Craftsman Drill Press

[FrankLee]

Powr-Kraft Motor 84 DP 4551 - cont'd

Because of how this motor was assembled, the switch-side end cap was much more difficult.

I could not push the rotor through the bearing on the switch side, so I had to loosen the end cap to see what was going on.

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This is very different than anything I've ever seen before.

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I had to start removing parts with very little space...

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and discovered that the bearing was secured to the end cap with screws and washers. But why didn't the rotor shaft press out of the bearing?

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[FrankLee]

Powr-Kraft Motor 84 DP 4551 - cont'd

I was able to remove one screw, but the other screw slot got messed up. This was the last screw to remove, so I had nothing to lose by forcing the bearing past the screw.

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Now that all major components were separated, it was time to pull the bearings off the rotor. A sleeve was installed on the outboard side of both bearings. It seemed like it took every bit of my 10 ton Proto puller to remove the bearing and sleeve on the governor side of the rotor.

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The bearing on the fan side would not budge even after Liquid Wrench and plenty of heat. The outer race eventually shattered and pieces flew across the shop.

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I had to cut slits in the sleeve with a Dremel and use a nut splitter to crack it loose. The bearing seemed to be a slip fit.

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I don't know what they used to install those sleeves, but I think they were pressed on tightly. I'm also not sure what purpose they served since the outer races of both bearings were fully seated in their bores in the end caps

 

[FrankLee]

Powr-Kraft Motor 84 DP 4551 - cont'd

The bearings are off. These are part number 88013, 13mm x 32mm x 0.394mm with an extended inner race on each side. I ordered them from Accurate for a decent price, but ugh, that was not a good experience.

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Here is the switch-side end cap. It is quite full.

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There are two 70-95 mfd capacitors wired in parallel. These capacitors are quite small; 1.125" diameter by 2.625" long. I could not find exact replacements, so anything new would have to be installed externally.

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The F/R switch is a Cutler-Hammer part, but no specs printed on it. It is pre-wired with eight terminals and four wire leads. I could not find a replacement for this either. The toggle is bent a bit, but it still works fine.

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The terminal board has two switch contact points. The thermal switch is integrated onto the board.

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This stamped metal piece has the matching contact points and rocks on the board to open and close the capacitor circuit. More on that later.

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So, the new bearings arrived... finally, and I reassembled the motor. It looks and runs great, except...

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[FrankLee]

Powr-Kraft Motor 84 DP 4551 - cont'd

After assembling the motor, I installed it onto a Craftsman 100 drill press. I switched it on and off several times, forward and reverse. All is good.

I switched it on once more and nothing... no start. ****! I turned the rotor by hand and it came to life. This is exactly what the seller described.

I mulled this over for a few days trying to figure out how I'm going to install a new capacitor.


Back to diagnosis... Those two switch contacts on the board are accessible from the outside.

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I checked continuity and got a good reading.

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But when I rotated the shaft, the circuit would open on every rotation. I'm onto something.

I cracked open the motor again and inserted the rotor into the end cap.

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The photo below shows how the governor and switch interact with each other.

A felt disk with centrifugal weight (red arrow) is attached to the rotor with a spring and pin. It rides on the cone of the stamped metal switch lever.

With power off, the felt disk is at the top of the cone pressing down the contacts (orange arrows) closing the cap circuit. At this point, the contacts act as fulcrum points and the spring on the bolt at the far right is compressed.

When power is switched on, the weight is flung out off the cone. The spring under the small screw at the right lifts the switch lever off the contacts and opens the cap circuit. The small divots (green arrows) now act as fulcrum points.

When power is switched off, the felt disk is pushed sideways against the cone and lowers the cone which closes the cap circuit for the next start.

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Below is a video showing this in action.

In my case, the switch lever mechanism undulates as the rotor turns. Somehow, the cent circuit opens for a short duration on every rotation. Each time the motor did not start, the felt disk landed on that open-circuit spot from previous stop. To fix this, I simply bent the cone up slightly. So simple.

