So, the Clarke pillar drill, that I bought from a chap on Gumtree, is a little poorly. The drill is running well, but the controls are not. On the right side, there is a spindle. This has three bars coming out of it, evenly spaced. Two of the three are falling out of the hub due to loose threads. This makes me sad, but now determined to keep the machine going. She was built in 1991, so has earned the right to be worn down. What am I planning? I’m glad you asked. I have a few options:
- Having spoken to Clarke, they no longer make this part, and so I may have to scour the internet for one.
- Take the part off and replace the two bars with thicker ones. Then re-thread the hub and add threading to the bars. Fasten…bish-bash-bosh!
- Try a helacoil setup. I believe that the holes are likely too small for this idea, adding a threaded tube in will mean drilling much larder holes…can you see the issue? Drilling will be a pain as it’s the drill I am repairing!
Of these, I am thinking of adding new bars. I now have a tap and die set to use, so this can be done with a bit of hand drilling patience. The hub is hollow, to with the new holes tapped, I can then add the correct bars to sort the issue. I simply move the balls-ends over, and it will work fine. There was one other option…Just have one bar! in fact, I could jsut have a turning wheel. Weld it on, and off we go. I will update when I have made the move and have a verdict to write about. Poor little pillar, it is an epic drill and won’t be lost on my watch!
