Fobco refurb

[Perry Owens]

Just picked up a Fobco Star drill -

needs a good clean and repaint but in ok mechanical nick. No motor fitted however. The seller threw in a motor that fits but is not tested. This is the plate on it:

My options are to fit a single phase motor or try to get this one working with a VFD. Anyone done either and can give me some tips or point to suppliers?

 

[rtbcomp]

Are you using the original stepped motor pulley? If so you'll probably need a motor with an imperial shaft. Direction of rotation needs to be taken into consideration.

I got a secondhand motor off Ebay for my Progress drill.

 

[Perry Owens]

The motor and the pulley are both 5/8 in. The pulley is fixed with grubscrews and not keyed.

 

[graffian]

If you do replace the motor let me know, I would be interested
in the 3 phase motor for my bandsaw.
Of course I would then have a single phase motor going spare.

 

[brightspark]

a nice half hp single phase would be best

 

[ronan]

In certain ways that fobco looks very like my progress no.2. But i believe fobco made some parts for progress.

 

[ronan]

a nice half hp single phase would be best

Yup, a visit to your local bearing/engineering supplier might turn up a bargain. Thats what i did.

 

[sardine]

Looks like one I rescued last year.

 

[ronan]

Did you ever do anything with that one Sardine ?

 

[Seadog]

In certain ways that fobco looks very like my progress no.2. But i believe fobco made some parts for progress.

The Progress is a much more substantial machine IMO. The column is 3" solid bar for a start. I wouldn't part with mine.

 

[arther dailey]

Looks a good job, and graffians offer seems quite good to me, all depends on shaft size, wether mounts fit, although as brightspark suggests 1/2 hp would be better still. Arther

 

[sardine]

Did you ever do anything with that one Sardine ?

I restored it, and use it in my workshop.

 

[ronan]

I restored it, and use it in my workshop.

Good stuff, nice job.

 

[Gareth J]

No motor fitted however. The seller threw in a motor that fits but is not tested. This is the plate on it:
View attachment 82127
My options are to fit a single phase motor or try to get this one working with a VFD. Anyone done either and can give me some tips or point to suppliers?

As you have the motor there, it's worth trying to rig it up to run on single phase, wiring it to 220v delta if poss and using a capacitor to bodge a dummy phase.

I've just done this with an interesting drill I've acquired and it seems satisfactory. Drawbacks; I won't be able to get the full max speed of 9000 rpm; it takes up to 4 seconds to get to speed; the motor gets warm if run for a while.

Nice drill, looks a bit like my Atlas. I was watching one on eBay that made big bucks just the other day

 

[daleyd]

I'd be tempted to keep an eye out for an inverter, the big ones (1.5, 2.2 kW)could be useful if you ever plan on more 3 phase gear in the future and sometimes the smaller ones come up pretty cheap. It'd give you great flexibility in terms of speed.

Though if you can get a single phase motor for silly money you'd be daft not to go down that route. If the price was similar though I'd go for an inverter.

 

[sardine]

Good stuff, nice job.

I used an old vintage tin of signwriters black enamel I found , it took about a month to dry

 

[ronan]

I used an old vintage tin of signwriters black enamel I found , it took about a month to dry

I would have thought enamel would have dried very quickly.

 

[jpmillermatic]

ah, yes, old signwriters enamel....when "aged" properly, like a fine wine, or not....the "spirits" evaporate out a bit, leaving more oil and pigment. If you had to bust through a crust to get to the paint...then it was really aged to perfection!



love these old drills. I have a new craftsman in the basement and though it is good, it does not quite compare...

Jp

 

[atconut]

now this is my kind of thread (drills) i was thinking of starting a thread called show us your bench drill. i'm messing with a fobco star at the moment. i have one already but i can't help myself. here's one i did earlier

 

[atconut]

are you doing a full rebuild or just making it useable