I really needed a drill press but didn't like the cheap stuff I saw at Lowes and HD so I began searching craigslist.

Last night I found a Rockwell-Delta 4-speed radial drill press and picked it up for $50! The guy I bought it from has owned it for 20 years and from what I can tell, it was made in the late 50's. The only thing I need to add is a work light and come up with a clamping system to hold my work to the bench.

Does anyone else love vintage tools?

 

I'm in the same boat but for a belt sander and a nice bandsaw

I will not buy one from the store lol Although my craftsman drill press is okay, just okay though lol

Great find!

 

I lucked out, the shop where I do fab work, had a beltsander, bandsaw, benchgrinder, and drill press from the early 80's. These are all heavy machinery, all I did was buy the comsumables

Adriano

 

I got a pedastal grinder from 1968 or so, and a belt sander of similar age for free when I moved to RI and opened my shop. I bought a drill press for $40 a few weeks ago from CL which has 1981 stamped on it... and my welder is a 1979 Sync 500 I picked up for $600 haha. Old tools are great... until you get the electric bill. My welder draws like 40A at idle!

 

I love old tools. We have a pair of 60s drill presses from some kind of assembly line at my work as well as a vertical bandsaw from the 70s. I really like old hand tools too. I have a few hammers and file handles that are at least 50 years old. Something about that old, oil-soaked wood...

 

It doesnt get any better. The quality just isnt there anymore unless you buy the really expensive top end stuff. And who can afford that? Im sure some fab shops can justify it, but for the rest of us we're screwed

 

I prefer old tools to newer ones, they are just built better and use better materials. ill take a 60's-70's mill over a newer one that was made in china.

 

I think it has to do with the price. The new stuff is just as good or better but way to expensive for most of us. They made shitty old tools back in the day they just didn't last for us to see them

Although we probably have some shittier tools today than they did back then and the same with the nice stuff. Lets just say there are more options now.

 

Yeah because materials were cheap then, so when they designed something, they over designed it without worrying about it costing them too much to make. Old machinery is so bulky but its also so damn bulletproof!

 

i have a Walker jack from i think the 50s, it gets rebuilt about every 20-30 years, and is really a quality piece. i also have some JC Penny tools, back when snap-on made tools for them, and they're pretty nice, but i only use them on light stuff since i don't want to break them and either not be able to replace it, or replace it with a snap-on. i'd rather buy a new snap-on.

also the old company i used to work for had some old fabrication equipment that was cool, and since the building was an old train station, it had a HUGE overhead crane that you actually climbed a ladder and sat in to operate.

 

this thread needs pics really bad, lol

i think the newest piece of heavy equipment i have is my miller aircrafter which is from 1989. my bridgeport, doall, and pexto shear are all much older haha. some of my sanders are newer but only because i cant seem to find a retro burr king...

 

all our machinery is mid 80's or older. the stuff is just better built. the only thing we have that is actually "new" is our tube nother.

 

MMkay

From when I was moving in, wish I had that space now haha





When my HF start didn't work I had to "repair" (read: clean) this awesome little piece of 1970's technology:

 

some of my older stuff:

my bridgeport and kalamazoo 220v sander


my 195x variable do-all and 1989 miller aircrafter (400 amps!!!)


pexto shear and jf kidder corner notcher (shear was from a highschool and painted school colors, lol)


and some random drills and saws for quick small work:




i also work at a machine shop where i get to play with super nice equipment all day so my shop always seems like a junkyard and a dungeon, haha. next on the list is a cnc mill and a good lathe. then a dope 2" burrking with interchangeable radius', and maybe a good horizontal saw.

 

yep yep anything built back then was way better, im checking craigs list right now!!

 

i'd rather have old tools.
Garage sales are awesome and replacing a motor on a something that wasn't built in designer plastic is so much eaiser

 

I love the old stuff . My wife hate's it when I bring home more rusty tools .

 

That old Sears grinder looks the business. I wish I had spent more time shopping around for a bench grinder but I ended up with a new Skil bench grinder. All I do is sharpen tungsten with it but rescuing an old USA made grinder like yours would have been much cooler.

Speaking of rescuing old tools, I just picked up a mid-to-late 70's Rockwell International jigsaw. I can't wait for it to come in so I can start cutting some wooden jigs for my welding projects.

 

I have been buying - reconditioning and selling old us made machines for the last few years. (mostly delta stuff)

Here is a picture of my delta 14" bandsaw (1951) ...i love this saw.



only mods i did were cool blocks, new bearings, new tires, new lenox bi metal blade and a vfd. i don't seem to have an up to date picture of it however

 

That's a sweet bandsaw. I've got an older Milwaukee portable bandsaw because of the lack of space but if I had my way, I'd add one of those units to my garage.

Did you repaint the saw? I'm going to repaint my Rockwell drill but need to find the green paint.

 

no, i have too many projects on the go right now. i am thinking of doing some sort of 50's style diner paint job on it, since it has the deco ci base