Craftsman Drill Press

[FrankLee]

No permission needed from me. I don't mind ANY Craftsman drill press discussion here... it keeps the thread active and alive.

The only problem I see is that anything posted in this thread will get buried. However, I do frequently update my first post with significant and noteworthy links to other posts and threads. I think newbies are more likely to view the updates in the first post more than the senior members.

The only thing that bothers me is the "one-post ghosts". Those that post once to seek advice on a drill press problem or potential purchase and then disappear with no follow-up. There are over 2600 replies in this thread by 200+ members. About 60 of those members have posted only once. I enjoy and appreciate active participation.

 

[oldironowner]

Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

Oh yes!

Please discuss!

Bill

Guys I want to get some good testing on these before I offer them for sale. I don’t foresee there being any issues but just wouldn’t feel right offering them until I’m happy with their functionality. The quill feed handles are for sale.

Jeff

 

[cclfn]

I agree with Frank's last comment on any discussion here is a good thing. I am subscribed to this thread and always enjoy the sharing of information. I am not sure about the one hit wonders though. Some of people don't share the passion for this drill press as others, and/or they may have other interests, machines, activities, health issues, or many other things that may keep them from being active at posting on here. I personally find you guys a hard act to follow and haven't found much I could add any better than it already has. I always refer new people to this GJ for any tool related issues and this thread for CM drill presses. I like the idea of doing things correctly to preserve old parts lol. I find I damage less things after looking at Frank's posts.
Wes

 

[FrankLee]

Craftsman Bench Grinder 397.19590

These Craftsman drill presses have been somewhat scarce lately in my area... at least in my price window. I think I missed out on three recently.

So, to keep busy, I made a two hour round trip this morning to pick up this haul.

​

The grinder is a 1/2 hp model 397.19590 with a date stamp of Aug 27, 1970. I've got the pedestal cleaned already to flip. The original paint is awesome! The grinder should clean up just as well. It came with a sharpening attachment, but no brackets. The quench tray was never used because the knock-out on the grinder is intact.

I got two old work lamps. One has an old Lufkin Mity-Mite magnetic base and the other has two 18" flex arms connected together.

The small GE motor has a nice Furnas F/R switch.

 

[atch]

Nice haul. Would you please post up a pic of the complete grinder stand? Either here or on the "Craftsman Block motor Bench Grinders" thread. There probably have been pix on the grinder thread but I don't recall seeing it. Note: I have seen the "sheet metal" stands there but not a post like yours.

But really I'm using this response to assure everyone that even though a tidbit might get buried here it will have been viewed many times first. Note that for every response to this thread it was viewed approximately 250 times. So even though only 150 +/- have made responses to this many of us watch every new posting.

 

[FrankLee]

Re: Craftsman Bench Grinder 397.19590

...
Would you please post up a pic of the complete grinder stand?
...

Here you go.

​

8/9/2019

The mild grinder refurb is complete. Basically just a wash and wax. It cleaned up as nicely as the stand.

​

 

[LesserSon]

Uggh...Today I was working on something completely different, but the mostly dismantled mid-1960s (the ID plate is missing) 150DP in my cellar kept catching my eye. I bought it a while back, out of a house where cats had taken over, and it has an aroma I mean to eradicate with complete disassembly and cleaning. The pulley assembly had halted me a while ago, and this day, something possessed me to “get the pulley assembly out.”
I did, but not without some casualties.
For some reason, I didn’t remember that I hadn’t taken the screws (red arrow) out of the sides, and of course they snapped. Not sure I understand what they do - do they bear on the cylindrical spacer between the two ball bearing rings, or actually on the lower ring? That was the last thing I noticed.
Before that, I saw that I hadn’t removed the lower retaining snap ring (green). What does that do?
But the first thing I realized, was that I had mashed-up the lower bearings. And they are pretty well stuck on the pulley. I have removed the (smaller) snap ring, so just pull them off now, right? (Then get new ones.) Any surprises under the spacer?

 

[Outlawmws]

I know FL has an instruction page on this and it should have a link on page one.

