Variable speed drill press - with Paul Brodie

Everything you ever wanted to know about variable speed drill presses. OK, maybe not "everything", but this is a good start 🤓🏁
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#drillpress #tools #shop #fussyframebuilder

[@ianbee456]

So many cool comments! As a thirteen year old in '71, I was infatuated with all things mini-bike. Here in Australia I used to eagerly await for the latest glossy colour magazines to come out from the US. to come all the way to up to Woomera, in South Australia. I would pore over these mags cover to cover, numerous times, and dream of one day, owning my own mini-bike, powered by either a Tecumseh, or Kirby Stationary engine, but... not with your ordinary centrifugal clutch... oh no... I wanted the adjustable torque converter auto clutch, which was revolutionary at the time. Hell, the advertisements mentioned riding up a really steep mountain... Mt. Rushmore, or Everest, or somewhere in America, and it did the job! This was the future... All small boys who were getting sand kicked in their faces on the beach, and who were madly saving up for a Bull Worker, had suddenly changed tack, and were wanting to join the throngs of cool kids, who were sporting these adjustable belt drives on their mini-bikes! Then Yamaha and Honda came in with the Honda Mini Trail 50, and Yamaha DT 60, which now had gearboxes... It was hard being me back then... The angst... Never did get my pulleys...

[@paulbrodie]

Yes, unless you were there and at the right age, you have no idea how big the mini-bike craze was. I'm glad I was a part of it :) Thanks for watching!

[@Tictacpanter]

You can find a similar type Constant variable pulley on mopeds. Pretty cheap and easy to purchase.

[@paultrainer4560]

Does it work? Are the springs in Moped CVT a little to tough for the belts before stretching them? I would LOVE to give this a try.

[@flatbrokefrank6482]

An alternative to compound pulley speed control is a 240v to 3 phase delta, these give infinite duty cycle control and start at £150 (257 Canadian). Obviously you will need a three phase motor wired in Delta configuration. I have one on my drill and one on my lathe - you need to ensure the ramp down times are extended for the lathe as I learned the hard way - if your lathe stops dead the inertia of the chuck leads it to unscrew itself and drops onto your foot - Stay safe

[@paulbrodie]

That's a good story! I have cam-locks holding on my chuck, so that would never happen to me :) Thanks for watching!

[@jasonneedham6734]

Electronic, is most probably the cessation of the pulley drive...?

[@akfarmboy49]

the reason Dave's drill press has sliding tube at a angle is to keep the belt on center as it changes ratio.

[@johnyoung7794]

Paul: Thank you for sharing another of your ingenious projects. I have a couple of Machines crying out for variable speed control. Unless a used set of pulleys fall into my hands I will most likely be converting to a DC tread mill motor or VFD 3 phase set up.

[@dvddale111]

This split pulley system with movable sheaves via a spring usually is used on many machines, lawn mowers, rotovators, my friend's 750 Massey Ferguson combined harvester and even the DAF motor car of the 1970's.

[@Just1GuyMetalworks]

Thanks, Paul! 😊 I'll totally be making one of those 😁. Cheers!

[@paulbrodie]

Thank you too! I really do hope you are successful making one!

[@elffirrdesign2063]

Thanks ....great work guys..."quality exists before the subject and object"

[@gosolobox]

I added a 3rd set of pulleys to a vintage Atlas drill press last year. The modification really slowed the spindle speed and made it much better for metal working.

[@Le_Guigster]

Thanks Paul and Mitch! that's perfect!

[@stevecarlisle3323]

Food for thought, where have I seen those. Spanish milling machine, snow mobiles and ride em lawnmowers.

[@douglasrrhine6329]

Your laugh about the company not knowing how many pulleys they made, made me laugh lol

[@paulbrodie]

I've been told I have a "dry" sense of humour. I just found that funny! How could you not know how many? Thanks for watching 😉

[@johnbird8605]

That's a really brilliant design, I've been after something like that for ages. Thanks for sharing Paul!

