Question about a dead horse

[Jeremy Chisholm]

Heh, thought that might get your attention:D

I am the beneficiary of Sears' recent price mistake and/or marketing ploy (I include both to appease both crowds; please, if you're into equine flagellation, add it to the other thread, not this one).

This is my first real drill press. My question is about the belt system that is used for setting the speed of the chuck. My good quality brad point bits work wonderfully, but when I chucked in a (sharp) 1" Freud forstner bit, the bit bogged down and I could hear/smell the belts rubbing on their pulleys, even when I slowed the plunge down to reeeeeaaaaaallll slow. Is this normal? I have a feeling it's not.

The motor didn't bog, it seems to be a pulley problem. Is their a way to adjust the tension on the pulley system? It seems very loose, much more so than the pulleys I'm accustomed to working with on other machines, and the included manual (well, the english half anyway) doesn't mention anything about belt tightening.

Your advice appreciated, tia.

JC

[Scott Welliver]

Just forward of the motor on both sides you will find two thumbscrews. On the right hand side, you'll find a handle.

Loosen the thumbscrews, then move the handle towards the rear (counter-clockwise) -- this will push the motor back, pulling the belts tighter.

When at the degree of tightness you want, tighten the thumbscrews to keep the motor in that position.

[Jeremy Chisholm]

Thanks, I'll give that a try!

That must be in the Spanish half of my manual:rolleyes:

[Scott Welliver]

It is on page 20 of the manual, under the heading "Changing Speeds and Adjusting Belt Tension". It refers to the "tension lock knobs" and "belt tension handle", but those are not depicted anywhere in the manual. The tension handle is shown in a couple photos, but not identified.

You don't need much tension -- the manual recommends leaving about 1" of flex at the mid-point of the belts, which I'd say is about right.

[Trent Flemming]

Did anyone else notice the manual was incorrect? In the parts diagram, the parts are label alphabetically, but in the narrative instructions alphabetical references are off by one or two letters.

Attach (A) to (B).... (B) would actually be (C)...

This is my first DP as well and the quill attachment seems insufficient. Simply tap it on and tighten a hex screw. The quill doesn't have any type of slot and key mechanism for a more positive engagement.

Trent

[Bas Pluim]

On the same dead horse topic....how do people like this drill press? I have one on order (machine is paid for, receipt in hand), but I'm not sure what to do with it. I have a 2 month old 15" Ridgid drill press, wondering whether to sell it and keep the Craftsman. Or, keep the Ridgid and sell the Craftsman.
I could of course assemble it and try it out, but for resale value, keeping it in the box might be better.

Yeah, I know, a good problem to have.

Bas.

[Gary Keedwell]

I would look 5 or 10 years down the road. Which machine would I be glad I kept.
Gary

[Scott Welliver]

the quill attachment seems insufficient. Simply tap it on and tighten a hex screw. The quill doesn't have any type of slot and key mechanism for a more positive engagement.
I don't understand what you mean here...

Are you referring to the chuck taper? It is keyed for orientation, but basically the keying isn't used -- just the taper fit. If you clean the tapers and seat it per the instructions (block of wood & tap with hammer), the morse taper has plenty of holding power.

Or are you referring to the handle that operates the quill? It has two set screws that engage a "groove" so that it won't come off. Sort of a loose fit so it can rotate in the groove, but the real work of moving the quill is done by the steel pin that engages the quill mechanism. (I do have some concern here about how much torque that pin can take...)

Again, not sure what you mean by "quill attachment", so I may have missed your point here.

[Trent Flemming]

Maybe quill is the wrong term. I am speaking of the piece that you chuck the drill bit into. The "chuck" attachs to the tapered piece by tapping with a hammer and then tightening a hex screw. I was concernced upon first usage that the "chuck" would simply spin on the tapered piece when torque was applied to the drill bit (especially if the bit diameter was 1/2 inch or greater).

Trent

[Scott Welliver]

how do people like this drill press?
So far I like it, though I really haven't used it enough to form an opinion based on actual operation yet.

From a visual inspection, assembly, setup, and a few test holes... The quality is better than my 5yr-old Central Machinery / Harbor Freight 13" drill press (the one that currently retails for $185). There is less runout (I measured at +/- .002, and that's using the included chuck), and the quill itself has no play even when fully extended (the HF had visible side play when extended). The motor runs a bit smoother, but its difficult to estimate quality of the motor -- there is no specification for the insulation class, just a craftsman sticker with amps/volts/speed/hp ratings.

Some of the parts are a bit cheesy... particularly the red plastic knobs, they look and feel more like something that should be on a pre-schooler's toy -- but they work and are easily replaceable with something better should they ever fail. The "important" parts of the press (motor, bearings, quill, castings, column, etc) all seem to be fairly well made -- that is, equivalent to what you would expect for most Chinese imports.

It comes with a keyless chuck, which is made and works surprisingly well (the runout measure mentioned above was made using a dial indicator riding on a steel rod inserted into this chuck). I seriously doubt it will have the holding power needed for larger bits -- but I have a good ball bearing Jacobs chuck for that.

I would never have paid the full $520 retail. I would never have paid the $479 sale price. Its hard to place an actual "value" on it, but compared to other offerings I'd say $350-$400 is my "gut feel" of the real value.

