Got another oldie. This one is a Champion No. 97 post drill. It looks a lot like the red one on this page:
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has a longer driveshaft with two flat belt pulleys on it. The table was broken in half back where it bolts onto the support, but today Ernie did a fantastic TIG weld on it using nickel rod, ran a tap through to chase out the rust, and the original threads still work. An amazing weld. What an artist.
Anyway, there are a couple of things about this drill press (which is in pieces) I don't understand. I don't get the bit about the 2 flat belt pulleys. Here's a pic of a similar machine with one flat belt pulley, and you can see the length on the driveshaft where another one goes.
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Also, the machine is missing the thrust bearing entirely, and it doesn't look like the same setup as a No. 90, shown on this page:
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Here's a tantalizing fragment:
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It mentions no. 97s and one says it has a tight and a loose pulley and something about 250 rpm. Hoo boy this has my curiosity going bigtime! It says the tool weighs 175 pounds which seems about right - lot of cast iron in this pup.
Can anyone shed any light?
Thanks,
Grant Erwin Kirkland, Washington