[@paulbrodie]

Thanks John.

[@dhorne902]

Same pulley system i found on my Logan 8 inch shaper i refurbished . Worked good after a good cleaning and lubrication .

[@Cerv3ra]

Love your work Paul and Mitch.

[@Made_by_profs]

Thank you soooo much , i wanted to learn variable distance system and you helped to much.

[@paulbrodie]

Thank you for watching and commenting...

[@jasondk5127]

Thanks so much for sharing! I'm already designing my own set.

[@uguyssss]

Just finished watching your video,very informative. I have a treadmill the has a pulley like that. Not quite as heavy so might not be good enough. Got my gears rolling so thanks for the inspiration!

[@markhedquist9597]

I picked up an old treadmill from an estate sale for free. They just wanted it gone. When I tore it apart for useable parts, I found the same pulley system. It's sitting in a box in the garage. Was just waiting for the right inspiration to use it!

[@ferb7452]

Thank you now I know what I’m doing to my drill press & it’s going on my mill when I finish it🤪🤪😘

[@JohnnieBravo1]

Love your channel and your projects. You have such a smooth voice, and presentation. Kind of reminds me of how calm soothing listening to Mr Rogers was.

[@paulbrodie]

That's not the first time Mr. Rogers name has come up!

[@bobsadogtoo]

More like the friendly giants little brother.

[@KimMoth]

I find Paul flows like cold honey. I like to warm him up a bit by watching at 1.25x .

[@thomassmith2239]

I have a 20 year old Craftsman Variable Speed Drill Press that operates the same way with the difference being that the middle pulley is fixed and it has a variable pulley that is spring loaded on both the motor shaft and spindle. You move a lever on the side of the drill press head that moves the middle pulley in or out to change speed. It was their top of the line at the time back when Craftsman still made decent tools. Still works great!

[@paulbrodie]

I never knew that, thanks.

[@sambojones8681]

These pullies are available in commercial kitchen mixing machines, for those looking for them perhaps look at commercial equipment repair companies like Hobart.

[@Uts9000]

if not already suggested, to eliminate the potential of binding on the non driven side of the pulleys, just make it a pivot point. Granted, the screw side will now be traveling in an arc but that can be remedied with a floating drive nut and pivoting crank bearing. For me, I attached a 3/4 hp 3 phase motor and a VFD running off 120 single phase power. I can adjust the speed from 1 rpm (yes, ONE) to well over 1100 rpm. You might think too slow for small bits but it works perfectly fine. So far I have not stalled the motor, torque is incredible. VFD's are a remarkable piece of equipment, no longer do I shy away from three phase motors

[@CraftedChannel]

I have an early Dunlap or Craftsman that somebody did exactly that.

[@elsdp-4560]

Thank you for sharing. Very nice.

[@richball9576]

This reminds me of a Reeves drive on very old metal working lathes. I believe it may be old monarchs. You did an amazing job on your drill press Paul.

[@paulbrodie]

Thank you Rich.

[@andrewstorer4875]

I know the Delta 46-700 had a Reeves drive. Jet made one too, and I'm sure there were other manufacturers that did as well.

[@bulletproofpepper2]

i'm into 3d printing and the filament have gotten amazing. filament is the raw form of plastic sting on a 2.2 lbs (1 kilo ) asa plastic is automotive grade. machinist have replacement gears for lathes with PLA. i will give it a try.

[@jeremyclark2447]

Immediately started searching the internet trying to find a set of pulleys.

[@paulbrodie]

I like your style :)

[@anthonyGbachiller]

Any luck?

[@PosParts]

That is a wonderful setup Mr. Paul. I feel like I could 3D print my own pullies out of acetal (delrin) and achieve the same kind of interlocking variable setup that you have. Its a shame the company stopped production after 70 years though.

[@paulbrodie]

If you read through the comments, some viewers have suggested other sources, so it's not really the end of the road, so to speak. Thanks for watching!

