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Craftsman Drill Press

Indexmill

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Apr 12, 2013
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Location
Central NC
Ohh, varislow! Nice find there! It doesn’t look like anything is missing or broken. I would recommend cleaning and lubricating it before use.**also you can only adjust it when the machine is on**. Well done. Can’t find one of those here in the Pacific Northwest to save my life but I am looking!
Watta ya mean, you don't need 2??? :eyecrazy:
 
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RHJO51

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Feb 27, 2015
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Red Hook, NY 12571
I had some time today so I mounted a 1/3 HP motor to the Emerson 2nd Gen DP. While I still think it's fugly, I have to say I'm pretty impressed with the design otherwise, It has a huge spindle with a 6" throw. Integrated on-off switch and light, and the motor mount easily adjusts up and down as well as the easy to use belt tensioning rod. Lots of great ideas with this design. I like the table too.
 

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v10climber

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Sep 20, 2012
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Location
Cen FL
I've been chipping away at cleaning up the DP I picked up. The power bronze paint is in OK shape but there are small chips all over. I think I'm probably just going to leave it though. Not really interested in all the work required to strip and repaint the whole thing. It came apart pretty easily which is nice. The only thing that gave me trouble is one of the screws holding the drive pulley assembly into the head snapped so I had to partially drill it out and then drive out the assembly with a block of wood. No apparent damage to anything. The electric motor seems to have something in the centrifugal switch dragging as it makes a noise when spinning it by hand and when it spins down after being turned off. When it's on it's fine.

56EltK1obirm0pLbAv832d56cfs2Ss3yoFL4142Fa6U6M=w600.jpg

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Hoorn

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Glendora, CA
I found a 100 the other day with an MSA pulley.

thumbnail (16).jpg

A very well kept drill press. The motor was a Montgomery Ward Powr Kraft so there was no date stamp to reference. But with the head and table lock handle style, early 50s is a good guess.

thumbnail (17).jpg

Of interest is the MSA pulley. Yet another difference in design has been observed. Several posts back I compared the difference between the cast iron body of the King-Seeley and the Emerson made MSA pulleys. With these two King-Seeley made versions below, note the sleeve on the right (the one I just brought home) has just one cast separation vs "almost" two on the other King-Seeley sleeve. We can all speculate why this change occurred, but since my later model Emerson has the two aperture style, it can be assumed the single was an early model.

thumbnail (4).jpg

As for the MSA, it was in nice condition. The body of this one has a clear King-Seeley vendor number that hasn't been ground down by the bottom sheave, and good turning Norma bearings.

thumbnail (12).jpg

Bottom sheave in great condition.

thumbnail (8).jpg

To really upset the apple cart, I found a THIRD MSA pulley body design on eBay. I found this one prowling around in "sold items". I cropped it in next to the other two I referenced earlier. So it would seem there are two King-Seeley design styles for the cast iron body; one maintaining the overall round shape and one with an exposed sleeve expansion set screw. As for the cast-in code number on the bottom, my eyes say GP7.

thumbnail (25).jpg



Pretty nice looking Powr Kraft motor. Runs absolutely silky smooth. These were made by Westinghouse. To me, the style is the absolute definition of art deco.

thumbnail (22).jpg

thumbnail (19).jpg

Clean lines maintained with the old flat capacitor in the base.

thumbnail (18).jpg
 
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Smokeshow69

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Dec 7, 2012
Messages
8,366
Location
Pacific Northwest
I found a 100 the other day with an MSA pulley.

thumbnail (16).jpg

A very well kept drill press. The motor was a Montgomery Ward Powr Kraft so there was no date stamp to reference. But with the head and table lock handle style, early 50s is a good guess.

thumbnail (17).jpg

Of interest is the MSA pulley. Yet another difference in design has been observed. Several posts back I compared the difference between the cast iron body of the King-Seeley and the Emerson made MSA pulleys. With these two King-Seeley made versions, note the sleeve on the right has one cast separation vs "almost" two on the other King-Seeley sleeve. We can all speculate why this change occurred, but since my later model Emerson has the two aperture style, it can be assumed the single was an early model.

thumbnail (4).jpg

As for the MSA, it was in nice condition. The body of this one has a clear King-Seeley vendor number that hasn't been ground down by the bottom sheave, and good turning Norma bearings.

thumbnail (12).jpg

Bottom sheave in great condition.

thumbnail (8).jpg

To really upset the apple cart, I found a THIRD MSA pulley body design on eBay. I found this one prowling around in "sold items". I cropped it in next to the other two I referenced earlier. So it would seem there are two King-Seeley design styles for the cast iron body; one maintaining the overall round shape and one with an exposed sleeve expansion set screw. As for the cast-in code number on the bottom, my eyes say GP7.

thumbnail (25).jpg



Pretty nice looking Powr Kraft motor. Runs absolutely silky smooth. These were made by Westinghouse. To me, the style is the absolute definition of art deco.

thumbnail (22).jpg

thumbnail (19).jpg

Clean lines maintained with the old flat capacitor in the base.

thumbnail (18).jpg
Heck of a pull there Hoon! I’m pretty particular about cleaning my drill presses after I find them but that one looks like it does need anything. Nice job and cool notation on the msa!
 

gatewaysysop

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Nov 11, 2008
Messages
3,287
Location
Arizona
Of interest is the MSA pulley. Yet another difference in design has been observed. Several posts back I compared the difference between the cast iron body of the King-Seeley and the Emerson made MSA pulleys. With these two King-Seeley made versions, note the sleeve on the right has one cast separation vs "almost" two on the other King-Seeley sleeve. We can all speculate why this change occurred, but since my later model Emerson has the two aperture style, it can be assumed the single was an early model.

thumbnail (4).jpg

As for the MSA, it was in nice condition. The body of this one has a clear King-Seeley vendor number that hasn't been ground down by the bottom sheave, and good turning Norma bearings.

thumbnail (12).jpg

Bottom sheave in great condition.

thumbnail (8).jpg

To really upset the apple cart, I found a THIRD MSA pulley body design on eBay. I found this one prowling around in "sold items". I cropped it in next to the other two I referenced earlier. So it would seem there are two King-Seeley design styles for the cast iron body; one maintaining the overall round shape and one with an exposed sleeve expansion set screw. As for the cast-in code number on the bottom, my eyes say GP7.

thumbnail (25).jpg



Pretty nice looking Powr Kraft motor. Runs absolutely silky smooth. These were made by Westinghouse. To me, the style is the absolute definition of art deco.

thumbnail (22).jpg

That's what I like about this thread - I'm always learning something new about these Craftsman presses.

Really appreciate all the collective wisdom shared in these posts, and especially a super clean find like this. That motor is an eye catcher too. Very nice!
 

Hoorn

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May 19, 2020
Messages
1,140
Location
Glendora, CA
Thank you @Indexmill
It truly is unique with such exaggerated art deco styling. Only the old century motors have such nice extra touches as this one that I've seen.
 

Brandon_Lutz

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Sep 2, 2007
Messages
428
Location
Forest Hill, Louisiana
Got this in yesterday, a Companion bench-top model. Have not begun a full tear down yet, but the quill handle and spring appear to work flawlessly and the few pieces I have taken off, not a single nut or bolt has been difficult to remove. I pulled the pulley cover off and you can see it has been painted a couple of times. First a light green/turquoise color and then its current white color. Unfortunately during it's previous repaints, the tag was never put back on the base so I don't have a way to date it.

Also it does not have the original motor as it came equipped with 1//2 HP Delco motor on it. (At least it's an older USA model)
 

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Enigma

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Florida
It IS gigantic! Heavier than I can carry myself. The nice thing is that there's no oil reservoir in this model.
Ive got one myself. Just started restoring it. I need the grommets. It is missing them and it makes a horrendous clanking sound when I attach the motor and turn it on so I cant run it as is. I had to make special wrenches to reach the nuts that hold the push rods on. Mine has the metal blade guides. I cant find any info on those. They have a single ball bearing in them but it seems to sit lower than the blade so maybe someone replaced it with the wrong size i dont know. In the literature it claims it nearly silent when running, that would be nice. I will need varaiable speed also. Not sure how I will do that, maybe a treadmill motor and control like I did with the drill press.
 

Brandon_Lutz

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Sep 2, 2007
Messages
428
Location
Forest Hill, Louisiana
Making progress on my companion drill press project. I've got the head and pulley cover cleaned, stripped of all 3 colors of paint and then painted it in my color of choice, cast iron gray by duplicolor. I know, not true to the original color at all but I didn't want a blue drill press setting on the bench.

Unfortunately during tear down, I found a disappointing surprise, one of the previous owners brazed the column into the base. I guess they had a problem with it falling through or something. The original bolt on the bottom is there and was removable. I was going to heat it up and try to melt the brazing out, but decided it was too much work and decided just to polish the column as is and then paint the base. I will be working on that this week. I also have a period correct motor coming in this week to put on it along with the proper motor mount.

I've got the spindle quill all out and polished up as well. Basically after I paint the base and the work table, most of the work is done. I'll hopefully put it all together this weekend without the motor.
 

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endangeredspecies

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Apr 11, 2022
Messages
264
Location
SF Bay Area
I have my wife's Grandpa's mid-1950's floor-standing Craftsman 100 (103.23141) Drill Press. My F-i-L thought I should scrap it about 6 years ago, but it works well and seemed a worthwhile piece of machinery, so I didn't have the heart.
Overall, the unit isn't really very rusty. It's going to continue to be a user, in my garage. But I needed to disassemble the head, table and base from the column for transport, and removed the motor to facilitate hand-carrying the components. Spindle pulley came right off, too.

I'm thinking to give it a thorough cleaning, work on minimizing surface rust, perhaps try some Mother's Mag or Aluminum polish on the machine-finished trim panel, replace worn/noisy bearings, install a recently ordered Dunlap 1/3hp split-phase ball-bearing motor of a similar vintage (to replace/upgrade the 1/4hp bronze-bearing (115.7219) motor, replace that frayed belt, lube it up, and call it good.
I think I'd rather keep the original paint since it's in pretty good shape, and I know if I polish up the column and bases they'll actually just attract more rust so I'd prefer to leave that nice 65-year patina on there for now.

Sound reasonable? I'll read through this thread again to figure out if I want to use vinegar, evapo-rust, or degreaser as the primary cleanser. Any experienced restorers out there who disagree, or can offer tips/tricks/things to look out for?

The only trouble I have with it is the spindle pulley won't stay put. It likes to ride up as I bear down into a workpiece. The machine screws which are supposed to hold it in place are tight, but I haven't removed them yet to check for damage or verify their length. But they haven't been changed out, and it only started exhibiting the condition in the last couple years. (I typically tap the pulley back down with a rubber mallet.) Is there a thread in here where possible causes/solutions are discussed? Or can you offer some insight?Craftsman DP side.jpgDunlap Motor.jpgPower Switch and Spindle Handle.jpg
 

Hoorn

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May 19, 2020
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Glendora, CA
@endangeredspecies you mentioned the spindle pulley "came right off" yet you have not removed the bearing retention screws in the side of the head. The only way you could remove a spindle pulley is by removing those screws. Clearly that portion of the screw which protrudes inside the head and rides on top of the spindle bearing has snapped off. This is particularly evident by your claim that the spindle pulley rides up while under load.

Get those bearing retention screws out and check how much damage there is.

Keeping the original paint is always a good idea but I would definitely polish up the column. Whoever told you that polishing a column merely attracts more rust is wrong. Polishing it can be made quite easy with a makeshift lathe or some of the other unique ideas that have popped up on this thread. But once it is polished, hitting it with some paste wax or some of the various aerosol rust preventative sprays will keep it from rusting, it will look great, and your head and table will move easier on the column as needed instead of fighting through rust.

It's up to each owner how far they want to go with restoring or refreshing a drill press, let your conscious and your abilities be your guide.
 

endangeredspecies

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Apr 11, 2022
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Location
SF Bay Area
Much damage to the screw.
This one is .310" long now, bent, and broken.
Supposed to be 3/4"...
I haven't pulled the other, but doubt it fared much better.
Thanks so much for the help!
Head Screw.jpg
 
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11b30b4

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endangeredspecies, great drill press. Everything FrankLee and Hoorn said is correct. As for you plan and my opinion. If you are going to disassemble the DP you may as well take the time to replace all 4 bearings. For you press you will need two 6202 5/8” bore quill bearings and two 6205 spindle bearings. I recommend accurate bearing company and I recommend shielded or sealed bearings. As for the belt, FrankLee turned me on to the Autozone Duralast cogged V-belts ½” x 42”, 43” 44” or 45” belts should work for you.

This is a link to one of my builds. It is a 150 DP but basically the same as your drill press.


In my signature at the end of all my posts is a link in red for all my build links and there are several drill press links to get you started.

Keep in mind, I use simple green to clean my tools, and this will strip off the paint so if you want to preserve the paint DO NOT USE SIMPLE GREEN. The citric acid will not damage the paint as long as you do not soak form more than a day. DO NOT PUT ALUMINUM OR MAGNESIUM IN THE CITRIC ACID (such as the pulleys). I have found that the citric acid will make them brittle. The only reason to use the citric acid is to eat the rust and neither aluminum or magnesium will contract rust so its not issue. All the steel and cast iron can go in the citric acid just fine.

As for your broken spindle pulley retention screws, as long as the bore is not stripped out, you will need two round head machine screws 8-32 x ¾”. You should be able to find them at an ACE hardware or order them from Mcmaster Carr.

The owner’s manual for your DP is here:


Another link for you that has some good information, parts, and links is here:




Some cool features of your drill press are the Tilting Table and that lovely engine turned head band. Great drill press and it should perform for you for a lifetime.
 

endangeredspecies

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endangeredspecies, great drill press. Everything FrankLee and Hoorn said is correct. As for you plan and my opinion. If you are going to disassemble the DP you may as well take the time to replace all 4 bearings. For you press you will need two 6202 5/8” bore quill bearings and two 6205 spindle bearings. I recommend accurate bearing company and I recommend shielded or sealed bearings. As for the belt, FrankLee turned me on to the Autozone Duralast cogged V-belts ½” x 42”, 43” 44” or 45” belts should work for you.

This is a link to one of my builds. It is a 150 DP but basically the same as your drill press.


In my signature at the end of all my posts is a link in red for all my build links and there are several drill press links to get you started.

Keep in mind, I use simple green to clean my tools, and this will strip off the paint so if you want to preserve the paint DO NOT USE SIMPLE GREEN. The citric acid will not damage the paint as long as you do not soak form more than a day. DO NOT PUT ALUMINUM OR MAGNESIUM IN THE CITRIC ACID (such as the pulleys). I have found that the citric acid will make them brittle. The only reason to use the citric acid is to eat the rust and neither aluminum or magnesium will contract rust so its not issue. All the steel and cast iron can go in the citric acid just fine.

As for your broken spindle pulley retention screws, as long as the bore is not stripped out, you will need two round head machine screws 8-32 x ¾”. You should be able to find them at an ACE hardware or order them from Mcmaster Carr.

The owner’s manual for your DP is here:


Another link for you that has some good information, parts, and links is here:




Some cool features of your drill press are the Tilting Table and that lovely engine turned head band. Great drill press and it should perform for you for a lifetime.
Thanks for the tips and links!
Continental cogged 4L450 belt arrived last week; sealed bearings arrived from Accurate yesterday. In addition to the 4 for the press, I jumped the gun and got a pair that are supposed to fit both the 1/3 and 1/2 hp Dunlap/ Craftsman motors of the time. I’ll make sure they’re right when the motor comes in.
Was looking at the spindle bearing retention screws yesterday. I wouldn’t mind ordering a 5-pack, but I think 25 is overkill. Actually looked at McMaster for all the dimensional fasteners and in their minimum-order sizes it came to like $150.
Don’t want to use HD - too many hardware failures over the years. There’s an Ace nearby, and there’s a great industrial fastener supplier the next town over- but their website is archaic, and hideous to use. So I’m still working that out.
Thanks, too, for the note about Simple Green. I found a gallon of it in the move - had no idea it’s strong enough to remove paint.
I probably won’t begin the refurb for another month or so, but am definitely coming back here for reference, and to post progress, when I do!
 

endangeredspecies

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For you press you will need two 6202 5/8” bore quill bearings and two 6205 spindle bearings. I recommend accurate bearing company and I recommend shielded or sealed bearings.
100 Press parts list puts 2 different bearings on the quill: 18212 up top; 18211 down below. Vintage Machinery says I need an R10 LL for the 18212, and a 6202 LL for the 18211. I hope it's right since that's what I ordered! But I'll measure when I get that far in. If incorrect, I now know where to get 'em, and have an idea what to look for.
 

11b30b4

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endangeredspecies, all Craftsman 100, 150 , and most Emerson Gen 1-4 drill presses use the same bearings. If you look at the diagram in the owner’s manual I linked in a previous post, Illustration number 3 is one of two spindle pulley bearings. The Craftsman part number is 18212; however, the actual bearing is a standard #6205 shielded single row ball bearing measuring 25mm bore x 52mm OD x 15mm tall. In this illustration both bearings are identified as #3.

full


Illustration number 23 from your owner’s manual is listed as Craftsman part 18211 Quill Bearing and is one of two ball bearings needed for the quill. This bearing is actually a NON-STANDARD #6202 single row ball bearing. There are two quill bearings 6202 5/8” bore. A standard 6202 bearing has a 15mm bore so you need a special bore bearing. The 6202 5/8” bore measures 5/8” bore x 35mm OD x 11mm tall. (Note- some of the part diagrams like the one below only identify one bearing but there are two). Both of the OEM bearings are double shielded, but you can use shielded or sealed bearings. As I said, I order my bearings from Accurate bearing, but you can get them anywhere as long as they are the correct measurements.

full


I am not sure why but the information on VM’s replacement bearing list page is so confusing, If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you should see the Bearing Quick Reference Specs and although the special 5/8 bore is not listed here it is repeatedly listed under the various drill press models.

In this screen grab from VM I have circled the relevant information.

full


The information you noted for the R10LL pertains to the commercial Emerson models only. You do not have a commercial Emerson Model. Your drill press is a standard 15.5” floor standing King Seeley Craftsman 100 series drill press. I know its confusing and I will ask VM to update their list, so this information reflects the correct information.

In conclusion, as I previously said you will need two 6202 5/8” bore quill bearings and two 6205 spindle bearings. I hope this clears up you questions and does not confuse the situation further. As always, feel free to reach out if you have further questions.
 

endangeredspecies

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Messages
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SF Bay Area
endangeredspecies, all Craftsman 100, 150 , and most Emerson Gen 1-4 drill presses use the same bearings. If you look at the diagram in the owner’s manual I linked in a previous post, Illustration number 3 is one of two spindle pulley bearings. The Craftsman part number is 18212; however, the actual bearing is a standard #6205 shielded single row ball bearing measuring 25mm bore x 52mm OD x 15mm tall. In this illustration both bearings are identified as #3.

