Turn a metal tool into a wood working tool

[TheRic]

In general can I buy an old drill press, band saw, lathe, etc. that was used for metal and use it for wood working? I would think the oil and grease could be cleaned off, or is there still a residue? If the oil and grease can be cleaned off, what is a good method??

[LCHIEN]

In general can I buy an old drill press, band saw, lathe, etc. that was used for metal and use it for wood working? I would think the oil and grease could be cleaned off, or is there still a residue? If the oil and grease can be cleaned off, what is a good method??

generally metalworking woodworking drill presses can be interchanged. You need to make sure the speeds range from 150 or 300 (some only go to 600 rpm) on the low end to around 3000 RPM on the high end.
Metalworking DPs sometimes have funny round tables and fluid pats for drainage but that can be worked around.

Metalworking BS may be a different problem. I think the speeds are different. Maybe there are other problems, don't really know. Better stick to WW bandsaws.

Don't really know too much about lathes, but I think the speeds may be different also.

[Tom Slick]

generally metalworking woodworking drill presses can be interchanged. You need to make sure the speeds range from 150 or 300 (some only go to 600 rpm) on the low end to around 3000 RPM on the high end.
Metalworking DPs sometimes have funny round tables and fluid pats for drainage but that can be worked around.

Metalworking BS may be a different problem. I think the speeds are different. Maybe there are other problems, don't really know. Better stick to WW bandsaws.

Don't really know too much about lathes, but I think the speeds may be different also.

All of that advice is correct, I deal with metal/wood working machines on a daily basis. the main difference is the speed that they work. your average speed for a wood bandsaw might be 3000, on a metal bandsaw it might be 1000 or less. the drill press speeds may be lower also.

[vaking]

Lathe for metal is seriously different from wood lathe. People usually don't cut metal with hand-held cutter. While woodworking lathe has only a tool rest and the actual cutter is in your hands - lathe for methal has the mounting for the cutter and ability to move that cutter along the spindle and other fine adjustments. Metal lathe is usually many times more expensive.

[scorrpio]

Another issue is capacity. Take two lathes of about same size - the woodworking one might let you turn a 12" diameter bowl, whereas metal one will be nowhere near that. A metal lathe sized to handle 12" diameter items will likely be 4x larger and weigh a couple tons more. Ditto for bandsaws.

[TheRic]

Thanks for answers!! If the item can do wood and metal, or is a wood version and was used for metal can it be cleaned / used for wood?? Would the oil, grease, lubricant, etc leave traces on the wood?

Can a general purpose drill press be used for wood and metal interchangeably? How with out ruining the wood? Just a quick wipe down, or a total cleaning, or maybe a cover on the table?

[LCHIEN]

Thanks for answers!! If the item can do wood and metal, or is a wood version and was used for metal can it be cleaned / used for wood?? Would the oil, grease, lubricant, etc leave traces on the wood?

Can a general purpose drill press be used for wood and metal interchangeably? How with out ruining the wood? Just a quick wipe down, or a total cleaning, or maybe a cover on the table?

Drill press is probably the only tool that can be used interchageably.
I'm sure cleaning it/wiping it down with some solvents would remove the oil and grease.
Like Mineral spirits might be the first thing I try. Some WD-40 if its rusty.
Then you'll need to wax it and use some rust repellent like Boeshield T-9