[@836dmar]

Was hoping you would talk about that variable speed. Thank you!

[@eddiedolendo]

Thanks for this video Paul. As always, its inspiring. I'll try to make a system of my own. Hopefully some pulleys are out there or perhaps I can design some of my own.

[@paulbrodie]

If you look through the comments, many viewers have suggested using existing systems that are already out there being used on other applications. Finding a good, used, suitable pulley system might be your best "bang for the buck". Good luck!

[@SjwNz08]

I really like your foot switch idea.

[@mlb6d9]

Very Cool Drill Press! Nicely done

[@paulbrodie]

Thank you Philo!

[@ChrisLey]

Thank you for the explanation! I was afraid the video was going to end without an explanation of the compound pulley system.

[@paulbrodie]

That was Mitch's idea to take it off and show it moving back and forth on the bench.

[@heyimamaker]

I managed to get a McMaster catalog last year. It's very cool and fun to look through. I had placed an order with them and unfortunately It's very hard to get them to ship to individuals in Canada. Much like your self, I placed my order 4 times and eventually they shipped what I wanted after I used my personal email through my domain, and included my website so It seemed like I was a company rather than a person.

[@leslieaustin151]

That was most interesting. A very clever pulley set, and a very clever adaptation of it. Thank you. Les in UK

[@paulbrodie]

Thanks for watching. I lived in Southampton for 7 years.

[@leslieaustin151]

@@paulbrodie i think you can hear it in your accent! Thanks again. Les

[@benjo233223]

The angle on the other one stops the belts moving up and down. It would be the same angle as the pulley face.

[@johnhorton1516]

This is the holy grail. My ideal Metalwork drill press speed range would be 50rpm to max 600rpm. If it also came with a 'soft' reverse function for tapping purposes I would be in heaven.

[@paulbrodie]

John, can't send you to heaven, but the speeds should be close. Thanks for watching!😊

[@d1986ben]

Love that you showed off your rig. I have a Powermatic 1200VS (variable speed). If I didn't have that I would simply purchase a 3 phase motor (us AC power) with a Variable frequency drive for the variable speed. That being said I love the old school approach; reminds me of a reeves pulley drive on my wood lathe. Cheers and thanks for sharing!

[@paulbrodie]

Benjamin, thanks for watching!

[@morganwheeler7417]

@benjamin denk i think you're powermatic vs has the same system inside of it!

[@d1986ben]

@@morganwheeler7417 correct my 1200 has a reeves drive but slightly different. They all have variations but the same concept. Thanks for the reply! Cheers.

[@adrianrobinson1336]

i own two drill presses, a Taiwanese 1hp 2mt hafco bd20 that's great for everyday use and the second one is a toolroom drill press, it's an Australian made 1.5hp 3mt Waldown 3m-2, it was made in the 60's and it's a beast, im looking for big 3mt drill bits atm.

[@petehottois2856]

If you need a new variable speed pulley, Speed Selector makes pulleys that replace the Reeves, Hi-Lo, TB Woods and Lovejoy pulleys that went out of business or got bought. Most are in stock or Speed Selector will custom make if needed. They have an actual engineering department; very helpful.

[@paulbrodie]

Pete, thanks for that info. My pulleys never seem to wear out, so I am good right now...

[@markfoggy9933]

They are running pulleys that run a V belt that is driven by a 2 piece pulley at one end where the 2 cones change the diameter. Millions of wheel sizes and v belts available.

[@halbritt]

This is neat as hell. That said, a decent VFD is a fair bit cheaper.

[@andrewhall2554]

Yes, VFD is cheaper, but this system multiplies torque as speed drops. VFD provides basically constant torque as speed drops. Also, motor can overheat at lower speeds with VFD as cooling fan air flow drops off as motor slows down.

[@paulbrodie]

@@andrewhall2554 Thanks Andrew!