full


Illustration number 23 from your owner’s manual is listed as Craftsman part 18211 Quill Bearing and is one of two ball bearings needed for the quill. This bearing is actually a NON-STANDARD #6202 single row ball bearing. There are two quill bearings 6202 5/8” bore. A standard 6202 bearing has a 15mm bore so you need a special bore bearing. The 6202 5/8” bore measures 5/8” bore x 35mm OD x 11mm tall. (Note- some of the part diagrams like the one below only identify one bearing but there are two). Both of the OEM bearings are double shielded, but you can use shielded or sealed bearings. As I said, I order my bearings from Accurate bearing, but you can get them anywhere as long as they are the correct measurements.

full


I am not sure why but the information on VM’s replacement bearing list page is so confusing, If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you should see the Bearing Quick Reference Specs and although the special 5/8 bore is not listed here it is repeatedly listed under the various drill press models.

In this screen grab from VM I have circled the relevant information.

full


The information you noted for the R10LL pertains to the commercial Emerson models only. You do not have a commercial Emerson Model. Your drill press is a standard 15.5” floor standing King Seeley Craftsman 100 series drill press. I know its confusing and I will ask VM to update their list, so this information reflects the correct information.

In conclusion, as I previously said you will need two 6202 5/8” bore quill bearings and two 6205 spindle bearings. I hope this clears up you questions and does not confuse the situation further. As always, feel free to reach out if you have further questions.
Awesome. Thanks for the clarification! That’s what I came here for.
Looks like it’s back to Accurate- but that’s okay. Their prices are quite reasonable, and I still have time.
 

11b30b4

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GA
Gentlemen, I wanted to let you all know that I reached out to the guy who created the replacement bearing list on the VM Wiki page and asked him to update it. He has updated it but some of the confusing old information is still present.
So that there is no confusion:

All 15.5” Craftsman King Seeley drill presses (1946-1964) models 103.21XXXX, 103.22XXXX, 103.23XXXX, 103.24XXXX:
OEM Qill bearings: two (2) Norma, SKF, MRC, Hoover, NDH measuring 5/8” bore x 35mm OD x 11mm tall.
Accurate Replacement: Two (2) 6202zz Special Bore 5/8”.

OEM Spindle Pulley Assembly bearings: Two (2) Norma, SKF, MRC, Hoover, NDH measuring 25mm bore x 52mm OD x 15mm tall.
Accurate Replacement: Two (2) 6205zz.

All 15.5” Craftsman Emerson standard drill presses (1964-1984) models 113.213XXX and 113.245XXX:
OEM Qill bearings: two (2) Norma, SKF, MRC, Hoover, NDH measuring 5/8” bore x 35mm OD x 11mm tall.
Accurate Replacement: Two (2) 6202zz Special Bore 5/8”.

OEM Spindle Pulley Assembly bearings: Two (2) Norma, SKF, MRC, Hoover, NDH measuring 25mm bore x 52mm OD x 15mm tall.
Accurate Replacement: Two (2) 6205zz.

All 15.5” Craftsman Emerson Commercial drill presses (1970-1984) models 113.2463XX, 113.2452XX, 113.21387X and 113.2461XX:
OEM Top Qill bearing: One (1) GENBEARCO 6203Z measuring 40mm x 12mm with a 17mm.
Accurate Replacement: One (1) 6203zz.

OEM Bottom Quill bearing: One (1) NDH or Peer 5503 Double Row measuring 40mm x 17.5mm with a 17mm bore.
Accurate Replacement: One (1) 5203zz.

OEM Spindle Pulley Assembly bearings: Two (2) NTN 6205Z measuring 25mm bore x 52mm OD x 15mm tall.
Accurate Replacement: Two (2) 6205zz.

In general, all 15.5" 100, 150, and Emerson Gen 1-4 machines use the same sized bearings, the only machines that use different bearings are the Emerson Gen 3&4 Commercial machines. Note, this does not include any of the 13.5", 13", 12" etc... machines. Also, so that there is no confusion and of the 15" machines are 15.5" machines regardless of how they are marked in the catalogs or owner's manuals. Measure it if in doubt.
 

