craftsman drill press

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ajsalmi
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craftsman drill press

Post by ajsalmi »

I just bought a free standing step pulley drill press ~1966 vintage and didn't notice that it has the skinney (.170" wide) v-belt. I'm was planning on putting a 3/4 hp DC motor on it so I can drill up to 1" dia. holes in steel and use large size hole saws also. My dilema is, what kind of torque can I expect to transmit with that little belt. I looked in my machinerys handbook and they don't show any belts that small.
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Fender
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Post by Fender »

I have the same drill press, and it is capable of quite a bit of torque if the belt is tightened enough. I have drilled up to 1" in steel. The problem is getting the spindle to run slowly enough for the large drill bits, unless you use a variable-speed motor setup.
By the way, the speed chart on the front is misleading for the smaller drill bits. You can burn up a drill if you follow it literally because it shows speeds too high for the smaller bits (IMHO).
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steamin10
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Post by steamin10 »

I have one of these at work, and a friend had one. They are good for many Home shops, but are NOT a heavy machine. That little belt is getting hard to find. I would suggest caution in using it for heavy drilling as a good snatch can pop the belt. A mill drill or mill would do a better job I think.

My friend built two 3/4 inch locomotives and used up two belts. In drilling small holes he left the belt fairly loose so a jam let the belt slide and saved breaking small bits.

At work, this is a general use machine for all the trades and gets abused regularly. The spindle pulley is getting wallowed out from so much run time. I just put in a copper shim and tightened it out yesterday. This pulley is not available, and has very little meat on it for a rework. So use caution. Someone used up one of these and posted to the board about it, stating that the regular step pulleys made the machine clunky with a heavy belt. Use what you got, but stay within its limits. I think you can hurt it with one inch drilling.
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Jose Rivera
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Drill press

Post by Jose Rivera »

I think that Sears machinery is aimed at woodworking.
Long time ago they used to touch the metal working market.

That my be the reason for the high spindle speed.

I have a band saw that I would love to use for aluminum.
I am think on some day maybe put a Varidrive motor in it to slow the band speed down.

Maybe rigging a step pulley. I'll make it part of my "To Do" in my list.
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Steve_in_Mich
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Post by Steve_in_Mich »

I'd say you selected the wrong tool for the job. And you bought it without investigating the belt and pulleys, why?

This drill press is rated for 1/2" in Stainless and Tool steel - stated on the spindle speed chart if it is still on the machine along with the maximum motor horsepower rating of 1/2. At the time this drill press was sold Sears also offered a heavy duty drill press to do what you want to do, it was built for it with larger bearings and quill, Tee sloted table and coolant tray.

I have a couple of these narrow belt machines, one I bought new in 1971 and the other is but one of a few used units I've owned over the years. Will it do what you want? Yes and no. I have used holesaws (most often in wood) and drilled up to 1" holes in steel but I'm sure it would not last long if that was the main job you have for it. The belt on my 1971 purchase is the original and in good shape today. BTW, the belt is available at Sears Parts Direct (I just checked) for $9.99 plus S&H.

The high speed of the machine was aimed at shaper, router and light milling operations that could be accomplished on the drill press with an accessory mill table and router and shaper fence.

I don't know how much torque the skinny belt will transfer. I'd say enough to break your arm if your not careful but I find that the belt slips when I seriously overload it and I'm happy it does but don't count on it.

If you plan to do a lot of HD drilling this is not the machine to use. Might better put your 3/4 HP dc motor on a drill press built for it. I power my Index mill with a 3/4 HP DC compound wound Motor where it has the bearings and quill size to support that kind of work. My humble opinion.
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spro
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Craftmen drill press

Post by spro »

The nose bearing was a precision device and they cost much long ago.I believe you should reread advise already presented to you. The same DP you expect to not wander is not a machine you put side pressure on. You should get another machine.
Jose Rivera
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Drill press

Post by Jose Rivera »

For the cost of a DC motor plus the power supply you may buy a metal drill press and save money. (Unless you already have it)

DC has less power at low speeds if I am not completely mistaking.
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Steve_in_Mich
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Post by Steve_in_Mich »

I'm all in favor variable speed on drill presses as well as many other shop machines where variation in cutting speed can be taken advantage of (decrease cutting forces and improved surface finish). DC motors and controllers is one way to acheive variable speed.

Jose,
DC has less power at low speeds if I am not completely mistaking.
As an across the board statement, to the first part - that has not been my experience, and as to the second part - first hand experience will trump a crystal ball/guess most of the time. I have seen a DC motor and controller setup act as you say, but, I also know it can be avoided.
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CarlD
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Post by CarlD »

Craftsman didn't start using the narrow belt untill 1969. The reason I know is I bought my drill in 1968 and the next year they started using the narrow belt.

The drill press is designed for wood work and has a chuck held on with a locking collar. There were attachments for it for doing woodwork.

While the chuck won't be wobbled off it don't like a 1" drill. It barely likes a 1/2" drill. On the other hand the 8 step pulley you have gets a lower speed than my 4 step.

I use mine mostly for metal work.
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Fender
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Craftsman Drill Press

Post by Fender »

I bought mine in 1973 and have used it mostly for drilling steel. It is the light duty drill. Up to about 3/4" in steel it's OK with silver & deming bits (assuming you go up in 1/8" steps), but not so hot for the bigger drills. I've had to replace the belt once in 35 years.

But you can't trust the speed chart; see attachments. The calculated surface speed (for steel) is only about 50 ft/min for 1/2" drills per chart, but is 130 ft/min for the 1/8" drills! I burned up some small drills before I realized this!
Attachments
DrillChartCalc.jpg
DrillChart.jpg
Dan Watson
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MikeC
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Post by MikeC »

3/4hp driving a 1" drill will be an exercise in frustration. I have cursed only having double that much many times before on 1" holes. I also would discourage you trying to run this press that hard.

If you could get the speed down slow enough, you might be able to drill a 1" hole, but if you just slow down the motor, the belt will probably slip at lower speeds.

With a 380rpm low speed, this press will drive no more than a 9/16" drill bit in steel without burning. You'll have to get down around 250rpm for 1". 2hp would be about right to prevent stalling and hanging up.
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BadDog
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Post by BadDog »

I've got a 700 lb gear reduction 1.5 hp 3ph drill press, goes down to 80 rpm, MT3 spindle, 5" quill and tripple bearings (20 Wilton VSG) and it's only rated for something like 1.5" drills.

Good luck with that Craftsman... ;)
Russ
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