Sell or Trade Rockwell 17" drill press - old and good

[Spoefish]

I have a nice older Rockwell-Delta (Pittsburgh era) 17" drill press that needs a new home. I have decided to get rid of anything that is just too big for me to move by myself. This wonderful beast goes at about 450 lbs, and even taken down into pieces, the head and motor are more than I can lug around. It is a great tool, with a geared standard 11 x 12 table (with no drill marks), 5 speeds, 3/4 hp rockwell motor (currently 115 v, but can be switched to 230 v), and the capacity to use a foot-powered quill drive. You can find a lot of information on this drill press from the old catalog listing at

and opening the drill press section. This is a model 17 with the standard table, 1/2" chuck, and

3/4 hp motor. The quill (driven by a quadrant, not the usual simple rack) seems to be fine, and all of the gears and teeth are in fine shape - nothing cracked or broken. This is the version with a second bearing support at the top of the quill - nice feature on a heavy duty tool like this. I really don't want to crate and ship it - I am near Annapolis, MD, and could do delivery or pickup in the Baltimore - Washington, DC area - maybe longer distance.

I should have some pictures Tuesday night, and will get them posted as soon as possible. I am more interested in trading for nice vintage woodworking equipment, including a bench top drill press. We are in the process of building a new house, and I have reached an agreement with SWMBO that I can have a shop in the new house (my shop is going to have most of our stuff stored in it) while I do the cabinets and interior finish as long as it is not too big. To that end I currently have a 9" Rockwell table saw, a 6" General Jointer, an Inca bandsaw, and a nice Atlas drill press - only piece of modern equipment is a Delta 560 planer which I actually like a lot (I take it outside to use it, much less dust).

Thanks for looking,

Stephen Poe

[Bob]

I'm sure its a nice old quality tool, but 450 lbs???? That's as much as some table saws weigh. I would expect it to weigh about 200 lbs. Bob

[Charlie Self]

Bob responds:

Why? Some table saws also weigh only 55 pounds, while others scale over the half ton mark. Why can't drill presses do the same, especially old ones made when material and labor were both much cheaper. Consider that both base and table are probably larger and thicker, while the head may also be larger, of thicker material, with less sheet metal, while the motor may also be considerably heavier compared to one of supposedly equal power in today's world. Charlie Self "Bore, n.: A person who talks when you wish him to listen." Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

[Charlie Self]

I'm too broke to buy and not overwhelmed with vintage stuff to trade, but it might be that some of my newer items would fit your new house needs. One never knows. Email me at charliediy at aol.com if you'd like to bounce ideas back and forth. I can drive to Maryland, but not DC (not a disability, except I hate driving conditions there...not fond of Annapolis and Baltimore either, but they're somewhat closer to sane in mid-day).

Charlie Self "Bore, n.: A person who talks when you wish him to listen." Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary