[evintho]

Yeah........I'm just showin' off now. But, I'm new to the board and thought I'd post up stuff I've done in the last couple of years. I hope nobody minds.

With that said, I think I paid $150 for this off of craigslist. Put some elbow grease into it and it came out pretty good! I'm working on a DIY speed reduction pulley setup and when I finish that I'll post how it was made.

It's been a long time coming but here it is in all it's splendored glory!

BEFORE...................



AFTER....................



BEFORE..................



AFTER...................



It took awhile 'cause a myriad of other projects, and life got in the way! Had a problem with the motor. Started smoking really bad. I thought the windings were fried but turns out I bent a switch inside when I put it back together, so it was staying engaged. Fixed that.

I installed an easy-to-access rocker switch in the head unit 'cause the original on/off switch was a thumb dial that was incorporated in the 60 year old power cord. Installed a new cord too. Basically, I just tore it down and cleaned everything up. Polished up all the shiny stuff on my buffer.

For those attempting the same thing here's a how-to on head disassembly.
Craftsman drill press head disassembly

[oldebrush]

Nice job on the drillpress. You should check out OWWM.org for more restorations like that. Very helpful bunch of people on there (including me)

[TroyBoy]

Turned out looking like new. Congrats.

[Lhorn]

Looks great. I got a free drill press from a friend that's a bit younger than yours. I ended up painting it red to match modern Craftsman colors. Looks good but not as nice as yours. How'd you get the chuck so shiny? Will it rust up if your don't keep it polished?

[oldred]

Showing off? That's definitely worth showing off and then some!

[Irelands child]

Very nice!! I wish my 12 year old Harbor Fright looked that good.

At least your Craftsman has a REAL 1/2 Hp motor on it instead of that rated Hp junk most mfr's seem to use these days.

Dave W

[MARTINSR]

Cool, I have a similar Montgomery Wards version, I'll restore it too........some day.

Brian

[evintho]

Thanks for all the props guys!

Originally Posted by Lhorn

Looks great. How'd you get the chuck so shiny? Will it rust up if your don't keep it polished?

I buffed it all up on my buffer using polishing compound and rouge. It should stay nice and shiny as long as I don't abuse the thing!