The real key to solving this was to insert the rotor into the end cap and observe how it operates.

 

[FrankLee]

Powr-Kraft Motor 84 DP 4551 - cont'd

I don't know who manufactured Powr-Kraft motors, but they are among the nicest looking of the era. Those beauty rings serve no other purpose than aesthetics. Other models have nice details also. Despite their appearance, I am not a fan of that goofy centrifugal switch design.

 

[FrankLee]

I bought another 115.7575 today. This one has a couple issues, but with parts from yesterday's buy, I'll have a very nice refurb.

I'm making slow but steady progress on this refurb. Today's milestone was a very nice running motor. Nothing else is painted yet.

 

[FrankLee]

So, these 115.7575 1/2 hp cast iron grinders came equipped with rather nice Vimco gooseneck lamps. The shades are bakelite and some of the lamp socket housing and fittings are solid brass. Below is the Vimco lamp from my 115.7575#3. They clean up very nicely and rival the Delta machine lamps.

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These lamps are somewhat difficult to thoroughly polish because the brass components of the assembly cannot be disassembled.

However, with 115.7575#4, I discovered that some of the brass parts are both threaded together and soldered. Apparently, the solder failed on this one; likely from the PO turning the shade too much.

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This prompted me to take a closer look at the assembly on 115.7575#5. I used a torch to dismantle these.

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This made it much easier to buff and polish all brass parts.

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I'm not sure whether I'll re-solder them back together or just use a thread locker.


Now, if I could only find someone to 3D print a couple shades.

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[FrankLee]

I really like these 90-degree Vimco lamp sockets. They adjust and swivel very easily and the light from a PAR16 led bulb targets the tool rests perfectly.

I swapped out my Woodward gooseneck lamp with this Vimco gooseneck lamp. Because the bakelite shades were fubar, I just painted the back of the LED bulb.

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[FrankLee]

I took advantage of the unseasonably mild weather this week and was able to paint the remaining parts from the 115.7575 grinder. I'll wait until Saturday to assemble.

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[FrankLee]

LoL!

My wife and I watched the movie Pearl Harbor (2001) last night.

I was surprised to catch a glimpse of a 1951 Craftsman 100 in a December 7, 1941 setting.

1:38:30

 

[FrankLee]

I picked up this drill press yesterday, DP#147. I knew there were missing parts and, because of his $30 asking price, there must be more issues.

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I wasn't wrong, but it's a very interesting case study.

It's a model 103.24501 from the early '60s. It was repainted twice.
There is an asset tag on the front edge of the table from H.I.I., a U.S. defense contractor/ship builder.

The motor is not original to the machine; its date code is 6 56. It's a model 115.19801, 1/2 hp, 3450 rpm which is inappropriate for a drill press. It runs decently, but is typically dirty, loud and needs a new cord. I do believe it will clean-up nicely.

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missing oem parts:

• feed stop rod and rapid-adjust collar
• feed return spring
• motor mount stud and clip parts
• one feed handle rod/knob
• knurled pin for the spring/pinion/hub
• quill lock assembly
• chuck key
• rubber and steel spindle washers
  

fubar/modified/wtf parts:

• Because the oem spring was missing, a custom spring-return system was added.
  The feed stop bracket was repurposed as an anchor on the quill for a long extension spring. The other end of the spring was attached to a steel plate resting inside top of the head casting.
  
  
  
  
• Also because the oem spring was missing, a groove was cut into the pinion shaft and a hole was drilled/tapped on the right side of the head casting for a dog-point set screw... very similar to the earlier drill presses.
  
  
  
• Both holes in the hub for the spring/pinion pin are cracked and a large crack from the pinion shaft. A worm clamp held it together.
  
  
  
• The gear end of the pinion shaft was tapped and some kind of plug inserted. I'm not sure what was intended here. I tried to remove it, but it wouldn't budge.
  
