Picked up a Craftsman Benchtop Drill Press

[87Pomona]

Scored this Craftsman 1/2HP Benchtop Drill Press this afternoon. Just got it home, unloaded and snapped a few pictures.

I've been wanting an old Craftsman Drill press for awhile now. It was around a 2 hr roundtrip, but worth it. The model number is 103.23641. I searched and didnt really find alot of info on these presses like there is on the 150's. This press came with a 1/2" chuck.

Any info/history on this press is appreciated!

 

[JasonW]

Looks to be an early to mid 50's Craftsman Model 80 drill press. This would predate the model 150 and would have been sold side by side the Model 100 which was all but identical to the 150 as near as I can tell. The model 80 was slightly smaller and for most of its life, sported a two prong handle rather than three. Looks to be in good shape. The tilt table you have there would have most likely been an upgrade. They are nice solid drill presses. I am really curious why you have a cord clamp sticking out of the top of the column though.

Found you a link to the user guide (1952)
http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=5181

 

[Outlawmws]

What size is the column? it could still be a 100...

 

[87Pomona]

Column is 2 1/4"?

 

[balane]

Very nice! You're going to love it and it will be a fun restore. I love mine, it was a boat anchor when I got it and now it's one of the best running tools I have. Mine looks extremely similar to yours.

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[87Pomona]

Very nice! You're going to love it and it will be a fun restore. I love mine, it was a boat anchor when I got it and now it's one of the best running tools I have. Mine looks extremely similar to yours.

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There's a couple things that are different but very similar. How hard are these things to breakdown/restore?

 

[balane]

Well mine was a rusted mess, in far worse condition than yours so mine presented unique challenges. I had missing parts and many stuck, non-functioning pieces.

That said, as far as drill presses go it's fairly straight forward. Take lots of pictures before and during to aid you in reassembly. Be organized with your parts. Take things in little event windows and move along with a plan. Get a part, or a group of parts, to where you like them and move on. I can't stress how helpful it is to have lots of reference photos of your press before you take something apart. In the end expect to take it apart a few times and get things adjusted to perform well.

Then, at the end, you will suddenly have a perfect running machine that will give you years of excellent performance.

 

[87Pomona]

Well mine was a rusted mess, in far worse condition than yours so mine presented unique challenges. I had missing parts and many stuck, non-functioning pieces.

That said, as far as drill presses go it's fairly straight forward. Take lots of pictures before and during to aid you in reassembly. Be organized with your parts. Take things in little event windows and move along with a plan. Get a part, or a group of parts, to where you like them and move on. I can't stress how helpful it is to have lots of reference photos of your press before you take something apart. In the end expect to take it apart a few times and get things adjusted to perform well.

Then, at the end, you will suddenly have a perfect running machine that will give you years of excellent performance.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[Outlawmws]

Column is 2 1/4"?

Yep, that confirms it's an 80. main difference is the column size and the throat is 6-3/4"instead of 7-1/2. Its still and all ball bearing spindle though unlike some of the Dunlap series where most, if nor all the bearings were bushings.

 

[Outlawmws]

These are easily rebuilt and cleaned up. I would suggest using either med steel wool and oil, or a light wire wheeling on the column before trying to pull the table off however,as that will make it much easier to get off, and if there are any dings in the column, stone the raised part off with a sharpening stone.

Your table is a nice clean one too! No "Arc of shame"!

 

[87Pomona]

Yep, that confirms it's an 80. main difference is the column size and the throat is 6-3/4"instead of 7-1/2. Its still and all ball bearing spindle though unlike some of the Dunlap series where most, if nor all the bearings were bushings.

How does this 80 press compare to the popular 150?

 

[87Pomona]

These are easily rebuilt and cleaned up. I would suggest using either med steel wool and oil, or a light wire wheeling on the column before trying to pull the table off however,as that will make it much easier to get off, and if there are any dings in the column, stone the raised part off with a sharpening stone.

Your table is a nice clean one too! No "Arc of shame"!

The clean table was the first thing the seller pointed out.

What type of oil do you suggest to use with the steel wool?

 

[m_hatcher]

I picked one of these up a while back and have been working on it to get it better than new. I found the manual for mine but mine is a 103.23640. I do not know what the difference is but here is a link to the book for mine if it helps

http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=3128

Looking forward to restore photos

 

[Outlawmws]

Not that much difference:

1"in the throat depth, 1/4" for spindle travel, column Dia ia 1/2" bigger, table size is 1" bigger,

 

[Outlawmws]

The clean table was the first thing the seller pointed out.

What type of oil do you suggest to use with the steel wool?

Almost anything will work from30W to WD-40, but I think "real" oil is better than WD...

 

[John11]

Great post on these vintage craftsman drill presses. Just picked up an 80 for refurbish.