wspeck Posted January 21, 2020 Report Share Posted January 21, 2020 I have an old drill press. Target Machinery Industry Co. LTD. Model TT-16. mfg 1987. Made in Taiwan. The column gear rack is bent and I want to try to replace it. ereplacement can't find anything on that model so I thought I might be able to find an equivalent part based on the actual dimensions of the rack. This rack is .66" wide, .34" deep and 34 1/4" long. does anyone have any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted January 21, 2020 Report Share Posted January 21, 2020 Have you tried straightening it? It could be tricky because they break easily. I wonder if heating it might help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted January 21, 2020 Report Share Posted January 21, 2020 Is the full length ever needed? If not, cut it down, and use part of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wspeck Posted January 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2020 1 hour ago, drzaius said: Have you tried straightening it? It could be tricky because they break easily. I wonder if heating it might help. it has a large bend at the bottom the rebounds every time I try to straighten it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wspeck Posted January 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2020 1 hour ago, Tom King said: Is the full length ever needed? If not, cut it down, and use part of it. Even though I can't imagine ever needing to lower the base down to the bottom, it is designed such that i need the full length. the bottom of the rack sits in groove at the base of the press and the top of the rack sits in a similar groove at the top. The base is able to rotate around the column as the two ends slide in the grooves. up to this point in my short woodworking life I haven't found out why I would need to rotate the base but that is a different question altogether. the attached is not mine but is the exact same drill press. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted January 21, 2020 Report Share Posted January 21, 2020 Did you try a place like ereplacementparts? https://www.ereplacementparts.com/rack-p-437996.html?gclid=CjwKCAiA35rxBRAWEiwADqB37z2D8i2bQls8xnDqA4Gi3WbyH4aKsdk3E9HMm6UgeCrO8ncOj1JL0RoCKjoQAvD_BwE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Beasley Posted January 21, 2020 Report Share Posted January 21, 2020 42 minutes ago, wspeck said: it has a large bend at the bottom the rebounds every time I try to straighten it. It does take a torch and heating to soften the metal enough to bend it back. I would recommend retempering afterwards so the teeth dont wear so bad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted January 21, 2020 Report Share Posted January 21, 2020 That's a pretty common arrangement for a drill press, so I wonder if the part from some other drill press would fit? Also, would your table slide up and down and still lock in place if you simply remove the bent gear rack? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 Not the answer you want to hear but that thing is more than 30 yo. You replace your auto at 50 times the cost way more frequently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 23 minutes ago, Coop said: Not the answer you want to hear but that thing is more than 30 yo. You replace your auto at 50 times the cost way more frequently. Speak for yourself! Mine is 16 yrs & 327k miles, still going strong! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 Yeah, kind of a hypocrite. Mine is a 2007 with 235 k miles. I cleaned the K&N filter today and made it into a track capable Suburban. Amazing! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 The only thing the rack is for is to facilitate controlled raising & lowering the table. I've never seen one that doesn't lock directly to the column. I can't see an issue with taking a torch to the bend & straightening it. Tempering wouldn't even matter if it's low on the column Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wspeck Posted January 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 looks like i'll have to try the heat and bend route. no one on the phone will give me the time of day on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 My rack is about the same size except for length. Mine is held by being loosely wedged into a collar at the top and bottom. This allows it to swing with the table. If your lower collar is movable up and down the post like mine is, you could cut off the offending section, grind a bevel on it and slide the collar up to the new length. Just an idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wspeck Posted January 23, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 I think the answer is no. But I will certainly look closely at it to see if it can be moved. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wspeck Posted January 28, 2020 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 not the most elegant solution but it works! Might buy a couple of large hose clamps to replace the plastic. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlyoak Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 Good fix. Take the 3 dimension of the offending part and measure the number of teeth per inch and call a tool dealer. I bet most are the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.