[@matthewtrujillo3712]

Lol what a small world. Sup heath!

[@franciscomelendez3894]

DAF had a car with a similar gearbox.

[@curtbelshe]

Great video. Great comments.

[@paulbrodie]

Thanks for watching!

[@dallyjacobson2146]

Hi Paul, the vari drive on early model grain harvesters ( International, John deere, massey etc) had the same concept for ground speed.

[@vinodgoel8811]

Hello Mr. Paul. Great Video. Very well demonstrated and explained. It will be equally great, if you also upload its animation

[@paulbrodie]

Vinod, thank you for liking our videos. Animation? We don't do that. Do you mean, how it operates?

[@tomthompson7400]

Its a Daf O Drill .... very seasonal for spring .. Daff used a similar system on a small car the Daf 33 it was a cvt constantly variable transmission .. Daf called their version the Variomatic. But its very clever how they have it all on one hub . a very tidy set up indeed.

[@paulbrodie]

I like your sense of humour. Thanks for watching!

[@sirnearlyheadlesnick]

Thanks Paul- this is great My late father a "Electrician" by trade converted his Multi pulley drill press is a similar yet different means through a VSD with foot peddle to control, yet one would still need to manually set the correct belt and pulley configuration on the the head gear It has 3 different belt and pulley length setups. Just discovered your Channel looking to get into some frame building of sorts... Would like to take the time to thank you for your supper informative Videos they absolutely rock ✌🏽

[@paulbrodie]

Nicholas, thanks for watching!

[@sirnearlyheadlesnick]

@@paulbrodie Than you Sir for sharing your wealth of Knowledge & Expertise with all us Apprentices out in the world 🤝

[@paulbrodie]

@@sirnearlyheadlesnick My pleasure you are most welcome :)

[@jim2mars]

There a set of variable speed pulleys in the ShopSmith power head. Plus many other parts you could use !!

[@ericmuehlstein2238]

Fantastic videos! There's a little bit of a New Yankee Metalshop vibe happening here.

[@rok1475]

If you are on a budget a DC motor with speed controller from a salvaged threadmill is a decent solution. I converted my mill that way and it works quite well. The controller from the threadmill compensates for variation in load so that’s nice bonus feature.

[@paulbrodie]

Sounds good, thanks.

[@jamest.5001]

It's like a scooter variator you could probably use one to make these, by putting both pulleys of the cvt/variator in a single shaft!

[@tombier9170]

Bridgeport & similar milling machines with variable speed use a Reeves Vari-Speed pulley system. There's one spring loaded conical pulley on the motor and the spindle pulley has the distance between cones controlled by a crank and a yoke on one piece. I think the range is only about 5:1 or 6:1 though.

[@meatball1974]

Fantastic information and great history! Princess Auto has a complete floor standing drill press with 5/8 chuck and a Variable speed - very much like these ones - the belts look more like small snow mobile belts though. In your truck for ~$800.

[@paulbrodie]

Price sounds reasonable.

[@rexjenson1119]

Power mastic pm2800b, made in China, has infinity speed adjustment. My problem is it has stopped working. Your channel is the only one I’ve found that explains how to take it apart or even likely trouble.

[@paulbrodie]

Sorry I cannot help you with that issue. We made our unit in 1989 (if my memory serves me...) and the world has changed a bit since then.

[@ricvis44]

Paul, that pulley system is a lot like the John Deere Variator used on the old John Deere lawn tractors. As long as they are clean and lubed occasionally they are much better then a VFD.

[@rolandturner657]

Interesting that you mentioned John Deere- this system reminded me of a mechanism on an old JD combine harvester that adjusted the drum speed. Pretty simple but works well!

[@jonfeuerborn5859]

Well, color me inspired, Paul! Thanks for sharing this. I just did a little looking around on the web at various lawn mower and go kart variable speed pulley sets, then hit the jackpot on ebay. I found a used Cleveland Speed Selector for $100. Can't wait to get it and figure out how to mount it to the old drill press.