  
  
• Both spindle pulley retaining screws were bent/damaged. I don't understand how this could happen on a 150 with the snap ring on the lower quill. One screw head slot was damaged and the remaining portion of the screw is still stuck in the head casting.
  
  
  
• The head trim panel is scraped and worn.
  
  
  
• The chuck jaws were difficult to extend and remove. I believe the nose of the chuck body is mushroomed inward.
  

good parts:

• There are lots of extra holes in the head casting, but there are no cracks.
• There are lots of intended and unintended holes in the table, but it is still good.
• The base and column are very rusty, but usable.
• head and table lock assemblies
• feed stop bracket
• two feed handles/knobs
• quill
• spindle (runout is 0.005", but I'm confident I can improve that)
• spindle pulley
  

bonus parts:

• a heavy-duty Allen Bradly On/Off switch was included
• a Cutler-Hammer keyed On/Off switch with a Briggs & Stratton key was included
  

 

[FrankLee]

So this machine is just nasty. It looks like the base spent some time under water.

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I wasn't so sure it could be extracted, but here's how I got the column out of the base.

I have a few Proto pullers that are all threaded 9/16-12. I used a 36", 9/16" threaded rod through the column, a couple of old column collars and large washers to force the base UP the column. It worked rather well. It also works on a floor-standing drill press using a second 36", 9/16" all-thread and a coupling nut.

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A wider collar for part two.

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After the base is far enough "up" the column, the rustiest stuff was cleaned off and the base could be removed "down" and off the column.

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This will sit until spring when I can use electrolysis to remove the rust. I think this is too badly rusted for citric acid.

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[FrankLee]

I also dismantled, cleaned, lubed and reassembled the chuck. It didn't work any better and is beyond saving.

I was able to reduce run-out on the spindle taper from ~0.005" ...

... to under 0.001".

I cleaned the spindle, but I've never seen splines worn so badly. The splines in the spindle pulley do not have any obvious wear.

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[y'sguy]

Nice work, Frank. It makes one appreciate the good ones that still may be around. There is a floor model DP for sale on MP about 50 miles from me. Asking 200 and it is sitting outside at a flea market-type place. For some reason, I still think I want a floor model. My table model looks and works fine for all I do. The floor model even at 100 would be questionable to me at this point.

 

[FrankLee]

Nice work, Frank. It makes one appreciate the good ones that still may be around.

Yes it does.
This one was so fup'd, there are very few good parts. It was such an interesting machine, I don't regret spending the $15 on it.

 

[Outlawmws]

Nice work, Frank. It makes one appreciate the good ones that still may be around. There is a floor model DP for sale on MP about 50 miles from me. Asking 200 and it is sitting outside at a flea market-type place. For some reason, I still think I want a floor model. My table model looks and works fine for all I do. The floor model even at 100 would be questionable to me at this point.

5-6 ft of the right size tubing and you have a floor model from your bench model...

 

[subroc]

Frank, that wear is epic. Any indication during use?

 

[Outlawmws]

I'd bet whoever had that DP made a habit of chattering drills as they used it.

 

[FrankLee]

Frank, that wear is epic. Any indication during use?

I'll have it ready to test later this afternoon.

The wear begins near 3" from the spindle collar, so into the deeper feed range.

 

[FrankLee]

Frank, that wear is epic. Any indication during use?

I'll have it ready to test later this afternoon.

The wear begins near 3" from the spindle collar, so into the deeper feed range.

I drilled a 1" hole through a piece of 3/4" plywood with a spade bit. There were no issues with the worn spindle.

I did have an issue with the feed return spring and the pinion retaining screw. I had this issue a while back and described the problem and solution in the link below. My resolution on this dp was slightly different, but the gist was the same.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/craftsman-drill-press.227480/page-131#post-10427994

 

[FrankLee]

HEADS-UP!

I wish I had the energy (or help) to get this one with a table lift and several extra goodies. Someone should grab it.

Facebook

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[FrankLee]

A Better(?) Way to Tension the Feed Return Spring

I did have an issue with the feed return spring and the pinion retaining screw. I had this issue a while back and described the problem and solution in the link below. My resolution on this dp was slightly different, but the gist was the same.

