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FrankLee

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sheltonfilms said:
Well I finally got a table lift!

I've been searching off and on for about 2 years for an Atlas made table lift. I know they pop up on ebay and sell for up to $600 now, but I'm not gonna pay that for one.

I searched all of FB marketplace and found one in Malden, Ill. Guy selling a 100 with lift, Heinrich Gripmaster 6" vise, and GE foot pedal for $250. Not a bad deal for the whole package if you were close by. At first he seemed open to the idea, but then the press went to a pending sale and then back to available. When I asked again, he got an attitude with me and I didn't feel like dealing with him anymore.

Switched over to Craigslist. I use search tempest and it will open up like 20-30 tabs to cover all of the US. Clicked through all of the tabs and I was down to the last 2 tabs and there was a 100 for sale with a lift for $225 in Cleveland, OH. I sent the guy a long email about how I've been looking for one and showed him my press that restored and wondered if he would be willing to remove and ship.

Next day I got a very friendly email back and he said no problem if the price is right. I didn't feel like going back and forth so I wanted to give a good fair offer (fair as in not crazy inflated just because nut jobs are paying big $$$ on ebay) that also considered his time and cost of shipping. I made my offer and he replied back that it was good to him because he could end up making more money selling both separately than together.

We exchange phone numbers and we talk on the phone a little bit. Turns out he hadn't used the lift in years when it got harder and harder to move, and he was having problems with getting the lift off. Ask FrankLee for some tips, and he suggested the pot metal locks probably weren't knocked out and were seized. Sure enough the guy said he couldn't get them out. He finally got the castings off after cleaning up the column and smacking the castings with a hammer and wood.

After it was removed he called to tell me he had a middle pulley I didn't even notice and did I want it. He said he just wanted to cover the cost of a new belt due to removing it. I gave him more than a belt would cost. It will go on my benchtop 2 handle '100' when I get back to that project.

Parts came in early in the week and sure enough the lock cylinders were stuck and i had to use my air hammer to knock them out. Definitely deformed. Luckily FrankLee had some steel cylinders and taper handles to match the handles on my press to replace them with. Thanks FrankLee.

Took my press apart today. Cleaned the column and rewaxed with Johnson Paste wax and installed. Wow this thing is nice. Moved it into different spots but ended up putting the handle on the left side at and angle so the screw clears the table (in my pictures its on the right).

So there's my experience sourcing parts across America. My advice is to get the person on the phone. To me, once I start talking to someone, I can tell if it's going to work out or not. Don't get that with email, texts, or messaging.
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I'm always happy to help! Especially those who participate and contribute to this thread; you're #5 in posts counts here.

Excellent write-up and excellent results! I'm looking forward to seeing your MSA installation. They're not very common on 13-1/2" machines.
 
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sheltonfilms

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FrankLee said:
I'm always happy to help! Especially those who participate and contribute to this thread; you're #5 in posts counts here.



Excellent write-up and excellent results! I'm looking forward to seeing your MSA installation. They're not very common on 13-1/2" machines.
Click to expand...


Im curious how do you see top contributors to a thread?




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trijeff

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Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

Never get tired of showing this one I rebuilt a few years agoc9492a7e12d86044d58d8302632cb628.jpg

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Indexmill

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Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

trijeff said:
Never get tired of showing this one I rebuilt a few years agoc9492a7e12d86044d58d8302632cb628.jpg

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Hah! It's in the wild!
 

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FrankLee

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So, a couple more Vari-Slo questions for oldironowner to bump his post count:
  • What grease did/will you use inside the bearing sleeve?
  • It appears that the lubrication hole in the bearing sleeve is not centered along the sleeve length. Which end is the top?
 
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Smokeshow69

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Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

Fantastic write up franklee! I know that the varislow assembly is not everyone’ s cup of tea but for some reason I have a fascination with them since I saw one is use! Thanks for the great write up and for posting those pictures. Not much is written about or posted about this unicorn for the KS drill press


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oldironowner

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Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

trijeff said:
Never get tired of showing this one I rebuilt a few years agoc9492a7e12d86044d58d8302632cb628.jpg

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Click to expand...

That is a nice job cleaning and polishing that Vari-Slo. I’m familiar with your work from eBay on vises and your infinity for extreme green is as strong as mine. Your vari-slo shown in the photo still has the age old problem though. The control arm that connects the speed selector arm to the sheeves via the front 3/8 shaft is worn significantly. You can tell how it’s droopy in the photo. This was a critical wear point on these assemblies. Cast aluminum pivoting on a steel shaft is an inferior setup. Which is why you’ve seen a lot of these units not survive like much of the rest of the drill presses.
 

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ttpete

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Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

oldironowner said:
That is a nice job cleaning and polishing that Vari-Slo. I’m familiar with your work from eBay on vises and your infinity for extreme green is as strong as mine. Your vari-slo shown in the photo still has the age old problem though. The control arm that connects the speed selector arm to the sheeves via the front 3/8 shaft is worn significantly. You can tell how it’s droopy in the photo. This was a critical wear point on these assemblies. Cast aluminum pivoting on a steel shaft is an inferior setup. Which is why you’ve seen a lot of these units not survive like much of the rest of the drill presses.
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It wouldn't be too difficult to put Oilite bronze bushings in those.
 