 

[FrankLee]

Uggh...Today I was working on something completely different, but the mostly dismantled mid-1960s (the ID plate is missing) 150DP in my cellar kept catching my eye. I bought it a while back, out of a house where cats had taken over, and it has an aroma I mean to eradicate with complete disassembly and cleaning. The pulley assembly had halted me a while ago, and this day, something possessed me to “get the pulley assembly out.”
I did, but not without some casualties.
For some reason, I didn’t remember that I hadn’t taken the screws (red arrow) out of the sides, and of course they snapped. Not sure I understand what they do - do they bear on the cylindrical spacer between the two ball bearing rings, or actually on the lower ring? That was the last thing I noticed.
Before that, I saw that I hadn’t removed the lower retaining snap ring (green). What does that do?
But the first thing I realized, was that I had mashed-up the lower bearings. And they are pretty well stuck on the pulley. I have removed the (smaller) snap ring, so just pull them off now, right? (Then get new ones.) Any surprises under the spacer?

I know FL has an instruction page on this and it should have a link on page one.

Correct. There is a link on the first page for every component and sub-assembly and a lot more. Post#1 is somewhat information overload, tho, especially if you're not sure of what to look for.

Here's the link for the spindle pulley assembly:
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=4771515&post4771515

 

[sheltonfilms]

Uggh...Today I was working on something completely different, but the mostly dismantled mid-1960s (the ID plate is missing) 150DP in my cellar kept catching my eye. I bought it a while back, out of a house where cats had taken over, and it has an aroma I mean to eradicate with complete disassembly and cleaning. The pulley assembly had halted me a while ago, and this day, something possessed me to “get the pulley assembly out.”
I did, but not without some casualties.
For some reason, I didn’t remember that I hadn’t taken the screws (red arrow) out of the sides, and of course they snapped. Not sure I understand what they do - do they bear on the cylindrical spacer between the two ball bearing rings, or actually on the lower ring? That was the last thing I noticed.
Before that, I saw that I hadn’t removed the lower retaining snap ring (green). What does that do?
But the first thing I realized, was that I had mashed-up the lower bearings. And they are pretty well stuck on the pulley. I have removed the (smaller) snap ring, so just pull them off now, right? (Then get new ones.) Any surprises under the spacer?

Looks like your only damage maybe the shield of the bearing. No big deal just pop the shield off the one side and now you are able to regrease the bearings. When you reassembly have the open face of each bearing face each other. This way the open faces will be in the spindle pulley pocket of the headstock and not exposed to the outside.

This was the way I've seen it done on the older presses (my 1947 13 1/2) that use bearings with only one side shielded and the other open faced.

 

[atch]

Here you go.

​

Thanx man.

That thing is beautiful. I'd like to find one.

Now back to drill presses.

 

[LesserSon]

Looks like your only damage maybe the shield of the bearing. No big deal just pop the shield off the one side and now you are able to regrease the bearings. When you reassembly have the open face of each bearing face each other. This way the open faces will be in the spindle pulley pocket of the headstock and not exposed to the outside.

This was the way I've seen it done on the older presses (my 1947 13 1/2) that use bearings with only one side shielded and the other open faced.

FrankLee, Outlaw, Shelton: Thanks for the advice, redirection, etc.
I completely own my moment of ADHD. The directions are clear on the first page, but I hadn’t read them in maybe three years, and as mentioned had forgotten about the screws. I guess I had been afraid of losing them. I do wish that time machine would arrive from eBay - I’d go back and use a screwdriver.
Anyway, I think shearing the two screws with the lower bearings ring probably did have an effect on it, and replacing the bearings seems like a reasonable cost to incur. Plus, I haven’t gotten them off yet, so potentially I could mess that up, too. And no knowing yet what lies beneath.
Again, thanks for your responses. And I will try to be less impulsive with the remaining steps.

 

[FrankLee]

Looks like your only damage maybe the shield of the bearing. No big deal just pop the shield off the one side and now you are able to regrease the bearings. When you reassembly have the open face of each bearing face each other. This way the open faces will be in the spindle pulley pocket of the headstock and not exposed to the outside.

