I inherited a 15" Craftsman drill press from my dad. Slightly newer, as it has those silly 2-piece safety switches, but nearly identical otherwise. Thankfully, it does not have the color-coded chart on the side. The handles are all covered with red rubber grips, which makes them nicer than bare steel to use. To solve the table binding issue (and to save my back), I installed a linear drive on the column that lifts the table via electric motor. Power is taken off the light switch, so it only will operate when I'm using the machine. Since the linear drive is 12V, I installed a small electrical box and power supply on that flat surface where the crank was supposed to be. It is a very nice machine and has been used for almost 50 years with nothing more than basic maintenance. It even has the original belt.
Bought the same drill press in 1971 - has served me well! 10 years ago, a friend broke the drive belt. Before I could say, don't worry about it, it' had a useful life, he had ordered 2 of them! Still have not had to use the 2nd belt! I ordered the 2 way cross feed table in '73 - used it for inletting wood items with router bits. My dad liked mine so he ordered one a couple years later. Only difference was a safety switch added on the front. My son has that one now. Hard to beat good equipment!
Loved the trip down memory lane and comparisons. Jordan’s buck is truly a splendid beast. I confess that after 50 years hunting and scores of bucks I’ve taken, none compare to his. Hats off to him.
I was fortunate to purchase a complete 1957 Sears Craftsman wood shop this past January. It came with a 6" jointer a 6" belt sander drill press and a wood lathe for less the $1000. I also picked up a 12" bandsaw for $75. I already had a 10" table saw that I had picked up several years before for $75. All are King Seeley and have that beautiful jeweling on them and all had little use. I consider myself to very very very fortunate to have found them all and very grateful to have them.
As I said in your first video on the craftsman drill press I have two and they are both this exact model with the exception that they both have the heavier T-slot tables. One was my grandfather’s who drilled thousands of sickle bar rivets out with it and the other I bought about a year ago. I love them. I did email you some photos on the what I believe to be the craftsman surface gage you bought at that same auction. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for those pictures of the gauge. I am going to examine it very carefully, but I think you have the correct answer. I’ll show the pictures in a later video.
Lyle - Good video and congratulations to Jordan for that nice buck. Those 63 and 66 catalogs were when I was in high school and drooled over the tools that were available and out of reach price wise - LOL. One other solution for the narrow and wobbly base - idea I stole. Instead of bolting to floor, lag it to a couple of 4 by 4 that stick out about a foot on each side. Really stabilizes it and a quick and easy fix. And usually takes care of the shim issue in the process depending on how bad Laurel and Hardy were with the concrete.
Mr. Pete, The drill press in your friend's basement is pretty much the same as the Sears unit I wrote about. The cover on my drill was pivoted. The knobs on the handles were cone shaped. I bought it from Sears with out a motor. I went to Grainger and purchased a capacitor start sealed motor. The Sears motor looked cheesey. My drill press had a pro table that did not rotate and had a threaded drain for coolant. It had real t slots. I was told Atlas made the product. I don't know if that was accurate. It's weak point was the lowest speed being too high for metal. Enjoyed the video.
Heavy cat iron tables are a real risk of personal injury if they drop while your feet are under them. I put a lead filled piece of muffler tubing down inside the column connected to the table with a pulley and steel cable. It is invisible and balances the table so it is safe and easy to move. Can't have employees go home with broken toes.
I still use my Craftsman drill press, bought new in 1972. It's a great machine, still has the original belt. For a woodworker, the #33 JT quill with locking collar is preferable, because you can use sanding drums and they won't fall out. You can also use it as an overhead router with the higher speeds.
Ohhhh. You just enlightened me on what the high speeds would be useful for. I have the same press as in this video, and from time to time slot wood on my milling machine. I will for sure be trying a router bit in the drill press at some point soon. Very interesting. Thank you Dennis.
My father had a Craftsman drill press. A different model but with a similar table. In his declining years he had trouble moving the table up and down. I used that threaded hole for the tilting table to connect a linear actuator salvaged from a C Band satellite dish system. It now has power up and down. I still use it today.
I've always wanted a floor drill press because the bench model I have has had its limitations. After watching your previous video on the Craftsman you bought I went and found a Delta branded one that is identical to the Craftsman in fairly good condition. Thanks for inspiring me to finally get the floor model I've always wanted.
I have a sears same vintage as your friend. I also have the tilting table. :) Nicely built machine. I love having the quill lock, not sure why todays drill presses don't have that. I think these presses weren't meant for machinists, low speed is too high. I never had issues with the belt slipping and they are still available. Thanks for sharing, and I hope Jordan shares the deer with you. :)
Always learn something and enjoy your humor on your videos. Tell Jordan congratulations on the deer. pass the venison please 😁🦌 Have a Jesus filled day everyone Greg in Michigan
Great video. I have the same Craftsman drill press but mine is made in mid 70's and has the rinky dink locking on/off switch. I have many years of great service from mine. I have the tilting table accessory, but have only used once in almost 50 years! Great place for drill bits though. I think in the 70's Emerson was making the power tools for Sears. I really enjoy these videos.
Saddens me on two fronts- the horrible inflation over the last 50 yrs and the fact that we "used" to make quality tools here for the home use. Jordan got a nice Buck- hope he shares some sausage/chili/ back straps with Grandpa!
I worked at Simpsons Sears (Canada) from 1976 to about 1982, first as a dishwasher in their wonderful restaurants they all had, then hardware, then paint and wallpaper. Hardware was the most fun, and the colleagues were awesome. Management, on the other hand? They kept their pensions after running the whole she-bang into the ground, is my current understanding. Thanks for the memories... 😊
Worked for Sears in New Jersey, USA. Paint and hardware was dept #9. Helped pay my way through college. 15% employee discount plus sales discount was a great deal. Just memories now.
