Pillar Drill price help.

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Dave31

Dave31

Well-Known Member
Supporter
Hello all,

I thought I'd lean on the collective wisdom. I have inherited an old Meddings drill press that I don't need and is taking up too much bench space in the garage.

It's a bit rusty and needs some TLC but it does turn.

I have had a look on the normal selling sites but prices seem to vary between 50 quid for unknown brands and upwards of 500 quid.

I don't know much about these, so if anyone can give me a steer for what would be a fair ask, then I would appreciate it. 20250816_192454.webp20250816_192505.webp
 
It has the chuck key which is the second most most important thing. But what it doesn't have though is the first most. Its movable platen like drill this pictured below. Without the platen it is effectively a doorstop. Or it would be for me.

And note that the taller the pillar the greater the range that the platen can go up and down.

You can drill shallow holes in not very deep items on a pillar drill and deep holes in long items (think deep boring the rear of a gunstock to lose weight) on a pillar drill with a tall pillar so these tend to make the most money. Short pillar, small capacity chuck, no platen? Not at all as desirable.

At auction, where mine came from a local to me old school weekly chattel auction, they make not much more that £30 if with chuck key and platen and assuming that the chuck will (as most do) take up to about 1/2" to 5/8" diameter drills.

Sorry but it won't even buy a box of bismuth cartridges if it is as shown without the platen. I got my pillar drill at auction and paid about £30. I am lucky as i have two old school chattel auction houses within five miles. My belt sander cost me £8 and my router table £26. Both work and both as ever deceased estate from men in sheds.

0e70600a-e989-45b9-8313-b31300c8e13f.jpg
 
Last edited:
enfieldspares said:
In that case you may be "in the money"! Use an internet search engine and I think you might get a smile! Swing the platen round so that your picture has the thing looking like the green one I pictured.
Click to expand...

Lovely. I did have a cursory look but struggled to find the same model. I'll get another picture up shortly.
 
Ah! The first original picture makes sense now. Yes I can see that the platen, or table, was swung over to the left. My error as the base, to my eyes and laptop resolution, looked as if it was part of the bench. Sorry!
 
I only paid £60 for this whitecote just change out the light for a GU10 and a new morris van belt runs like a Swiss watch.
Just make the room and keep it its far better than the new stuff you pay for now days.
20250817_103209.webp
 
paul o' said:
I only paid £60 for this whitecote just change out the light for a GU10 and a new morris van belt runs like a Swiss watch.
Just make the room and keep it its far better than the new stuff you pay for now days.
View attachment 433286
Click to expand...
I would, but i would say it needs a service and I really don't have the time to do that. Plus getting replacement belts ext. Ive got one of the smaller UKJ ones that you can use with a hand drill which does for everything I need.
 
Cool yup the belt was the only thing I found hard to find as most sellers done carry the older types I found mine at an old swap meeting for cars .
It's a lovely old bench unit it would fit in my workshop but I already have two lol.
 
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