Drill press problem

[Hawaiilad]

I think I posted this before, but I'll be darned if I can find it. I have a newer floor model Delta drill press and I am having a bit of a problem. It is with the teeth that are attached to the side of the pole. For some reason when I try to raise or lower the table, instead of it going up or down smoothly, the teeth are just bending away from the pole. I have white grease on the teeth part. As I raise or lower the table, it will bow the teeth and they are walking around the pole. I have not done anything differently than before. If I have asked this question before, I am sorry for repeating myself..

[Rolf]

I am not sure if I understand. It is just a basic rack an pinion. On my Delta the rack (teeth) is attached to the bottom of the column with a collar. Once I release the table lock the crank takes the table up and down. It should be linear motion I don't see what would cause the rack to bow out.

[Hawaiilad]

I agree Rolf....but something is wrong. I have release all locks and the darn thing (the teeth) are still bowed out away from the pole and the more I crank, the more bowed it becomes? The teeth are attached at the bottom, but pulls away from the top ring when I crank the table.

[Wood Dog]

Have you brushed your teeth? Maybe some debris got caught in there hiding from your view, or one is chipped.

[Hawaiilad]

WD I was thinking about that today. I think I will give it a good look tomorrow and I know I will have to take the darn thing apart and give it a good look over.

[ubgoofy2003]

Larry, sounds like something is binding. Whatever it is, it is holding your table from moving up or down. That's all I can think of, since you said you had the table unlocked. Good Luck.

[Carl E Jacobs]

check your rack ,one end may be loose and binding because it is out of line,no longer straight vertical ,may even be cracked,if not jamming on foriegn object ,must be out of line jamming on it's self. best quess!
M.V.B.
Carl

[Hawaiilad]

Yes it attached at the bottom of the pole but each time I try to raise or lower the table, the part with the teeth bulges out and pulls away from the top ring that holds it in place. It is trying to move around the pole. I think I need to take the table off and make sure there are no breaks or missing teeth. I had the same thing happen years ago on another machine and I can not remember what I did to fix it. I will have better look at it tomorrow.

[Tenfingers 2]

I had that problem with a drill press I got from a flea market. I did two things to remedy the problem.

I disassembeld the table mount from the pole and cleaned the rust off the inside with steel wool. I then cleaned the pole with stel wool also.

I waxed the pole to inhibit rerusting and to give it a slick easy sliding surface.

For the rack, I attached it to the upright with hose clamps. Hopefully you can place them where they are not in the way where you usually need to move the table.

The rack once bent dosen't seem to want to stay straight, You may have to replace that part.

[Carl E Jacobs]

Can we assume you got it resolved?
Carl

[Sawdust King]

Late to the party, but when you crank the arm does it start to bulge at the same point in the circle? Can you not complete a single revolution? Have you tried placing it on its side and trying the crank that way? Maybe as others mentioned a piece of debris in the teeth?

[Hawaiilad]

I just have not taken the time to work on the Drill press...something I need to do tomorrow. I will take everyones advice in trying to fix this darn thing....Thank you everyone. I will let you know the out come

[Xray]

The collars usually have a little set screw, if it came lose that could allow the rack to wobble

[Hawaiilad]

It's past the wobble stage...it's into the bowed stage when I try to move the table. But you are correct, there is a set screw in the collar and they are tight.

[welcon2]

Larry I purchased a new General international drill press today. I was also looking at the crank that raises or loweres the table. The top end of the rack bar is tapered and sits loosley in a tapered ring. The bottom is fixed, but the rack bar also rotates around the pole. Hard to say why the bar on your Delta bulges out like that, hope you found the problem.