As an aside I used to do work that required using Milwaukee drill motors. A note about incorporating plastics in tool design is that the older drill motors that were all metal (aluminum bodies, or magnesium?) lasted much longer than the newer models that were half metal, and half plastic, the red plastic part was in part, the handle. I believe this was for two reasons. The full metal body dissipated more heat keeping the motor cooler, and if you were really pushing it the handle would get hot forcing you to give it a break if not wearing gloves. The newer units had less metal for dissipating heat, and you could go 'hell bent for election' with the thing because the plastic handle let you keep going.
On my Craftsman 150 drill press, I used that lower motor shaft as a jackshaft and added an old 1/3rd hp motor beside it. With a 1 1/2 to 6 inch pulley setup, I can go an low as about 150 rpm. Great for large hole saws. I have only one on-off switch and I plug the motor that I want to use into that switch, as needed.
Mr. Pete I found a photo of my drill press on the Vintage Machinery site. The base and the table were bigger. It was under the Craftsman Commercial line. It's price in 1975 was $334.99 without a motor. The commercial model appeared to have a different motor than yours. It was still an open motor, maybe 3/4 hp.
Sweet looking Buck there Jordan. Congratulations. Had one of those thin belt drill press a long time ago. The thing blew through belts like no tomorrow.
Nice drill press Mr. Pet!!! And nice buck also!!! I have harvested dozens of deer in my time but the biggest one has a story behind it. I shot it and gutted it. By the time I got home with it (I was still living at home) it was about 11:00 pm. My Dad came out to the garage where I was hanging the buck and was going to clean it and put it in the freezer. Dad told me my older brother needed me to come to the rig and help him trip pipe. My Dad skinned the deer, cut it up and put it in the freezer. Then took all the waste out to a dump and disposed of it. Skin, head, antlers and everything. When I got back home the next evening and found out the biggest set of antlers I had ever got was gone, I was upset!!! Dad said he didn't have any idea I would want them. I figured he would have kept them so I didn't actually come out and tell him to keep them. I drove out to the dump but someone had already took them. They got a nice rack. I just hope they mounted them and enjoyed telling people how they got them.
I really like the old 40s 50s curvaceous styling. If I ever get a floor model drill press, I'm hoping it will be that style. And congrats to Jordan on the buck.
Hello Mr. Pete Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. I live in Connecticut, and I own a KingSeeley drill press 1950ish model. I got it from my dad, after he passed away and he got it from an old violin maker from New Hampshire. It is in "like new" condition. We all used it alot for woodworking , and I still use it for my own jewelry box business. I love this drillpress and would never get rid of it for multiple reasons. Just saying. Earl Connecticut
Enjoyed the presentation & listening to the critique on previous video. I equip my basement machines with rubber based adjustable “feet” to level them. John
Sadly I have a collection of vintage boat motors. Some of my favorite ones are Sears Elgin motors. I have a 1946 1.25 hp that runs really nice. They increased their offerings going forward and I have a bunch. That was what I liked about Sears. You usually had one not too far away, hand tools were made in the USA, guaranteed. I wouldn't want that drill press in a production setting but at home it's just fine. Same with my Atlas lathe and mill. Wouldn't be much good for industrial work but at home? Hell yeah. Just breaks my heart what the captain's of Industry have done to this country.
I have that same drill press, but in the 17" 1 1/2 HP version (says 10.0 amps on the motor tag), bought it new. Love that thing. :-) Thanks for the video, Mr. Pete!
Another good video mrpete! I also bought one of these new in about 1970 and still use it every day, primarily for making furniture and guitars but more recently for metal working. I've often used the highest speeds for grinding operations and used a hollow chisel mortising attachment to make thousands of mortises in hardwoods. The narrow belt has never been a problem, I bought a spare one about thirty years ago and it's still in the package. Emerson Electric Company made these for Sears. A slot in the head casting (a "split head") isn't about locking the quill, that's what the knob (or lever on mine) is for. A split head model has two bolts across it and allows you to reduce the play between the quill and head casting by tightening the bolts. Sears sold a split head model of this drill press but I can't find one now or I'd buy it. Now that I'm doing more precision metal working (I just restored a 1959 12"X36" QC Craftsman metal lathe) I've discovered that my drill press table trams about 3 degrees off perpendicular to the quill so I'm trying to decide on the best way to deal with that (besides just shimming the work).
Always enjoy your videos and this one answered a question I've had for years. I bought a small atlas lathe 12 or 14 years ago and with the assortment of odds and ends supplied with it was a odd eight groove 1/4 in belt pulley that I never could figure out what it would be used for. Well today I know. Tell Jordan congratulation on the buck. Hope you know a good taxidermist
1 HP is 746 watts, so 8 amps at 110V isn't out of line. I grew up with a slightly later version of that drill press, and my father still has it. One of the best woodworking drill presses ever made. The 8550 rpm speed was OK if you needed an inverted router in a pinch.
At work we had an old Craftsman drill press like the King Seeley one in the instrument shop. It had been fitted with a forward off reverse drum switch and a foot switch. Very nice machine for light duty.
These are great drill presses. I have 2 of them. One I purchased new 50 years ago and chose it over the Rockwell drill press because of the ability to have more speeds due to the small belts. Never have had a problem with the belt slipping that I can remember. Have you had a chance to check your variable speed pulleys on your loud running Rockwell drill press yet? Bob
Excellent video and trip down memory lane, Tubalcain. You can tell you still have an attachment to the press. Your friend Russ has taken care of it so you know it's in good hands.
