I got a post drill a while back. Traded Mos a spare laser engraver and some pictures of dead presidents for it. If you don’t know, a post drill is basically a hand-powered drill press, and I’ve had a few projects where such a thing would be handy, especially since I haven’t managed to find a completely straight 3/16 or 4/16 auger bit yet.
Anyway, yesterday morning I headed up to Siwek Lumber bright and early and came home with four “stud grade” 2×6x104” studs. Screwed one of them to the wall of the garage, resting on the sill plate, and with a half-dozen deck screws going into the stud in the wall. Then screwed two more to that, so I have a rectangular post firmly attached to the wall of the shop.
Then I got my neighbor’s son to come over and help mark where the holes for the post drill needed to go, and after I drilled two pilot holes, he helped hold it in place while I got the screws in. Once the top two were in, I drilled the holes for the other four and popped in the bolts and it’s ready to go.
I need to pull out one of the set screws in the handle which is stripped and drill and re-tap that before I do any serious work with it (the handle can bang into the gear behind it when it wobbles), but that should be a relatively quick job.
-- Dave - Santa Fe
14 comments so far
ralbuck
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6644 posts in 3243 days
#1 posted 08-26-2018 04:04 PM
When I was very young that was the only drill we had beses a bit and brace. Electricity did not come to our area of western ND until fall of 1953!
So I have used one like that many times. I was going to check if it was still in the old garage about 20 years ago; but the lean of the building and the windy day made it look very dangerous. They did work well and as long as you had sharp bits could drill even heavier steel fairly rapidly too.
I think that you will use it a lot. Good Score!
Tool rescue is a good cause also!
-- Wood rescue is good for the environment and me! just rjR
Mosquito
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10734 posts in 3269 days
#2 posted 08-26-2018 04:22 PM
Awesome! What I did in the meain time with the handle was just to make sure I pulled away from the drill press while I turned the handle lol I might have to come visit that guy from time to time :-P
-- Mos - Twin Cities, MN - http://www.youtube.com/MosquitoMods - http://www.TheModsquito.com
Dave Polaschek
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6677 posts in 1558 days
#3 posted 08-26-2018 04:51 PM
Yeah, Mos. That’s probably what I’ll do, but I’d rather get it fixed sooner rather than later. And yeah, if you need, just let me know.
Agreed, Ralph. I’ve mostly been getting by with a bit and brace or a small eggbeater, but there’s times when I’d like to make sure I’m drilling straight, and this should take care of those cases for me.
-- Dave - Santa Fe
Tom Regnier
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463 posts in 3523 days
#4 posted 08-26-2018 05:48 PM
Great looking piece Dave…that thing is a treasure!
Oldtool
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3158 posts in 3167 days
#5 posted 08-26-2018 06:40 PM
Nice addition to your traditional woodworking paraphernalia, great trade. It drills straingt and the best part, it’s variable speed.
-- "I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The point is to bring them the real facts." - Abraham Lincoln
Mosquito
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10734 posts in 3269 days
#6 posted 08-26-2018 07:34 PM
Infinitely variable, from 0 to as-fast-as-you-can-crank lol
-- Mos - Twin Cities, MN - http://www.youtube.com/MosquitoMods - http://www.TheModsquito.com
theoldfart
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12322 posts in 3427 days
#7 posted 08-26-2018 09:31 PM
That drill looks familiar Dave

I chose to stay with the original chuck and it’s taken a few years to collect a full set of bits. Mios sent me one of the first.
-- "With every tool obtained, there is another that is needed" DonW ( Kevin )
GR8HUNTER
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8263 posts in 1689 days
#8 posted 08-26-2018 09:43 PM
talk about super cool tools only thing it needs is a place for chuck key to hang VERY COOL :<))
-- Tony---- Reinholds,Pa.------ REMEMBER TO ALWAYS HAVE FUN :<))
EarlS
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4222 posts in 3324 days
#9 posted 08-26-2018 10:49 PM
Nice set up Dave. Glad you and Mos worked out a trade so you can continue to use it. There is something special about how the old tools look compared to the modern ones. Maybe it is all of the curves or the solid steel construction but whatever the special magic is, I really like the look of old tools, especially ones that work.
-- Earl "I'm a pessamist - generally that increases the chance that things will turn out better than expected"
Dave Polaschek
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6677 posts in 1558 days
#10 posted 08-26-2018 11:38 PM
Thanks, guys! It’s pretty dang cool, and now I’ll need to make a rack to hang next to it for the bits and chuck key. After I fix the handle.
There’s a guy in the western Minneapolis suburbs who has a ton of them (more than 40) if any of you are so jealous now that you simply must have one. https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/tls/d/vintage-post-drill-presses/6670870627.html
-- Dave - Santa Fe
duckmilk
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4425 posts in 2301 days
#11 posted 08-27-2018 01:10 AM
Nice!
-- "Duck and Bob would be out doin some farming with funny hats on." chrisstef
doubleDD
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10024 posts in 3019 days
#12 posted 08-27-2018 04:45 AM
That is so cool Dave. I do bet it will be handy in a few situations. Great trade off.
-- Dave, Downers Grove, Il. -------- When you run out of ideas, start building your dreams.
Dave Polaschek
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6677 posts in 1558 days
#13 posted 09-08-2018 04:43 PM
Got a vise for the table on it today and used it for real for the first time. Works great!
-- Dave - Santa Fe
Dave Polaschek
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6677 posts in 1558 days
#14 posted 07-31-2019 11:18 PM
The post drill continues to prove useful. Here it is meeting late 1990s spinning rust technology.
I think the drive has been safely wiped now.
-- Dave - Santa Fe
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