Craftsman Drill Press

[EROZFISH]

I started tearing down the head today, and have everything stripped out without too many problems. The only thing I’m having trouble with is getting the feed stop bracket off of the quill assembly. Is that bolt that runs through it threaded on the backside or should it just slip through. Mine seems to be stuck, as the head of the bolt is caught up against the side of the actual bracket. Also, how do I get the chuck and spindle apart from the quill? I got the collar at the top taken off but I don’t want to do any damage to this thing! The quill bearings seem to be pretty tight, so I may keep them, but will probably replace the ones for the pulley.

 

[EROZFISH]

Hey guys. I started tearing down the head unit this weekend, and got everything apart except for the badge. My question is this (and I know for some, there is no question), but have any of you painted your DPs anything other than the original color? I do like the Power Bronze look, but my 150 was originally the dark gray, and I was maybe thinking of going with something else. I’ve searched for others on the internet, but most are all original color, except for one floor model I found that someone did in white! It actually looked kind of cool, but I was hoping that some others who may have painted another color might have pics. Sorry if this is a taboo subject for some!!

 

[Hoorn]

@EROZFISH it's your drill press, paint it whatever color you want. Yeah most guys go for the original look, but many don't. @11b30b4 has a very cool looking hammered gold 150 that has an accent stripe down the front that Craftsman never used. Get as creative as you wish.

 

[pago cruiser]

Speaking of old threads...
Guess I'll post here and see what happens.

Picked up an unloved 103.0303 a few months ago. Functional, mostly all there, but...loose. Especially the spindle, in the mid travel area. At the top it was tight, as well as the bottom. Hmmm. Finally got a break from other stuff and removed the pinion; seems I had a 2-piece gear. The big part still on the shaft, with several shards laying in the grease.

Have done some searching and the pinion gear does not appear on ebay. In the few rebuild threads I found, it does not appear anyone had an issue with this. Did a quick check on the Boston Gear and RUSH Gears sites; close, but no cigar in dimensions of teeth, pitch, and diameter. Although I am sure they could make something if I wanted to take out a mortgage on the house...

In addition to the broke gear faces, all the gears exhibit significant wear. 80 years of use will do that I guess. At least that explains the 2" of handle play before the gear engages the spindle.

So. Short of having a new gear broached, has anybody with this DP with this problem solved this? Can this be welded and remachined? While I think the broken tooth could be welded and then milled, this would still leave the other gears with significant wear patterns. Or preferably, has anybody found a later model pinion that could be adapted?

TIA.

 

[pago cruiser]

Attached pic did not post? Trying it again.

 

[lafester]

There was one on ebay 1.5 years ago... not very good odds. I would try owwm byod and keep an eye out for another machine. Unless you have the tools and will to make a new one of course.

Craftsman Drill Press by King Seeley 103.0303 PINION SHAFT AND HANDLE

Edit

$32.50 Auction

$9.50 0% Free shipping

1

$32.50

1

Nov 3, 2021

 

[FrankLee]

Speaking of old threads...
Guess I'll post here and see what happens.

Picked up an unloved 103.0303 a few months ago. Functional, mostly all there, but...loose. Especially the spindle, in the mid travel area. At the top it was tight, as well as the bottom. Hmmm. Finally got a break from other stuff and removed the pinion; seems I had a 2-piece gear. The big part still on the shaft, with several shards laying in the grease.

Have done some searching and the pinion gear does not appear on ebay. In the few rebuild threads I found, it does not appear anyone had an issue with this. Did a quick check on the Boston Gear and RUSH Gears sites; close, but no cigar in dimensions of teeth, pitch, and diameter. Although I am sure they could make something if I wanted to take out a mortgage on the house...

In addition to the broke gear faces, all the gears exhibit significant wear. 80 years of use will do that I guess. At least that explains the 2" of handle play before the gear engages the spindle.

So. Short of having a new gear broached, has anybody with this DP with this problem solved this? Can this be welded and remachined? While I think the broken tooth could be welded and then milled, this would still leave the other gears with significant wear patterns. Or preferably, has anybody found a later model pinion that could be adapted?