Hoorn

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Messages
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Glendora, CA
I was able to snag a late model 150 today with an Atlas head and table lift. This DP had an Atlas made Craftsman base and table. The price was very cheap, which is reflected by the placement of the lift. The seller had no clue was it was or how it worked.

My opinion is, this drill press started as a 1940s Atlas made Craftsman DP as there is no inner ledge located a few inches from (either) end of the column. At some point the Emerson head and motor was swapped in.

thumbnail - 2022-04-20T164810.164.jpg

Recall on lift #5, the gearbox had essentially no gears. That was the McMaster-Carr gear replacement post. At the sellers place, before I even checked to see if the motor worked, I opened the gearbox to make sure the gears were there!

thumbnail - 2022-04-20T164821.395.jpg

Here it is as it was on the column. The head took considerable time and blocks of wood and a sledgehammer to get off, whereas the table and both collars of the lift literally slid right off after spraying with WD-40. This may have been because of the Atlas made column.

thumbnail - 2022-04-20T164831.003.jpg

Here is the hardware and parts of the gearbox cleaned up, nothing surprising. The usual Zamak gears and "Nice Bearing" thrust bearing. Both collars are sitting in simple green to remove the PO's silver paint job and years of dried grease.

thumbnail - 2022-04-20T164906.214.jpg

Acme threads were pretty crisp and in great shape. I'm sure this was due to the entire lift being placed between the table and base.

thumbnail - 2022-04-20T164900.269.jpg

Gears cleaned up nicely.

thumbnail - 2022-04-20T164926.908.jpg
 
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Smokeshow69

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Joined
Dec 7, 2012
Messages
8,366
Location
Pacific Northwest
I was able to snag a late model 150 today with an Atlas head and table lift. This DP had an Atlas made Craftsman base and table. The price was very cheap, which is reflected by the placement of the lift. The seller had no clue was it was or how it worked.

My opinion is, this drill press started as a 1940s Atlas made Craftsman DP as there is no rim located a few inches from (either) end of the column. At some point the Emerson head and motor was swapped in.

thumbnail - 2022-04-20T164810.164.jpg

Recall on lift #5, the gearbox had essentially no gears. That was the McMaster-Carr gear replacement post. At the sellers place, before I even checked to see if the motor worked, I opened the gearbox to make sure the gears were there!

thumbnail - 2022-04-20T164821.395.jpg

Here it is as it was on the column. The head took considerable time and blocks of wood and a sledgehammer to get off, whereas the table and both collars of the lift literally slid right off after spraying with WD-40. This may have been because of the Atlas made column.

thumbnail - 2022-04-20T164831.003.jpg

Here is the hardware and parts of the gearbox cleaned up, nothing surprising. The usual Zamak gears and "Nice Bearing" thrust bearing. Both collars are sitting in simple green to remove the PO's silver paint job and years of dried grease.

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Acme threads were pretty crisp and in great shape. I'm sure this was due to the entire lift being placed between the table and base.

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Gears cleaned up nicely.

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Hoorn, you ****! Way to go!
 

Hoorn

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I finished cleaning up the lift.

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Years ago, FrankLee proposed a superior way to reassemble the lift so that load could be carried more efficiently by the gearbox thrust bearing. This method assumes the user will not use the lift to raise and lower the head, only the table.

On the left, the "Nice Bearing" is placed on top of the gearbox and held in place with a washer and two locking nuts. Since raising/lowering the table means the lift has all the weight carried below the gearbox, maximum load is carried by the thrust bearing.

On the right as it originally came from Atlas, the thrust bearing would be supporting the significantly heavier weight of a drill press head and motor, but only the washer and locking nuts carrying the load of the table.

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The reason this can be done either way is the stepped acme threaded shaft. That middle step has just enough room to accommodate the gearbox arbor hole and the thrust bearing regardless of configuration before the wider third step bottoms out.

