First Pillar Drill - Chuck/Spindle wobble and vibration?

[Dissolve]

Hello,

I have to admit that I've been a bit of an idiot. I went to view a pillar drill I thought was a bargain but the seller was rather blunt and unhelpful.

Regardless, I was unable to test the drill on site and at risk of wasting the £30 fuel I paid I decided to take his assurance that it worked correctly, no wear and no faults.

The pulleys/belts look in very good condition, but I have no real experience in this field so hopefully I'll at least learn a lot out of this

The drill bit wobbles when running, which is obviously not good. But I noticed the drill bit is straight and the chuck does indeed wobble as well.. but I have no idea what I'm really looking at in terms of solving this problem.

What can I try adjusting/removing/cleaning to check what the cause is? I'm not sure if it's the chuck or the spindle that's causing the wobble.

Secondly, it makes a very loud buzzing sound which is located at the feed spring adjustment, obviously this is less important but I'd like to know how to solve this if possible.

Thanks to anyone kind enough to take the time to help out an idiot! :lol:

 

[CHJ]

Remove the chuck and its Morse taper arbour, (tapered wedge key in the spindle slot as per manual diagram)
Does the drill still vibrate?
If so check the pulley fixings to see if any locking grub screws are loose etc.
Make sure there is no excessive movement (loose fitting) of motor on its mountings, it needs to pivot to tension the belts but you don't want it rattling about.
Extend the spindle an pull back and forth on the spindle to see if you can detect movement from side to side, if so suspect bearing may need replacement.
Check the spindle taper bore and the taper shank on the chuck, make sure they are both clean and no trapped dust or swarf.
Check the chuck and see if the three jaws run freely and come together cleanly and look matched when closed.

If nothing found replace chuck, you may have to bring chuck down on a block of wood to ensure it grips in the spindle.

 

[Dissolve]

Thank you for the advice! I didn't get a tapered wedge key with the drill, I'm not sure how specific these tools are, do I need to purchase a certain type of wedge key or could I importvise with something else?

Once I have obtained a wedge key I will give all those things a try and see what's what.

The vibration doesn't seem excessive but the noise that the feed spring adjustment is making is definitely abnormal!

 

[CHJ]

The wedge is not critical, you may get away with a temp. one for now cut out of a bit of hardwood or ply.

 

[Dissolve]

I couldn't get it to budge with plywood so I've ordered one. I did notice though with the machine running, if I lean on the top of the drill with a firm pressure it soaks up enough vibration to eliminate the buzzing noise, the worst of it is coming from the feed spring adjustment.

When I lower the spindle the feed spring adjustment makes a few noises and when raising the spindle again you can feel a spring catching.. how could I clean out this part?

 

[CHJ]

Rattles or buzzes may be annoying but of little consequence to the prime function of drilling holes.
I would concentrate on getting the chuck running true and achieving this basic function before worrying about things like noisy return springs.
A little judicious lubrication in the appropriate places can also help eliminate a good many little annoyances.