TIA.

Atlas-made drill presses have a very similar pinion design.

What is the bore, outside diameter and tooth count of that gear?

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

 

[pago cruiser]

Thanks gents.
While I have the will, my equipment and skillsets are currently not up to the task; and I am now 6 months into my 3-month 1000 SF garage build project, so the odds of getting machine-able and capable soon remain slim...

lafester - After hunting around a few weeks, I actually scored a 2nd 0303 in Phoenix yesterday; working, but again unloved and missing top and emblems, with an arc of shame that would make Salvadore Dali proud. Looks like it sat outside for a year. $125, but I spent more in gasoline to drive the 400 miles round trip... Sigh. But at least the gear was in fair condition; still major tooth wear, and the handle has .002 slope in the case journal (about like my #1 DP), but no teeth are broken yet.

It is really a marginal design, as they cut a recess into several teeth in order to have the gear mate onto flats machined into the shaft. So just the daily rotational wear will eventually (80 years later!) wear (and make the handle sloppy) and then and blow out the teeth that engage the flat. This appears fixed in the 0305, with the gear teeth broached directly into the shaft. Don't know if it would fit though. I did see an old post (cannot find it now), that talked about the 0305 pinion being larger than the 0303. Attached pics of my bad gear as well as the 0305 shaft/gear (with a return spring that I was looking for).

Frank - If you would have, or know of a replacement source, it would be appreciated. The 0303 gear is 13T, a nominal 1.25" OD, 5/8" ID, 0.852" gear length (with a cut "slot" of 0.117" deep and 0.662" wide - see pic). With a "gear diameter of 0.834", the Pitch is calced at 15.59, say 16.0. Some of the guys making gears also reference a Gear Module # - the true pitch/# teeth. That would be 30.46.

From some more googling, it would appear that this would be - maybe not easy, but also not a difficult task for someone skilled on a lathe, yes? Or maybe a CNC Mill? Found this looking around this am:

Gear cutting on a milling machine - A Cnc hobbyist's guide

Explaining a simple way to machine spur gears from aluminum on a desktop cnc milling machine. Includes useful endmill buying advice.

cncphilosophy.com

it would appear that with the right equipment, this should not be hard. With the probably thousands of these things sold, I'm somewhat surprised that no one has solved this and - at least small scale, marketed the solution.

 

[pago cruiser]

Think I found a solution that does not involve me finding a machinist to make a new gear.

A gent on ebay had an 0305 pinion, with is similar, and upgraded from the 0303. The 0305 "upgrade" has the teeth broached onto the pinion shaft, as opposed to having a separate gear with a notch in the bottom that engages with flats on the Pinion.

Asked him to send some dims, and it appears the "gear" itself is identical. Same # of teeth, same OD, and the same spring return engagement. The Pinion shaft is different; longer and larger in diameter. But the shaft can be shortened (0.75", then drill a new handle hole) easily, and the diameter can be reduced on a lathe (a friend of mine) to match the 0303. Actually, as there is about .002 to .003 slop in my 0303 shaft-to-drill casing journal dim, I think I'll have it machined a bit larger to make up the difference. That said, I am not positive how round and concentric the holes in the casing are anymore. Guess I will figure that out once I get parts in hand.

Solves my problem; but I...almost... feel bad about taking an 0305 part out of circulation by modding it to fit my 0303.

Interesting that the Pinion/gear in 1942 was $2.50. Adjusted for inflation to 2023 (about 20:1) that works out to $50; about what I paid for the part on Ebay.

I am still somewhat perplexed that no one seems to be making replacement parts. I can find (and did, and watched) easily a dozen sites with multiple methods to make this - or any similar - gear.

 

[ShadowRuleZ]

I just pulled an older bench drill press off the todo shelf, it's model 103.23620. When I lower the spindle with the handle, the pulley goes down with it. I figured I'd ask if that's normal? I can't saw I've seen other drill presses do that.

 

[FrankLee]

Another member recently posted with the same problem. There are two issues and he corrected only one.

The first issue is that the feed stop is not adjusted correctly which allows the quill/spindle to retract too far into the head casting.

