Craftsmen Drill Press by King Seeley

[The Engine Ear]

I have the floor model craftsmen drill press. It was given to me by my father in law but had been sitting idle for a long time.

I’m looking for tips on restoring it to working order.

I don’t want to junk it because it’s pretty cool and my grandpa is giving me an older craftsmen table saw that will be pretty cool paired up with this.

Any tips, tricks, or processes will be appreciated.




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[454ragtop]

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=227480

 

[The Engine Ear]

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=227480

Thank you sir! I should’ve searched beforehand. The link you provided looks like it has all of the disassembly and reassembly procedures in it. I’ll look through it thoroughly tomorrow.


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[454ragtop]

Welcome to the site, and no problem, I'm not one of those "Did you do a search?" Nazis.

 

[ckadams00]

Thank you sir! I should’ve searched beforehand. The link you provided looks like it has all of the disassembly and reassembly procedures in it. I’ll look through it thoroughly tomorrow.


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Hi Engine welcome! You can spend a full day on that link LOL. Almost everything you need to know is covered, but if you have any questions just shout - I have restored about 8 of those, with a little patience they are very simple to work on. There are a FEW tricks (hidden screws, tricky spring assembly) so do a thorough read before you start pulling things apart.

Also FrankLee can answer any question you can throw out there about these things!

Here's my baby

 

[The Engine Ear]

Wow! That is a pretty machine. Thanks for sharing and the insight. I will definitely need help.






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[lafester]

like that badge.. you must have one of the early ones. Just use FrankLees guides and you will be fine.

 

[The Engine Ear]

Thanks lafester. I started the cleanup on it last night. Very excited to see what it looks like after a while.


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[Marctrees]

Don't know if it was mentioned - Marc

http://www.vintagemachinery.org/

 

[The Engine Ear]

Thanks Marc. I will look there as well.

I’ve got the table to move up and down and the spring return to work again.


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[FrankLee]

I have the floor model craftsmen drill press. It was given to me by my father in law but had been sitting idle for a long time.

I’m looking for tips on restoring it to working order.

I don’t want to junk it because it’s pretty cool and my grandpa is giving me an older craftsmen table saw that will be pretty cool paired up with this.

Any tips, tricks, or processes will be appreciated.

Hello and welcome EE.

That is a nice looking machine! It looks complete and the hold-down and guide is a nice extra. Even though it's been neglected for a long time, it is a diamond in the rough. It will clean up nicely, but may take longer and take more effort.

I really like when there is a family history with these machines. Do you have any ephemera or original paperwork?

It should be a model 103.23140 or 23141. There are several theories on what that last digit means, but I don't believe it was ever definitively deciphered.

How is the motor? Also Craftsman?

We like pictures! Please post some along the way.

 

[The Engine Ear]

I will sir!

There’s no paperwork with it unfortunately.

The motor is craftsman and it does operate. It just needs to be cleaned up.


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[The Engine Ear]

Here are some more pictures of the DP.




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[ckadams00]

Got some cleaning work ahead of you! We're here to help!

 

[Marctrees]

Good photo work !!

Sharp n crisp.

Marc

 

[The Engine Ear]

Thank y’all! I’m going to need it.

All from my iPhone 8. Haha.


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[FrankLee]

Here are some more pictures of the DP.

Thanks for the pictures.

Here are a few of my observations:

• Drill press models 103.23140/1 had a long run; post-WWII to 1955. These drill presses were sold either with or without a motor. You probably saw the date code A4 49 (1949) on the motor badge.
  
  The chuck on your machine did not come equipped with the safety collar, so your machine is pre-1952.
  
  It appears that the head frame trim panel on your machine is attached with machine screws, so that dates it to 1950 or earlier.
  
  You can conclude with some certainty that the motor came with that machine and it is a 1949 or 1950 model.
  
  
• Because of the position of the feed stop bracket on the quill and the amount of spindle sticking up above the spindle pulley, you are likely going to have some difficulty removing the spindle pulley retaining screws. See this post.
  
  
• The knob lock screw for the spring tension knob looks bent. You may be able to straighten it, but if you can't, let me know.
  
  
• Before getting too deep into refurbishing, I would check spindle run-out. If excessive, I would address that first.
  

 

[The Engine Ear]

Wow! Thanks so much.

The knob lock screw is bent. Can you tell me what each lever does specifically in that side of the DP? The one on the front appears to lock the spindle. The one on the back, I have no idea.

I will do that. Normally in my practice I would mount a mag base with an indicator but I don’t have that necessity at home. Do you have any tricks for checking runout?

Thank you so much. Full of information.


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[FrankLee]

Wow! Thanks so much.

The knob lock screw is bent. Can you tell me what each lever does specifically in that side of the DP? The one on the front appears to lock the spindle. The one on the back, I have no idea.

I will do that. Normally in my practice I would mount a mag base with an indicator but I don’t have that necessity at home. Do you have any tricks for checking runout?

Thank you so much. Full of information.


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You're welcome.

The bolt near the rear secures the motor mount. There's one bolt on each side. Loosen both bolts, push the motor further into the head frame, remove the belt, pull the motor and mount out and free of the head frame. This may be difficult due to the condition. If so, remove the motor from the mount first, then work on removing the mount from the head frame.

The larger chrome lever towards the rear is the head frame lock. It secures the head frame assembly to the column. Do not loosen that until, a) you have the head frame supported, or b) you tilt the whole drill press forward so the column is near horizontal. Because of the condition of your machine the head frame may be seized to the column. So, option b may be a better option so you can apply some rust penetrant.

The round chrome knob is for spring tension adjustment. This knob may also be stuck, but usually frees easily with a spray of penetrant.

You are correct on the quill lock.


Regarding runout... I usually run the machine with a small machined rod in the chuck and feel for wobble as it's spinning. I'm not sure that is an option for you at this point. https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6507328&post6507328

 

[The Engine Ear]

Okay, that all makes sense. I haven’t touched the rear lever because I assumed that’s what it was. Thank you!

I will try that. Just need to make sure the rod is straight so I don’t get a false runout.

I will work on it tonight.


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[ckadams00]

Whew! I'm glad FrankLee clarified the adjustment handles before you tried anything - the ONE surprise on these machines is when someone loosens the head frame lock without supporting the head and then watches it crash into the table!

I've had the best luck getting some towels or old carpet and just laying the things on their sides. I will predict that you will make your life easier if you give everything a soak with PB Blaster or similar for a few days before you start taking anything apart.

 

[The Engine Ear]

Haha. Yes sir. I’ve been soaking everything in WD-40.


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[The Engine Ear]

Runout doesn’t seem to be an issue. Looks pretty good to me. I cleaned up the post and got everything moving up and down.




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