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Here you see where the bearing would ride. For those of you who have a lift, I would highly recommend configuring the thrust bearing above the gearbox for much smoother raising and lowering of the table.

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11b30b4

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Hoorn congrats. At some point I want to buy on of these lift kits from you.
 

endangeredspecies

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Quick question: When cleaning up the pullies and replacing bearings, do you replace Inner and Outer Snap Rings with new? Or just reuse the old ones if damage is not observed?
 

Hoorn

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Quick question: When cleaning up the pullies and replacing bearings, do you replace Inner and Outer Snap Rings with new? Or just reuse the old ones if damage is not observed?

I have been able to successfully remove the snap rings without breaking any (yet), and have always reused the original if no damage was observed and if it seats easily. I have bent a few and then replaced those.

Those on my daily driver 100 are the originals.
 

11b30b4

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I also reuse the snap rings and the only one that seemed sketchy is the small snap ring on the spindle pulley shaft that locks the two bearings and spacer on the pulley. I have bent several when the bottom bearing gets stuck inside the head and i am removing the spindle pulley. I have not looked for a proper replacement yet but I suspect McMaster Carr would have a good substitute.
 

EROZFISH

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Western NC
Hey guys, I'm new here and posted about a few old drill presses I was looking at a few weeks ago. After some feedback, I decided to keep looking and I'm so glad I did, because I discovered a Craftsman 150 for a decent price. I'm so glad I decided to wait, and after looking at much of the information on here, I'm excited to start cleaning it up and getting it back to good working order. A few questions about it:
1) I'm not sure whether the motor is original, although it is a Craftsman.
2) Trying to determine the year is was made, as it does have the torsion spring for the quill return.
3) What would the original color be on this? It doesn't even seem to be painted, but just a coated cast? (There is overspray, but that's it.)
I'm attaching pics and am already thankful for the wealth of knowledge I've found on here!150.1.jpg150.2.jpg
 

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Hoorn

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@EROZFISH welcome to GJ.
Your drill press is fairly unique in that it can be narrowed down just about to a single year, 1964. The reason for this is because it sports a King-Seeley vendor prefix, 103., but has the newly designed feed return spring which no longer requires the need for an external adjustment knob.

The color at this time is a dark gray and yours appears to be the original paint.

It could be the original motor as by the mid-60s Craftsman went with a fairly revamped general-purpose motor that no longer had any cast iron. I will let others weigh in on the motor as I am not too familiar with that type. I don't know how to correctly read the manufacturers code on that style and whether those numbers mean that it could be from 1973.
 

11b30b4

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Erozfish, Hoorn is correct that is a 1964 150 series. The last model made by King Seeley and when Emerson took over there e some that were even assembled by Emerson with King Seeley model numbers until Emerson took full control of production. Regardless, that is an outstanding drill press. The complete list of improvements of the 100/150 series were incorporated into that model. All the benefits such as a tilting motor mount but also with the locking screw to minimize the vibration is just one example. I have an Emerson same model and love it.
As for the motor, that is a correct motor but probably not the original since it has a date code of April 1973 as best as we have been able to learn. The motor is an Emerson motor you see accompanying the later Gen 2 and 3 drill presses. But it is a correct motor for a drill press.
The color is also correct, that darker gray is prominent in later KS and carries into the Emerson tool line.

Everything about your drill press looks correct and in great shape. No significant divots in the table (only 3 small ones), badges look good, all the knobs and bolts look to be present. When you begin you tear down, exercise care to not damage the feed spring. Finding a replacement is nearly impossible. Enjoy your drill press.
 

EROZFISH

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Western NC
Thanks for the information, guys. I’m excited about getting started on taking it apart. I appreciate the wealth of knowledge you all have provided so far, and I will definitely be referencing posts for help! If there are any in particular that would be beneficial to cleaning up/ restoring, I would appreciate it.
 
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