It should be possible to source the separate components to make a mechanism
like you described, Bill.

A right-angle gearbox for the crank to drive the screw would likely need a
bracket fabricated to mount it (and likewise a pillow block at the bottom of
the screw), but lengths of acme screw and nuts should be fairly easy to
find.

If the table height changes don't involve many different loads on the table,
the old cable, pulley and sash weight type of balance could be improvised
fairly easily.

I believe I've seen commercially available kits for adding the table
counterweight to a drill press. Maybe it was one of the woodworking tool
suppliers.

--
WB
..........
metalworking projects
www.kwagmire.com/metal_proj.html


"Bill Noble" wrote in message
...
a friend of mine has two Crafstman drill presses with 2 3/4 inch columns.
He acquired from some mystery source a raising mechanism I just helped him
install on one of them - I've never seen one like it - it consists of a
gear assembly, an acme screw, and a bottom pillow block. the bottom pillow
block can be clamped to the column, and with the top (gear assembly) and
the table loose, you can turn the crank which through a gear rotates the
acme screw and raise/lower the table - every other unit I've seen has a
rack rather than an acme screw - so, for the group

1. anyone know who might have made this thing (there is no label on it,
it's far from new - probably pre WWII to my eyes - can't find it in Sears
catalogs, doesn't say Sears or Crafstman on it

2. any idea where I might find another for him?

3. any idea where to find a raising mechanism of any kind that would work
on a 2 3/4 inch column?

--
Bill
www.wbnoble.com