Should I just get another drill press or fix this junk?

[Beef2468]

Normally I'm just fine lurking, but I can't decide what to do with my drill press.

I got it several years ago free, pretty abused, it worked for the garbage I needed a hole in over the years but had to rig it with vice grips clamped down as my handles to get it to work.

The handles are all busted off, I'm wondering if the shaft thing is somehow bent because it requires quite a bit of force to go up and down and no amount of grease or oil will help that work better. Spring works fine though.

I see all these threads of complete rebuilds with machining all new parts and everything. The results are great but not sure if I want to turn this drill press into a summer long project. Plus I'm not a tool and die guy nor do I have a lathe, mill, or other fancy tooling stuff.

This drill press is not rare or anything right? I'll try to post pics of the thing and model number. I'll end up doing whatever this forum recommends. Really.

 

[Beef2468]

Fixed

 

[Beef2468]

Somehow my pics are upside down. Sorry not sure how to fix that

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[LS6 Tommy]

Somehow my pics are upside down. Sorry not sure how to fix that

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Flip your cell phone 180* next time you take pics.

Tommy

 

[gregtwojeeps]

I have no advice here worthy....but I just looked at CL in my town and one just like yours is posted for sale..$300.00

 

[DougWil]

You can probably buy replacement parts from Sears, like handles and not turn it into a summer machining project.

Post up some pics of what is so messed up about it, handles seem like a trivial fix.
Doubtful that the quill is bent, the feed shaft might be. But you are going to have to take it apart to find out what is bent, binding or lacking in lube.

That drill press should have lasted forever if it wasn't abused, but they do need maintenance.

 

[kbs2244]

This is an attitude question.
As a DIY site, most guys are going to say "fix it."
But if you do not get any personal satisfaction from that kind of thing and all you want is and occasional hole maker then, no, sell it and get a $99.00 big box drill press.
But remember that wood and metal are going to need very different speeds, so you have to buy accordingly.

 

[Beef2468]

....

 

[Beef2468]

Well I flipped the pic orientation and it's still as messed up as the press.

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[Beef2468]

Next weekend I'll post pictures of this thing and see what's what.

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[DougWil]

Well I flipped the pic orientation and it's still as messed up as the press.

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Hmmmm....... the operator seems to be the common denominator.

 

[nine4gmc]

Post more pics of the head from both sides, is there a "quill lock" on it that may be tight? Members have made handles from threaded rod and you can buy round knobs for the ends or some guys just use Craftsman screwdriver handles on the threaded rods for custom handles. As long as it works and the quill is not bent and it drills straight, you should probably repair and use it. jmo.

 

[matt_i]

There are typically 2 parts to look at, 1) the fit between the head casting and the OD of the quill tube, and 2) the spline drive between the pulley and the driveshaft that ultimately turns the chuck.

Both have to be free to move. I would look closely at the spline drive. Its possible a poor fit there, damaged cutter, could make an oversized spline. If that's the issue, its possible to relieve the interference carefully, gently with a small file.

 

[jabber]

Get rid of it and buy a used American made drill press that will last you the rest of your life. I paid $100 bucks for a 1940's model in good working condition and I haven't done anything to it in the last ten years, other than a little oil on the quill.

 

[Beef2468]

Some pictures of my junk

 

[Beef2468]

Something is jacked. Me, my phone or my app when it comes to posting pics

 

[matt_i]

So whats binding in the mechanism, eh?

 

[Beef2468]

So whats binding in the mechanism, eh?

I'm still trying to figure out what is binding.

The chuck is trashed I think, won't open and close without a lot of force. Provided I get this thing working properly, where should I start looking for chucks? Ebay?

The part where the handles are supposed to go completely broke off prior to my ownership, I'll post more pics of that later now that I figured out how to post pics properly.

 

[gregtwojeeps]

Depends on the price you put on your time and your willingness to work on the press. CL has a lot of floor standing drill presses for $150 bucks. jmo

 

[maxpower_hd]

Flip your cell phone 180* next time you take pics.

Tommy

That will take an awful long time to flip his phone 180*. What if he just flips it 180 degrees? LOL. Sorry I had to. It was funny to me...

On the drill press...It doesn't look like a particularly rare or valuable one to me. It may be a good excuse to get a new one if you can afford one. Otherwise most of the parts are probably still available through Sears website. I would at least check to see how much the parts would cost and base my decision on fixing based on that.