This was the way I've seen it done on the older presses (my 1947 13 1/2) that use bearings with only one side shielded and the other open faced.

That's exactly what I've done quite a few times... the open sides of the cleaned and repacked pulley bearings facing each other.

A couple times, though, when I pierced the shield to remove it, I struck the bearing cage and tweaked it. I could not re-adjust the cage so the bearing would spin freely. It essentially ruined it.

It looks like the shield on your lower bearing has imprints of the balls, so I would suggest new bearings are necessary.

FrankLee, Outlaw, Shelton: Thanks for the advice, redirection, etc.
I completely own my moment of ADHD. The directions are clear on the first page, but I hadn’t read them in maybe three years, and as mentioned had forgotten about the screws. I guess I had been afraid of losing them. I do wish that time machine would arrive from eBay - I’d go back and use a screwdriver.
Anyway, I think shearing the two screws with the lower bearings ring probably did have an effect on it, and replacing the bearings seems like a reasonable cost to incur. Plus, I haven’t gotten the off yet, so potentially I could mess that up, too. And no knowing yet what lies beneath.
Again, thanks for your responses. And I will try to be less impulsive with the remaining steps.

I don't believe shearing the retaining screws has a terrible impact on the bearing. I've found broken screws in several machines and broke a couple myself.

On virtually every machine prior to the quill snap ring improvement, the feed stop bracket slid down the quill. That issue cascades up to the outer race of the lower bearing repeatedly bumping against those retaining screws.

So, IMO, shearing the screws is not any worse than the bearing race constantly bumping into the screws.


You may need to make a simple puller to remove the upper bearing. Mine is shown in the Spindle Pulley Assembly post. I also updated that post today with a couple new pictures of the burr that can develop from the inner snap ring.

 

[FrankLee]

dp#62

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

Bill

What's the verdict, Bill?



8/5/2019

...

Have you done many long C and Mohawk units ? I don’t think I have seen you do a Mohawk but I would have to imagine that they come up for sale around your neck of the woods since you are somewhat near Chicago?

No, I've never had a K-S mohawk drill press. I've come across several, but they never appealed to me.

Well, today I found an early King-Seeley mohawk drill press that I could not pass up. The Dunlap motor did not start-up, but the dp itself is complete, in decent shape and I got it for a good price. Dp#62 is a 13-1/4" model 103.0305.

​

This was a woodworking machine that was packed with saw dust. It had not been used in a couple decades.

​

 

[jbltwin1]

I watch this thread constantly and am amazed at the patience you guys have. I still have my craftsman DP in the basement in a thousand pieces that I WANTED to resurrect but motor melted, ( the house burned) the pulleys melted and the return springs were destroyed. Table has a chunk out of it but is intact and the tightening handles were LONG ago replaced by bolts. Also, the chuck is missing (honestly, don't know WHAT happened to that) so that would have to be sourced. Started putting it back together but realized just what all was missing so put it on hold. I have three other functioning DP's so it was NOT a priority. I guess it will be one of those "round to it" thinks! Mike.

 

[Smokeshow69]

Re: dp#62

What's the verdict, Bill?



8/5/2019





Well, today I found an early King-Seeley mohawk drill press that I could not pass up. The Dunlap motor did not start-up, but the dp itself is complete, in decent shape and I got it for a good price. Dp#62 is a 13-1/4" model 103.0305.

​

This was a woodworking machine that was packed with saw dust. It had not been used in a couple decades.

​

Nice looking machine! Will it require much work? I really like them based on their limited production run and the Mohawk on top of the cover!


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[FrankLee]

Re: dp#62

Nice looking machine! Will it require much work? I really like them based on their limited production run and the Mohawk on top of the cover!

It's a fairly clean machine with good original paint, but will require pretty much the same work as any other refurb.

I did find that a part is missing, the clip or latch for the cover. It's nothing major, but if someone can post a picture of what it looks like, I'd appreciate it.

The pulley bearings were a surprise... clean and bone dry. Not a spec of old grease. The bottom of the lower bearing has a shield.

