Progress with the Progress drill

As mentioned in a previous thread, I am working on refurbishing an Elliott Progress No. 1 Mark 1 bench drill (dated about 1946).

I have successfully removed the quill and all that remains is the main spindle pulley which is proving very determined to stay put. I should add the pulley spins freely and the bearing feels good, but I wish to remove the pulley so I can strip and paint the whole machine.

If you look down through the bore you will see a key that engages with the sliding spindle. I can "lock" the pulley by reinstalling the corresponding keyed shaft, but I am reluctant to apply excessive force through this key / shaft.

At the top of the shaft, there is a part with a left hand thread which I assume locks the step-pulley into place. Incidentally, there is no other obvious way the pulley is locked, such as a grub screw.

I have attempted to remove the aforementioned locking part using various grips (I don't like doing so, but needs must) before / after applying heat (about 280 degrees) and penetrating oil. If I do get this off successfully, I may make a replacement part that is easier to remove or modify this one so am bar can be inserted for removal.

If all else fails I could consider cutting the pulley off to get a closer look, but I am very reluctant to do so.

Any suggestions?

Brian

I am surprised that no-one has been able to help with this problem.

Sad to say, I cannot offer any advice, but someone out there must have come across it before.

I would be very interested to know just how it,s held in place.

When I took my old Progress number one apart I struggled with one part only to discover there was a really thin snap ring holding it together. Once removed it came apart easily. It was just a very thin split ring of spring steel.

Well, at a guess, I would say the pulley is on a taper.

OP refrains from telling us who gave the right info to get the quill out, so I’ll leave to him to find a way of releasing the pulley without damaging/destroying it. I would also suggest that the likely pair of roller bearings should be replaced with new once the machine is dismantled.

Vic, I haven't found any split rings so far but thanks for the heads-up. It didn't retain the pulley did it?

Edited By AJAX on 21/10/2021 10:51:08

You may find some comfort in this thread from 2014 : **LINK**

https://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=102236

My guess is that the aforementioned left-hand thread is simply very firmly tightened.

MichaelG.

Let me see if I can track down the previous post. But in case the suspense is too great, I discovered the quill return spring "cover" was not removable (despite my best efforts!) but simply knocked through with a tap from the handle side.

Thanks, I have now resurrected the old thread.

As for "firmly tightened"... It's more like welded on!

The bottom set of bearings run very smoothly. I'm hoping any more that I encounter when I finally shift the pulley will be the same.

If confirmed it is on a taper I may try a new approach, but I'm reluctant to use gear pullers on a fragile cast aluminium pulley.

.

It might be worth devising some sort of adapter, and then asking the local tyre fitter to apply their impact wrench.

MichaelG.

An excellent suggestion but I have finally got it off! Holding on to the pulley without damaging it was proving to be a pain until I realized the obvious and got out some rope.

Bravo !!

MichaelG.

Sorry, I can’t remember it was a few years back. Someone else has done a rebuild of a number one on here so maybe worth a search?

looks like a nice little project, hope we get to see it finished

Thanks Pete.

Here are some more photos in case anyone is interested.

The spindle has 2 pairs of bearings and you'll also see the electric motor which came with the drill. I've cleaned the motor up and resprayed, checked the internal wiring, earth leakage testing, etc. I haven't yet decided whether to keep this motor (I have a few others to choose from) or install a 3 phase + VFD instead. I will make that decision later.

Great Progress !

… in both senses of that phrase

MichaelG.

I left the paint stripper on overnight and it has softened, but not enough to allow easy scraping/brushing off. I have applied another coat (I don't expect it to make much difference) but also contacted a local shot blasting company to request a quote. Does anyone have a rough idea how much this would cost? £50 - £80 is my guess but I could be way off.

I cleaned up the column (very heavy!) and two step pulleys.