[@paulbrodie]

Thanks Jon. That's great you are updating your drill press!

[@jonfeuerborn5859]

@@paulbrodie You betcha. Got a couple projects I anticipate putting it to use on in the near future, one of which you would certainly find interesting. I'm going to be restoring a 1976 Yamaha RD400 for one of my brothers (we have 5 RD400s in total between us four brothers, two of which are 1979 Daytona Specials).

[@paulbrodie]

@@jonfeuerborn5859 In 1973 I owned a Yamaha R5 350, drum brake, 5 speed. I put 8000 miles on in 6 months. That was a lot of fun. Obviously, your specialty is RD400 :)

[@jonfeuerborn5859]

@@paulbrodie That is very cool. My dad used to drag race an RD400. He and my uncle loved the things, and all us boys were hooked as well. I did a pretty thorough job on my Daytona last year. Upgraded to electronic ignition and a higher capacity stator, new pistons & rings, and tons of other maintenance items. Runs like a top.

[@maxheadflow]

Very interesting. Notice that the picture of Dave shows the spindle pully on the bottom. Paul's is on the top. Paul's control mechanism would benefit from raising the back. If you look at it as Paul cranks the speed up, the belts change alignment due to the belts shifting on the pulleys. The way the control is bolted to the top of the drill press, it should be pretty easy to do.

[@paulbrodie]

Yes, my pulley alignment may be a little compromised, but it's been that way for 30 years and works just fine. Why change now?

[@bradgotschall3259]

Nice modification😊. Mechanical variable speed is a great way to keep torque at all desired speeds that a VFD usually can’t. One could fabricate this same unit with two variable pitch v-belt sheaves mounted atop each other and modified to allow the moveable pieces to slide rather that thread together and on a common shaft or sleeve between both units. McMaster Carr carries these and they’re common in power transmission. Check out Burden’s Surplus in Nebraska for another possibility. I’ve been thinking of this same mod for an old press I have with a 4 step jack shaft.

[@paulbrodie]

Yes, there is usually more than one way to achieve the same end result. Thanks for watching!

[@petepure3387]

Some years ago I saw a video on a car transmission that used a similar principle. Interestingly the belts on that transmission were rubber but had segmented steel rings around the belt so the belt pushed instead of pulled. I hope that makes sense. Search "infinitely variable car transmission" on Google... Thanks again Paul and Mitch.

[@recyclebills]

I've found these CVT pullys on old treadmill exercise machines, now I know what I can use them for.

[@paulbrodie]

You have a project!

[@recyclebills]

@@paulbrodie Now I just have to remember where I put them.

[@alanmony1582]

Hi Paul, my name is Alan, I'm a friend of Ross's. I think you'll know who I mean. Love the channel as I was building gas brazed bikes back in the 80's but without the success you achieved, sadly. When I was messin' with motorcycles back in the 60's we called those single cylinder Harley's "Benelli's". They're originally made in Italy. Made in Cheena now, big surprise!

[@paulbrodie]

Hi Alan, I think I know which Ross you are referring to! With Harley making the big V-twins known as "Hogs", the Aermacchis were sometimes referred to as "Piglets" which is not very flattering. Benelli also had their own horizontal singles, but I have not heard an Aermacchi referred to as a Benelli. Thanks for watching!

[@cobralyoner]

im intrigued. I have a nice big drillpress where changing the pulleys is so annoying to me. I may start looking i to modding it this way. Thx for the research work you did too (:

[@paulbrodie]

Yes, changing belts on pulleys was something I didn't like much at all. If you're intrigued that is a great start. Everybody needs a project from time to time :)

[@donsipes]

FYI. My go to place in Calgary for fasteners and hardware is Blackfoot Industrial Supply and they do stock some Acme threaded rod and matching nuts. Not sure about all sizes but they did have what I needed back when!