I have a 1963 Craftsman drill press that I too love. One problem was that you could not mount a mortise tenon tool attachment, there was no room, the whole spindle rotated. I am still sad that I cannot walk through a Sears tool department at Christmas time when the shelves were full. Sears was king, Youngsters today cannot understand what Sears was to the hobbyist. The Sears tool catalog was bulging with good stuff, it was required reading. LOL I may well be sentimental, but Sears was top dog. Back when you could walk in with a broken Craftsman tool and get a brand new one, free exchange. Those WERE the good old days. I wish I could press the "go back" button. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.
I have the same 15 1/2" drill press as your former one. I bought it for $60 in really nice condition. The plastc lid is unfortunate, but it works. I found a replacement belt on ebay. Because of one of your videos I put a counter weight in the column. I've seen the little aux table, but do not have one. For a while I was using a geniue Peterson Products castings made vise on it (Which I believe came from the shop class Mecca of Lane Tech High School), but now (again because of your videos) I have a Heinrich cam lock speed vise.
I bought my first DP in 1973, that came from Taiwan, with the rack and pinion table lift you never mentioned. It came without a motor as I suspect there was a problem with CSA approvals at that time. To counter uneven floors I put mine on a three wheeler base. You can see it if you go to "instructables-beagles- drill press". Cannot show a direct link as my post will be deleted.
Great video Mr. Peterson! I own the same Craftsman drill press you showed in your garage. I'm sure I purchased it new sometime in the early 1970's as well. The chuck never would hold a drill bit without slipping and I finally replaced it with a Jacob's chuck about ten years ago. The press works alright for smaller holes, but if you attempt to drill anything even moderately large, the belts slip. Tell Jordan that's a fantastic buck!
I value drill presses too, I even value these "toy" drill presses. I never thought that I would like or value these light machines, but I use them happily now for light duty work. They are simple, light and easy to set up to poke non critical holes where I want more control than a hand drill. This lets me keep the big machines set up for heavier work. I never thought that would own a Craftsman, but I bought one with a tilting Pexto vise for $25. It was a rust bucket and the only moving parts that weren't frozen was the spindle and the motor bearings. It turned out that Scotch Brite and oil was all it needed for restoration. It is little and cute, but shockingly well built. I believe that the seller bought it used and put it into his damp basement, never re-bolting it to the home built stand. It sat there unloved for about 35 years. After it endured the Scotch Brite bath I found pristine surfaces. I love this little machine. It was made for Sears for about 6 months and then WW2 war production demands shifted manufacturing to urgent war production. This model was never put back into production. The motor and switch set up is a bit cheesey, but it is still all original and currently still safe and functional. I repainted it only because it warranted a beauty treatment to match its excellent function. I currently use 5 drill presses including heavy industrial machines, but the little Craftsman is used most. The tilting table has coolant troughs, but no T slots. It sports a stylized belt guard that reminds me of an ancient Pharos headgear. One of the quirky things about this machine design is the quill must be lowered to hinge the belt guard open. Sears incorporated basic design characteristics into later model machines, but I have not seen another Craftsman built as well as this bench top machine.
And I have the King Seely bench top style and use it daily in my woodworking shop. It needs new bearing but I can't figure out how to get at them, perhaps you can point to way to get at them. I enjoyed the field trip Mr. Pete.
I had that model DP with the optional tilt table. The two tables weighed a lot and trying to raise or lower them without a rack and pinion table lift was a big PIA. I sold mine.
I have to admit that I didn't watch all of your previous video very closely on your newly acquired drill press since I have the same thing and was a bit bored. I missed the part where you stated that the lever was for something other than for belt tensioning or I would have written something about it. One of the nice things about that design is that since the middle pulley is mounted on a swivel plate, that tensioning lever does tension both belts. I like it.. What I don't like is that over time those little plastic ear pieces on the bolts on either side that actually lock the tension dry out and break off. Mine did no doubt due to the fact that I live in a very dry climate, and plastics live short lives, and die hard deaths here. I turned some knurled knobs on my lathe to replace them. Sears - bah! I bought a Sears radial arm saw used that was made during the 70s. Biggest piece of junk woodworking tool I've ever owned. I tried to use it for doing some cabinet work and I had to make test cuts and bump the thing true every time I needed to change settings. Sears really started going downhill. Early Craftsman power tools of all sorts were of much better quality. I would say that a good rule of thumb is if the craftsman tool you're looking at has any plastic parts, it's from the 'junk era'.
We used to have a guy hunt on our property. He never fired unless he was sure, so he seldom missed. You knew it was him when you heard the report, because it sounded like he'd used a Sherman tank. Sure enough, about 30 minutes after you heard the report, he'd show up to let us see what he'd gotten. Everyone called him "Moose"
Hey I have that craftsman rotary table with x-y axis (no 8 in the catalog)! Picked it up for peanuts at an estate sale last yr, It was mounted on a drill press. Forgot about the 'angle' vises that comes with it and later when I was looking at it on ebay and youtube, I noticed the vises. Went back the next day (Sunday) and got them! It took a while but I found them! Very well made rotary table.
The studio G Craftsman import, that is a well featured drill press you have there. The center pulley, the 2mt taper are less commonly on these cheaper units.
Great video as usual! I feel the need at this time to congratulate you. Mr. Pete, you are one of the most interesting and diverse individuals on UA-cam and have a very pleasant manner. So congratulations on living an interesting life where you have the ability to share it with so many. So few folks today have the ability to boast of that. (Not that you are boastful) So thanks. Oh, you mentioned King Healy and I own one of those vintage bandsaws they made for Sears circa 50s or 60s and it really looks great but has terrible flaws which I won’t go into. It is the one made from two diecast clam shells and has the rigidity of day old French bread.
