"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
ups.com...
Considering that we have some very good magnets on the surplus market
these days and an Asian morse taper bench drill presses are available,
has someone undertaken this task in the past?


I would be wary of using a drill press. The real mag drills use (basically)
handheld corded drills attached to a magnetic base with a mechanism to
raise/lower the drill.

I would recommend a drill with an electronic speed control. I have a Metabo
BE1020 which holds its top speed right up to the maximum load limit. This
would be nice on a mag drill as you can get quite a bit of leverage on those
handles. Also, these types of drills are nice for taping as larger taps
require lots of torque at low speeds.

I bet you could get a pretty cheap rack and pinion as a replacement part
from a drill press manufacturer (Delta for instance, there are lots of
others). I'm not sure about the magnet though.

Make sure to let us know how you make out. This sounds like a
neat-but-not-too-hard winter project.

Regards,

Robin