I mainly wanted the greater quill travel (4-7/8", compared to the 3-1/8" of my old press). The extra swing (17" vs 13") and greater HP (1hp vs 3/4hp) may come in handy. Oh, and it has a quill lock (the HF didn't) and the external, quick-adjust depth stop is a big improvement (the HF had a lock collar around the handle, worked but difficult to use/adjust).

I sold my HF 13" for $90, so the "upgrade" to this press at the $179 price only cost me $89. It wasn't a tough decision.

...Scott

[Scott Welliver]

Maybe quill is the wrong term. I am speaking of the piece that you chuck the drill bit into. The "chuck" attachs to the tapered piece by tapping with a hammer and then tightening a hex screw.
Ok, I *think* I see what you're talking about now. The internal (female) taper of the chuck is not a machined part of the chuck body. That internal taper is held into the chuck by a collar that is tightened using a hex screw.

The rest of the mounting is pretty standard and is plenty robust for anything this press can handle. There is a double-ended male taper, one end goes into the chuck taper and the other into the quill taper. This is what the "tapping with a hammer" is supposed to seat. As long as the tapers are ground correctly and are clean, they can handle plenty of torque. Pretty much all woodworking drill presses and lathes use morse or jacobs tapers for this purpose.

But I see your concern with how the internal chuck taper is held into the chuck. Hard to tell how much torque that can take before it slips. Of course this is a keyless chuck, therefore you aren't going to get a lot of holding power at the bit-end either -- so that may really be the limiting factor. A good ball bearing keyed chuck (I have one made by Jacobs) is a good accessory for more precision and better holding power.

[Danny Thompson]

I am fairly thrilled with it. I immediately bought some forstner bits and drilled out several mortises in red oak. Worked beautifully, although I will want to build a woodworking table extension for it soon.

Anyone else end up with spare parts? What are the 4 long bolts for? I think they are Y, Z, AA, & BB on the parts diagram.

[Trent Flemming]

Hey Danny,

I had those same bolts left over. I threw them in parts bin. Not for sure about the purpose.

Trent

[Scott Welliver]

Anyone else end up with spare parts? What are the 4 long bolts for? I think they are Y, Z, AA, & BB on the parts diagram.

I was scratching my head about those... Finally determined from the exploded parts diagram that they are for bolting it to the floor -- even though the instructions about bolting to floor say "hardware not included", I think they included them. And they are shown on the parts diagram.

I didn't bolt mine down. Just built a platform that rests on the base and holds two bags of quickcrete. That gives it plenty of stability, but its easy to take the bags off and move it if desired.

...Scott

[Rod Sheridan]

Jeremy, regarding a dead horse......

-Sear meat over high heat 30 seconds, rotate 90 degrees to obtain grill marks, repeat on other side.

- grill over medium heat, turning once until your desired condition is achieved

- serve with horse raddish of course!

Regards, Rod.

[Gary Keedwell]

Jeremy, regarding a dead horse......

-Sear meat over high heat 30 seconds, rotate 90 degrees to obtain grill marks, repeat on other side.

- grill over medium heat, turning once until your desired condition is achieved

- serve with horse raddish of course!

Regards, Rod.
If I rotate it 90º ...will it stand on it's side or do I hold it there:confused:
Gary

[Al Willits]

Make sure your letting the bits do the work, I can get the belts to slip on mine (not CM) if I push to hard, more of that patience thing.

Al

[Bas Pluim]

If I rotate it 90º ...will it stand on it's side or do I hold it there:confused:
Gary

OK guys, quit horsing around.

[Gary Keedwell]

OK guys, quit horsing around.
http://www.free-animations.co.uk/home/tools/images/tool_23.gifHey, who's horsing around? I'm trying to get some work done here!!!!:eek: :p
Gary

[Deck Reagan]

I got my DP today and just finished assembling an hour ago. I thought it was weird to have the 4 long bolts left as well. Also, it wasn't rocket science but I didn't see instructions for the lamp attachment. My two screws for the lamp attachment would not go all the way in. It seems the holes were not tapped far enough or the screws were too long. I just need to add a couple of washers on each screw or find shorter screws. Other than that everything looks good and I plan to make a few holes tomorrow. I plan to bolt a piece of ply to the bottom with some sort of wheels on the back so I can tilt it to mover it. If anyone knows of a good system let me know.

Thanks,

deck

[Chuck Lenz]

I got my DP today and just finished assembling an hour ago. I thought it was weird to have the 4 long bolts left as well. Also, it wasn't rocket science but I didn't see instructions for the lamp attachment. My two screws for the lamp attachment would not go all the way in. It seems the holes were not tapped far enough or the screws were too long. I just need to add a couple of washers on each screw or find shorter screws. Other than that everything looks good and I plan to make a few holes tomorrow. I plan to bolt a piece of ply to the bottom with some sort of wheels on the back so I can tilt it to mover it. If anyone knows of a good system let me know.

Thanks,

deck
Looking at the parts diagram in the manual it looks to me that the four M8 X 1.25 bolts are for bolting down the base to something, even though the instructions say they aren't supplied. I would use something different anyway if I ever bolt it down. When you bolted the lamp to the drill press did you install the cord clamp and sleeve ? If not, maybe thats why your bolts seem short. As far as useing a mobile base that tilts, I wouldn't recomend it. Drill presses are generaly very top heavy.

[Danny Thompson]

Deck,

Did you install the clear sleeve on the lamp cord and the lamp cord bracket on top of the lamp bracket? Maybe that accounts for the gap?

Edit ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh, I see Chuck said the same thing.