Post Drill?

I just scored an old blacksmith's post drill at a flea market. I was curious about its age and history. Anybody out there know anything about Buffalo Forge products? I Googled and didn't find much onmy drill.

What I have is a Model 61R. It appears to be hand cranked with the option of handling a belt drive. It curerenly lacks the table, but everything else is there and works. I am hoping I can find a table on Ebay.

Any help would be appreciated.

Jay Cups

Reply to
JayCups
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Without the table, I hope you didn't pay much! :-)

GWE

Reply to
Grant Erwin

I also bought one of the old post drills at a flea market, several years ago. I don't have any info about your particular drill though. Goog search term "post drill" with quotes

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The designs of various models go back to the 1800s. I wasn't able to find out any info on my drill, since there are only casting numbers, but no company name.

They're very nice primitive machines. I was surprised how well they drill holes in steel. Another surprise was that the spindle runs true. I turned and threaded a drill chuck adapter/arbor on a lathe and installed a 1/2" Jacobs chuck, since the spindle just had a 1/2" straight socket with a set screw for holding drills. My drill has two speed ranges, with one handle shaft acting as a back gear drive.

WB metalwork> I just scored an old blacksmith's post drill at a flea market. I was

Reply to
Wild Bill

Not too much info available to me but I have a note which says the first two digits of the serial number will indicate the year of manufacture. Example: 57Y-6051 was built in 1957; 73Y-22162 was built in 1973. Hope it helps.

dennis in nca

Reply to
rigger

Considering the period during which post drills were popular, I would be more likely to think in terms of 1857 and 1873. I can't imagine anyone manufacturing post drills as late as 1973.

Boris.

Reply to
Boris Beizer

Mine doesn't seem to have come with a serial number. Adding a serial number to the casting sand must have been a bitch 8^)

I only have 35 bucks invested so far, so even if I never find a table, it is no biggy. Judging from past sales the table will cost me another

35 or so.

It is a great old primitive machine. Kinda fun just spinning the crank and watching it index. It came complete with part of the old beam and some very old lag bolts holding the drill to it that look like they were smith made many years ago. I'm guessing it is well over 100 years old. It sure would be nice to get some details.

Thanks for the responses

Jay

rigger wrote:

Reply to
JayCups

Hi Boris. My note doesn't differentiate by model and appears to cover all Buffalo Forge products in general (and there were many).

dennis in nca

Reply to
rigger

Serial numbers are generally stamped, sometimes in the most unlikley places. In all the years I bought and sold machinery I never saw or heard of a machine which had a cast serial number. Doesn't mean there weren't any though.

dennis in nca

Reply to
rigger

Ive got (2) Buffalo Forge "table top" drill presses, Id like to sell someone cheaply enough. One has been stripped and partially repainted, the other has not. Both sport (1) hp electric motors.

I really want these to go to a new and good home.

Gunner

"If I'm going to reach out to the the Democrats then I need a third hand.There's no way I'm letting go of my wallet or my gun while they're around."

"Democrat. In the dictionary it's right after demobilize and right before demode` (out of fashion).

-Buddy Jordan 2001

Reply to
Gunner

Maybe I missed it, but I haven't seen mention of one of the nicer features of some of these old post drills: the fact that as you turned for drilling, the spindle was indexed downward, providing considerable drilling pressure. The few times I've used one, I found them to be as fast, or even faster, than a drill press. I passed one up last week ($5.00) but didn't buy it because the table was gone and I couldn't figure out a suitable vertical surface in my shop on which to mount it.

Boris

Reply to
Boris Beizer

Hi Jay,

Maybe you already found this site, if not take a look here for some info on Buffalo Forge:

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Reply to
Leon Fisk

Thanks Leon,

I did find that site earlier in my search. It was interesting but there was no info on my drill.

I was hoping there might be some group of antique tool collectors on the net that might be able to shed a little light

Jay

Le> >

Reply to
JayCups

Did you not get my mail, Jay? I have some cats with Buffalo Drills listed.

Tom

remove spam to mail

Reply to
Tom

No Tom, I didn't get it. Please remove the "X" from my email address and it should go through.

Thanks,

Jay

Tom wrote:

Reply to
JayCups

Just model 61, not with an "R".

on page

-- W§ mostly in m.s -

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Reply to
Winston Smith

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