[@rcjbvermilion]

I think I've seen similar acme threaded rod at the Bolt Supply Warehouse here in Lethbridge.

[@TY1979KA]

I enjoyed it

[@JW-jc5ti]

Riding mower variante speed pully like a husky was thinking of using one to do this when I found this video

[@paulbrodie]

Thanks for finding our videos! 😉

[@michaeljames9671]

Ebay is fairly awash in vs pulleys. I had a lathe with such a setup and have a bandsaw with it. Reeves drive is one of the names for it andBrowning dabbled in it as well I believe (in addition to bicycle 'transmissions').. variable speed transmissions in snowmobiles and newer cars have same idea. Time marches on ... VFD's are the new iteration.

[@user-fx7nq6jq7x]

Speed Selector makes variable speed pulleys that replace the Reeves and Hi-Lo pulleys. I think they went out of business. A lot of them are in stock or they can make a custom if needed. They have an actual engineer to help you if needed. Very helpful.

[@richard-sim]

McMaster-Carr had flip-flopped back and forth on the whole Canadian shipping thing a number of times, but seem to have settled on shipping not being a problem finally. I can't remember how long ago that change was (finally!) made, but it was at least 3-5 years ago now. So go forth and order all the cool hard-to-find parts you need!

[@paulbrodie]

For me, they weren't even shipping to Canada; I was using a US address at the US Border. Once they found out I was Canadian, they wouldn't even do that. I was a little upset.

[@amok42]

That was such a great vid I bought a t-shirt.

[@paulbrodie]

Thank you.

[@BokorRider]

the pulleys seem to work the same way as Hubnuts Invacar...................an 70's 3 wheeler for people who used wheel chairs .. the could drive on the UK roads in them

[@jasonneedham6734]

Ken brilliant.😊

[@dereketheridge133]

Internally that's how the pre-DC speed controlled shopsmiths worked, so if people are looking for parts a pulley set from a broken shopsmith should be a good start.

[@dereketheridge133]

Woops, I'm a bit off with that, the shopsmith does it in two stages but with a lathe you might be able to mod the Sheave's

[@noneofabove5586]

I purchased a part from a lawn tractor that is very similar. The main difference is it uses a wider belt.

[@paulbrodie]

I hope it works for you.

[@Mad-Duk_Machine_Werkes]

MTD lawn tractors (sold by Montgomery Wards for 50+ years and still available today) - had the SAME variable speed stacked double pulley and I bet you can get them cheaply BRAND NEW -the center is needle bearings and not plastic- check it out for yourself (I was an In-Home repair Tech on Lawn and Garden, repairing Monkey-Wards mowers for over a decade) you could make the exact thing with a double stacked variable speed drive pulley from one of those mowers-

[@elbowdonkey]

Looking at the MTD pulleys, they're not quite the same. The ones in Paul's video can "nest" into each other, allowing for a larger diameter in less "stacked" space, I'd guess.

[@user-ef8rj1lc6w]

Paul... Those are called Reeves Drives and the Dutch Dap had them, I think, in 1966...If you want to experiment cheaply, go to a lawnmower junkyard and look up an old lawn tractor made by Modern Tool And Die with a CVT transmission. I had a MTD 42" cut for 8 years with that and mowed 6 acres with absolutely no problems. I liked it so well, I bought another one which I still have. MTD made John Deeres, Cub Cadets, Sears, Monkey Ward, and many more. I'm 91 years old, so I'm not so fast on my feet, but I'm still thinking. Chuck Hoyt- Hell On Wheels

[@t2t]

Love your working Dad, i like the way you sharing a second witching for safe. I always wonder like that. Now i learned more trick. Thank you 👍👌✌😃. Srr if i think you re my Dad hihi because i miss my father like you. He passed to the heaven. 😂

[@paulbrodie]

Sorry to hear your Father has passed on. Thanks for watching!

