Rack for pedestal drill; common part..?

[Tangledfeet]

So... with two colleagues off (there's only three of us and one is the boss, who has you-know-what) after going to a whisky tasting festival weekend before last and is now off, alongside another teacher up in Science who also went!) I didn't think that there was much else that could go wrong this morning...

I've rung the supplier and asked about spares availability... but they haven't got back to me yet and, pragmatically, I'm not hopeful! Its a critical machine for our seniors gaining qualifications in Practical Woodworking.

Would anyone know if is a standardised part..? I'd imagine dimensions, length and gear size (module..?) would be the defining dimensions.

Thanks.

 

[Cuthy246]

I would be tempted to disassemble and hammer back flat on a wooden surface with a dead blow. Nothing to lose by trying

 

[Tangledfeet]

I would be tempted to disassemble and hammer back flat on a wooden surface with a dead blow. Nothing to lose by trying

That's my thinking too; also strap against pillar with some jubilee clip banding where it's bent at the bottom end... it doesn't get raised or lowered by more than 100mm or so.

 

[Brad93]

One for @Pete. expertise.

 

[Hood]

Must be made of cheese

Just remember if you decide to jubilee clip it you will not be able to swing the table on the column as the rack needs to rotate with the table.

 

[MattF]

That's my thinking too; also strap against pillar with some jubilee clip banding where it's bent at the bottom end... it doesn't get raised or lowered by more than 100mm or so.

Possibly even cut the bent section off, (if it won't straighten), if it's only raised/lowered by that amount.

 

[Tangledfeet]

Supplier has a replacement in stock; all we need now is order it.... the council doesn't make it easy unless the supplier is on the purchasing books!

 

[Mart63]

Supplier has a replacement in stock; all we need now is order it.... the council doesn't make it easy unless the supplier is on the purchasing books!

Ordering anything in an educational setting is an absolute p.i.t.a.

 

[Tangledfeet]

Ordering anything in an educational setting is an absolute p.i.t.a.

Absolutely... especially for nicher stuff like metalworking.

 

[500e]

Must have had an excessive weight on it, or lock on table and a Muppet on the handle

 

[graffian]

Take the rack off.

 

[500e]

Could be a H&S problem

 

[Tangledfeet]

Must have had an excessive weight on it, or lock on table and a Muppet on the handle

Don't know how it happened! Not the former but certainly more likely a combination of the latter two!

Take the rack off.

Can't; kids don't have the strength to heave the table up and down.

Could be a H&S problem

Yup, as above!

 

[AKN]

Supplier has a replacement in stock; all we need now is order it.... the council doesn't make it easy unless the supplier is on the purchasing books!

At my last place we had draconian rules about only buying from “approved suppliers” and mission impossible to get a new supplier approved. Our solution was to find a friendly ”approved supplier” who could order from anyone and then sell to us, for a markup of course.

 

[Ali]

Those things are a PITA. You should be able to straighten it but the head has to come off to get the part out. Some are chineseum / others aren’t so bad. RJH have come up with a system to stop that happening but it looks like you might already have something similar?

Take the rack off.

You can do that but you need to fit a locking ring below the table to prevent double kneecap injuries according to the regs.

 

[willie.macleod]

@Tangledfeet I am feeling your pain at this end of the country as well, I'm missing weeks of time due to Covid issues and broken ferries. I'm sure one of our schools had a similar failure a few years ago, not sure who does your machine servicing but Scotmech should be able to get the bit for you pretty quick and I'd be surprised if they weren't on your approved suppliers list.

 

[Agroshield]

Is there any way to engineer something such that you cannot turn the handle if the table is locked? For example, extend the table locking bolt so it goes through the cranking handle.

 

[Tangledfeet]

Those things are a PITA. You should be able to straighten it but the head has to come off to get the part out. Some are chineseum / others aren’t so bad. RJH have come up with a system to stop that happening but it looks like you might already have something similar?



You can do that but you need to fit a locking ring below the table to prevent double kneecap injuries according to the regs.

Yup, a PITA indeed! I've actually been quite impressed with the quality of this machine.

@Tangledfeet I am feeling your pain at this end of the country as well, I'm missing weeks of time due to Covid issues and broken ferries. I'm sure one of our schools had a similar failure a few years ago, not sure who does your machine servicing but Scotmech should be able to get the bit for you pretty quick and I'd be surprised if they weren't on your approved suppliers list.

Fife Council use AES who, by reputation on the techie teacher's FB page we're both on, seem to charge a fortune! I don't know who installed this machine. RJH Finishing are on the suppliers list so no problems ordering a replacement.

Is there any way to engineer something such that you cannot turn the handle if the table is locked? For example, extend the table locking bolt so it goes through the cranking handle.

The cranking handle is very flimsy so I suspect that would lead to something else failing... I'll never know how this happened!

 

[Ali]

I think there is more to it than the table being clamped while the rugby captain cranks on the handle. The clamp screw I can see sticking out should screw into the black crank arm, preventing the handle being turned while the table is locked.

 

[Tangledfeet]

I think there is more to it than the table being clamped while the rugby captain cranks on the handle. The clamp screw I can see sticking out should screw into the black crank arm, preventing the handle being turned while the table is locked.

We had that mechanism removed as it was causing more grief and frustration for all concerned; the crank arm is a piece of flat bar with a hole in the middle, secured with a wee grub screw - so whenever the clamp screw was tightened it would bend the crank arm and wear away the shaft onto which it was loosely held. Fine in theory but not in practice.

Something we need to look at perhaps.