​

 

[sheltonfilms]

It's a fairly clean machine with good original paint, but will require pretty much the same work as any other refurb.



I did find that a part is missing, the clip or latch for the cover. It's nothing major, but if someone can post a picture of what it looks like, I'd appreciate it.



The pulley bearings were a surprise... clean and bone dry. Not a spec of old grease. The bottom of the lower bearing has a shield.

​

I got these from myvintagetoolcollection (Sherm Dezi) on Instagram.

He said his is missing the nut that secures it from the bottom but according to the catalogs he says it was a knurled nut.






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[Smokeshow69]

I got these from myvintagetoolcollection (Sherm Dezi) on Instagram.

He said his is missing the nut that secures it from the bottom but according to the catalogs he says it was a knurled nut.






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Franklee- looks like your Mohawk is also missing the ultra rare Christmas light hole option as well [emoji23]


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[Cruzan80]

While a regular knurled acorn style nut will work, the actual nut looks very similar to the one in the back of the motor mount. If I can dig mine out, I have one somewhere in a box...

 

[FrankLee]

I got these from myvintagetoolcollection (Sherm Dezi) on Instagram.

He said his is missing the nut that secures it from the bottom but according to the catalogs he says it was a knurled nut.

Thank you and Sherm! That helps a lot. I should have some bits and pieces to make something similar.

Franklee- looks like your Mohawk is also missing the ultra rare Christmas light hole option as well [emoji23]

LoL! I think I can do an led upgrade.

While a regular knurled acorn style nut will work, the actual nut looks very similar to the one in the back of the motor mount. If I can dig mine out, I have one somewhere in a box...

Thanks! I may have something that will work, but I'll let you know if I need something.




I also had time to look at the motor. It is also packed with saw dust. The cord was in terrible shape so I cut that off and used a temp cord to test, still nothing. Then it dawned on me...the thermal switch. It was tripped. I reset it, re-tested and it came to life! It'll take a lot of work to clean it up, but it runs.

 

[bczygan]

Re: dp#62

What's the verdict, Bill?



8/5/2019





Well, today I found an early King-Seeley mohawk drill press that I could not pass up. The Dunlap motor did not start-up, but the dp itself is complete, in decent shape and I got it for a good price. Dp#62 is a 13-1/4" model 103.0305.

​

This was a woodworking machine that was packed with saw dust. It had not been used in a couple decades.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535
/48466209346_b5ae99a800_n.jpg​

Called seller at the agreed upon time to reconfirm Saturday pickup time.

He sold it out from under me!!!

Oh well..........**** happens!

Things like that.....you have to go right over to get them.

Bill

 

[FrankLee]

Re: dp#62

Called seller at the agreed upon time to reconfirm Saturday pickup time.

He sold it out from under me!!!

Oh well..........it happens!

Things like that.....you have to go right over to get them.

Bill

Yes it does. And it happens a lot.

 

[Indexmill]

Re: dp#62

Called seller at the agreed upon time to reconfirm Saturday pickup time.

He sold it out from under me!!!

Oh well..........**** happens!

Things like that.....you have to go right over to get them.

Bill

Sadly, a CL deal that you really want must be acted upon immediately.

 

[smalltown]

Yup same thing happed to me. Made all the arrangements to get there. I advised seller who was ok. Then sold the Drill press to somebody else.

 

[LesserSon]

Today I worked on removing gunk from inside the head. When I got to the little space in front of where the feed lever is machined out, a tiny hidden gem plopped out - a set screw! I don’t recall if this is part of the drill press, and hence lost during factory assembly, or not, and hopped in from a previous owner.
But my luck did not hold out: going over it so meticulously, I noticed for the first time a CRACK in the casting (red arrows) where one of the motor mount rods is tightened by a lateral screw. Further inspection showed a second potential crack (red ellipse) near it, much finer, and perhaps only an illusion like what I hope is just a seam in the casting (green ellipse).
I speculate this may have resulted from the machine falling over during a previous move (one of the feed lever arms was bent when I got it, and the motor that was on it was brazed at some time. Or (I can scarcely believe it), maybe the screw was overtightened?
In any case, now I am thinking of repair options. I have never brazed, and while I have sweated a good amount of red brass fittings and copper pipe, I have some doubts about silver soldering this unless it came off and could be tinned first.
A second idea would be to drill and tap some holes on either side, and screw a steel yoke around the iron, to hold everything in place and resist further expansion of the crack.
Thoughts?

