Generally, drill press machines are quite simple with a chuck at the end of a spindle, which grips a drill bit. Just let it move up and down at the time of spinning. With that being said, a lot of things can come out of the kilter and ultimately, it will compromise the filter performance and accuracy.
These things include – problematic issues with machine’s pulley and drive belt, chuck, and spindle alongside the table and column. However, to maintain a drill press, you don’t need to do something extraordinary. A couple of basic things will help you to keep the drill press working in tip-top shape. So, let’s take a look at the maintenance tips to keep the best drill press in top condition.
Oil the Drill Chuck
In order to keep the chuck’s jaws in perfect condition, it is important that you lubricate or oil them. You can use the ChuckTo on the jaws and as for bit centering, you can use a few drying lubricant like – Boeshied T-9® into the chuck.
First of all, you need to turn the chuck’s shell and wait until the jaws are entirely open and afterwards, just puff away the inside area with a burst of compressed air. It will clean the whole area but, remember that you have to wear goggles to safeguard your eyes from flying dust.
Now, you are also required to spray some lubricant within the chuck. Plus, tightening and loosening the jaws for a couple of time would be good also. Lastly, just remove the leftovers through a clean rag.
How to Stop the Vibration and Maintain the Belt Wear?
A drill press is a machine that can create too much vibration and noise. Usually, a worn belt or imbalance pulleys is the reason for these vibrations as well as noises. Now, you need to unplug the drill press to check the belt and you can do this by taking away the machine’s head cover.
Also, a visual inspection of the belt while moving it by hand would be enough. If you see any kind of cracks and ply separations, just change it quickly. On the other hand, if the belt is functioning properly, just check if the tension is in good or not.
Additionally, for deflecting belt slightly (about 1/4-inch to 3/8-inch), press the middle section between the pulleys. If it is too tight or loose, resetting the tension would suffice it. You can do this by following the owner’s manual guide.
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Furthermore, the head cover being still off, you need to wear a face shield and plug in the drill press. Afterwards, start the motor on its maximum speed. However, you have to look at the belt and pulleys carefully. Both of them should not create a huge amount of noise and as usual, they need to operate smoothly.
In case excessive fluctuation and periodic vibration; recheck the belt tension and if needed, reset the entire tension again. Also, examine the rim of both pulleys since they will spin. If you figure out any kind of shaking, just switch off the drill press and ultimately, unplug it. Besides, make sure that the setscrew(s) are tight because they give security to the pulleys.
Plus, perform another visual investigation to examine the rims on both pulleys. If there is any problem, change them accordingly. Finally, if you get any kind of rumbles or growls from the pulleys, then the bearings are worn or dirty. In that case, you need to change them while calling a machine specialist.