My drill press is junk

sturmkatze said:

On my current press, I tightened up the spindle (or quill?) lock screw, or maybe it's an adjustment screw, that's right next to the press handles. It did tighten it up a bit, but the groove that's in the surface of the quill (or spindle) is not flat enough. So there would be some loose spots and tight spots when lowering the spindle. In the tight spots there would be no slop. In the loose spots, slop.

So... If I want to spend a bit of time on it, I might be able to flatten the groove surface in the spindle, polish it, and then I could tighten up that screw to reduce the slop and still have a smoothish spindle travel.

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don't know if the HF presses have this feature or not ... if not, i would recommend junking the thing before it ruins a bunch of expensive parts and causes you a long time in purgatory for the bad language ...

if so, give it a try ...

if that doesn't work, check out which press has the least runout, usually measured in thousandths of an inch (by way of "how big" a piece of copy paper is about three thou .003 ... )_

oddly enough, when i went to buy a press, the best numbers were not the most expensive machine ... i meant to get a 'benchtop' model but ended up with a floor size one for less with more accurate run-out ...

if you go to estate auctions, etc, bring a friend or two and a pick up truck ... the older presses will weigh a lot, and you'll need a set of allen wrenches to get them apart to fit in the truck ...

good luck in your quest for good tools - remember that cheap tools suck (not inexpensive tools, but tools that are cheaply built)...

If you want to replace your junk with more junk, I’m your huckleberry…

Two Words: PAWN SHOPS!

HighUintas said:

Hmm... I'll do some internet searching for how to adjust the spindle

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On the side near the feed return spring cover there should be a set screw with a nut on it. Sometimes barely loosening the nut, adjusting the set screw a little tighter, then tightening the nut to lock it will take some play out of the spindle. Too tight will lock up the spindle feed, or you'll feel it drag.

HighUintas said:

I bought a used harbor freight drill press (a very small one) awhile ago because I've needed one for some time and figured I especially need one for building a rifle.

Well, I'm nearly to the point of drill pine holes and tang/lock holes and found that this press is a piece o junk. When drilling the holes for my lock mortise area, any time I started a hole, the whole dang spindle would shift one way or another and not put the hole where I wanted it. There's just too much play in the press spindle.

I know there are drilling jigs that can be made for pins, but are there any non-drill press options for the tang bolts? Maybe a larger size drilling jig?

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Is the chuck held by tapers or is it threaded? Could be loose. Top and / or bottom bearings may need to be re-seated, just checking the water before you jump in.

Billy Boy said:

Is the chuck held by tapers or is it threaded? Could be loose. Top and / or bottom bearings may need to be re-seated, just checking the water before you jump in.

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Sorry, can't help it for the sake of troubleshooting......

Threaded chucks tighten as the drill runs, usually a real pain to get them loose.

If it's a loose morse or jacobs taper things are going to land in floor pretty dang quick. I've dodged a few myself.

It's called China Freight for a reason.

I picked up this 1942 Craftsman at an estate auction a few years back for $10. New bearings, some paint, and re-wired the motor.
Maybe have a $100 in it.

I have a Shopsmith and wouldn’t be without it.
My father bought one some 60 years ago and my eldest son is still using it.

RobertE said:

I picked up this 1942 Craftsman at an estate auction a few years back for $10. New bearings, some paint, and re-wired the motor.
Maybe have a $100 in it.

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Thanks for sharing. That thing is beautiful. There is something special about old tools that are well restored.

44-henry said:

I would look around for a Shopsmith Mark V on your local adds, or Marketplace. I have one in my basement which converts in about a minute to a first class drill press. Gives you a precision spindle with a variable speed drive and a very large table that has a fence and miter track spots. The same machine with additional attatchments can operate as a jointer, bandsaw, wood lathe, table saw, spindle shaper, and a bunch of other functions. I use mine all the time and consider it to be an excellent machine when properly setup. Best thing is I see them all the time for $200-300 range around here, look for one with as many accessories as possible.The one in the photo below is typical and for sale currently in NJ for 300.

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I built my first longrifle using one. Also built an all-wood Formula Vee race plane, tables for a seafood restaurant, toys for my kids, furniture for the house. There is also a very good bandsaw attachment - I cut a LOT of wood and aluminum with it, quite an accurate saw.