 

[Defc0n]

Hi all,

I restored my King Seely a couple years back and I love it. It was working fine when I was in Maryland however since the movers moved me to Texas I'm having a problem. When I turn on the 3/4 HP motor it runs for about 30 seconds and then blows the thermal breaker on the motor. It might have something to do with my shop being about 75' from my main panel in the house. I have 2 10 AWG wires underground in parallel delivering 40A to the shop. There is about a 10 volt drop on the line when I switch it on though. Could that do it or could my centrifugal switch be sticking?

Thanks in Advance
Mark

 

[FrankLee]

Hi all,

I restored my King Seely a couple years back and I love it. It was working fine when I was in Maryland however since the movers moved me to Texas I'm having a problem. When I turn on the 3/4 HP motor it runs for about 30 seconds and then blows the thermal breaker on the motor. It might have something to do with my shop being about 75' from my main panel in the house. I have 2 10 AWG wires underground in parallel delivering 40A to the shop. There is about a 10 volt drop on the line when I switch it on though. Could that do it or could my centrifugal switch be sticking?

Thanks in Advance
Mark

I'm not going to be much help, but have a couple suggestions.

First, remove the belt, switch on the motor and verify the thermal switch opens with no load.
Then, remove the motor and test it in near the main panel. If the thermal switch opens there, it's not the volt drop.

The only time I had a problem with the cent switch not opening, the motor started smoking after a few seconds.

 

[Defc0n]

I'm not going to be much help, but have a couple suggestions.

First, remove the belt, switch on the motor and verify the thermal switch opens with no load.
Then, remove the motor and test it in near the main panel. If the thermal switch opens there, it's not the volt drop.

The only time I had a problem with the cent switch not opening, the motor started smoking after a few seconds.

Hi Frank, thanks for the suggestions. I thought the same things but the chuck spins freely so I doubt it's mechanical loading. I was really hoping to avoid moving it. Those things are damn heavy! I was really hoping you'd say "yeah, I've seen that a hundred times!" Oh well, maybe I'll just get that 200A service installed in the shop instead of dragging my feet LOL.

Take care,
Mark

 

[Indexmill]

Don't assume it is the voltage drop and then be disappointed after you install a new service...

 

[Smokeshow69]

Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

Hey guys! I need some help jogging my memory .... can you tell if a 150 model is a floor or table top just by the model number ? I have a friend that is buying a 150 but it looks like someone put a floor model column on a table top head , table and foot. The model is 103.23124 or maybe ends with a 1?? Picture is hard to tell



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[FrankLee]

Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

Hey guys! I need some help jogging my memory .... can you tell if a 150 model is a floor or table top just by the model number ? I have a friend that is buying a 150 but it looks like someone put a floor model column on a table top head , table and foot. The model is 103.23124 or maybe ends with a 1?? Picture is hard to tell

I believe that number is 103.23131, which would be a bench top model. The floor standing model would be 103.23141.

The bench top base is slightly larger than the table and also much smaller than the floor standing base.

To check whether the column is Craftsman, look for a machined ID on one end or the other and the column height. Check this post: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5147377#post5147377

 

[sheltonfilms]

Hey guys! I need some help jogging my memory .... can you tell if a 150 model is a floor or table top just by the model number ? I have a friend that is buying a 150 but it looks like someone put a floor model column on a table top head , table and foot. The model is 103.23124 or maybe ends with a 1?? Picture is hard to tell



Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

The foot is definitely the base of a benchtop.

A benchtop base has 4 slots in an X pattern and the surface is machined. Looks identical to the table pattern.

Floor model has 2 slots in parallel and the surface isn’t machined.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rileysan]

No permission needed from me. I don't mind ANY Craftsman drill press discussion here... it keeps the thread active and alive.