It's true, you can read minds...I had already snooped and admired the cat portrait and kerosene lamp, guilty as charged! I also admired the plaque which appears to be a humorous corruption of a famous corruption: "No grinding in here". Give my compliments to your friend.
I imagine an off-shore made clone of this would still only cost $300-400 which if it worked for 50+ years would be a tremendous value. You did point out a few cost-cutting components and designs, stuff that if made today would reduce profit by $1 on each unit sold today!
I have a drill press like your new to you Craftsman, but it has a different name on it and the table is square. I bought it about 35 years ago. I can taste the venison, yum. What a great buck.
Enjoyed the video and also owned a Sears drill press from the 70s. I find it interesting that Abbott and Costello did concrete work in the midwest since I live in South Carolina and they're also did my dry wall installation in 1977. It took me a very long time to fix all their botched work. Or maybe it was Laurel and Hardy.
I bought the exact same drill press from Facebook marketplace 2 weeks ago. I love it. Like you I’m bothered by the thin belt. But it hasn’t seemed to be an issue. I wonder how difficult it would be to make a couple pulleys that use a larger belt??
@@mrpete222 we made Emerson model that was manufactured for the Army. Yes we were Emerson Electric. in 1994 I think we were charged to Emerson Tool. We're we started up a line of tools under the Ridge name. Or yes I like your UA-cam channel I like seeing some of the old tooling that I worked with...thank you Mrpete.
Thank you! I have a similar Sears model in my shop, purchased by me, many years ago. I too always disliked the skinny belt and after replacing several I am in the process of converting the pulleys to 3/8ths inch and and casters to move this machine to storeage areas in my now cramped and too small shop. Anyway, I enjoy your many video's. Please continue providing them.-Jerald Ware, Michigan
Russ’s drill press was made by Emerson. It is the 4th generation of the Emerson drill presses. I have one similar, as well as a 1st generation, which closely resembles the King Seeley which preceded it. I have the tilt table, as well as the chain table lift, which is pretty much necessary when the tilt table is installed, it is very heavy. I’ve been restoring my 1st generation for the last couple of months. The 4th gen just runs and runs, no restoration necessary.
This reminds me of one night assigning/daring, my co-worker shift relief man to make a place to store the chuck key. I was almost mad the next day, because he had come up with too simple of a solution. A magnet stuck to the drill press with the chuck key stuck to it. Now all my drill presses have them.
I had a new 16’ x 24’ concrete pad poured for a garage last summer. I was cutting the sill plates for the walls and something was not right. I measured the left side and it was 24’. I checked the right side and it was 25’. Of course the extra foot was on the front. Laurel and Hardy were my contractor, who do not have to count on any repeat business.
Great video. When you bought the drillpress was Sears at the mall? Can't remember as I was young. I remember Arlans and Carrs stores but my favorite spot was Sandy's. My one problem with my floor drillpress is mice nesting in the top. They leave every other tool alone in the winter except the drill. I have to leave the belt cover open all winter when I am not using it.
Hello Mr. Pete, I just made a comment on your #831 Video, not realizing it was a month old already! I enjoyed both! Not a hunter, but congratulations on the deer! Isn't it funny what gets play and what doesn't! You make watching very special! Thanks!
I've got a Delta drill press that I've had for many years and it must have been made in the same plant in Taiwan since many of the parts are identical. It has served me very well but recently developed a lot of runout. In checking it, I found that the adapter from the No. 2 Morse taper to the Jacobs taper had gotten bent somehow. A new adapter fixed it right up.
I bought my somewhat used which still had cosmoline on it I too gave one of them drill press’s away I also used that rod to keep the belt tight Ihated that cover that raised and glided back Like you i drilled a million holes with it
I inherited a 15" Craftsman drill press from my dad. Slightly newer, as it has those silly 2-piece safety switches, but nearly identical otherwise. Thankfully, it does not have the color-coded chart on the side. The handles are all covered with red rubber grips, which makes them nicer than bare steel to use.
To solve the table binding issue (and to save my back), I installed a linear drive on the column that lifts the table via electric motor. Power is taken off the light switch, so it only will operate when I'm using the machine. Since the linear drive is 12V, I installed a small electrical box and power supply on that flat surface where the crank was supposed to be.
It is a very nice machine and has been used for almost 50 years with nothing more than basic maintenance. It even has the original belt.
I like that idea of the linear drive
Bought the same drill press in 1971 - has served me well! 10 years ago, a friend broke the drive belt. Before I could say, don't worry about it, it' had a useful life, he had ordered 2 of them! Still have not had to use the 2nd belt! I ordered the 2 way cross feed table in '73 - used it for inletting wood items with router bits. My dad liked mine so he ordered one a couple years later. Only difference was a safety switch added on the front. My son has that one now. Hard to beat good equipment!
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Loved the trip down memory lane and comparisons. Jordan’s buck is truly a splendid beast. I confess that after 50 years hunting and scores of bucks I’ve taken, none compare to his. Hats off to him.
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I was fortunate to purchase a complete 1957 Sears Craftsman wood shop this past January. It came with a 6" jointer a 6" belt sander drill press and a wood lathe for less the $1000. I also picked up a 12" bandsaw for $75. I already had a 10" table saw that I had picked up several years before for $75. All are King Seeley and have that beautiful jeweling on them and all had little use. I consider myself to very very very fortunate to have found them all and very grateful to have them.
That was a great a lifetime find
As I said in your first video on the craftsman drill press I have two and they are both this exact model with the exception that they both have the heavier T-slot tables. One was my grandfather’s who drilled thousands of sickle bar rivets out with it and the other I bought about a year ago. I love them. I did email you some photos on the what I believe to be the craftsman surface gage you bought at that same auction. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for those pictures of the gauge. I am going to examine it very carefully, but I think you have the correct answer. I’ll show the pictures in a later video.
