Stanley hand drill restoration and improvement

[ED65]

I bought a Yankee No.545 - which turned out to be seized

Don't know what you've tried but can you remove the handles so that you can soak the whole drill? I've unseized a few things where initially it seemed sure they were never going to budge and in one case all that was needed to release the hold of the rust was a long soak in a gentle rust remover.

In another regular re-applications of penetrating lubricant spaced over a couple of days got movement started and after that it just needed to be worked and worked with plenty of oil dripped in to flush. So I'm a big believer in not giving up too early.

 

[BearTricks]

I bought one of these second hand for nothing on ebay. The seller had neglected to mention that the side handle, the one you use to hold it steady rather than the one you turn to do the drilling, was missing. The listing said 'good working condition' and the turnip had propped the drill up with something in the photos to make it look as if it was resting on the handle.

My fault for not looking closely enough, but is there anywhere I could get a replacement? Failing that, could I turn my own on the lathe?

 

[ED65]

There are many hand drills which didn't feature a side handle so I don't think it's at all dishonest to say it is in good working condition as long as it's in good shape otherwise. I've actually read a number of posts from woodworkers who think that the side handles on eggbeaters are as useful as a chocolate teapot

is there anywhere I could get a replacement? Failing that, could I turn my own on the lathe?

Yes I've seen a few turned replacements posted online. It must be a pretty simple shape to form, and turning your own gives the opportunity to customise it if you want.

As to a replacement, a very cheap 803 in rough condition otherwise but with the side handle intact could be bought as a donor. Particularly if the chuck is totally a gonner you could haggle the price down to next to nothing.

 

[Rhyolith]

I bought one of these second hand for nothing on ebay. The seller had neglected to mention that the side handle, the one you use to hold it steady rather than the one you turn to do the drilling, was missing. The listing said 'good working condition' and the turnip had propped the drill up with something in the photos to make it look as if it was resting on the handle.

My fault for not looking closely enough, but is there anywhere I could get a replacement? Failing that, could I turn my own on the lathe?

Yes its very common.

The only difficult with making your own side handle is matching the thread to screw it on... if you have a wood lathe the rest is easy. I don't know where to get ferrules from or how to fit them.

 

[Benchwayze]

I always found the side handle to be redundant on the standard hand-drill. I have no problem keeping the brace steady by using the long handle, as long as I don't 'whisk' like a lunatic! Whenever I use the side-handle, the tool never seems balanced. So maybe I am not alone in this and it could be why so many of these drills are 'incomplete'. I think I have three or four eBay specials now, all of them in really good nick, and costing me less than a tenner each. (One of them virtually brand new and in it's smart box.) I keep one permanently chucked with a countersink. They are the best tool for the finicky little drilling jobs; IMHO!

Cheers. (hammer)

 

[GLFaria]

All keyless chucks I have had (including modern cordless drill ones) require a very firm tighten to grip larger bits.

Bit of an understatement, is it? :wink:

 

[Wordsmith]

Hi all - I came across this thread whilst looking for information on my recent acquisition - a J. A. Chapman No. 104 (N20121 in the Gardiner catalogue from 1940 - first one on the page) single-pinion "eggbeater" drill. The side handle is missing, but the thread looks to be in good condition, and the crank handle is badly worn, with a missing ferrule.

Does anybody have a similar drill which is intact enough to measure the dimensions of the handles and ferrules from? I believe the handles could be turned up on a lathe fairly readily, and the ferrules might be readily canniballised off other broken/worn tools if the sizes are known.

Purchase price - £1 from a local charity shop "dump bin" - I also found 2/3 of a Bailey No. 4 plane (the blade clamp was absent) and a couple of decent condition small mitre saws (which I paid 50p each for!). Needless to say, I will be checking this dump bin frequently from now on

 

[MusicMan]

Re the query above about HDPE endurance. It had better be good; it's the bearing I've got in my left knee, and the surgeon claimed it was good for 25 years! (five years so far with no probs at all).

Keith

 

[Bod]

Hi all - I came across this thread whilst looking for information on my recent acquisition - a J. A. Chapman No. 104 (N20121 in the Gardiner catalogue from 1940 - first one on the page) single-pinion "eggbeater" drill. The side handle is missing, but the thread looks to be in good condition, and the crank handle is badly worn, with a missing ferrule.

Does anybody have a similar drill which is intact enough to measure the dimensions of the handles and ferrules from? I believe the handles could be turned up on a lathe fairly readily, and the ferrules might be readily canniballised off other broken/worn tools if the sizes are known.

Purchase price - £1 from a local charity shop "dump bin" - I also found 2/3 of a Bailey No. 4 plane (the blade clamp was absent) and a couple of decent condition small mitre saws (which I paid 50p each for!). Needless to say, I will be checking this dump bin frequently from now on

To the right is a 1939 Chapman 105.
To the left is a cast iron framed stanley 803.
The side handles are interchangable, the main difference is the older one, has a flatter top. The finish on the older is a stain, rather than the thick brown laquer, that flakes off.
The crank handle is also identical.
Get an old rusty complete Stanley 803/5 use it as spares.

Bod

 

[Wordsmith]

Hi Bod,

Thanks for the info.

I think (judging by the info about the finish) that this must be a pretty late "Chapman" - it appears to have the crappy Stanley-type gunk lacquer on the crank handle, so a Stanley side handle would probably be perfectly reasonable for a replacement on this drill. It has the Chapman-style main handle though, with the more rounded outer end and the bigger radius at the ferrule end, so maybe the flatter side handle would be more "original"...

... however, as I'm intending to put this to use rather than turn it into a museum piece, it doesn't really matter much. I've already sanded the goop off the main handle and given it a good coat of boiled linseed oil - much nicer to hold now

One question - is the paint likely to be Lead-based? I'd prefer to be able to work on it indoors (until the weather picks up a bit), but I have cats so Lead paint debris would be best kept outdoors.

 

[ED65]

One question - is the paint likely to be Lead-based?

No. Generally it's white and pale colours where that's a potential concern, with black they likely used nothing more sophisticated than soot for colour (lamp black, literally a form of soot).

There may be some lead driers in the coating, but that's present in far smaller quantities so little risk if small amounts are accidentally ingested.

 

[Bod]

This is a photo of my "collection" of Stanley 803s.
There are differences that appear to have a time line.
Top is a J.A. Chapman, with an Air Minstry date of 1939. Note the flattened side handle, and position of idler gear, and size of idler support. (Idler shaft rotates)
Second down, A Stanley still with the Chapman idler position, how original the side handle is I don't know. (Idler shaft doesn't rotate.)
Third one, my user! ignore the lack of paint on handle, the best improvement you can make, scrape it off. Idler gear is now identical, to the drive gear, and has better support.
Fourth, is just a newer spare.
Then there is the later, square cast frame version.
Stanley took over J A Chapman, in 1936, Chapman versions have been dated to 1939-40, can anyone put dates to any of the changes?

Bod

 

[TomiRosso]

Just curious, is there any good online source to Stanley product catalogs? Or that Chapman as well.

This time I am interested at drill for specific. I got two Stanleys. Mayby those 803, twin pinion drills. And oneday I was watching Stanley 748A and noticed that I don't know any good Stanley England catalogs, where I could fast look whole production range of drills.