The second issue is that the pulley is not fully seated onto the spindle shaft which allows vertical movement of the pulley.

Check the thread linked below and most notably the photos:

Dunlap drill press question

When I advance the quill on my Dunlap dp, the step pulley drops about 3/16". Is this normal? Any owner that can check theirs? Got press from orig. Owner, and it runs real smooth. Thanks

www.garagejournal.com

 

[ShadowRuleZ]

Took the pulley off today to get a better look. I tried to compare to some of the pictures (including those you put in the other thread) but I'm not quite sure what it's supposed to look like.

- The brass bushing is pushed up, although I can tap it down flush.
- I don't quite understand the shaft that the pulley rides on. That shaft goes up and down with the handle to raise/lower the chuck. That means the pulley would go up and down as well. That is the part that I'm questioning - should the pulley raise/lower with the shaft or remain stationary?
- Looking at some of the pictures here, it looks like there might be a splined shaft inside of the outershaft that the pulley is on. Maybe I need to free that up?

 

[FrankLee]

Ok. That bushing should be press-fit into the head casting. It should not move. The pulley sleeve should spin freely in the bushing.

There should be a snap ring and washer at the bottom of the pulley sleeve.

There should be a washer that is peened into the underside of the pulley. Many times those washers are loose and fall out. They can be
tightened/re-peened with a centering punch.

The pulley should be installed on the sleeve so the pulley washer rides on top of the bushing. The pulley should be installed onto the sleeve so there is minuscule vertical play in the bushing.

It looks like you need a new bushing since yours moves within the casting. I believe it is a common size and readily available. The length is as important as the ID/OD.

You may need to clean-up the burrs on that sleeve so it won't damage or scar the new bushing during installation. There should be some bushing (~1/8"?) protruding above and below the head casting. You can see the ring on the old bushing where it protruded above the head casting.


You'll see that small hole in the pulley that lines up with the small hole in the head casting. That's for adding oil to the reservoir surrounding the bushing to lubricate the pulley sleeve within the bushing.



When installing the quill/spindle assembly, adjust the feed stop collar so the top quill washer does not contact the pulley sleeve.

 

[Hoorn]

Very happy to see this venerable thread back in action.

 

[ShadowRuleZ]

I took a look at the bottom of the sleeve and the whole sleeve is moving. It doesn't look like there's anything holding it in, maybe the snap ring is missing? It seems like there's a washer on the sleeve.

 

[FrankLee]

When the pulley installed, it prevents the sleeve from lowering. The washer and snap ring prevent the sleeve from rising too high. Again, the bushing should not move. The sleeve with pulley installed should turn freely in the bushing.

Is something seized? the sleeve in the bushing? the spindle in the sleeve?


Please post a photo of the underside of the pulley.

 

[FrankLee]

Drill Press Column Lathe

I'm getting way too old to manually clean-up columns using the shoe-shine method with a strip of sandpaper. So, here is a column lathe project I recently completed.

I had most of the major parts already; some strut rails, strut hardware, pillow blocks and shaft, motor and belt. I bought the WEN wood turning chuck from FBMP. I had to buy the chuck adapter from amazon, some bolts and two angle brackets. I also bought a pos table saw for $10 just for the legs with casters.

In typical Garage Journal fashion, overkill is standard, standard is substandard and substandard is ridiculed. So yeah, it's overkill and takes up space, but it really works great!

​

 

[GeoBruin]

Definitely a highly specialized tool Frank, but I'm sure you've cleaned up enough columns that it will more than pay for itself. Nice execution.

 

[11b30b4]

Frank showed me some pics of this a while back and i have been drooling over how I want to build something similar. As always FrankLee has outdone himself. Wonder job my friend.

 

[y'sguy]

Highly sophisticated machine, Frank! Well done.
I am remembering back when you advised me on restoring my bench model DP. I cobbled together a bench grinder and the head of the drill press to turn the post. Extremely sketchy but worked just fine and got the job done. Still lovin' my Craftsman DP and use it all the time, don't know how I got along without it all those years.

 

[Hoorn]

Brilliant execution.