Lyle - Good video and congratulations to Jordan for that nice buck. Those 63 and 66 catalogs were when I was in high school and drooled over the tools that were available and out of reach price wise - LOL. One other solution for the narrow and wobbly base - idea I stole. Instead of bolting to floor, lag it to a couple of 4 by 4 that stick out about a foot on each side. Really stabilizes it and a quick and easy fix. And usually takes care of the shim issue in the process depending on how bad Laurel and Hardy were with the concrete.
Great idea
Mr. Pete,
The drill press in your friend's basement is pretty much the same as the Sears unit I wrote about. The cover on my drill was pivoted. The knobs on the handles were cone shaped. I bought it from Sears with out a motor. I went to Grainger and purchased a capacitor start sealed motor. The Sears motor looked cheesey. My drill press had a pro table that did not rotate and had a threaded drain for coolant. It had real t slots. I was told Atlas made the product. I don't know if that was accurate. It's weak point was the lowest speed being too high for metal. Enjoyed the video.
You were wise to purchase a quality motor
That drillpress looks very different from the one you bought recently.I never saw this kind of pulleys.Thank you.
Heavy cat iron tables are a real risk of personal injury if they drop while your feet are under them. I put a lead filled piece of muffler tubing down inside the column connected to the table with a pulley and steel cable. It is invisible and balances the table so it is safe and easy to move. Can't have employees go home with broken toes.
I still use my Craftsman drill press, bought new in 1972. It's a great machine, still has the original belt. For a woodworker, the #33 JT quill with locking collar is preferable, because you can use sanding drums and they won't fall out. You can also use it as an overhead router with the higher speeds.
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Ohhhh. You just enlightened me on what the high speeds would be useful for. I have the same press as in this video, and from time to time slot wood on my milling machine. I will for sure be trying a router bit in the drill press at some point soon. Very interesting. Thank you Dennis.
My father had a Craftsman drill press. A different model but with a similar table. In his declining years he had trouble moving the table up and down. I used that threaded hole for the tilting table to connect a linear actuator salvaged from a C Band satellite dish system. It now has power up and down. I still use it today.
Awesome addition
I've always wanted a floor drill press because the bench model I have has had its limitations. After watching your previous video on the Craftsman you bought I went and found a Delta branded one that is identical to the Craftsman in fairly good condition. Thanks for inspiring me to finally get the floor model I've always wanted.
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Thanks for the video
I have a sears same vintage as your friend. I also have the tilting table. :) Nicely built machine. I love having the quill lock, not sure why todays drill presses don't have that. I think these presses weren't meant for machinists, low speed is too high. I never had issues with the belt slipping and they are still available. Thanks for sharing, and I hope Jordan shares the deer with you. :)
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Always learn something and enjoy your humor on your videos.
Tell Jordan congratulations on the deer. pass the venison please 😁🦌
Have a Jesus filled day everyone
Greg in Michigan
Great video. I have the same Craftsman drill press but mine is made in mid 70's and has the rinky dink locking on/off switch. I have many years of great service from mine. I have the tilting table accessory, but have only used once in almost 50 years! Great place for drill bits though. I think in the 70's Emerson was making the power tools for Sears. I really enjoy these videos.
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Saddens me on two fronts- the horrible inflation over the last 50 yrs and the fact that we "used" to make quality tools here for the home use.
Jordan got a nice Buck- hope he shares some sausage/chili/ back straps with Grandpa!
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I worked at Simpsons Sears (Canada) from 1976 to about 1982, first as a dishwasher in their wonderful restaurants they all had, then hardware, then paint and wallpaper. Hardware was the most fun, and the colleagues were awesome. Management, on the other hand? They kept their pensions after running the whole she-bang into the ground, is my current understanding. Thanks for the memories... 😊
😂😂 i used to love to go to sears to the tool department
Worked for Sears in New Jersey, USA. Paint and hardware was dept #9. Helped pay my way through college. 15% employee discount plus sales discount was a great deal. Just memories now.
Beautiful looking buck! Congratulations to your grandson.
As an aside I used to do work that required using Milwaukee drill motors. A note about incorporating plastics in tool design is that the older drill motors that were all metal (aluminum bodies, or magnesium?) lasted much longer than the newer models that were half metal, and half plastic, the red plastic part was in part, the handle.
I believe this was for two reasons. The full metal body dissipated more heat keeping the motor cooler, and if you were really pushing it the handle would get hot forcing you to give it a break if not wearing gloves. The newer units had less metal for dissipating heat, and you could go 'hell bent for election' with the thing because the plastic handle let you keep going.
On my Craftsman 150 drill press, I used that lower motor shaft as a jackshaft and added an old 1/3rd hp motor beside it. With a 1 1/2 to 6 inch pulley setup, I can go an low as about 150 rpm. Great for large hole saws. I have only one on-off switch and I plug the motor that I want to use into that switch, as needed.
clever idea about sharing the switch 👍👍👍
Mr. Pete
I found a photo of my drill press on the Vintage Machinery site. The base and the table were bigger. It was under the Craftsman Commercial line. It's price in 1975 was $334.99 without a motor. The commercial model appeared to have a different motor than yours. It was still an open motor, maybe 3/4 hp.
I wish I had that commercial model
Sweet looking Buck there Jordan. Congratulations. Had one of those thin belt drill press a long time ago. The thing blew through belts like no tomorrow.