The only problem I see is that anything posted in this thread will get buried. However, I do frequently update my first post with significant and noteworthy links to other posts and threads. I think newbies are more likely to view the updates in the first post more than the senior members.

The only thing that bothers me is the "one-post ghosts". Those that post once to seek advice on a drill press problem or potential purchase and then disappear with no follow-up. There are over 2600 replies in this thread by 200+ members. About 60 of those members have posted only once. I enjoy and appreciate active participation.

I am usually just lurking around here with not a lot to offer so to get out of the single digit posts (this is my 10th post to this thread) here's my Craftsman DP100 with optional middle pulley and drill press milling vise.
Both were acquired in 2018.

Brian

 

[Rileysan]

Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

I believe that number is 103.23131, which would be a bench top model. The floor standing model would be 103.23141.

The bench top base is slightly larger than the table and also much smaller than the floor standing base.

To check whether the column is Craftsman, look for a machined ID on one end or the other and the column height. Check this post: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5147377#post5147377

Good info!

 

[Craptain]

Today I worked on removing gunk from inside the head. When I got to the little space in front of where the feed lever is machined out, a tiny hidden gem plopped out - a set screw! I don’t recall if this is part of the drill press, and hence lost during factory assembly, or not, and hopped in from a previous owner.
But my luck did not hold out: going over it so meticulously, I noticed for the first time a CRACK in the casting (red arrows) where one of the motor mount rods is tightened by a lateral screw. Further inspection showed a second potential crack (red ellipse) near it, much finer, and perhaps only an illusion like what I hope is just a seam in the casting (green ellipse).
I speculate this may have resulted from the machine falling over during a previous move (one of the feed lever arms was bent when I got it, and the motor that was on it was brazed at some time. Or (I can scarcely believe it), maybe the screw was overtightened?
In any case, now I am thinking of repair options. I have never brazed, and while I have sweated a good amount of red brass fittings and copper pipe, I have some doubts about silver soldering this unless it came off and could be tinned first.
A second idea would be to drill and tap some holes on either side, and screw a steel yoke around the iron, to hold everything in place and resist further expansion of the crack.
Thoughts?

The crack(s) are definitely repairable and I would do it. But!!! Cast iron requires a little more than a torch and materials. If you are interested enough I suggest going to YouTube and watching a few videos of the process, including preheating and cooling. Both are critical.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

 

[Smokeshow69]

Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

Good info!

Well said “friend “ [emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[bubinga]

Hi Frank, thanks for the suggestions. I thought the same things but the chuck spins freely so I doubt it's mechanical loading. I was really hoping to avoid moving it. Those things are damn heavy! I was really hoping you'd say "yeah, I've seen that a hundred times!" Oh well, maybe I'll just get that 200A service installed in the shop instead of dragging my feet LOL.

Take care,
Mark

Just Take the Belt off and try it, If it still trips, Can you Just take the motor in close to the panel?

 

[FrankLee]

I am usually just lurking around here with not a lot to offer so to get out of the single digit posts (this is my 10th post to this thread) here's my Craftsman DP100 with optional middle pulley and drill press milling vise.
Both were acquired in 2018.

Brian

That is a beautiful machine!

 

[FrankLee]

Re: dp#62

I'm getting closer to completing the refurb on dp#62 model 103.0305, but need a little help on a few things.

1. What is the length of the bolt and the order of parts for the head frame motor bracket handle?
2. What is the order of parts on the motor mount support stud?
3. Is the table levening pin a taper? a rod? What size?
4. What size v-belt for this machine?

Thanks for any help!

​

8/27/2019

Lots of updates...

The holes for the model information badge were blind holes. I had to drill shallow holes from the bottom to access the holes to tap out the rivets.

​

The rivets are actually small brass nails. King-Seeley switched to drive screws for the Craftsman 100 after the war.

​

The motor was a mess... packed with saw dust.

​

But it cleaned up beautifully!

​

The head frame is back together with new quill bearings and spindle pulley bearings.

​

8/28/2019

dp#62 is complete.

​