And a special acknowledgement for a great quote that encapsulates so much of GJ: In typical Garage Journal fashion, overkill is standard, standard is substandard and substandard is ridiculed.

 

[subroc]

Very nice FrankLee. A nice professional setup.

I look at that and compare it to the one I am using. It has wood mandrels, threaded rod centers, a couple workmates for tables, the rollers are just 4 fixed 2-inch casters mounted to a couple pieces of pine clampled in the jaws of the workmates. I drive them with a dewalt drill.

That, is an outstanding effort. Well done.

 

[FrankLee]

Nice execution.

Wonder job my friend.

Well done.

Brilliant execution.

Well done.

Thanks very much guys.

 

[Outlawmws]

Great job Frank! you will make great uue of that!

 

[FrankLee]

This was my most recent refurb. The seller advertised it as 2-1/2" vise, but it's actually a 1-1/2" Palmgren X0 angle vise. This thing is tiny... even smaller than my Wilton baby bullet. Below is the refurbed X0 sitting next to my 2-1/2" Palmgren No. 000 angle vise. The paint on the X0 is original.

 

[Hoorn]

Frank, regarding the rotary table (DP#129), what products did you use for the bare metal table?

 

[Outlawmws]

Great scores and refurbs Frank!

I have the Std and angle 1-1/2" Palmgrens, and yes pretty small Not my smallest, but handy for the small work for sure!

 

[subroc]

This was my most recent refurb. The seller advertised it as 2-1/2" vise, but it's actually a 1-1/2" Palmgren X0 angle vise.

View attachment 1922538


This thing is tiny... even smaller than my Wilton baby bullet. Below is the refurbed X0 sitting next to my 2-1/2" Palmgren No. 000 angle vise. The paint on the X0 is original.




Other recent projects include this Atlas W68 X-Y table that came with DP#130...

View attachment 1922542 View attachment 1922546 View attachment 1922547


and this Craftsman (Palmgren) rotary table that came with DP#129.

View attachment 1922548 View attachment 1922549

I have a couple of those xy tables. One came with a lathe. The other I bought on eBay.

I have hoped to find one of those rotary tables for a fair price for a long time. Even bid on a couple. Sellers want far more than I, as a bottom feeder, would consider paying.

You have a nice clean pair there.

 

[FrankLee]

Frank, regarding the rotary table (DP#129), what products did you use for the bare metal table?

I soaked it in warm citric acid for a couple hours followed by steel wool and/or a finishing sander. Then paste wax.

 

[FrankLee]

Feed Stop Rod

Every once in a while, I'll get a question about the feed stop rod. Last evening I received this:

I noticed previously that the quill sets down a little from the head casting and with the quill all the way up the depth gauge is at about 1/2"

Below is a quote from a previous post with my take regarding the scale on the feed stop rod. I thought it was worth repeating.

The zero mark on the feed stop rod does not have to line up with the guide on the casting. When you are drilling, zero is when the tip of the bit contacts the material. There are many different bit lengths, material thicknesses, and table adjustment heights, so zero on the rod means nothing.
The scale on the rod is relative to the depth of drilling. If you're drilling a one inch deep hole, note the reading of the scale at the rod guide when the bit contacts the work piece. Move the feed stop nuts to one inch higher than the reading. Then drill.

I have three machines at the moment. None line up.

Also related… It is much more important that the feed stop bracket be fully seated onto the quill than the zero mark lining up with the rod guide. On earlier machines that do not have the lower quill snap ring, I ALWAYS(?) use a retaining compound (green Loctite 609) on the bottom of the quill and inside the feed stop bracket.

 

[FrankLee]

Reducing Runout on a Bent Spindle

Over the years, I've had quite a few drill presses that had more than desirable runout.

 

[FrankLee]

The Pinion Shaft Retaining Screw

The pinion shaft retaining screw for the Craftsman 80, 100 and the early 150 is a 5/16-18 hex head bolt
approximately 19/32” long with a full dog point.

 

[11b30b4]

Frank, outstanding document and summarization. I can attest that if you “forget” to install the pinion lock screw the pinion will be forced out of the head as you attempt to tension the spring….