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Cruzan80

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Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

I would say yes, bearing in mind to check for other things like runout. It is a smaller press, "80" vs "100", unless someone swapped the feed hub out for a two handed model.

Edit. From the last picture, it looks like the belt isnt level. Check the condition of the pullies and the bearings. Not enough to say "Dont Buy", just check it out thoroughly.

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sheltonfilms

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Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

Great deal if you ask me. Table is immaculate (no arc of shame).

Yes it’s an 80 but the only real difference is throat and handle.

The sliding handles vs the Tri spoke is stronger to me due to no pot metal (all steel), plus you can get more leverage if needed.

Floor model 80s seem to be a rare beast.


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bczygan

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Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

sheltonfilms said:
Great deal if you ask me. Table is immaculate (no arc of shame).

Yes it’s an 80 but the only real difference is throat and handle.

The sliding handles vs the Tri spoke is stronger to me due to no pot metal (all steel), plus you can get more leverage if needed.

Floor model 80s seem to be a rare beast.


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Click to expand...

Picking it up Saturday. Been wanting a C'man DP. Says it's a 1HP, but I suspect 1/2HP.

Bill
 
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Craptain

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Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

bczygan said:
Picking it up Saturday. Been wanting a C'man DP. Says it's a 1HP.

Bill
Click to expand...
That dp doesn't need that much power. If it is, you are buying a motor at a great price and getting a free dp.

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sheltonfilms

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Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

bczygan said:
Picking it up Saturday. Been wanting a C'man DP. Says it's a 1HP, but I suspect 1/2HP.



Bill
Click to expand...



I don’t think the 1 HP and up motors had the chrome band around it.


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oldironowner

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Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

sheltonfilms said:
Great deal if you ask me. Table is immaculate (no arc of shame).

Yes it’s an 80 but the only real difference is throat and handle.

The sliding handles vs the Tri spoke is stronger to me due to no pot metal (all steel), plus you can get more leverage if needed.

Floor model 80s seem to be a rare beast.


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Click to expand...

Great points Anthony!
 
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FrankLee

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Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

bczygan said:
Good deal at $40?

Bill
Click to expand...

Cruzan80 said:
I would say yes, bearing in mind to check for other things like runout. It is a smaller press, "80" vs "100", unless someone swapped the feed hub out for a two handed model.

Edit. From the last picture, it looks like the belt isnt level. Check the condition of the pullies and the bearings. Not enough to say "Dont Buy", just check it out thoroughly.
Click to expand...

BajaScout said:
Yes
Click to expand...

sheltonfilms said:
Great deal if you ask me. Table is immaculate (no arc of shame).

Yes it’s an 80 but the only real difference is throat and handle.

The sliding handles vs the Tri spoke is stronger to me due to no pot metal (all steel), plus you can get more leverage if needed.

Floor model 80s seem to be a rare beast.
Click to expand...

bczygan said:
Picking it up Saturday. Been wanting a C'man DP. Says it's a 1HP, but I suspect 1/2HP.

Bill
Click to expand...

Smokeshow69 said:
Worst case, if it has too much run out, just part it... worth more in parts than whole if it comes to that.
Click to expand...

Craptain said:
That dp doesn't need that much power. If it is, you are buying a motor at a great price and getting a free dp.
Click to expand...

sheltonfilms said:
I don’t think the 1 HP and up motors had the chrome band around it.
Click to expand...

Cruzan80 said:
If I were you, when I went to look at it, I would make sure someone didnt put a table saw motor on there. Should be 1750rpm, not 3450.
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oldironowner said:
All. Day. Long.

That's a great price for that machine IMO.
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oldironowner said:
Great points Anthony!
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oldironowner said:
For what these machines command when parted out the money is recouped ten times over.
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All the above!

I could be wrong, but that column looks tall for a 13-1/2" floor stander. One sectional piece of my garage door is 19-1/2". Times three sections plus a little bit is roughly 66". Shouldn't make a difference if the table moves freely.

The 13-1/2" floor-standing models had a short run from 1954-1957. The 1954 catalog lists the height as just over 60". That's definitely a floor standing base and not a converted bench model like my dp#55.
 
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Cruzan80

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OldIron, any chance you are making some of those replacement parts for sale? Or just refurbishing what you already have?
 
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Smokeshow69

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Smokeshow69

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bczygan said:
Oh yes!



Please discuss!



Bill
Click to expand...



The best route- with franklee’s permission would be for oldironman to maybe post a brief synopsis of parts he has for sale and then prospective buyers can pm him. Or create a listing in the classified ads and paste a link on this page. His work looks top notch and the parts directly relate to these drill presses. Obviously we wouldn’t want people commenting on this thread about purchases to keep it clean and not to side track this great thread


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