Old Craftsman 150 Drill Press

[doan]

Restoration Complete - See page 3 Photo Album HERE

I picked up this Craftsman 150 On Friday. Decent shape, but a few problems:

• Bearings need to be replaced
• chuck wobbles during rotation (shaft is bent)
• Quill lock is missing
• One feed handle is missing
• Motor only has a single speed pulley
• just found the the chuck is broken - lock ring came off

Any ideas in where to get parts? I have found places to buy a new chuck (Jacobs 34-33C) for around $100. But since I need bearings and a spindle, I may be better off finding another drill for parts.

Are there any parts that cross between the 80, 100, and 150 models?

Ok after reading this, maybe "decent" is not that accurate. I've been watching for a long time, this is the 1st one within driving distance (in this case 80 miles) that I've seen and it was only $75.

I will post more pics later.

 

[Packard V8]

Most of the parts you need are readily available. Sears sold millions of those.

Buy your bearings and a matching 4-speed pulley directly from a bearing supply house

jack vines

 

[doan]

Thanks Jack, where to find the other parts like the spindle? No longer stocked by sears, nothing on ebay....

 

[Davefr]

I picked up this Craftsman 150 On Friday. Decent shape, but a few problems:

• Bearings need to be replaced
• chuck wobbles during rotation (shaft is bent)
• Quill lock is missing
• One feed handle is missing
• Motor only has a single speed pulley
• just found the the chuck is broken - lock ring came off

Any ideas in where to get parts?

bearings, chuck and pulley won't be a problem.

You'll probably have to fabricate the other parts unless you can find another DP for parts.

Old machinery projects can be fun/challenging but certain parts can be unobtanium unless you're very patient.

Just do a search on Ebay and then save the search so you get a daily update for any new listings that pop up.

 

[nine4gmc]

I just picked up a bench model like that and paid a lot more...at an auction, where things should be cheap...I pick it up tomorrow and hope it is in better condition than you describe yours, but really it don't matter because they are so rare around here as well...

You may want to change the bearings, then test run out again, it may not be the shaft and just be the bad bearings giving you the wobble. Fingers crossed for you. There are a few threads where people have bought/made replacement handles and refurbished their machines, maybe they will chime in shortly. Good score and great price

 

[doan]

Pulled the quill and spindle out. Quill bearings seem good, the loud bearing seems to be the one for the front pulley. Spindle is definitely bent, the bend is very close to where the chuck attaches.

 

[torqueman2002]

There's a site that might help with repairs and parts: http://owwm.org/index.php?sid=a6cff968e5b21077a7a9719393ac7529

 

[Davefr]

Pulled the quill and spindle out. Quill bearings seem good, the loud bearing seems to be the one for the front pulley. Spindle is definitely bent, the bend is very close to where the chuck attaches.

Find a good machine shop and they might be able to straighten the spindle. After that, the rest is easy.

 

[doan]

read some articles about spindle straightening (at home), that might save thins one.

 

[tool_scrounge]

http://images.craigslist.org

I picked up this Craftsman 150 On Friday. Decent shape, but a few problems:

[LIST]
[*]Bearings need to be replaced
[*]chuck wobbles during rotation (shaft is bent)
[*]Quill lock is missing
[*]One feed handle is missing
[*]Motor only has a single speed pulley
[*]just found the the chuck is broken - lock ring came off
[/LIST]

Any ideas in where to get parts? I have found places to buy a new chuck (Jacobs 34-33C) for around $100. But since I need bearings and a spindle, I may be better off finding another drill for parts.
[/QUOTE]

The lock ring of the Jacobs 33-34C is just there to make putting it on and off easier. If the chuck otherwise it OK and the Jacobs taper of the chuck locks together with the spindle solid, use it as is.

When replacing the motor pulley, be sure to get one that is pitch (vertical spacing) as the spindle pulley. Otherwise the belt will not be on straight at all speeds. For example, Rockwell Delta pulleys have a larger pitch than Craftsman pulleys. Fortunately the Craftsman pulley pitch seems more common.

Good Luck!

 

[doan]

The lock ring of the Jacobs 33-34C is just there to make putting it on and off easier. If the chuck otherwise it OK and the Jacobs taper of the chuck locks together with the spindle solid, use it as is.

When replacing the motor pulley, be sure to get one that is pitch (vertical spacing) as the spindle pulley. Otherwise the belt will not be on straight at all speeds. For example, Rockwell Delta pulleys have a larger pitch than Craftsman pulleys. Fortunately the Craftsman pulley pitch seems more common.

Good Luck!

Thanks for the tip on the pulley. I had also read that most chucks just use the taper.

Instead of a pulley for the existing motor, I might look into a vari-speed motor like a treadmill uses. used treadmills can be had for $50-$75.

 

[nine4gmc]

Hard to tell, is that the original Craftsman motor? I may be interested if you are removing it.

 

[doan]

Hard to tell, is that the original Craftsman motor? I may be interested if you are removing it.

No it is not, but it is old. i will post some pics tomorrow.

 

[doan]

Progress...

