Why complicate things? How many speeds do you need and why do you think you need them?

I've never used or needed more than one speed (1150 rpm) to do any sanding or buffing. I like to keep things as simple as possible. My speeds don't need solving.

Rad

[KurtHuhn]

I like to rough in at 5000 SFPM or 3600 RPM because it's fast and material sloughs away like nobody's business. I like to tweak the shape at 1750 RPM because I have more control for subtle details. I like to sand at 1750 RPM or 875 RPM because sanding discs last longer and you don't burn your wood. Or your acrylic stems. Or your polyester accents/stems.

I've tried to rough in at 1750 RPM, and it's unbearably slow. I actually dozed off once while waiting for a 24 grit wheel to make an impact on the wood.

Now, granted, I am the ADD posterchild for my generation, so that may have something to do with it. I just don't have the patience to wait for a wheel at anything less than ~3600 RPM, or a belt at anything less than 5000 SFPM when I'm roughing in a pipe.

[staffwalker]

Always keep in mind, the more speed used for rough shaping the more meat will be lost off your fingers if you do, as you will sooner or later, contact the wheel with a finger. And it will hurt. ( bob gilbert

[KurtHuhn]

Aye. I've got nothing left but nubs the size of vienna sausages....

[Grammaton]

I like to rough in at 5000 SFPM or 3600 RPM because it's fast and material sloughs away like nobody's business. I like to tweak the shape at 1750 RPM because I have more control for subtle details. I like to sand at 1750 RPM or 875 RPM because sanding discs last longer and you don't burn your wood. Or your acrylic stems. Or your polyester accents/stems.

I've tried to rough in at 1750 RPM, and it's unbearably slow. I actually dozed off once while waiting for a 24 grit wheel to make an impact on the wood.

Now, granted, I am the ADD posterchild for my generation, so that may have something to do with it. I just don't have the patience to wait for a wheel at anything less than ~3600 RPM, or a belt at anything less than 5000 SFPM when I'm roughing in a pipe.

All your troubles could be solved (and your nubs preserved) with a variable rate, powered, auto-feed. I hear these can be made from the self propelling mechanism salvaged from an old lawnmower. The feed indicator could be made from a salvaged IBM Selectric typewriter (just need the bell, probably). There's probably an easy way (if your time is free) to couple the lawnmower parts to the drill press parts so you only need three electric motors instead of one.

[KurtHuhn]

Sir, your theories intrigue me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter! Mayhap you be willing to conduct a public demonstration of this wonderment?

[Sasquatch]

Just when a guy thinks he might learn something on this forum.... *poof* in an explosion of sarcasm. Perhaps we're running the wrong software?

[FredS]

I do everything at 1150 rpm. It seems to work ok.

Rad

I bet the ladies love you Rad.

[RadDavis]

I like to rough in at 5000 SFPM or 3600 RPM because it's fast and material sloughs away like nobody's business. I like to tweak the shape at 1750 RPM because I have more control for subtle details. I like to sand at 1750 RPM or 875 RPM because sanding discs last longer and you don't burn your wood. Or your acrylic stems. Or your polyester accents/stems.

I've tried to rough in at 1750 RPM, and it's unbearably slow. I actually dozed off once while waiting for a 24 grit wheel to make an impact on the wood.

Now, granted, I am the ADD posterchild for my generation, so that may have something to do with it. I just don't have the patience to wait for a wheel at anything less than ~3600 RPM, or a belt at anything less than 5000 SFPM when I'm roughing in a pipe.

That's great, Kurt. I just don't find it necessary to work at multiple speeds. It only takes about 10 minutes to rough shape most pipes on the 24 grit wheel at 1150 rpm, and I don't want to go any faster than that. In the time it takes to change all those pulleys around for the different speeds, I've got a stem made.

I guess I'm just not a macho pipe maker.

Rad

[Grammaton]

Sir, your theories intrigue me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter! Mayhap you be willing to conduct a public demonstration of this wonderment?

I built a can opener from an old paint shaker and a hatchet. It's only single speed at the moment, but I'm looking for an old drill press.