Photo Index - Champion Blower & Forge Co. - 16F Floor Model Drill Press

Machinery Photo Index

Manufactured/Badged by:
Champion Blower & Forge Co.
Lancaster, PA

True Manufacturer:
Champion Blower & Forge Co., Lancaster, PA

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Wood Working Machinery & Metal Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Drill Press
Machine Size:	16"
Submitted By:	Matthew Warwick

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	16F Floor Model Drill Press
Date of Manufacturer:	Pre-1968
Serial Number:	11696
Last Updated	9/12/2023 7:57:53 PM

Comments:

I bought this in late July of this year in Waterford, CA for just $75. Not sure of its history but it has clearly been put through the ringer and then some. I also can't be precise as to its year or even decade of manufacturing since there aren't any serial number databases for this brand. Based on where it was built, though (Lancaster, PA - where the company manufactured until 1967), I can tell the latest it could have been built is in 1967.

For more details on its condition, it ran until it was moved across the room and then it stopped turning on (likely due to how frayed the wires are), but I could tell from the sound of it when it DID run that it needs new bearings. It clearly has the ever-laughed-at "arc of shame" on the table and is missing its cover. The quill return spring is also broken/detached and the quill now sits in its bottom position after loosening the quill lock back to a normal tension. It's been oiled everywhere, probably to assist with getting parts to move, and this has leaked everywhere. On top of this, the motor mount is cracked all the way across and the paint is peeling like crazy, and I'm also going to need to replace the worn out (and clearly bent) handles. This thing desperately needs love and attention.

On the positive side, I checked the runout at the chuck, at the top of a carefully-mounted drill bit and at the spindle/adapter and found it to be no more than .002" out at any point, so this machine is more than salvagable! I plan to swap out the 1/2 HP single phase motor for a 1 HP 3-phase so that I can install a variable frequency drive to control the speed more readily. I'll either have to braise or replace the motor mount and as for the cover, I'm dead-set on getting one, though it'll most likely be from a different brand and modified to fit this machine. And as for the arc of shame, I'll take care of that with some JB Weld.

I haven't started disassembly and cleaning yet, but that will commence after I finish my current restoration project (my Boice Crane OSS).

Photo 1:

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