[@edwardclark3980]

Good I want one

[@G58]

Huge apologies Paul, will need to watch the whole video again because I couldn’t concentrate due to being distracted by the finer scenes of the concluding episode of Tipping The Velvet on the Tell Lie Vision...!😎😜 Anyway, it occurs to me that those automatic scooters have variable belt driven ‘gearboxes’. I wonder how they work, and could they be adapted for a drill press? How easy would it be to rig up a spindle speed indicator? Thank you for sharing this innovative conversion. You know we all want one. As always we leave your shop inspired.

[@paulbrodie]

I'm not sure what you're apologizing for... No worries. There are probably several variable speed pulley systems that could be adapted to work on a drill press. Some, better than others. Thanks for watching!

[@danielminskey]

what a great video...beautiful builld as usual... if you ever need anything from mcmaster...ill snag it for you and ship it up to you.

[@paulbrodie]

Thanks, will do!

[@chrislee7817]

That's really cool. This system was used by DAF in their variomatic car with infinite gearing. Most mopeds used this system too so they could be a source of parts. I should adapt my ancient Elliott drill, it has a very rattly back gear for slow speeds. Your design is much better 👍

[@MrJohnnaz]

Cheaper/better just to buy an old Rockwell DP with variable speed. They use the same system and it works fairly well. I think Powermatic used the same system as well. Google Reeves drives, I think they still make all sorts of variable speed pulleys and drives.

[@paulbrodie]

I'm sure glad I got mine! Thanks for watching :)

[@bradleynealdaley]

my understanding was that mcmaster now sells into Canada. Perhaps not with covid going on at the moment, but they were within the last few years (after a while of not)

[@paulbrodie]

That might be so, I just haven't checked lately.

[@dorancoonse4189]

You can also find variable speed pulleys on the drives for riding lawn mowers MTD, Tory Build

[@leslienixon9274]

Comet makes a system that uses a pulley very similar. Used on gocarts and mini bikes everywhere, readily available and cheap!

[@paulbrodie]

I will check it out, thanks!

[@leslienixon9274]

@Airfab 01 Don't take my word for it, have a look for yourself. The spring loaded driven pulley would be able to open and close regulated by the spring compression instead of the angled ramps that would be machined off.

[@bradleynealdaley]

you should be able to machine up a spindle tube to take some needle roller bearings and 3D print those pulleys. If the pulley's don't hold up as a print, you should be able to print some molds and then cast the pulley's out using an engineering urethane (try Reynolds or SmoothOn [same company] ) Brilliantly simple design. Should be easy to duplicate.

[@paulbrodie]

Just remember that the spindle needs to be hardened..

[@bradleynealdaley]

@@paulbrodie very true. Thankfully its easy enough to get a hardened rotary shaft from McMaster or Misumi!

[@1crazypj]

Hadn't watched vid previously, thought it was just another VFD and DC motor conversion. Very interesting, basically 4 sheaves with manual adjustment instead of bob-weights and springs as in a CVT. With a bit of research and ingenuity, I think few old ATV parts could be converted particularly as it seems somewhat similar to 1900's motorcycle technology (completely forget name of variable adjuster at present but belt drive era). Still won't be cheap but probably substantially less then commercial set. ($500 is so far out of my price range it isn't even funny)

[@paulbrodie]

Yes it is pricey but still working great 31 years later. Good value!

[@triathloner1]

Great video love the old technology, I'm sure they went out of business because you can buy a cheap VFD for any drill press for like $100 usd.

[@jasondk5127]

You can get higher torque at lower speeds with this setup.

[@Kosmonooit]

You generally need a 3 phase motor for a VFD

[@angelopaulo1187]

gut!!

[@franciscomelendez3894]

Some cars like DAF, had similar arangement for their gearboxes.

[@1duesy]

You went to a lot of effort to build what is readily available in the form of Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) and electronic AC speed controls, not to mention Reeves drives found in older Rockwell drill presses.

[@paulbrodie]

Well, I built this back in about 1988 / 1989, so were those things you mentioned available back then? I have no idea...Maybe you can tell me?

