South Bend 14" Drill Press Restore

R

RockvilleMike

Registered
Registered
Joined
Oct 7, 2020
Messages
6
This was a fun one. My dad had this SB 14" kicking around in his garage for years, I don't think he ever used it. One of those "right place at the right time" kind of deals where he picked it up from a friend of a friend of a friend who never used it, either. As the new owner, I knew it needed some love. Old, peeling paint, missing/incorrect switches, VERY noisy pulley bearings, pretty obvious arc of shame... So here it is - I've included a short movie at the end to listen the after-bearing-replacement smoothness. It's not as pretty as others I've seen, but I'm pretty happy with my rattle can restore. Filled the arc divots with JB weld, for those who are interested!IMG_2294.jpgIMG_2295.jpgIMG_2307.jpgIMG_2310.jpgIMG_2312.jpgIMG_2314.jpgIMG_2350.jpgIMG_2365.jpgIMG_2366.jpgIMG_2367.jpgIMG_2404.jpg
View attachment IMG_2402.MOV
 
Great job on the rebuild. That is the right sized drill press to see a lot of work in the future.
 
Nice. I missed in auction a Powermatic 1150 that I had this intention of. After second guessing myself I stopped bidding at 150.00 dollars thinking it was too far gone. It seems I may have been able to do it after looking at your restoration. Great work.
 
Nice work! It is so good to see another piece of good equipment come back from the brink and once again become a great working machine. I am sure you feel great satisfaction and will like the machine even more Because of your efforts.

i like the color you used and in the photo, it looks similar to the color I used for my in progress W-T Drill Press. What paint did you use if I may ask? I also like your explosion proof phone! Half the fun of many of these shop photos is just getting to be nosey and look at all the cool stuff.
 
NC Rick said:
Nice work! It is so good to see another piece of good equipment come back from the brink and once again become a great working machine. I am sure you feel great satisfaction and will like the machine even more Because of your efforts.

i like the color you used and in the photo, it looks similar to the color I used for my in progress W-T Drill Press. What paint did you use if I may ask? I also like your explosion proof phone! Half the fun of many of these shop photos is just getting to be nosey and look at all the cool stuff.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the kind words. Rustoleum Smoke Gray was the color used, a few coat over a fillable primer coat from the same company. Wasn't looking for a glass smooth finish, just a close-to-factory appearance. My mother wanted to take it to the landfill. I made room in my truck for this one.
I agree with your phone observation! Sometimes looking at the surroundings is just as good as the item displayed. This explosion proof phone came from decommissioned Titan II site in AZ, by the way.
 
Grey said:
Nice. I missed in auction a Powermatic 1150 that I had this intention of. After second guessing myself I stopped bidding at 150.00 dollars thinking it was too far gone. It seems I may have been able to do it after looking at your restoration. Great work.
Click to expand...

It takes a lot to destroy this older iron. Sorry you missed the Powermatic - but there will be others. A little patience, room to work, and an appreciative eye for the vintage will pay dividends. There were a few colorful adjectives used during this restore, but I stuck it out. Good luck with your search.
 
Great job! Well done on fixing the 'smile' :D
 
jjj240 said:
@RockvilleMike Wow! Great job!
How did you restore the logo and property plate?
Click to expand...
Thank you! The logo disc was in pretty good shape to begin with, just covered with grime and old paint. Some Brasso and elbow grease and it cleaned up nice. Property plate got the same treatment. I’m pretty sure it was filled with black enamel at one point, but I’m happy with how it turned out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top