How to Restore a Drill-Press Stand (Aka RIP'ing Its Rust)

I would say that this Drill-Press Stand looks horrible, But Drill-Press Stands might have feelings, So I'm not going to say that.

I might as well also get an award for that-- The last thing you need to make a Drill-Press Stand cry, The salt in the tears would make it rust even more!

I recently found a Drill-Press Stand on one of my Grandpa's tool storage shelves. He told me that he probably hasn't used it for around 20 years. I could definitely tell by the rust...

Even if my Grandpa wanted to use it, He would be able to use it because it hadn't been oiled in a very long time. He asked me if I needed it for a project, And guess what was my reply?

"OF COURSE I 100% TOTALLY NEED IT! I've been needing a Drill-Press for such a long time, Now I don't have to make one!"

So here I am, RIP'ing it's rust ;)

You might want to stick along until the end. You never know where you'll find a Drill-Press, Whether if it's from your Grandpa, eBay, Craigslist, Or out there, On the curb, Waiting just for you :)

My goal was to make it clean and useable, Not perfect. That would be a waste of time and materials, Since this is a tool and it will do its best to dirty up itself...

Hardware & Materials:

Rubber Feet

Chemicals & Adhesives:

WD-40 (Oil Spray)

CG-90 (Grease Spray)

Alcohol Pad

Tools (+Attachments):

Allen Key/Wrench Set (If needed)

Several Dry Paper Towel Squares

A Damp Paper Towel Square

Wire Brush

A Rusty Ol' Drill-Press Stand

Electric/Power Tools:

Drill or a Rotary Tool

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Why: I finally have a Drill-Press, Let's restore it!

Safety Gear Needed: Ventilated Environment

Cost (for me): FREE!

Needed Skills: Basic

Approximate Time: 1-2 Hours

Take pictures, Not so you can remember how dirty it was, But so you can remember how to put it back together.

It's better to take a picture and not need it, Than to not, And get stuck assembling it back together...

It's pretty easy to adapt Murphy's law onto this...

It's way easier to clean and restore tools once you've taken them apart.

After making sure that I took pictures in every place that I might need, I started taking it apart. There is no need to take apart all of the small screws

Before applying all of the chemicals, I wanted to remove all of the dust. To do this, I wiped all of the parts of the Drill-Press Stand with a damp paper towel, And then let it dry off for a couple of minutes.

I recommend replacing the paper towel once it gets pretty dirty, To stop it from smearing dust on the whole stand

The base was in a pretty bad condition, So after wiping it with a damp paper towel and letting it dry, I sprayed some WD-40.

I then wiped off the WD-40, And started rubbing it with a wire brush. Another alternative is to use Silicon-Carbide Sandpaper, But I didn't have any.

I repeated this process almost 10 times, Until the point where I thought that it looked good enough

It is very important that the Spindle is smooth and free of rust, So the Drill will be able to move easily up and down while drilling.

I sprayed WD-40 onto the Spindle and wiped if off several times with a paper towel.

I sprayed CG-90 onto all of the bolts and parts that have friction. Basically, All of the parts that are supposed to move.

The CG-90 removes the rust and squeaks, So it makes everything able to move way easier

Assembling the Drill-Press Stand back together was easier than I thought, But I could have always referred back to the pictures if I needed to.

I put everything together, And tightened all of the Bolts. Everything should move like normal without squeaking, At all!

There were still some parts that were a bit oily, So I took the opportunity and wiped everything off with a dry paper towel.

Perfect!

I thought that a nice little upgrade could be to add some rubber feet to stop the stand from moving on my table. An alternative for rubber feet could be a couple drops of Hot-Glue

I first wiped the bottom of the base off with an Alcohol Pad, And then 4 rubber feet onto the base. Super simple!

What's the point of having a Drill-Press without a Drill?

While I was restoring the stand I was really hoping that it would be able to hold my drill. Ironically, My drill had a part that was used to get gripped by a Drill-Press Stand, But my Dremel was too wide to even fit!

Whew... (***Breathes out***)

I put a Drill-Bit in my chuck and started drilling! 100% Perpendicular and straight holes!

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DONE!

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Perhaps now that you have your own Drill-Press, Why not Make Your Own Wooden Vise? ;)