Craig Wildcat Wilcox said:

I built my first longrifle using one. Also built an all-wood Formula Vee race plane, tables for a seafood restaurant, toys for my kids, furniture for the house. There is also a very good bandsaw attachment - I cut a LOT of wood and aluminum with it, quite an accurate saw.

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Do you have pictures of that formula vee plane? Interesting...

I bought a ShopSmith new in 1978 and used it to build my first ML from a blank. The horizontal boring feature worked perfectly to drill the ramrod hole and it came out spot on - that’s the main reason I bought it. 44 years later I still use that ShopSmith and .40 Flintlock rifle!

I'm assuming these shopsmiths are no longer made?

This is about the best deal in my area. $495. "Runs good. Includes base system, headstock with the 1-1/8 HP motor, table saw (with saw guard, fence, miter gauge), disc sander, jacobs chuck with key for drill press, lathe drive center, dead center for tailstock, tool post and tool rest for turning. Also includes the Shopsmith Safety Kit with feather board (518215), push stick (518221), push block (518220), and fence straddler(521107). Includes extra saw blade. Cash only, please. "

All the other listings that have some attachments in decent shape are $1500 or more.

Oh how I wish I knew about these when I bought my table saw!

HighUintas said:

I'm assuming these shopsmiths are no longer made?

This is about the best deal in my area. $495. "Runs good. Includes base system, headstock with the 1-1/8 HP motor, table saw (with saw guard, fence, miter gauge), disc sander, jacobs chuck with key for drill press, lathe drive center, dead center for tailstock, tool post and tool rest for turning. Also includes the Shopsmith Safety Kit with feather board (518215), push stick (518221), push block (518220), and fence straddler(521107). Includes extra saw blade. Cash only, please. "

All the other listings that have some attachments in decent shape are $1500 or more.

Oh how I wish I knew about these when I bought my table saw!

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They still make these systems, but now price for new units starts around $4000. I believe I paid @$900 for mine back in 1978. These are great if you don’t have a lot of room for individual tools, but if I had the space I would prefer to have separate tools in my shop. The best feature I like is the capability to do horizontal drilling on any length of material. You can visit www.ShopSmith.com to see the current products.

HighUintas said:

Do you have pictures of that formula vee plane? Interesting...

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Wass too long ago - 1979-80. You maybe could Google "Taylor Titch". That airplane was so small that I made a mockup of the cockpit to make sure I could get into it. Had to turn my shoulders to get under the longerons. Weighed 420 empty, max gross of 720, used a stock 42-HP Volks engine, different carb on it tho. Made 9 experimental aircraft altogether - last was a Bakeng Deuce, open cockpit high wing, two seats in tandem. Painted it to look like a WW II trainer, complete with a bomb under it. Was a fiberglass water softener tank with a door on the side for a luggage compartment. It's still flying out of the Texarkana area, last I heard.

Craig Wildcat Wilcox said:

Wass too long ago - 1979-80. You maybe could Google "Taylor Titch". That airplane was so small that I made a mockup of the cockpit to make sure I could get into it. Had to turn my shoulders to get under the longerons. Weighed 420 empty, max gross of 720, used a stock 42-HP Volks engine, different carb on it tho. Made 9 experimental aircraft altogether - last was a Bakeng Deuce, open cockpit high wing, two seats in tandem. Painted it to look like a WW II trainer, complete with a bomb under it. Was a fiberglass water softener tank with a door on the side for a luggage compartment. It's still flying out of the Texarkana area, last I heard.

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Building my own small planes was my dream as a kid

44-henry said:

This is another Mark V in the drill press mode. Jigsaw and bandsaw accessories on the back wall. The jigsaw can cut brass sheet easily and also can function as a die filer. The bandsaw is a 12" and I cut heavy maple stock blanks on it frequently.


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Shopsmiths are handy, but you need to operate them at over 50 degrees, as stated in the manual. Otherwise the pot metal speed control gear is destroyed in short order.

On egg beater drills, you sure won't do any precision drilling with them.

Old delta drill presses were made by the millions especially during WW2. They were a major maker for Craftsman and others for decades. They hold accuracy very well and parts were still being available/made up not long ago. There are several forums devoted to the restoration and use of these plus they just look and sound flat neat. If you run across one of these at a reasonable cost they will serve you well. If un marked look for a "DP" and model number cast into the head frame. Heres a pic of my 1942 US Navy issue one. Still regret having to sell it.