Royersford "Excelsior" 21-in. Drill Press

This Royersford "camelback" drill press has an MT4 spindle, 3 different hand feeds (the long lever, handwheel, and a short lever on the left side), as well as power feed with "automatic" depth stop (although mine is missing the stop collar and rod), and a counterbalanced quill. I have yet to find any reliable source material that would date this machine. Similar drill presses were manufactured from around 1900. I have a Royersford price list dated 1989 that lists several variations on this same drill press, the only difference being that the downfeed is driven by v-belts instead of a flat belt.

Historical material on these machines is very sparse. Although Royersford Foundry and Machine is still in business making shaft couplings and mounted bearings, they have not responded to emails. I have found a reference to an Excelsior Drill and Manufacturing Co. in a 1913 report on coal dust explosions in mines.

Parts List and Lubrication Chart

Now in operation, the drill press needed work on the bearings for the shaft that supports the lower step pulley. Although it has many good features, the lubrication for the babbit bearings is poor. Oil is simply poured into small open troughs that are part of the bearing caps. The troughs are connected to the bearing via a drilled hole. Originally, there may have been felts in the holes to reduce grit carried into the bearings. I added some brass pipe nipples with caps and may replace these with oilers.

But the real problem was that the oil holes for the lower shaft had been covered over with filler when the machine was very badly repainted, and then run without oil. I assumed that doing this would wipe the babbit, but probably not damage the shaft. Not so!

The back gear had also been seriously damaged, probably from having been engaged with the direct-drive pin also engaged. Shown here is the old gear and a new stock gear from Martin. Faced it off and bored out, see picture on the South Bend page. To get to the pinion, had to pull the drive plate, which was a press fit onto the end of the cone pulley.
From a circa 1935 catalog	Safely parked. Factory guards should give some indication as to age.
The column on a dolly for the trip into the shop. Note the large bolt sticking out of the bottom of the column. This bolt locks the column to the base (and makes it impossible to get the column off without either lifting or laying the whole thing on its side).

Royersford Foundry and Champion Blower & Forge were both located in central Pennsylvania. The pictures below, from an EBay sale listing, are of a Champion drill press, identified from the name cast into the frame. As far as I can tell, the Champion is identical to my Royersford. I don't know which company actually made the machines.

Here's another Champion, missing the auto feed latch but clearly the same as the Royersford.