Nice drill press Mr. Pet!!! And nice buck also!!! I have harvested dozens of deer in my time but the biggest one has a story behind it. I shot it and gutted it. By the time I got home with it (I was still living at home) it was about 11:00 pm. My Dad came out to the garage where I was hanging the buck and was going to clean it and put it in the freezer. Dad told me my older brother needed me to come to the rig and help him trip pipe. My Dad skinned the deer, cut it up and put it in the freezer. Then took all the waste out to a dump and disposed of it. Skin, head, antlers and everything. When I got back home the next evening and found out the biggest set of antlers I had ever got was gone, I was upset!!! Dad said he didn't have any idea I would want them. I figured he would have kept them so I didn't actually come out and tell him to keep them. I drove out to the dump but someone had already took them. They got a nice rack. I just hope they mounted them and enjoyed telling people how they got them.
That’s quite a story. I hope you forgive your dad after about 10 years.
@@mrpete222 I think I was over it after a day or two... I was always very close to my Dad...
I really like the old 40s 50s curvaceous styling. If I ever get a floor model drill press, I'm hoping it will be that style. And congrats to Jordan on the buck.
It does look good, that styling is the then popular 'art deco' and its curves with straight lines on the inside.
Hello Mr. Pete
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
I live in Connecticut, and I own a KingSeeley drill press 1950ish model. I got it from my dad, after he passed away and he got it from an old violin maker from New Hampshire. It is in "like new" condition. We all used it alot for woodworking , and I still use it for my own jewelry box business. I love this drillpress and would never get rid of it for multiple reasons. Just saying.
Earl
Connecticut
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Enjoyed the presentation & listening to the critique on previous video. I equip my basement machines with rubber based adjustable “feet” to level them. John
nice loollking buck
Sadly I have a collection of vintage boat motors. Some of my favorite ones are Sears Elgin motors. I have a 1946 1.25 hp that runs really nice. They increased their offerings going forward and I have a bunch. That was what I liked about Sears. You usually had one not too far away, hand tools were made in the USA, guaranteed. I wouldn't want that drill press in a production setting but at home it's just fine. Same with my Atlas lathe and mill. Wouldn't be much good for industrial work but at home? Hell yeah. Just breaks my heart what the captain's of Industry have done to this country.
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I have that same drill press, but in the 17" 1 1/2 HP version (says 10.0 amps on the motor tag), bought it new. Love that thing. :-)
Thanks for the video, Mr. Pete!
Another good video mrpete! I also bought one of these new in about 1970 and still use it every day, primarily for making furniture and guitars but more recently for metal working. I've often used the highest speeds for grinding operations and used a hollow chisel mortising attachment to make thousands of mortises in hardwoods. The narrow belt has never been a problem, I bought a spare one about thirty years ago and it's still in the package. Emerson Electric Company made these for Sears. A slot in the head casting (a "split head") isn't about locking the quill, that's what the knob (or lever on mine) is for. A split head model has two bolts across it and allows you to reduce the play between the quill and head casting by tightening the bolts. Sears sold a split head model of this drill press but I can't find one now or I'd buy it. Now that I'm doing more precision metal working (I just restored a 1959 12"X36" QC Craftsman metal lathe) I've discovered that my drill press table trams about 3 degrees off perpendicular to the quill so I'm trying to decide on the best way to deal with that (besides just shimming the work).
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That's a buck to be proud of. Thanks for the video
Always enjoy your videos and this one answered a question I've had for years. I bought a small atlas lathe 12 or 14 years ago and with the assortment of odds and ends supplied with it was a odd eight groove 1/4 in belt pulley that I never could figure out what it would be used for. Well today I know. Tell Jordan congratulation on the buck. Hope you know a good taxidermist
Who hunts for the table gives gods blessing to the sport! Also very well done on a kill with forty year ammunition sir. Confidence well placed .
Its a nice drill press, and a beautiful deer!
Congratulations Jordan that is a beautiful buck.
The drill press would have cost me a week and a halfs pay in 1971.
lol
1 HP is 746 watts, so 8 amps at 110V isn't out of line. I grew up with a slightly later version of that drill press, and my father still has it. One of the best woodworking drill presses ever made. The 8550 rpm speed was OK if you needed an inverted router in a pinch.
This press has been well taken care of, Thank You!
Very interesting to see the changes
At work we had an old Craftsman drill press like the King Seeley one in the instrument shop. It had been fitted with a forward off reverse drum switch and a foot switch. Very nice machine for light duty.
Very resourceful of you to put that xtra bolt in
I would love to have the rotary table that Sears sold back then. I've been on the lookout for something similar, but might have to make my own.
These are great drill presses. I have 2 of them. One I purchased new 50 years ago and chose it over the Rockwell drill press because of the ability to have more speeds due to the small belts. Never have had a problem with the belt slipping that I can remember.
Have you had a chance to check your variable speed pulleys on your loud running Rockwell drill press yet?
Bob
It's quite obvious you used to be a school teacher. You're still a great teacher. Love the shirt.
Thank you very much
Excellent video and trip down memory lane, Tubalcain. You can tell you still have an attachment to the press. Your friend Russ has taken care of it so you know it's in good hands.
You are right!
Mr. Pete's videos are always interesting and informative.
I have a 1963 Craftsman drill press that I too love. One problem was that you could not mount a mortise tenon tool attachment, there was no room, the whole spindle rotated. I am still sad that I cannot walk through a Sears tool department at Christmas time when the shelves were full. Sears was king, Youngsters today cannot understand what Sears was to the hobbyist. The Sears tool catalog was bulging with good stuff, it was required reading. LOL I may well be sentimental, but Sears was top dog. Back when you could walk in with a broken Craftsman tool and get a brand new one, free exchange. Those WERE the good old days. I wish I could press the "go back" button. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.
I miss the sears tool department.
