Craftsman 150 drill press head unit disassembly (pic heavy).

[wperryford]

I have the same drill press, however the one i have has a little slop in it. does anyone know where I can find parts to rebuild it?

[gritsngumbo]

Sorry to hijack the post, but I have just been given a drill press very similar to the one dissected by the OP. The pot metal pully has been wallawed out (? is that a word) and just spins on the shaft. Anyone have an idea where I would find a replacement?

[Kenwc]

I see you also have lurking in the background an Atlas X-Y compound table.

While they are not extremely usefull they do come in handy and they have a high coolness factor.

I've restored 2 and am currently restoring a 3rd and have 1 more in the que. Nice writeup on the DP. Thanks for posting.

[evintho]

That looks awesome! I need to restore mine too but the handle on mine broke. Any idea where to purchase a new one?

I sandblasted the head unit, base and tray on my DP and painted it a gold color. Now I just need to find/make a speed reducing unit and put it back together!
Wouldn't you know it. This popped up on CL yesterday. Note the factory speed reducing unit! I just can't win!

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/tls/1904804832.html

[Kenwc]

Don't know where to get one at present but I run across old original parts like that all the time so I'll let you know if I find one. Actually...if I find it I'll just grab it and let you know and if you no longer need it I know I'll use it.

Originally Posted by evintho

That looks awesome! I need to restore mine too but the handle on mine broke. Any idea where to purchase a new one?

I sandblasted the head unit, base and tray on my DP and painted it a gold color. Now I just need to find/make a speed reducing unit and put it back together!
Wouldn't you know it. This popped up on CL yesterday. Note the factory speed reducing unit! I just can't win!

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/tls/1904804832.html

[dtjordan]

Evintho,

Thanks for your post, you inspired me to go out and do something with my Craftsman 150. Here are a couple before and after photo's. I'm waiting on a spindle that I'm hoping will replace the bent one. If not I may need to have it machined.

Regards,

dtjordan

[dtjordan]

I've been asked about what paint I used for my drill press, here is a picture of the paint, it's rustoleum "hammered". I also noticed that after I removed someones old spray job the motor housing was originally a two tone brown and gold.

[Climb On!]

Did you go with brown or a red/maroon? Its hard to tell from the photo.

[dtjordan]

Good question, the original color looks maroon but the can of paint that best matched the color was labeled as a brown. I just took one of the handles with me to the paint store and matched it up as close as possible. The brown paint on the motor and mounting plate were originally a hammer tone paint too. I thought I was in luck because Rustoleum also has a brown hammered finish but once it was sprayed out it didn't come close to matching the original color and it looked really bad against the gold paint. I decided to forgo the hammered look and stay with a paint that more closely matched the actual color.

Hope this helps.

dj

[Climb On!]

Thanks, it does.

[snowdog]

Thanks for the great post - this has been extremely useful (and the reason I discovered and joined this forum). I inherited basically the same drill press recently but sadly, it has been sitting idle in my parent's garage for at least 20 years. While rather rusted, it is too classic to give up on and this post inspired me to make a go at a restoration. The good news is that I was able to disassemble most of the head and the removed parts are cleaning up nicely. Unfortunately, the main part - the quill/spindle assembly - seems to be locked in tight to the head. I guess there is more opportunity for the rust to bind to things on that big piece than everything else. I've sprayed penetrating oil all over it and let it sit for a couple days, making several attempts to break it loose with a crowbar without any hint of movement. Does anyone have any ideas on the best way to get the thing out?

[evintho]

Glad I inspired you! I use PB Blaster or Kroil as a penetrant. Now it's been a long time but IIRC there's a couple of snap rings underneath the bearing up in the head. Check the exploded photo out on page 6 - #'s 4 and 5.

http://www.owwm.com/pubs/222/1519.pdf

That may be holding it up. Mine was pretty mangy too but I remember the quill sliding right out after everything was apart. If it ain't budging with a crowbar, somethin's holding it up.

Mine's just about finished. It's all back together except for the motor. I'm waiting for the paint on the motor casing to dry, plus I'm sicker than a dog today. Maybe tomorrow I'll finish it.

[snowdog]

Thanks for the reply - I actually just got it! After several days of soaking, I tried putting a torch to it and heating it up. I leveraged a crowbar into the teeth, held my breath, and gave it a big whack with my framing hammer. The son-of-gun moved! 10 minutes later, I had the whole thing out. Unbelievably, the quill and spindle seem quite good! The damn thing spins and sounds like it did the last time I remember using it (around 1975!). The bearings on the pulley are shot, however, so that will be my next challenge. Can't wait to see your's all put back together. I will post pictures of mine if I am so lucky!

Thanks again.

[cool50]

Originally Posted by snowdog

Thanks for the reply - I actually just got it! After several days of soaking, I tried putting a torch to it and heating it up. I leveraged a crowbar into the teeth, held my breath, and gave it a big whack with my framing hammer. The son-of-gun moved! 10 minutes later, I had the whole thing out. Unbelievably, the quill and spindle seem quite good! The damn thing spins and sounds like it did the last time I remember using it (around 1975!). The bearings on the pulley are shot, however, so that will be my next challenge. Can't wait to see your's all put back together. I will post pictures of mine if I am so lucky!

Thanks again.

Any updates?

[snowdog]

Yep - Just finished it. The only new parts needed were a couple of new bearings. I did pay a guy to sand-blast the iron to bare metal and it took 5 cans of paint (2 primer and 3 hammered black). I wet-sanded the pole myself and soaked and scrubbed all the parts to get rid of all signs of rust. I took the housing of the motor and blew it out with my air compressor and it started right up. I probably put in 30 to 40 hours of work on it but I'm very happy and proud of the results.

[jmh21586]

that is saaaaweeeet.

[Kev442]

Man, I love it when you guys restore the old stuff! My CL never has anything like this stuff.

[evintho]

Very, very nice!! I like the contrasting color! Great job!

[mrbreezeet1]

Originally Posted by snowdog

Yep - Just finished it. The only new parts needed were a couple of new bearings. I did pay a guy to sand-blast the iron to bare metal and it took 5 cans of paint (2 primer and 3 hammered black). I wet-sanded the pole myself and soaked and scrubbed all the parts to get rid of all signs of rust. I took the housing of the motor and blew it out with my air compressor and it started right up. I probably put in 30 to 40 hours of work on it but I'm very happy and proud of the results.

Looks good,
Did yours have a power switch on/with it, and what does it look like?
Thanks,
Tony

[sho92]

I have a 150 that my grandfather bought new. The on/off switch is just a simple toggle on the lamp cord style power cord. The switch is hard to reach and dangerous, I hate it. Anyone retrofit something better?

This is a great thread! My drill works fine, but it could definitely use a good cleaning. The owners manual is going to be a nice thing to have too.