Finally bought a drill press - Craftsman 103.23141 with Vari-slo

[ilya]

I've been looking for a vintage US-made drill press for a long time and my patience has finally paid off. I'm really thankful to everyone on this board who has patiently answered my questions about buying a used DP.

I found this floor model Craftsman drill press on CL for $75, about 10 miles away from me. It seemed like a good deal and I contacted the seller. We arranged to meet on Saturday, but on Friday I got an e-mail from the seller stating that someone else was interested in the drill press and offered $100 for it. I upped my offer to $120 and picked it up yesterday morning. The owner very pleasant and mentioned that the drill press had belonged to his grandfather but he currently uses it once or twice a year and his wife would like more room in the garage.

The model number is 103.23141 and it's made by King Seely. The press has a vari-slo speed adjustment, some form of a table lift and an incomplete hold-down guide attachment. It has a 1/2 hp Craftsman motor with original wiring and a two-prong electrical cord. The press runs quietly enough and there was no discernible play in the quill. I really like the look of restored vintage drill presses and the idea of refurbishing a machine to make it last another 60 years really appeals to me, but I don't have the time and tools to do it at the moment. I am going to clean the vari-slo mechanism and rewire the motor though.

 

[carterbeauford]

looks immaculate!

 

[Hawk]

In my opinion sir, you ****.
and thats a good thing.

 

[RCStocker]

Woodworking machine is very cheap at the moment, You can find deals like this all day long if you look.

 

[930dreamer]

That's a nice looking DP, great find, keep us updated with pics.

 

[87Pomona]

Nice find!

 

[GirlnAgarage]

I was going to say he snookered you a bit by telling you he had a higher offer. You took the bait for the auction.

However, your DP with the vari-slo AND even better, the table lift, you got a great piece of equipment for $120. Should clean up real nice.

You ****.

 

[Outlawmws]

That's about as good a Vintage DP as you can get: Variable speed, and the table lift!

Lesson learned on the price, DON'T WAIT ON DEALS! Go NOW and pay cash before others find it!

 

[Outlawmws]

ps: you also have the fence for the morticing attachment...

 

[JASTECH]

I am glad you like to keep the old iron going, that makes you one of the elite in my book and in good company at GJ.

 

[1982fxr]

table lift!!! table lift!!!! you suuuuck

 

[Joe B.]

Nice Press. I'm jealous of the table lift. You don't see those often.

However, your vari-slo look to be out of alignment. The adjustment handle should not be so far from the speed guage. There should also be a little plug that goes behind the vari-slo adjuster that allows you to clamp it to the plate. With the picture you posted it is hard to tell what is going on but it sure does not look right. If you post more pics, you might get some guidance regarding what is going on.

Remember, only adjust the vari-slo when the press is running. (Instructions on it are out on the web so I would be sure to read them to understand how it should be used and set up.)

 

[ilya]

Joe,

You're right about the vari-slo handle. Seeing the amount of dirt on the drill press I decided to take it apart and clean and lube everything. So the vari-slo will come off eventually and will be cleaned. Right now I'm at the column removal stage :-(.

However, your vari-slo look to be out of alignment. The adjustment handle should not be so far from the speed guage.

 

[ilya]

So, a little over a year later I finally finished overhauling the drill press, put it back together and got it running. The members of this board have been of tremendous help in wiring up the motor. The overhaul involved the following:

1. Disassemble and clean everything
2. Replace quill and spindle bearings
3. Replace rotor bearings in the motor
4. Re-wire the motor using plenty of heatshrink tubing
5. Replace drive belts
6. Replace vari-slo bearings
7. Repack vari-slo pulley shafts with grease

Here are some photos I took this morning (all photos are clickable):

 

[oldldh]

Ya Dun Gud, Bubba!!!

That will do what you need to be done for a very long time...

Nice Drill Press, and the price is SUCKWORTHY!!!

 

[zkling]

Wow that is very nice. Enjoy using it.

 

[Tim338]

Great score! and a good price.

 

[356vintage]

Ilya,
Enjoy that nice drill press w/ neat table lift!
I have a Vari-Slo control on my table top 103.231.30.
As far as I can tell the belts have never been changed but are fairly rotten.
May I ask where you bought your belts and what sizes?
Thanks,
Rich

 

[ilya]

I got the belts from McMaster Carr. They are 1/2" wide v-belts 17", 20", and 21" long. I also replaced vari-slo bearings and cleaned the shafts and pulleys really well. There was a thick layer of 50-year old solidified grease there.

Vari-Slo Belt model numbers are: 4L170, 4L200, 4L210
Vari-Slo bearings are: R6ZZ (x4)

 

[356vintage]

Thanks for the quick reply.
Much appreciated!

Rich

 

[7th Kahuna]

Very nice job. I need to get to work on mine . . .

 

[ilya]

I shot some videos of the press running.

 

[Trey T]

wow, very nice. Vari-slo and table lift is probably worth $120 alone.

Does the table lift mechanism operate well?

 

[ilya]

wow, very nice. Vari-slo and table lift is probably worth $120 alone.

Does the table lift mechanism operate well?

I completely disassembled the table lift and re-packed the gearbox with fresh grease. It takes a little bit of effort to start cranking the handle, but after that initial push it works very smoothly.

 

[Trey T]

That table lift seems very rare and very valuable.

 

[ilya]

Looking at the photo I took on the day I bought the drill press, the thrust bearing appears to be inside the gear box. So at least I assembled it the same way it was before .

Here's my lift. I'll have to open the crank box again and take a look to see what's going on. It does work well this way, but the patent drawing shows the bearing inside the box.
https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/pages/US2260635-0.png

 

[Steven67fr]

WOW... Varislo AND table lift in one press for $120... You really ****... hard. That thing is awesome!

 

[agftemp]

Do you have pics of how the vari slo bearings were removed? Mine are getting noisy and need to be replaced.

 

[klm123]

I also have come across this craftsman model 103.23141, and had it given to me by an old friend that shut the doors on his fab business. Does anyone know where I could get replacement parts for it, to fully restore it? So far, I have not had any luck, except for a replacement belt.

The parts that are missing are parts no.18118(Head lock sleeve), 18626(Head lock screw), 18110(Lock handle and screw). It does not appear to have the vari-slow option, or the table lift.

 

[Poodlehead]

I just inherited the same DP from my uncle without the vari-slow or table lift option. I replaced the power cord and the motor sounds pretty good at the moment, but I need to get a replacement totally test it...

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