I have several old tool catalogs that I still like to look through
I have the same 15 1/2" drill press as your former one. I bought it for $60 in really nice condition. The plastc lid is unfortunate, but it works. I found a replacement belt on ebay. Because of one of your videos I put a counter weight in the column. I've seen the little aux table, but do not have one. For a while I was using a geniue Peterson Products castings made vise on it (Which I believe came from the shop class Mecca of Lane Tech High School), but now (again because of your videos) I have a Heinrich cam lock speed vise.
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here in the UK it's about 10C /50F balmy for the time of year!
I bought my first DP in 1973, that came from Taiwan, with the rack and pinion table lift you never mentioned. It came without a motor as I suspect there was a problem with CSA approvals at that time. To counter uneven floors I put mine on a three wheeler base. You can see it if you go to "instructables-beagles- drill press". Cannot show a direct link as my post will be deleted.
Thank you
By gum, that handle now used for loosening/tightening the belt really was a head snugger!
Beautiful animal! The Buick too!
Neat video as always.
Great video Mr. Peterson! I own the same Craftsman drill press you showed in your garage. I'm sure I purchased it new sometime in the early 1970's as well. The chuck never would hold a drill bit without slipping and I finally replaced it with a Jacob's chuck about ten years ago. The press works alright for smaller holes, but if you attempt to drill anything even moderately large, the belts slip. Tell Jordan that's a fantastic buck!
I bought one in early 70s 199.99 . Nice buck.
I value drill presses too, I even value these "toy" drill presses. I never thought that I would like or value these light machines, but I use them happily now for light duty work. They are simple, light and easy to set up to poke non critical holes where I want more control than a hand drill. This lets me keep the big machines set up for heavier work. I never thought that would own a Craftsman, but I bought one with a tilting Pexto vise for $25. It was a rust bucket and the only moving parts that weren't frozen was the spindle and the motor bearings. It turned out that Scotch Brite and oil was all it needed for restoration. It is little and cute, but shockingly well built. I believe that the seller bought it used and put it into his damp basement, never re-bolting it to the home built stand. It sat there unloved for about 35 years. After it endured the Scotch Brite bath I found pristine surfaces. I love this little machine. It was made for Sears for about 6 months and then WW2 war production demands shifted manufacturing to urgent war production. This model was never put back into production. The motor and switch set up is a bit cheesey, but it is still all original and currently still safe and functional. I repainted it only because it warranted a beauty treatment to match its excellent function. I currently use 5 drill presses including heavy industrial machines, but the little Craftsman is used most. The tilting table has coolant troughs, but no T slots.
It sports a stylized belt guard that reminds me of an ancient Pharos headgear. One of the quirky things about this machine design is the quill must be lowered to hinge the belt guard open. Sears incorporated basic design characteristics into later model machines, but I have not seen another Craftsman built as well as this bench top machine.
That sounds like a very interesting little drill press. I have never seen one. Yes, it is very handy to have mini drill presses and they are so cheap.
I have the same drill press been working on it for a few weeks now. Thanks for the video now I know what all I’m missing.
Looking at your old drill press, I remember a service loop of SO style cable alongside the motor as well.
Nice buck Jordan! Thanks Lyle
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Nice Buck!
And I have the King Seely bench top style and use it daily in my woodworking shop. It needs new bearing but I can't figure out how to get at them, perhaps you can point to way to get at them. I enjoyed the field trip Mr. Pete.
Jordan harvested a beautiful buck.
Fantastic buck!!! Congrats to Jordan
I had that model DP with the optional tilt table. The two tables weighed a lot and trying to raise or lower them without a rack and pinion table lift was a big PIA. I sold mine.
Yes, that would be a lot of weight
I have to admit that I didn't watch all of your previous video very closely on your newly acquired drill press since I have the same thing and was a bit bored. I missed the part where you stated that the lever was for something other than for belt tensioning or I would have written something about it. One of the nice things about that design is that since the middle pulley is mounted on a swivel plate, that tensioning lever does tension both belts. I like it.. What I don't like is that over time those little plastic ear pieces on the bolts on either side that actually lock the tension dry out and break off. Mine did no doubt due to the fact that I live in a very dry climate, and plastics live short lives, and die hard deaths here.
I turned some knurled knobs on my lathe to replace them.
Sears - bah! I bought a Sears radial arm saw used that was made during the 70s. Biggest piece of junk woodworking tool I've ever owned. I tried to use it for doing some cabinet work and I had to make test cuts and bump the thing true every time I needed to change settings. Sears really started going downhill. Early Craftsman power tools of all sorts were of much better quality. I would say that a good rule of thumb is if the craftsman tool you're looking at has any plastic parts, it's from the 'junk era'.
We used to have a guy hunt on our property. He never fired unless he was sure, so he seldom missed. You knew it was him when you heard the report, because it sounded like he'd used a Sherman tank. Sure enough, about 30 minutes after you heard the report, he'd show up to let us see what he'd gotten.
Everyone called him "Moose"
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Congratulations to Jordan on his buck.
Beautiful machines and an impressive buck, holy smokes!
Nice drill press Mr. Pete. Beautiful buck Jordan.
That reminds me, I need to make a batch of buck chili.
Hey I have that craftsman rotary table with x-y axis (no 8 in the catalog)! Picked it up for peanuts at an estate sale last yr, It was mounted on a drill press. Forgot about the 'angle' vises that comes with it and later when I was looking at it on ebay and youtube, I noticed the vises. Went back the next day (Sunday) and got them! It took a while but I found them! Very well made rotary table.
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Thx Lyle, now that you showed your ole friends 71 model. I can go out and compare mine with also a plastic belt guard.Mite shoot a video of it also.
Hello bear, hope you’re doing all right
I always enjoy the extra credit
The studio G Craftsman import, that is a well featured drill press you have there. The center pulley, the 2mt taper are less commonly on these cheaper units.