 

[Cyberbear]

Save your time and money trying to repair a machine that was tossed for a reason, it's probably not worth fixing. If you can salvage the motor, that might be a good thing and just strip the rest of it for usable parts. Keep your eye open for a good used unit, preferably American made.

 

[clubairth]

Good advice above.

Before replacing the chuck I would soak it in something? Oil, de-greaser, penetrating oil. Just to see if you can loosen it up.
.
.
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[Todd.Brock]

If you need some holes drilled and aren't passionate about a 1980/90's vintage Sears drill press then buy a new one and pass it on.
But you seem to have some interest to go that far! And 180 *

Good luck in which ever path works best for you!

 

[Xicaque]

Buy a new one. You deserve it.

 

[Beef2468]

Save your time and money trying to repair a machine that was tossed for a reason, it's probably not worth fixing. If you can salvage the motor, that might be a good thing and just strip the rest of it for usable parts. Keep your eye open for a good used unit, preferably American made.

Very tempting. I'll probably end up spending what a Craigslist one would cost fixing this one.

Maybe I'll make my hobby looking at Craigslist.

I'll go back to the garage, stare at all the parts for a while and have a heart to heart with this machine.

 

[nadogail]

This whole thread seems to boil down to a time versus money discussion.

If you have more time than money you get one answer. If you have more money than time your answers may change.

Why buy a replacement for $100, when you can spend a year and $250 fixing the broken one.

 

[Beef2468]

Why buy a replacement for $100, when you can spend a year and $250 fixing the broken one.

Good point.

 

[gregtwojeeps]

You may find that a smaller press will do also.

 

[justanengineer]

Looks simple enough of a fix to me. The binding has to be between the quill and pinion shaft. Looking at the pics it appears the pinion shaft is a bit beat up, I'd hit it with some emery cloth to clean it up a bit and see if that didnt free things up. As for the handle hub, if you cant find one similar to modify or make a new one then a couple tack welds should glue that one back together. Dont throw out the chuck! You probably dont need or want a new one, theyre pretty simple to press/hammer apart and clean up.

Worst case, what part of the country are you in OP? I've used those drills before, they were made both in Taiwan and the US, and are actually pretty nice - the equivalent of the old Deltas so many here love and certainly better than anything you could buy new today. If youre tossing it I'm sure someone here would repair and use it, I know I would.

 

[Beef2468]

Looks simple enough of a fix to me. The binding has to be between the quill and pinion shaft. Looking at the pics it appears the pinion shaft is a bit beat up, I'd hit it with some emery cloth to clean it up a bit and see if that didnt free things up. As for the handle hub, if you cant find one similar to modify or make a new one then a couple tack welds should glue that one back together. Dont throw out the chuck! You probably dont need or want a new one, theyre pretty simple to press/hammer apart and clean up.

Worst case, what part of the country are you in OP? I've used those drills before, they were made both in Taiwan and the US, and are actually pretty nice - the equivalent of the old Deltas so many here love and certainly better than anything you could buy new today. If youre tossing it I'm sure someone here would repair and use it, I know I would.

The handle hub is junk. I only have 3/4 of it and missing the rest, and all the threads on it are totally shredded smooth. I'd need a new one of those.

I'll work on the spindle and see what happens.

As for the chuck, it must be a replacement the drill says 5/8 but the actual Chuck is 1/2.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Have you looked on Sears Parts to see if any of them are still available ?

 

[Beef2468]

Have you looked on Sears Parts to see if any of them are still available ?

Yeah did a little looking.

 

[ReginaInd]

Make friends with someone who has a mill and a lathe. They can fix you right up on that handle.
I'll post a pic of the one I made while I was still in school later.

 

[brownbagg]

you can buy all those parts at searsrepair.com

 

[Whitworth]

Every part in that machine is economy quality. It wasn't meant to last, it is a consumer grade tool. Maybe the motor has salvage value, but everything else is throwaway.

It could be fixed, but... Do you want to buy $200 in parts to fix a drill press that sells on Craig's for $100? Or buy a $300 hydraulic press to fix a $30 chuck ?

Craigslist in my area is constantly flooded with low end drill presses, with an occasional diamond-in-the-rough.

If you want to fix a drill press, search around for an old Delta, Atlas, or classic Craftsman or similar. You might get lucky and find an old Powermatic or Clausing.

 

[gtabasso]

My company sells a bunch of used drill presses.