Popular Post Ronn W Posted May 4, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 I got my new drill press and It is set up and ready to go. I decided on the Rikon 30-236. It came with allen wrenches, a hex wrench and a wedge for removing the chuck. The appearance and finishes were quite good. I had to smooth off file a burr around the center hole in the table with a file. All parts were protected with rust inhibitor which cleaned up very well. They said to clean it of with grease and not any solvent. Surprised me but it work well. The table support bracket came mounted on the column. When I mounted the column on the base the support bracket and the rack gear were facing about 30 degrees to one side. I had to rotate both so the table was in the proper position. 2 hex screws. With the help of my neighbor we got the head mounted on the column without dropping it. All the misc knobs and arms attached with no problem. The chuck appears to be well made, nice finish and installed with a couple taps of a rubber mallet (per instructions). I check the quill for square against the table. Front to back it was dead on and right to left it was off just a tad. I needed a back light to see the slight gap. Adjusting the side to side tilt of the table is a pit of a pain. You have to reach under the rear of the table and use a wrench to loose a large not that you can't see and then adjust the tilt by trial and error. Good thing that I don't see myself have to tilt the table very often. I noticed that the up and down movement in the quill feels just a little rough it a couple of spots near the deepest part of the travel. I used some T-9 on the quill and it got a little smoother. It doesn't stick. It just feels slightly rough. Notice the work light - very nice. This model has variable speed that is adjust while it is running my rotating a knob on the left side of the head behind the depth stop. Seems to work very well. Digitalread out right above the switches. Both the on and off switches required a more pressure to push than my table saw switches. Nothing I can't get used to. The depth stop on the left is fairly typical. You can adjust both the depth and the starting position of the quill. The black button visible on the top knob allows you to slide the stop quickly to where you want it and you can then twist it to fine tune your setting. Note the hold for the chuck key to the right of the switches. Nice location. It's made of rubber it appears a little flimsy but it works, Time will tell. I have not actually drill any holes yet - that's for tomorrow. I will also check the run out in the next couple of days and post my findings. I assume that to do that I use a dial indicator against a drill bit and just rotate the chuck. Never done it before. Ronn W reporting live form my shop. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 8 hours ago, Ronn W said: Ronn W reporting live form my shop. Are you still live? This was 8 hours ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 Nice drillpress! Thanks for taking the time to do the review ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 I'm guessing the speed control is done via reeves drive, where the pulleys change size as you adjust the knob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted May 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 Llama, Live again from the shop. If I am not here this was prerecorded live. Tom, I was wondering if the drive had a name. The 2 halves of each pulley fit together with slots and the two halves spread apart or move together to vary the RPM. The RPM change is not real quick when I twist the control. I assume that there is something that regulates how quickly the pulleys move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 1 hour ago, Ronn W said: Llama, Live again from the shop. If I am not here this was prerecorded live. Tom, I was wondering if the drive had a name. The 2 halves of each pulley fit together with slots and the two halves spread apart or move together to vary the RPM. The RPM change is not real quick when I twist the control. I assume that there is something that regulates how quickly the pulleys move. Correct, the way a Reeves drive works is as one pulley gets bigger then other gets smaller and it works like gearing on a car or bike. It's a way to achieve mechanical speed control and keep costs down without having to add phase converters and use 3 phase motors. Make sure you follow the instructions on maintenance of the pulleys. These types of systems are common a lot of lathes, over time you could have some sticking where speed control isn't as smooth as it once was. Just keep up with the maintenance and you're good to go for many many years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted May 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 I finally got around to measuring the run out on the Rikon 30-236. Measured to the face of the chuck with quill extended 4" - .004". Max depth travel on this machine is 5" Measured to face of a 1/2" drill bit just below the chick with quill extended 4" - .0015". I think this is the more relevsnt measurement. I am assuming that I did it right. I rotated the pulley atop the spindle 360 degrees and reported the maximum difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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