Craftsman Drill Press

@Outlawmws I'll let Frank speak for himself, I know he's had a couple vari-slo's as I have had, both solid bar and I-beam type models. The kindest word I can come up with for the vari-slo is finicky. Others may have better experiences, but the MSA is so much more practical and low maintenance. I...

www.garagejournal.com

So, I installed the spindle pulley assembly and the quill/spindle assembly from DP#147 into DP#146.

As I mentioned above, after tensioning the spring, the feed return was sluggish. The quill would return halfway up and then stop. Increasing the tension did not help feed return. I also had this issue on DP#137, a 12-1/4" Dunlap and figured out why it happened. However, the solution I used on DP#137 would not work on an 80, 100 or 150.



This morning, I was able to recreate the sluggish feed return on DP#146.

I released the tension and re-tensioned the spring without making any adjustments. Notice how far to the left the spring sits.


This video shows the problem. The spring is pressing the pinion so tightly against the pinion retaining screw that the quill gets "stuck".

How I fixed it:

1. I released the tension on the spring and removed the tension knob.
2. I grabbed the tang of the spring with needle-nose pliers and stretched the spring out about 1/2".
   
   
   
3. I inserted a thin piece of metal strap into the spring to prevent it from retracting.
   
   
   
4. I re-inserted the knob and turned it CCW about a half turn and locked the knob. Notice that the spring is now bottomed-out into the prongs.
   
   
   
5. I removed the metal strap and continued to tension the spring.
   

This video shows the much improved feed return.

This technique will work on all 12-1/4", 13-1/2" and 15-1/2" drill presses with the external spring tension knob. I'll be using this spring tension method on all future machines.

I used this piece of ~0.018" ss strapping, but a feeler gauge, a 6" machinist rule, a hack saw blade or something of similar thickness will work well.

 

[FrankLee]

HEADS-UP!

I wish I had the energy (or help) to get this one with a table lift and several extra goodies. Someone should grab it.

Facebook

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Well, I tried, but I couldn't resist.

DP#148 is a Craftsman-branded Atlas machine in rough shape. The model number is 101.24830. The motor is a 115.6962 with date code J1 47.

Besides the H&TL(#10) and the alfa-class belt cover, it came with an MSA, a Dunlap vise, a mortise hold-down, a column collar and a generic 4-step cone pulley.



1/21/2025

I have the head cleaned and reassembled.


The MSA is sale pending.


The H&TL came apart nicely.


I think I'm going to re-paint the H&TL and swap it onto my keeper drill press.

 

[FrankLee]

DP#148 came with the very common Packard 115.6962 motor. It has a date code of J1 47.

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This morning, I dismantled the motor. I gotta say that this is the strangest 6962 motor I've ever seen.

The bottom cover is gray. The bearing felt covers and the switch shield are painted black... a combination I've never seen.

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All eight bearing cover machine screws have round heads instead of fillister heads. I've never seen that before.

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There were four shim/spacer washers on the switch side of the rotor shaft

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There's no evidence to believe that these parts did not come like this from the factory.


There were two spring washers on the fan end. I presume they were misaligned and got deformed when the bearing cover was installed. They were stuck together as shown when I pulled them off the shaft.

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The bearing shield and felt cover on the switch side were deformed and bulging out. I have seen this before, but not to this degree.

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The bearing was protruding from the end cap and seized in that position. The shaft slid out of the bearing before the bearing was removed.

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Just when you think you've seen it all, you haven't.

 

[FrankLee]

I gotta say that this is the strangest 6962 motor I've ever seen.

I got the motor straightened out and back together with good parts. It runs great!




The MSA is sold which recouped my entire investment in the rest of the drill press and accessories.


The table lift is coming along nicely.






The Dunlap vise and mortise hold-down/fence are cleaned.

 

[FrankLee]

More lift progress.

Ready for masking and final prep for paint.

