Drill Press Rockwell or Craftsman

[Larry$]

I have the Craftsman commercial drill press. It has the split head, very desirable! It allows adjusting the head to quill clearance.
The thin belt that allows many speeds has the disadvantage of not having good transmission of power at the extreme ends of the range. Too little belt contact! Almost everything about this press is better than the standard issue Craftsman of the same era. I bought this one new in the '70s after having bought the "non" commercial one first. At the time I was manufacturing parts that required a lot of drilling. The non-standard one developed or started with excessive quill clearance and would vibrate.
The "safety" collar is a PIA when you need to remove the chuck. I've replaced the chuck with a standard ball bearing one.
The quill return spring end broke off, I bent an new end on it maybe 10 years ago. I've replaced the bearings only once. The table, with T slots, can also be used with flood coolant because it has drain facilities.

If you are subject to OSHA, you will need to install a guard and bolt the press to the floor or to a large slab of steel.

 

[mmcmdl]

I used one just like this for 30yrs until the DP of my dreams showed up.

SHOPCRAFT BENCHTOP MULTI-SPEED DRILL PRESS MODEL T7000-21P - tools -...

BEST OFFER CONSIDERED INSTRUCTION INCLUDED - SEE PICTURES (PAGES 6-9 NOT SHOWN), I HAVE PDF OF IT AS WELL. CAN EMAIL IT TO YOU. VOLTS 115/230 AMPS 8/4 HP 1/2 PH 1 MFG DATE 1985-12 MFG NO. 5218 5/8...

baltimore.craigslist.org

That is exactly the press I will be selling next weekend !

 

[C-Bag]

That is exactly the press I will be selling next weekend !

Yeah, it's not made in the US, but it's cast iron base and table, the table rotates and inclines. Also has double reduction and can go down to 240rpm(which I sorely miss with my US made DP). Made in Taiwan, not China. Perfect, no, but did the job for decades with no problem. YMMV.

 

[mmcmdl]

The Foosball tabletop craft space for my daughter .

Todays plan is to get a saw and drill press in place for my daughter to do some light weight wood crafts . I'm feeling lazy seeing all these projects on here lately , gotta get my game on . Nothing fancy and all will be temporary / movable . I'll mount the saw and motor on either 80/20 or a 2"x...

www.hobby-machinist.com

Looks identical bag . Nice coming from an older Buffalo .

 

[vecair]

I agree with wanting the adjustment rack. However, I have to start somewhere within my budget with a solid drill. Hopefully I could upgrade down the road if one would become available.

Well once you get it spend some time making and installing a table counterweight system inside the main tube. Makes it just as nice as a rack wheel adjustment.

 

[intrepid]

Well once you get it spend some time making and installing a table counterweight system inside the main tube. Makes it just as nice as a rack wheel adjustment.

Any plans or instructions for the table counterweight?

 

[MrWhoopee]

Speed range was a primary consideration when I bought my benchtop DP. It had to go slow enough to run a 1" drill in steel (320 rpm). Too many DPs are designed for wood and don't go slow enough for metal working.

 

[intrepid]

Well back to the search mode. The Craftsman was a basket case. Spindle bearings need replaced and also something wrong with the feed arm. I could repair it but not worth the time and $$$. There are more out there.

 

[HarryJM]

I'm looking to buy a drill press and have found two choices in my area. Both are older heavy iron and asking $150 which is in my budget. The first is an older floor model Craftsman 113.24611 with 15 1/2". Although I prefer a bench drill I think the head will lower and I could mount this on a bench. Second option is a Rockwell 15" bemch model #15080. Both seem to be in good shape with tight spindles. Which should I go for?

If the Rockwell is in better shape you can always cut the column down to make it a bench top.

 

[C-Bag]

Speed range was a primary consideration when I bought my benchtop DP. It had to go slow enough to run a 1" drill in steel (320 rpm). Too many DPs are designed for wood and don't go slow enough for metal working.

This was a revelation to me as I'd gotten my benchtop press from my parents who had bought it from HF in '80. It had double reduction and could go down to 220rpm. Just took it for granted I guess. Well it was a shock to find out my dream DP slowest it would go was 450rpm. Works, but kinda fast IMHO. Crazy thing goes up to 4,500rpm. Also thought having variable speed reeve's drive would be cool. Turns out kinda noisy and wonky. My old HF was quieter. And for the most part I hardly ever change off the slowest speed.