# New Old Craftsman Drill Press



## onoitsmatt (Mar 7, 2015)

I'm pretty excited about my new/old drill press, but my wife isn't as enthusiastic, so figured I'd post here.

Got this from a swell fella off craigslist. He had a whole shop full of cool old tools and enjoyed showing them off, as I enjoyed seeing them and talking with him.

The drill press is a 1960's Craftsman 150 (model 103.24511).



















It has what appears to be the original motor:










But a bit of a weird setup on the pulleys:



























The return spring isn't working. I haven't had a chance to spend any time with it yet. But hopefully not broken, just unhooked.

There is a fair bit of runout as well, but hoping again that it's just mucked up inside the chuck and a little cleaning will get it reseated and on its way.

Will update here if/when I get some time to mess with it.

Also need to get this spindle situation worked out. I am hopeful the 4-step pulley in the back can mount directly to motor as is the intended setup and be done with it. That business in the back is taking up too much space in my already crowded shop.


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

Someone must have fabbed that up to be able to drill steel at a very low speed, pretty interesting. I have old drill presses and the only thing that's really a pain is not being able to crank up the table. Have fun with it.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

I have that same press, and it is one fine machine. Made by King Seely.
You might need to replace the spindle bearings, but that's not an expensive fix.
Search for vid resto info. I found several sites that show the process.
I also noticed that Chris Albee posted a video (in the video section) about restoring a foot operated motiser. He has the Craftsman KS DP too. Shows up during the video. Just an FYI.
Bill


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## Tim812 (Jan 25, 2016)

Nice drill press! Saw one like this the other day that was fully restored and it looks awesome. Definitely worth it to take some time and make it look nice. Enjoy your new drill press..


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## onoitsmatt (Mar 7, 2015)

Thanks for all the input. I've been spending a bit of time with it. It has very little rust. I've undone the wierd pulley thing but will need a new motor pulley. I took the chuck off and cleaned it up to hopefully clear up the runout but unfortunately the spindle is bent. I was hoping to do these two things and put it to work and do a more involved restore in the fall. But with a bent spindle, I'll be trolling ebay for a replacement and will get it working and do the full restore when I have all the parts I need.


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## Tedstor (Mar 12, 2011)

I nursed one of those drill presses back to health a few years ago. It was a fine machine that did a lot of good work for me. But I did grow tired of having to manually manipulate the work table, and moved on to something newer.


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## simonov (Jan 6, 2017)

> I nursed one of those drill presses back to health a few years ago. It was a fine machine that did a lot of good work for me. But I did grow tired of having to manually manipulate the work table, and moved on to something newer.


That's the biggest problem with my 1940s Walker-Turner, but since I'm never giving that up I have to come up with some kind of solution. I am thinking of fitting a scissor jack just under the table where it meets the pylon.


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## BlasterStumps (Mar 13, 2017)

simonov writes: "I am thinking of fitting a scissor jack just under the table.

I did that on my Craftsman 150 DP with a scissors









jack. It's up on a mobile cart being used like a bench top drill press. It works but it is a bit clunky. I rarely change it so no big problem for me. I use the DP for wood drilling mostly.


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## onoitsmatt (Mar 7, 2015)

The clunky table movement was my only hangup with buying old vs new. This guy rigged up a counterweight system that looks lile a good option.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3823364#post3823364

The above thread is a great resource for all things Craftsman Drill Press.

BTW can a spindle be effectively straightened or do I need to find one on ebay or pilfer one off a different machine?


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## kathy50 (Mar 3, 2018)

Craftsman 103.24511 drill press is great for woodworkers. It is a floor model drill press.


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## Dwain (Nov 1, 2007)

Matt!

It looks really great. I just finished my drill press (the exact same model) about seven months ago. I love it! I'd agree with other posters, moving the table up and down is the only real issue, and it isn't done that much. If I would you I wouldn't mess with trying to straighten that spindle. I don't think you can get it perfect. Keep looking through e bay and OWWM. Something will come around. I have a 1/2 HP motor on mine as well. It's all I need. Keep us posted on your progress!

Dwain


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## Ripper70 (Nov 30, 2015)

> I m pretty excited about my new/old drill press, but my wife isn t as enthusiastic, so figured I d post here.
> 
> - onoitsmatt


I think you did pretty darn good! However, if the little lady lacks the appropriate enthusiasm, you should offer to buy her a brand spanking new Powermatic PM2800B! That'll do the trick!


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## bilyo (May 20, 2015)

I also have an old Craftsman DP with a similar table. A real pain in the back. Some time ago I built a winch system for it. It is a "proof of concept" 1st attempt and it ain't pretty, but it works and maybe someday I'll improve it. Maybe it will give you some ideas.










In case you can't tell by looking, it is a shop made spool and crank clamped to the support column with a 1/8" (or maybe 3/16") coated cable running down and screwed to the back side of the table.


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## onoitsmatt (Mar 7, 2015)

I forgot about this old thread. It's been a year since I got this drill press. The spindle was bent but I was able to find a complete quill assembly including depth stop on ebay for about $100. The spindle on it was true and I was able to part out the rest of the assembly and got my $100 back. The same guy had a correct replacement pulley on ebay too so I bought that as well. It runs straight and great.

Thanks for the wench photo, looks like a good idea.

And Ripper, I am currently working on the table saw angle. I think she'd be silly not to want a nice powermatic one.


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## John Smith_inFL (Dec 15, 2017)

wow - this is a blast from the past !!
back in 1978 or so, I pulled one out of the dumpster on a Navy base because a shop
was scheduled for an IG inspection and this thing was not going to pass any kind
of inspection…... so they tossed it. no belt guards, non-grounded motor and frame.
I kept it for maybe 10 years and gave it to my B-I-L. very heavy duty industrial machine.
and as mentioned - it is a royal pain to manually adjust the table.









Note: I had access to a forklift, so it was no problem to strap it and pull it out of the dumpster.

.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

Raising the table is a pain. There are many videos on you tube that show how to fix that problem. A counterweight system is easy to do. Check this out. 



. As for the bend spindle; yes it can be straightened, but the cost to do so would be more than a replacement. It would take a lot of force to bend the spindle and that would surely result in bearing damage.


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## Hairball (Jan 19, 2020)

80.00 and you pay shipping


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## AndyJ1s (Jan 26, 2019)

There's a certain quality to old tools you bring back to life, and the satisfaction of doing it.

Then there's a different satisfaction using a Nova Voyager, which is also very enjoyable.

I have an old woodworking vise and a ~1940's Craftsman 4" jointer from my grandfather. I enjoy the vise immensely. The 4" jointer, not so much, but it does bring back memories just to look at it…

I'm still working on restoring his 1939 Craftsman Deluxe 12×36 metal lathe.

Andy


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