I spent Saturday going over the new radial arm drill. The machine was working until we unplugged it for the move, but I wanted to "wipe the slate clean" so to speak, before putting it in-service. That means a general cleaning, getting chips out of the T-slots, making some adjustments, and re-oiling the machine. I'm about 50% finished now. I'd also like to install a coolant pump soon. Overall the drill is in nice condition considering it's age, and how we intend to use it. For large workpieces, one can fixture directly to the base of the machine and work from there. For day-to-day use on more moderately sized pieces, there is a table that bolts to the base and raises the work up to a more comfortable level. All of the drilling and feeds are run off the 7.5 HP motor, and the various levers change drill RPM, feed rates, direction, and move the head up/down and in/out. I'll be working with Josh Recave to get our electrical system prepped for the changeover.
To answer Keith, I meant it when I said that all of us in the shop are very fond of the old drill press for what it is, even if it's not up-to-snuff anymore. We are actively discussing what's next in store for it, but scrapping is 100% off the list. Everything else is being discussed.
So this is the new radial arm drill:
Another angle:
For grins, I put our largest drill bit in the spindle (2-3/8"). It looks right at home! Note the 17" of spindle stroke.
In addition to mounting morse-taper bits in the spindle, you can of course us a drill chuck. It came with a Jacobs 20N chuck, which can comfortably hold a 3/8"-1" shank. Side by side with my favorite drill bit... moral of the story with this machine is that it's big, can drill big holes, and hold big stuff.
This is the table, and vise that came with it as well.