Radial Drill

This machine is called a radial drill because it can rotate around its centre column. This is a very versatile tool because the drill and be moved along the horizontal arm and the arm itself can be moved up and down as well as rotating around the centre column.

This particular machine was used in the engineering workshop at Kingshill Colliery, Lanarkshire. It is missing its gearbox, which was bolted to the rear of the table.

There are two larger radial drills on display in the Engineering Pavilion at Summerlee.

Bradson Drilling Machine

This Bradson drill came to Summerlee Museum from Tambowie Smithy near Milngavie.

Originally powered by a drive belt from an overhead line shaft, the drill has been fitted with its own electric motor at some later stage. The motor has not been geared down so the drill bit would have run faster than needed.

The village smithy traditionally carried out a wide range of work and not just shoe-ing horses. With the arrival of the motor car many blacksmiths became country garages.

Portable Drilling Machine

This drill was one of two large portable drills used in the Coatbank Engine Works of Murray and Paterson.

These very versatile drills could be lifted by an overhead crane inside the factory and moved to where they were needed. This was very useful because sometimes it was not possible to transport the thing being built to one of the larger fixed drilling machines.



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This drill was made in the 1960s to replace a very similar model by the same maker, Asquith which by then had been taken over by the Staveley Machine Tool Company.

Here you can see the two mobile drills inside the works. Murray and Paterson were one of the biggest engineering firms in Coatbridge. They made machinery for the iron and steel industries and also built rudders for ships.