 

[FrankLee]

No more progress on the lift this week... still too cold to paint.

I installed the motor on the head assembly. It tested great.

I also got the column done; extracted, de-greased, de-rusted and polished. The column extraction from the base was the typical pita on these Atlas machines. There are some areas of pitting near the bottom, but it cleaned up well otherwise.

I'll need my angle grinder with a stripping disk to clean the base for painting... another outdoor project delayed by weather.

after 24 hr citric acid bath


sanding/polishing on the lathe


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It's not directly related to DP#148, but this week I bought a new single shelf from FB for my parts rack. It was getting out of hand and needed some reorganization.

 

[RHJO51]

Hi Folks, I posted this over on OWWM but thought I'd share here too.

I needed another Craftsman drill Press like I need another hole in my head, but I saw an ad for a Craftsman 100 series bench top drill press which included a interesting table lift. $50. There are 3 two piece collars and a retainer that is attached to the table. The top collar assembly was attached to the head by two bolts. The unit seemed to work fine but I didn't want to move it much as the works was pretty gunked up. No markings that I can see. I thought it was an after market item but now thinking custom made? It's very nicely made. If custom someone put a lot of work into this one. There was also a safety collar thats the same two piece set up, Brass or bronze lift handle. Thoughts? Thanks!

 

[RHJO51]

More pics

 

[FrankLee]

Hi Folks, I posted this over on OWWM but thought I'd share here too.

I needed another Craftsman drill Press like I need another hole in my head, but I saw an ad for a Craftsman 100 series bench top drill press which included a interesting table lift. $50. There are 3 two piece collars and a retainer that is attached to the table. The top collar assembly was attached to the head by two bolts. The unit seemed to work fine but I didn't want to move it much as the works was pretty gunked up. No markings that I can see. I thought it was an after market item but now thinking custom made? It's very nicely made. If custom someone put a lot of work into this one. There was also a safety collar thats the same two piece set up, Brass or bronze lift handle. Thoughts? Thanks!

I saw it over there. My swaq is also a one-off custom home/shop-made piece.

IMO, it's somewhat crude for a mass-produced piece, but was well made.
Reasons I think it's a custom piece:

• the crank/pinion shaft supports are bolted on
• parts are bolted to the head casting and the table support
• the flanges are screwed to the column clamps

On the other hand, this is a rather sophisticated feature. It allows the table to turn from side-to-side.


Did the seller offer any history of the machine?

What's with that lever handle on the right side of the head casting?

 

[Outlawmws]

Well thought out and executed - I'm wondering if it may have been a prototype that just never made it to production?

 

[RHJO51]

Hi, thanks for the response. Unfortunately the PO didn’t have any history, I believe he got th DP as part of a clean out. That odd lever on the side of the head was used for tightening the motor mount. The DP is missing the original mount and the PO has the motor mounted on some kind of plate - not sure why. I need to take a better look. When is saw the DP for sale I thought I could put this lift on a nice 150 I refurbished several years ago. I’m not as young as I used to be and I thought having the lift would be helpful. I had purchased another 150 that had a very nice Atlas lift but it turned out to have a trashed zamac gear in the housing so that lift is on the shelf… I need to think if it makes sense to try and fit this new lift on the 150 or just refurb this nice 100 and move it on.

 

[Outlawmws]

Fit it to yours, refurb the donor. and move it on...

 

[FrankLee]

This morning, I went to check out this 150 at an estate sale. It was marked $150 on the first day of the sale, not terrible, but the feed stop assembly was missing, the motor was not original and the original chuck was replaced with an import keyless. I didn't buy it.

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I found the original chuck elsewhere, but could not find the feed stop assembly.

I did hit the estate sale lottery and found a new, unopened can of Johnson Paste Wax (bottom photo) for $4. LoL!

