Miniature Drill Press

joedw00 · Post by **joedw00** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 6:15 pm

robinson46176 wrote:Cute as a speckled pup under a little red wagon...
.

Yes it is, and they sure are proud of them.

judaspre1982 · Post by **judaspre1982** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 6:15 pm

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nuhobby · Post by **nuhobby** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 8:16 pm

Speaking of which, the general appearance reminds me a little of the Shopsmith Overarm Pin Router. You should be able to do some excellent plunge cuts.

heathicus · Post by **heathicus** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 12:30 pm

I emailed Cameron Micro Drill Press and sent them pictures to see if I could determine how old the machine was, get a price on a replacement belt, find out any caveats before I start "restoring" it (which should only be a good cleaning and new belt). I got this back:

Heath,
In looking at the photos I can tell you that the only part of that machine that is ours is the motor. All of the other parts were reproduced.

The two-speed motor is good because you can get 6 different speeds out of the drill based on the position of the belt on the pulleys. We do have a variable speed controller available if you have a need to run at speeds in between what the pulleys will do.

Give me a call and we can get you a belt.

Best Regards,

I'm curious now if this is a Shopsmith/Total Shop kind of knock-off? It doesn't look hand made, or a one-off at all. It looks like it came from a factory. But where?

heathicus · Post by **heathicus** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 2:49 pm

Sent this email back to Cameron:

Thanks so much for the info! I'm even more intrigued and curious about this particular machine now. Was this a knock-off by another company, or do you think it was hand made or is a one-off? It just doesn't have that hand made look and feel to it and looks like a factory unit.

I'm a Shopsmith collector and have three Model 10ERs and one Mark 5. The 10ER has a 3-step pulley system like this micro drill press. There was also a variable speed controller option for it. The Mark 5 has a variable speed controller. There were several companies that made knock-offs of the Shopsmith Mark 5, even using Shopsmith parts to build their molds. Total Shop was the knock-off that had the most success. Is my micro drill press a similar type knock-off? Do you have any idea who might have originally made it?

I'll get back with you soon regarding the belt.

And got this just now in reply:

Heath,
That is the first knock-off I've seen! I would think it's more of a one-off since it isn't painted or anything. I have no idea who would have made that! Sorry! There are other companies that purchase our drill press and put their name on it.

So for now, I'm just assuming it is a hand/shop-made knock-off of a Cameron Micro Drill Press using their motor. But, it is a VERY well made knock-off!

eartigas · Post by **eartigas** » Wed Apr 18, 2012 7:12 am

May be yours is Mr. Cameron's prototype!

heathicus · Post by **heathicus** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 3:26 pm

I talked to dad some more about the drill press this weekend to see if he could remember where he got it. He thinks he might have gotten it sometime between 1977-1981. A elderly mechanic guy he knew got out of the business and gave him a big toolbox and a bunch of tools (the toolbox has since been handed down to me). And he thinks that drill press might have been part of that. Dad used it a couple times for drilling out carburetor jets around that time, but it hasn't been used since.

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