Anyway, I did discover a new issue while working on my 100 (125) rebuild. I apologies there are no pics of this. I will try to get some to better illustrate but for now here is what I found:

I had everything together correctly and when extending the quill at about the last 1-2 inches of travel there was something not smooth. Also, if I let the quill return it would get stuck at that same point.

I removed the quill and did not see anything wrong. I had considered that there may have something in one of the bores that the quill was hanging up on (possibly masking tape from when I painted the head).

Later I removed the pinion and discovered some ware on the pinion gear. One tooth was slightly deformed on the outer most side (Tension knob side) of the tooth. About 3/8” of the tooth was compress about 1/16” and as a result the tooth was slightly mushroomed into the gap on one side where the gear rack from the pinion engages. Since there is no easy method to repair the compressed part of the tooth, I ended up using a file to remove the mushroom portion of the tooth. Once everything was installed the hang up on the quill was eliminated.

I am interested to hear if you have any ideas of what may have caused the pinion tooth to deform. I have a few ideas:

• It is possible that the pinion backed out a bit either from the lock screw missing, worn, or improperly installed, and this caused the tooth to get wedged with the quill rack.
• It is possible that the quill was inserted slightly off center (like we have discussed how the rack teeth are thicker in the center and should self-center the quill) and slightly turned about ¼” to the right or left and that the thicker part of the rack engaged with the pinion tooth and deformed it.
• It is possible that someone used excessive force while drilling and that force transferred through the pinion and deformed the tooth because whatever they were drilling was providing equal return force.

Anyway those are my thoughts.

 

[FrankLee]

Thanks Jeff.

Check the post and following discussion in the link below. Let me know if that is similar to your pinion gear issue.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/craftsman-drill-press.227480/page-14#post-6250877

I think this can be caused when a spring is excessively tensioned AND then when users let go of the handle. The quill slams up, the feed stop collar slides down and the tooth on pinion gear stops quill return at the bottom of the gear rack on the quill. That's in addition to the damaging/breaking the pulley retaining screws. IMO, letting go of the handle to return the quill is a terrible practice.

When I see dents in the pinion gear like in the link, I try very hard to install the pinion shaft/gear in the same position relative to the gear rack on the quill. Then I can get one full rotation of the pinion on the good teeth. I mark the end of the dented tooth so I can see where it gets inserted into gear rack.


I have also had to perform dental work on some pinion gear teeth... both on the pinion gear circumference and on the back side of dents on teeth. IIRC, one of those repairs was on the pinion gear on my cut-away model. (Yes, you can see a sharpie mark on the end of the pinion on the unpainted version of the cutaway.)


Edit: Here's an old video of a fubar pinion gear:

 

[FrankLee]

My Keeper Craftsman 100

 

[Hoorn]

@FrankLee that DP just about covers every bell and whistle available during the heritage logo era. A spectacular example with discreet modifications whose next owner should be the Smithsonian.

 

[FrankLee]

@FrankLee that DP just about covers every bell and whistle available during the heritage logo era. A spectacular example with discreet modifications whose next owner should be the Smithsonian.

Thanks Hoorn.

I'm fortunate to live in an area that had (emphasis on had) plenty of these machines with a variety of options and accessories for a decent price. I was able to cherry-pick the nicest parts and still build solid machines.

(I noticed I need to fix several minor things in the pdf. Using a pdf circumvents the daily edit limits.)
Edit: pdf V2 complete.

 

[11b30b4]

Frank, that is an amazing machine.
As for the pinion gear, yes, the pinion in the linked thread looks very similar to the one I have.
I expect you are correct that the cause is an uncontrolled quill return.
Thanks for information.

 

[y'sguy]

Thank you Frank for inspiring so many of us to resurrect and repair these machines. I still look for these machines and their accessories but they seem to have disappeared from my searches, at least for affordable prices. I would still like to upgrade my machine to a floor model but I have been able to use it and enjoy it much more than I ever imagined.

 

[Outlawmws]

That's an Awesome Example for sure. Pretty much every accessory but the Vari-slo!