Well, I was unable to find replacement parts for the drill press (who can find Guardian Power Tools, let alone even a manual for FDM-58-12S?). As a result, I had to check the spindle to see if it was even worth any more work. To do this, I used two centers (a live on in the tail stock). I put up my dial indicator, and took measurements at three points (any other points are pointless, pardon the pun, because they are not bearing surfaces). The three points are :
The reason for these three points are :
- A is the lower bearing surface - this has to be accurate - but, if it is out of round, it was probably manufactured badly.
- B is the upper bearing surface - and this is where you will see the most "out of round" as you turn it by hand.
- C is the spline area - if this is out of round, the thing was manufactured poorly.
The spline isn't "as" necessary, since it isn't a bearing surface, but it will wear faster if it isn't. So, I threw it all onto the lathe. I don't have a drift key, so I cannot get the chuck/arbor off, so I already know I am inaccurate on one end. The dial indicator specified that I was about 0.002" out of round at the lower bearing area. I moved to the middle, and found I was only 0.004" out of round. Surprisingly, that is pretty good for a drill press.
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| The maximum out-of-round on the upper bearing surface is 0.004" |
This means I can simply replace the bearing, and put it back together, and have a drill press in great shape!
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