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Walker Turner Drill Press Parts

A Walker-Turner drill press dates to the early 1940s. It's an old-time drill press using a heavy motor, pulleys and belts. In 1948, the Walker-Turner Co. was sold to Kearney & Trecker. Some time thereafter, the product tags were changed from "Walker Turner" to read "Walker-Turner Division of Kearney & Trecker." The division was sold to Rockwell Manufacturing Co. in 1956 and continued into the 1960s.
  1. Head, Pulley and Switch Assemblies

    • The head, pulleys, belts and switch assemblies are the main guts of Walker Turner drill presses. When new, they predated integrated circuits by a few decades. The drive system consists of four pulleys over the motor, three above the center post and four over the drillhead -- all joined together by various belts. The belts are more commonly replaced with chains now. A forged steel head provides a cover at the front of the drill press.

    Motor Assembly

    • A 1/2-horsepower drive motor is mounted vertically at the rear of the drill press. Its pulley end is positioned at the top of the drill press. A belt attaches to the four pulleys. Additional belts attach to the four-step pulleys, connecting the motor to the drill head and delivering the torque to power the drill.

    Drill Head and Table Raising Assembly

    • The drill head and pulley assembly is an involved mechanical affair, using different belts for slow and standard speed. The drill head and table are raised and lowered with a manual hand crank. The power switch is attached to the front of the head casing, and a foot-feed attachment varies the motor speed.

    Table, Base and Belt Guard

    • A four-side table is adjustable along a solid steel 6- to 7-foot shaft, with a larger rectangular base attaching at the bottom of the shaft. The table provides a surface for securing or positioning the object being drilled. A metal belt guard assembly originally covered the entire top of the drill press, from the back of the drill-head assembly to the motor.