Press, Drill
Water-powered drill press, Mount Lebanon, NY
1850-1875
Description
Water-powered drill press. Drill shaft mounted on two upright posts. A 10" x 5 1/2" in diameter wooden drive pulley mounted in the middle of the iron drill shaft rotates the drill when connected by a belt to a power source. Mounted between the posts and behind the drill-press table is a wooden pulley with a 12' long leather belt attached. The other end of this belt was once connected to the top of the drill shaft and lifted the drill shaft when the pulley was rotated. A smaller pulley, mounted on the same shaft and connected by a chain to a foot pedal, causes the larger pulley to rotate. There is a 33 5/8" x 3 1/2" x 1/2" post now set in a 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" hole in the drill-press table. It is speculated that this post may have been used in adjusting a movable table not now present or in some other way used in adjusting for the depth of the drill shaft.