- Joined
- Feb 17, 2013
- Messages
- 4,406
About a week ago I bought myself a new project. It's an old Craftsman 150 drill press I saw at a Habitat for Humanity thrift store. Sold "as is," with a sign indicating the motor didn't work. Bought it for $25.
I posted a gloat on the Tool Junkies forum - http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/vintage-drill-press-score.49601/ - and it was suggested that I put my restoration/refurb posts on this forum. So here I am!
First off, photos of the DP as bought:
Vital statistics: The model number is 103.24530. Comparing features to catalog descriptions, I'm pretty sure it's catalog number is 99M2453N (floor model, sold without motor), from the 1960/61 catalog. The DP includes the optional "Vari-Slo" variable speed pulley system (Sears Cat #9-2340).
Initial disassembly showed that this DP is actually in very good mechanical condition. There's some light surface rust on the table and column, and just two small divot holes on the table. Other than that, no broken parts, nothing jammed or stuck, only the chuck key missing. I cleaned up all the internal parts and found two pairs of ball bearings (spindle and motor) that I thought were due for replacement. Ordered those from eBay. After removing everything from the castings, I gave them a pressure wash and rinse at a local car wash. Stubborn gunk was taken care of with Zep citrus cleaner.
New clamp ring: When first trying to remove the head from the column, I'd almost had a "woopsie" that could seriously damaged some parts. When I loosened the clamp bolt, I didn't have a good enough grasp on the head and it slipped downward. Part of the Vari-Slo mechanism extends over the column, and when the head moved downward, it ran the column into the mechanism. Luckily it didn't hit hard or cause any damage. But I decided I needed some kind of safety collar under the head to limit its downward travel ... just in case I or some future owner had occasion to again remove the head.
I started with a 5 lb cast iron dumbbell weight.
After covering the lathe ways I faced the outer section of both sides. Luckily, I could ignore the nasty scallops near the center, because that part would be cut away. The column of the DP is 2 ¾" diameter. I used a 2 ½" hole saw to make a rough hole, then finished it to the final size. I then offset the remaining ring by ¾", using three of the jaws of my 4-jaw chuck. There wasn't room for the fourth jaw, but I was able to hold the part securely with what I had. I used a 4" hole saw to cut out an eccentric ring.
After cleaning up the OD, I went to the mill to drill, tap and counterbore for a ¼" screw. Finally, I saw cut across the widest part of the ring.
The result is an easily adjustable ring that fits well on the DP column and can be clamped tightly in place.
-- to be continued --
I posted a gloat on the Tool Junkies forum - http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/vintage-drill-press-score.49601/ - and it was suggested that I put my restoration/refurb posts on this forum. So here I am!
First off, photos of the DP as bought:
Vital statistics: The model number is 103.24530. Comparing features to catalog descriptions, I'm pretty sure it's catalog number is 99M2453N (floor model, sold without motor), from the 1960/61 catalog. The DP includes the optional "Vari-Slo" variable speed pulley system (Sears Cat #9-2340).
Initial disassembly showed that this DP is actually in very good mechanical condition. There's some light surface rust on the table and column, and just two small divot holes on the table. Other than that, no broken parts, nothing jammed or stuck, only the chuck key missing. I cleaned up all the internal parts and found two pairs of ball bearings (spindle and motor) that I thought were due for replacement. Ordered those from eBay. After removing everything from the castings, I gave them a pressure wash and rinse at a local car wash. Stubborn gunk was taken care of with Zep citrus cleaner.
New clamp ring: When first trying to remove the head from the column, I'd almost had a "woopsie" that could seriously damaged some parts. When I loosened the clamp bolt, I didn't have a good enough grasp on the head and it slipped downward. Part of the Vari-Slo mechanism extends over the column, and when the head moved downward, it ran the column into the mechanism. Luckily it didn't hit hard or cause any damage. But I decided I needed some kind of safety collar under the head to limit its downward travel ... just in case I or some future owner had occasion to again remove the head.
I started with a 5 lb cast iron dumbbell weight.
After covering the lathe ways I faced the outer section of both sides. Luckily, I could ignore the nasty scallops near the center, because that part would be cut away. The column of the DP is 2 ¾" diameter. I used a 2 ½" hole saw to make a rough hole, then finished it to the final size. I then offset the remaining ring by ¾", using three of the jaws of my 4-jaw chuck. There wasn't room for the fourth jaw, but I was able to hold the part securely with what I had. I used a 4" hole saw to cut out an eccentric ring.
After cleaning up the OD, I went to the mill to drill, tap and counterbore for a ¼" screw. Finally, I saw cut across the widest part of the ring.
The result is an easily adjustable ring that fits well on the DP column and can be clamped tightly in place.
-- to be continued --