Fobco Star Restoration

[Co1]

I’ve gone with a vfd. I couldn’t find a motor that looked period, so with the vfd I can keep the existing one and hide the vfd on the bench the drill will be mounted on.

Have done no work on the drill this week, but today I need to degrease the table and weld up the pock marks today as a friend is taking it tomorrow to run through his surface grinder.

 

[Co1]

A bit of progress today. Motor ran up on the VFD, very smooth and quiet indeed. The rest of the drill is now in its component parts, ready for degreasing and cleaning. Tried to convince the wife to clean it while I’m away this week, but apparently she’s got better things to do.

 

[Sideways]

I need to degrease the table and weld up the pock marks today as a friend is taking it tomorrow to run through his surface grinder.

Nice !

 

[Co1]

Belt cover undercoated and brush painted with Paragon enamel. I’m not looking for perfection so haven’t taken back to bare metal. The cast parts have been prepped with rust encapsulator from Buzzweld.

 

[Co1]

Got a date for moving house, which forced a somewhat rushed rebuild, and the motor refurb will have to wait.

 

[Hugh M.]

That looks cracking! I searched for a while looking for a suitable old drill rather than get a new but cheap one. I couldn’t find anything as good (or heavy) as this. Instead, I got an on the brink Continental International from the 80s I think? More of a budget model back then but still going strong.

 

[duke]

Got a date for moving house, which forced a somewhat rushed rebuild, and the motor refurb will have to wait.

View attachment 192649

Nice , I have machines that need painting but can't find the time to do it.

 

[Co1]

Thanks. I’m really pleased with it. To say I only paid £90 for it, it’s probably cost another £90 in paint, a quill spring, new drive belt and degreaser. Mechanically it is superb, so at £180 all in I would imagine it will out live me!!

 

[bilspe]

Nice to see another classic being restored and used.
It's a great drill, love mine, better than the new Chinese junk.
Like others have said, I just left it all original but was lucky to get a 240v one. Don't think I've ever felt the need to change belt position but everyone's mileage is different.

During the restoration, while dismantling, it rolled off the workbench onto a concrete floor and the cast table snapped like a biscuit ! Fortunately managed to move my feet away quick enough, and fortunately found someone selling parts on Ebad and got another table, (with no pockmarks either).

A common gripe with these Fobcos is the very short pinch-bolt lever which clamps the table. Not enough leverage to tighten or undo

 

[Co1]

Very nice! Where did you get the cork gaskets on the pillar from? Need to get me some!!

 

[bilspe]

Very nice! Where did you get the cork gaskets on the pillar from? Need to get me some!!

They're leather. Just cut them out freehand from a sheet

 

[Fitzroy]

Nice to see another classic being restored and used.
It's a great drill, love mine, better than the new Chinese junk.
Like others have said, I just left it all original but was lucky to get a 240v one. Don't think I've ever felt the need to change belt position but everyone's mileage is different.

During the restoration, while dismantling, it rolled off the workbench onto a concrete floor and the cast table snapped like a biscuit ! Fortunately managed to move my feet away quick enough, and fortunately found someone selling parts on Ebad and got another table, (with no pockmarks either).

A common gripe with these Fobcos is the very short pinch-bolt lever which clamps the table. Not enough leverage to tighten or undoView attachment 193111

hmm interesting, my fobco star has 3/4" hex dome nuts on the table, collar and head securing bolts rather than the chrome handles on yours. As a result I have a 3/4 spanner continually hanging off one of those nuts. I shall have to see if I can get some of those chrome handles they look a much better solution!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yeah ..... the little lever on my Meddings is near useless as well.

 

[Co1]

The chrome handle on the table is useless, you can’t get enough purchase on it. I was thinking of going down the bolt and spanner route!!

 

[bilspe]

hmm interesting, my fobco star has 3/4" hex dome nuts on the table, collar and head securing bolts rather than the chrome handles on yours. As a result I have a 3/4 spanner continually hanging off one of those nuts. I shall have to see if I can get some of those chrome handles they look a much better solution!

I thinks the chrome plated short levers are the original Fobco ones. I can tighten mine ok but have a block of wood nearby to use as a mallet for undoing !
There was a guy on ebay not so long ago who was making nicely machined long handles, and quill handles specifically for the Fobco Star; expensive though

 

[NiallD]

I imagine with the age of a Fobco star, it'll be an imperial size motor so you can't just swap in a modern metric one without modifying the mount and boring or sleeving the motor pulley.
You should still be able to get a single phase imperial easy enough but you may have to pay a bit for it.

I picked up a nice Elliot New Progress number 1 drill , years ago, from the toolroom at Paramo tools in Rotherham when they went bust and everything got auctioned- in the days when you had to turn up in person in your muckies. I stood stood there like the Statue of Liberty with my bid card in my hand- mine for £ 25 .00 ! This had a 3 phase motor on the back- I took the pulley block to DM Keithley in Stanningley - sadly no more . I bought a 1 ph 1/2 horse motor and they took a reamer- on the spot- and eased the hole in the block out to take the new motor spindle. Has been an essential piece of kit ever since.

 

[NiallD]

BTW the New progress is very , very similar to the Fobco Star- I think there was some manufacturing tie -up between the two companies.