I was able to address most of the run-out with a 1/2" grade 8 bolt and a BFH. Then I tore it down and started cleaning, Spent most of the time on the pole today.

Here's the rig I made to polish the pole. I used an oil filter wrench that has a 3/8 square drive hole for a socket wrench. It tightens onto the filter when you turn it. I put it on the end of the pole, secured with a hose clamp, then drove it with a drill.

I know it looks red-neck, but it got the job done a lot faster. The pic has weird shading on it. The pole is clean and shiny for the entire length.

Here's the "before" pic of the pole

 

[Bill Ramsey]

Bravo for your redneck solution! I respect someone who can look at a problem and manufacture a solution.

I have a press identical to this one, and when I make the time to restore it, I'm going to shamelessly rip off your technique.

 

[doan]

Thanks Bill, and here's how I fixed the "Arc of Shame"

The center hole was also no longer round. I wrapped a deep socket with masking tape until it would just fit in the hole. Then I covered all the imperfections with JB Weld.

I made a "hone" for the hole out of smaller socket and sandpaper.

You can see the results of the JB Weld here, sanded flush but darker color than the cast iron.

I decided to paint it with Dupli-Color Ceramic Cast Coat Iron Engine Paint. It's a tough paint and looks just like Cast Iron

 

[jesse72]

This is cool and thanks for documenting the restoration, I am looking for a bench model to do the same thing on.

 

[Zeke]

You're a better man than I to take that project on. I have a 150 in very nice original condition but I'd have trashed yours and looked for another. Even here in CA they only go for 150 tops. Not worth all the bearing and pulley expense.

Good job!

 

[ajchien]

You're a better man than I to take that project on. I have a 150 in very nice original condition but I'd have trashed yours and looked for another. Even here in CA they only go for 150 tops. Not worth all the bearing and pulley expense.

Good job!

Yes, I really respect the OP for taking on this project.

As you progress on the project, can you give us an estimate of the amount of money and time invested into the refurbish? There are times I'm just curious how much sweat and money gets put into a project.

On, one last question, what is the lowest speed on those craftsman 150s?

 

[Tsquare]

I picked up this Craftsman 150 On Friday. Decent shape, but a few problems:

• Bearings need to be replaced
• chuck wobbles during rotation (shaft is bent)
• Quill lock is missing
• One feed handle is missing
• Motor only has a single speed pulley
• just found the the chuck is broken - lock ring came off

Any ideas in where to get parts? I have found places to buy a new chuck (Jacobs 34-33C) for around $100. But since I need bearings and a spindle, I may be better off finding another drill for parts.

Are there any parts that cross between the 80, 100, and 150 models?

Ok after reading this, maybe "decent" is not that accurate. I've been watching for a long time, this is the 1st one within driving distance (in this case 80 miles) that I've seen and it was only $75.

I will post more pics later.

Another classic old power tool saved from the junk yard and prepared to serve another 60 years - doesn'nt get better than that

 

[doan]

You're a better man than I to take that project on. I have a 150 in very nice original condition but I'd have trashed yours and looked for another. Even here in CA they only go for 150 tops. Not worth all the bearing and pulley expense.

I only paid $75 for this one. And I mostly bought it because they come up so seldom around here.

As you progress on the project, can you give us an estimate of the amount of money and time invested into the refurbish? There are times I'm just curious how much sweat and money gets put into a project.

$75 for the original and I need a few parts. Parts on ebay are expensive. I found a used head (also with a bent spindle for $50 + $35 shipping). I will pull a few parts off of it and hopefully sell the leftovers. If you pay yourself for the time, its expensive, but I do it for fun. You could probably tear one down, clean it up and paint it in a day or so if you only wanted to flip it - I've got a lot more time in mine.

One, one last question, what is the lowest speed on those craftsman 150s?

Here's the speed chart for the 2 pulley version.

 

[jaysinet]

Hey , I'm restoring a 1946 built 150 as we speak and have mine tore down to every bolt. I disassembled my 633c chuck because it was sticking midway both going in or out. Upon disassembly I discovered the top thread on one of the jaws was broke and causing the problem. I looked at new jaws and the best deal I could find was $40 online. I then found sears.com has the 34-33c for 64.39 in stock with free shipping. I then had Enco beat that for a total of 61.36 shipped. So for 40$ new jaws, or 61$ for whole new chuck. New chuck came yesterday. Just FYI if you're thinking about getting the 34-33c. Alot better than $100.

 

[doan]

Hey , I'm restoring a 1946 built 150 as we speak and have mine tore down to every bolt. I disassembled my 633c chuck because it was sticking midway both going in or out. Upon disassembly I discovered the top thread on one of the jaws was broke and causing the problem. I looked at new jaws and the best deal I could find was $40 online. I then found sears.com has the 34-33c for 64.39 in stock with free shipping. I then had Enco beat that for a total of 61.36 shipped. So for 40$ new jaws, or 61$ for whole new chuck. New chuck came yesterday. Just FYI if you're thinking about getting the 34-33c. Alot better than $100.

Can you share a link or part number for those?