Ridiculous is an understatement. WTF?
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1286830535831880

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[Gimourisgod]

Looking for the quill return spring for a Craftsman Model #103.23640, 13.5" press. Found a guy on Ebay who has what looks like the same spring, listed as part #22623 in the original exploded parts diagram, but he's not sure it will fit in my press. The existing one looks just like the diagram, with a loop at one end and a flat leg at the other that gets engaged by the return spring tension knob. Anybody got a lead on where I could find one?

 

[FrankLee]

Looking for the quill return spring for a Craftsman Model #103.23640, 13.5" press. Found a guy on Ebay who has what looks like the same spring, listed as part #22623 in the original exploded parts diagram, but he's not sure it will fit in my press. The existing one looks just like the diagram, with a loop at one end and a flat leg at the other that gets engaged by the return spring tension knob. Anybody got a lead on where I could find one?

The 12-1/4", 13-1/2" and early 15-1/2" drill presses all use the loop and tang spring. The 12-1/4" and the 15-1/2" drill presses use the identical spring. The oem spring for the 13-1/2" drill press is longer and less common.

However, the 13-1/2" drill press can be slightly modified to accept the shorter spring. See my quote below.

I do have a shorter loop & tang spring available.

FS: Craftsman 80/100/150 Drill Press Parts & More

I've got lots of King-Seeley and Emerson Craftsman drill press parts. Craftsman 80, 100, 150; 12-1/4", 13-1/2", 15-1/2". Lots of Craftsman 115.6962 motor parts. Some parts shown are for table saws/band saws/jointers/grinders flanges. If you don't see it here, ask. I do have a couple cast...

www.garagejournal.com

---

QUOTE="FrankLee"

02/02/2021

Feed Return Springs

If you've been following along, you know that these classic Craftsman drill presses use a coil torsion spring for feed return. The smaller 12-1/4" drill press and the larger 15-1/2" drill press both use the same 4" spring. The mid-size 13-1/2" drill presses use a 5" spring.

I believe that many more 15-1/2" drill presses were sold than the 13-1/2" models. That means that fewer good used parts are available and therefore, more difficult to come by for the mid-size machines.

I received a question overnight asking whether a 4" spring will fit in a 13-1/2" machine. The technical answer is no, but it is not difficult at all to make it work.

Below is a picture of a pinion assembly from a 12-1/4" machine. The spring loop is held in place with a 3/16" x 1-1/4" long spring pin. The spring pin hole is 4-3/16" from the end of the pinion shaft.

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The pinion assembly from a 13-1/2" machine is at the bottom of the picture below. The spring loop is held in place with a loose fitting solid pin through the small portion of the end knob. The pin is held captive in the knob when the knob is inserted into the end of the pinion shaft.

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It's a simple process to drill a new 3/16" hole for a spring pin through the pinion shaft of a Craftsman 13-1/2" drill press. Moving the pin and using the shorter spring has no effect on the feed handle rod.

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The 4" spring will work just fine on a Craftsman 80 and may be easier to find.

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[FrankLee]

@Gimourisgod, please post a photo of your spring.

Also, please post a link to the ebay auction.

 

[Hoorn]

Deals can still be had. I am second in line and don't believe first in line will pass this one up. This 100 literally has the trifecta of accessories.

It appears the vari-slo may have some issues, particularly with the "screw" handle, and the manner in which the lift is mounted makes me wonder if the gears have disintegrated, but at that price I would take a chance, no brainer.

The XY table looks very complete.

 

[Outlawmws]

X-Y table has the vise, a plus, but not the table's bolt on vise jaws.

 

[FrankLee]

Deals can still be had. I am second in line and don't believe first in line will pass this one up. This 100 literally has the trifecta of accessories.

It appears the vari-slo may have some issues, particularly with the "screw" handle, and the manner in which the lift is mounted makes me wonder if the gears have disintegrated, but at that price I would take a chance, no brainer.

The XY table looks very complete.

Wow!

It looks like the clamping pad is missing from the V-S. The head lock cylinders were swapped with the table lock. The screw cover may be missing from the X-Y. Lift is unknown. Not the best repaint. Nice vise on the X-Y. Yep, worth the risk.