I'm watching this while in my deer blind in Texas. It's 43 degrees today.
Good luck, hope you get a buck. It’s 35° here.
Great video as usual! I feel the need at this time to congratulate you.
Mr. Pete, you are one of the most interesting and diverse individuals on UA-cam and have a very pleasant manner. So congratulations on living an interesting life where you have the ability to share it with so many. So few folks today have the ability to boast of that. (Not that you are boastful) So thanks.
Oh, you mentioned King Healy and I own one of those vintage bandsaws they made for Sears circa 50s or 60s and it really looks great but has terrible flaws which I won’t go into. It is the one made from two diecast clam shells and has the rigidity of day old French bread.
It's true, you can read minds...I had already snooped and admired the cat portrait and kerosene lamp, guilty as charged! I also admired the plaque which appears to be a humorous corruption of a famous corruption: "No grinding in here". Give my compliments to your friend.
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Still a good drill press.😊😊😊😊😊. Nice buck for Jordon.😊😊😊😊
I imagine an off-shore made clone of this would still only cost $300-400 which if it worked for 50+ years would be a tremendous value. You did point out a few cost-cutting components and designs, stuff that if made today would reduce profit by $1 on each unit sold today!
Yes
That is a real nice deer.
LOL you went from beating a dead horse to a buck lol.... Nice going Jordan.......
lol
Great comparison .also nice shot placement well done enjoy as o do
I have a drill press like your new to you Craftsman, but it has a different name on it and the table is square. I bought it about 35 years ago.
I can taste the venison, yum. What a great buck.
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wow that drill looks just about new
Thank you for sharing. Enjoyed.👍👀
Thanks Pete, it was fun
Enjoyed the video and also owned a Sears drill press from the 70s. I find it interesting that Abbott and Costello did concrete work in the midwest since I live in South Carolina and they're also did my dry wall installation in 1977. It took me a very long time to fix all their botched work. Or maybe it was Laurel and Hardy.
That's a heck of a nice buck!
I bought the exact same drill press from Facebook marketplace 2 weeks ago. I love it. Like you I’m bothered by the thin belt. But it hasn’t seemed to be an issue. I wonder how difficult it would be to make a couple pulleys that use a larger belt??
We sure made a lot of them drill presss at Emerson Tool in Paris Tennessee.. I worked there for 42 years...
Very interesting. Did they make drill presses strictly for craftsman or for other labels as well? Was it the same company as Emerson Electric?
@@mrpete222 we made Emerson model that was manufactured for the Army. Yes we were Emerson Electric. in 1994 I think we were charged to Emerson Tool. We're we started up a line of tools under the Ridge name. Or yes I like your UA-cam channel I like seeing some of the old tooling that I worked with...thank you Mrpete.
I have a1963 Craftsman drill press with my shop built speed reducer,thanks for the video🤗😎🤗😎
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Thank you!
I have a similar Sears model in my shop, purchased by me, many years ago.
I too always disliked the skinny belt and after replacing several I am in the process of converting the pulleys to 3/8ths inch and and casters to move this machine to storeage areas in my now cramped and too small shop.
Anyway, I enjoy your many video's. Please continue providing them.-Jerald Ware, Michigan
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I just checked; purchased in 1980 for $299.99 and there is no reference to the "quick stop" switch.
Russ’s drill press was made by Emerson. It is the 4th generation of the Emerson drill presses. I have one similar, as well as a 1st generation, which closely resembles the King Seeley which preceded it. I have the tilt table, as well as the chain table lift, which is pretty much necessary when the tilt table is installed, it is very heavy. I’ve been restoring my 1st generation for the
last couple of months. The 4th gen just runs and runs, no restoration necessary.
This reminds me of one night assigning/daring, my co-worker shift relief man to make a place to store the chuck key. I was almost mad the next day, because he had come up with too simple of a solution. A magnet stuck to the drill press with the chuck key stuck to it. Now all my drill presses have them.
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Excellent video as always. Working my way through the how to run a shaper and South Bend lathe series I got from you recently and learning a ton.
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I had a new 16’ x 24’ concrete pad poured for a garage last summer. I was cutting the sill plates for the walls and something was not right. I measured the left side and it was 24’. I checked the right side and it was 25’. Of course the extra foot was on the front. Laurel and Hardy were my contractor, who do not have to count on any repeat business.
Wow, what a bunch of incompetent fool’s
Great video. When you bought the drillpress was Sears at the mall? Can't remember as I was young. I remember Arlans and Carrs stores but my favorite spot was Sandy's. My one problem with my floor drillpress is mice nesting in the top. They leave every other tool alone in the winter except the drill. I have to leave the belt cover open all winter when I am not using it.
That's a nice buck!!
Hello Mr. Pete, I just made a comment on your #831 Video, not realizing it was a month old already! I enjoyed both! Not a hunter, but congratulations on the deer! Isn't it funny what gets play and what doesn't! You make watching very special! Thanks!
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Mr. Pete,
According to Wikipedia, Union Tool Co. Lasted until 1957 when it was sold to Millers Falls Co.
Good to know
The press is in great condition.
I've got a Delta drill press that I've had for many years and it must have been made in the same plant in Taiwan since many of the parts are identical. It has served me very well but recently developed a lot of runout. In checking it, I found that the adapter from the No. 2 Morse taper to the Jacobs taper had gotten bent somehow. A new adapter fixed it right up.
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I bought my somewhat used which still had cosmoline on it
I too gave one of them drill press’s away
I also used that rod to keep the belt tight
Ihated that cover that raised and glided back
Like you i drilled a million holes with it
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Nice buck Lyle!!!
Beautiful buck Jordan! Oh, nice drill press Mr. Pete…
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