Fobco Star bench drill conversion to Fobco Universal pillar

[skippy75]

Theres a Fobco Star bench drill in good rust free condition going locally on ebay which is tempting me.

I was wondering if converting it to a floor standing pillar drill would be as easy as getting a new longer pillar made and how much that was likely to be (roughly)?

Secondly I've read about the Fobco Universal which seems to be a Fobco Star with a threaded spindle that allows you to do some light milling work. As I have a tiny workshop and no need for heavy duty or super precise milling this sounds ideal. Does anyone know if converting it to the universal is as simple as swapping the spindle out?

Thanks guys.

 

[dickm]

Two problems that I can see, sadly. Not sure if the bench version base is big enough to be safe when converted to floor mounting, even if bolted to a solid floor. Conversion to a light mill would be great, but chances of getting the relevant bits are about zero. AFAIK, Fobco are no longer in business, mores the pity for us Star owners. I spoke to the owner, Mr O'Brien some 20 years ago and he was really helpful, but that's not the way to survive in the face of competition from China
But buy it if it's a sensible price. You won't regret it.

 

[skippy75]

Two problems that I can see, sadly. Not sure if the bench version base is big enough to be safe when converted to floor mounting, even if bolted to a solid floor. Conversion to a light mill would be great, but chances of getting the relevant bits are about zero. AFAIK, Fobco are no longer in business, mores the pity for us Star owners. I spoke to the owner, Mr O'Brien some 20 years ago and he was really helpful, but that's not the way to survive in the face of competition from China
But buy it if it's a sensible price. You won't regret it.

Yes I was wondering about the base, my floor is terrible too so that could be a real issue. I will keep an eye on it and bid if the price is good but it looks like it might not be the drill for me. I honestly never thought buying the right drill would be so hard!

I saw lathes.co.uk mentioned selling the threaded spindles but that could have been a very old article and they might not be available anymore.

I just wonder why more manufacturers dont offer a drill that can be used for light milling, it seems like a very handy feature that must add little to the cost for them to make.

 

[fluffflinger]

I agree that the base may not be any good for floor mounting but I would have thought it could be adapted????

If is the right money for you then you will not regret the purchase one iota and if it didn't work out there would be plenty of people who would bite your hand off to get a hold of it. They are a terrific machine I think mine is a wondrous thing given it's age and precision.