 

[tool_scrounge]

Hey , I'm restoring a 1946 built 150 as we speak and have mine tore down to every bolt. I disassembled my 633c chuck because it was sticking midway both going in or out. Upon disassembly I discovered the top thread on one of the jaws was broke and causing the problem. I looked at new jaws and the best deal I could find was $40 online. I then found sears.com has the 34-33c for 64.39 in stock with free shipping. I then had Enco beat that for a total of 61.36 shipped. So for 40$ new jaws, or 61$ for whole new chuck. New chuck came yesterday. Just FYI if you're thinking about getting the 34-33c. Alot better than $100.

Is the new chuck made is USA (which will be marked as such ) or in China (unmarked as to origin with sharper corners)?

Thanks

 

[doan]

A few more progress pics:

 

[malibulvr]

Awesome looking so far, great start. I see some parts, watcha building?

 

[doan]

Awesome looking so far, great start. I see some parts, watcha building?

My big project is a 59 Austin Healy Sprite. A lot of the finished parts are in my office. Blog here: http://doanfamily.net/blog

 

[Tsquare]

Great car project - the drill press looks good - I am on the search for 150.

 

[Tsquare]

Doan, What type of paint are you using?

 

[Outlawmws]

Hey , I'm restoring a 1946 built 150 as we speak and have mine tore down to every bolt. I disassembled my 633c chuck because it was sticking midway both going in or out. Upon disassembly I discovered the top thread on one of the jaws was broke and causing the problem. I looked at new jaws and the best deal I could find was $40 online. I then found sears.com has the 34-33c for 64.39 in stock with free shipping. I then had Enco beat that for a total of 61.36 shipped. So for 40$ new jaws, or 61$ for whole new chuck. New chuck came yesterday. Just FYI if you're thinking about getting the 34-33c. Alot better than $100.

You sure you didn't typo the date for this DP? 1946 was early if not first year of production on the mod 100. the 150 didn't surface until late 50's How did you determine it's age? (Not that there is a lot of difference between the 100 and 150's; The 100's had tilting tables, 150's were solid. The rest was basically cosmetics.)

 

[doan]

Doan, What type of paint are you using?

Dupli-Color Ceramic Cast Coat Iron Engine Paint for the machined area of the table, and Rustoleum Hammered Black for all the cast-iron. It is pretty much an exact match. Seems a little glossier that the original paint but I have never seen a new 150.

 

[doan]

You sure you didn't typo the date for this DP? 1946 was early if not first year of production on the mod 100. the 150 didn't surface until late 50's How did you determine it's age? (Not that there is a lot of difference between the 100 and 150's; The 100's had tilting tables, 150's were solid. The rest was basically cosmetics.)

So is the spindle from a 100 the same as a 150? or an old model 80?


Also, any idea what years of the 150's where what colors? Mine was stamped on the bottom of the base as a 1966 and it was Dark gray/black. What years were the gold 150's?

 

[Tsquare]

So is the spindle from a 100 the same as a 150? or an old model 80?


Also, any idea what years of the 150's where what colors? Mine was stamped on the bottom of the base as a 1966 and it was Dark gray/black. What years were the gold 150's?

1966 150's were a dark gray. The gold machines were late 50's or early 60's.

Thanks for the paint post.

 

[Outlawmws]

So is the spindle from a 100 the same as a 150? or an old model 80?


Also, any idea what years of the 150's where what colors? Mine was stamped on the bottom of the base as a 1966 and it was Dark gray/black. What years were the gold 150's?

I can't say on the 100-150 spindle's but the 80 is definitely different. its a completely different DP just styled similarly.

On the paint, Tsqaure's answer sounds about right.

 

[fordbroncodave]

for $75 that is worth buying. very good drill press even if it needs some repair work done. you can't buy an equivalent name brand press for anywhere near that price and after bearings and a drill chuck its still cheaper and now you know what the internal condition is.

I picked up a 100 model (I believe it is) for $115 like 2 years ago. used very little, multi pulley speed system and original manual and documentation for the add on pulley

 

[Mike.ASC]

Very nice restoration work .

 

[thundermug]

Great job so far. I'm working on a Homecraft bench top from 1954. Your makeshift lathe solution inspired me to make my own. Worked really well:

https://scontent-a-ord.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/1450846_662147549662_1549574018_n.jpg

https://scontent-b-ord.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/q71/1465136_662147554652_1216323869_n.jpg

 

[doan]

Great job so far. I'm working on a Homecraft bench top from 1954. Your makeshift lathe solution inspired me to make my own. Worked really well:

Pretty slick...Tiewraps are are the new duct tape

you've also got some nice toolboxes there, I really like the old work light.

 

[thundermug]

Thanks. I'm a man of limited means and space, so I have to improvise. I've been slowly trading up toolboxes, vises, and other shop fixtures to what I have now.

 

[jaysinet]

sorry it took so long to get back guys. the part number from Enco for the Jacobs 34-33c chuck was 505-2188. It is definitely stamped made in china on the box. I still kept my 633c chuck as a backup and will likely get jaws for it it some day.

Outlaw, my DP is model 103.23640. the owners manual says October 1946, so does that mean it's actually a 100 not 150? It does not specify anywhere in the manual.