[@Alanbataar]

I'm in the planning phase of a wood & metal cutting bandsaw, and that looks like just the ticket! Am I correct in understanding that the dynamic pulley is keyed to the hub? Thanks for sharing!

[@paulbrodie]

Yes, the middle pulley can slide back and forth, but they all turn at the same rpm..

[@ronwhittaker6317]

hi-lo is still around i just found my feed and speed solution to my homemade lathe think to you bubby been mulling that over for years when I get my shed ship-shape and that will be soon/ no more excuses. and the "gear" box just got a lot more compact and I need all the space I can use / my shed is not very big. time to get to work making.

[@paulbrodie]

Right on. I think your projects are calling you.

[@rgetso]

Is this the same mechanism inside a variable speed knee mill (Bridgeport) head? Words to live by: "You don't have to make it fancy to make it work." Make it work, then make it fancy.

[@paulbrodie]

I don't know. I've never had my mill apart.

[@rogeriocosta1035]

Maybe a set of pulleys from a CVT scooter transmission will work.

[@paulbrodie]

It's possible I do not know...

[@tomwagemans1872]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@seansysig]

Why not turn your own your pitched pulleys from nylon? Are there weighted blocks inside like a centrifugal pulley on avsnowmobile or ATV clutch?

[@davesalter4928]

The same principal variable speed transmission.

[@nathanaelscheffler4759]

Hey Paul, love your videos! Do you reckon that these could be 3D printed in ABS and have bearings insert into them, or do you think that they need the special blend of plastic to stand up to the v belts?

[@paulbrodie]

I don't know the process, but probably the plastic is formed around the hardened steel tube that houses the needle bearings. After 30 years of use the plastic shows no signs of wear so whatever the compound is they chose very well.

[@markcaesar2928]

My guess is the discs are Delrin

[@rgetso]

@@markcaesar2928 It does look like Delrin. The lubricity of Delrin would be perfect for this application.

[@watahyahknow]

wonder if you can make those pulley halves youreself , just cast a few chuncks of aluminium in some paintcans and work from there making the grooves the pulley pulls intoo itself can be a little tricky but if you have a mill and a rotator thingy (to make sprockets on a mill) and work out from the middle you should be able to make it

[@paulbrodie]

Yes, it probably is possible, but I already have mine so I'm good :) Thanks for watching!

[@chrisharper2658]

Just like today's CVTs but you know kids today would just use a variable frequency drive and a small three phase motor. Something that would have been pretty unthinkable years ago.

[@Sketch1994]

I would just do that too, but it would essentially require a VFD up to 20 times larger to be able to take the huge current peak needed to instantly reverse the motor of my drill/tap press, without asigning the reversing function to the VFD and having to do a slow decceleration and acceleration. This would make the process of reversing a tap very slow and it would also make tapping a blind hole to very precise and consistent depth nearly impossible, whereas with the mechanical speed control (the pulleys have to be lightweight too for this) and direct 3 phase power for the motor, it take less than a second to reverse the spindle even at 2500rpm and I can set it up to keep tapping the very last thread of a hole all day long, without ever touching the bottom (at the factory I worked at they had a dozen of these, and after seeing them tap parts that required the point of even the shortest lead spiral flute machine taps to be ground off for clearance, even when doing it by hand, was what sold me that drill press)

[@JeremyYoungDesign]

I'd love to make this mod to mine, thanks for the in-depth video! Out of interest, what brand is that drill press?

[@paulbrodie]

It's a Busy Bee, sold in Burnaby BC. I bought it in 1983, nothing very special, but it has lasted well.

[@vanguardcycle]

Me: in the weeds on a big tube fabrication job Paul Brodie: here's a new video about a tool that I built Me: calls customer to apologize for the delay 😁😑

[@paulbrodie]

Is that what really happened? Thanks for watching!

[@KimMoth]

PMSL