craftsman drill press run out

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diymirage

diymirage

HP@idle > hondaHP@redline
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so i picked up a cheap used 12 inch craftsman drill press the other day, and it turns out, it has some run out

according to the manual, this means i need new spindle bearings

is this a simple task and worth the effort or should i just pitch it?

(the model number is 137-219120 )
 
"What is" the runout and "how did" you check it? Depending on the design it could be a bent spindle, loose / worn bearings, a poor design or install of the chuck to the spindle, or just plain bent from dropped

OR it might be "acceptable" runout, as you didn't say "how much"

These are not a milling machine.......................
 
MOPAROFFICIAL said:
Picture?
Click to expand...


20211018_125644-jpg.jpg




20211018_125652-jpg.jpg




Dana67Dart said:
Take it apart and see what you are dealing with.
Click to expand...

i was able to tap the chuck out pretty easy
i dont have a gauge to put on there, but it sure feels like there is a wobble in the spindle



67Dart273 said:
"What is" the runout and "how did" you check it? Depending on the design it could be a bent spindle, loose / worn bearings, a poor design or install of the chuck to the spindle, or just plain bent from dropped

OR it might be "acceptable" runout, as you didn't say "how much"

These are not a milling machine.......................
Click to expand...


i dont have a way to measure it (that i know off, im sure one of you will let me know shortly)
i first noticed it when i was hitting the chuck with some steel wool, i could feel it

then when i tried to drill a hole today, it just wobbled the piece bad enough that it just wouldnt work


i took the chuck off (it is just a press fit) and put it back on...that did not improve it any
 
i took the belt off and turned the spindle by hand
placed a block up against it and did my best to measure it as it "wobbled" out

best i can tell there is 0.65 MM with the chuck on (sorry, i only had metric feeler gauges, that is 26 thou)
and 0.30 MM on just the spindle (12 thou)


just for fun, i tossed a drill bit in there, and about 4 inches below the chuck the run out is 1.8 MM (70 thou)
im sure you can see how 70 thou at the tip of a drill bit can be an issue


so, it seem to me that there may be a little kink maybe in the spindle up high and the further i move down (or away from it) the more exaggerated it gets?
 
Check a piece of rod in the chuck.
Mount a piece of bar stock to the table and have it just touch the rod.
Rotate the chuck till you find the high spot on the rod, then rotate it till you find the liw spot and use a feeler guage to determin the amount of runout.

Not as accurite as a gauge but should get you a feel for things.

Looks like the spindle is in a sleave type bearing (not roler bearings etc)

Looks like you could remove the spindle fairly easily. If you do have excess runout, it could be the sleave, or the spindle, or the spindle is bent.

Screenshot_20211104-200524.png
 
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Dana67Dart said:
Check a piece of rod in the chuck.
Mount a piece of bar stock to the table and have it just touch the rod.
Rotate the chuck till you find the high spot on the rod, then rotate it till you find the liw spot and use a feeler guage to determin the amount of runout.

Not as accurite as a gauge but should get you a feel for things.
Click to expand...
very close to what i did , i must have just posted the results as you posted the procedure
 
70 thou is a fair amount for sure. Next step is to determine if it's the shaft or just the chuck, or play in the bearings Try to find a manual for it. I doubt the bearings are adjustable (like timkin) but it might be
 
My guess is a bent spindle. You likely need to remove it to really know.
Not sure if it can affect the spindle runout but did you check pulley bearings?
upload_2021-11-5_8-43-50.png
 
If the bearings are bad enough to give that much runout, the spindle should rattle if you remove the belt and apply radial pressure. I’m betting that the spindle bore is machined poorly or has a burr or the chuck is just a piece of crap.
 
I had a similar issue, my adapter from drill press to chuck was crap. Found another one, was way better.
Runout is different from free play. Free play it needs bearings.

there are a few videos about tuning up a drill press. You will find them helpful.
 
Post # 6, 2nd pic....bottom line on the tag. Been there...done that, and had about the same problem. I lucked into a 1930's Delta floor model that runs straight as a gun barrel, and now the old China drill press sits in the corner. Hopefully, you can fix yours. My old Chinkenese one got used by an old woodworker. He must have thought it was a milling machine, like someone mentioned above! :realcrazy:
 
ill try and get it pulled apart today and see what we got

i did find a manual online, and it claims run out is bearing related, so we will see

upload_2021-11-6_10-52-49.png
 
well, i popped the bearing out and swapped them top to bottom
there was also a small bur on the spindle and i cleaned that off

no difference
 
How does the chuck mount, is it Morse taper? If they loosen and spin the bore and shaft will be damaged and THAT can cause runout.
 
67Dart273 said:
How does the chuck mount, is it Morse taper? If they loosen and spin the bore and shaft will be damaged and THAT can cause runout.
Click to expand...
yes, it just gets tapped into place

it was on there firm when i got it
i did see a little bur on the taper that i filed down, but that didnt seem to help

i think i will take it all apart and see if i cant find a wobble in the spindle itself
 
I'm not sure what you have or haven't done but check the runout of the spindle and the chuck separately. My Chinesium drill press had some 'wobble' in the chuck. Turned out to be it was in the taper fit between the chuck and the spindle. Chuck looked great, had to take the head off and look up the spindle bore to see the burr that was causing the problem.
 
6PakBee said:
I'm not sure what you have or haven't done but check the runout of the spindle and the chuck separately. My Chinesium drill press had some 'wobble' in the chuck. Turned out to be it was in the taper fit between the chuck and the spindle. Chuck looked great, had to take the head off and look up the spindle bore to see the burr that was causing the problem.
Click to expand...
That is exactly what I was getting at earlier.
 
6PakBee said:
I'm not sure what you have or haven't done but check the runout of the spindle and the chuck separately. My Chinesium drill press had some 'wobble' in the chuck. Turned out to be it was in the taper fit between the chuck and the spindle. Chuck looked great, had to take the head off and look up the spindle bore to see the burr that was causing the problem.
Click to expand...

post #7 has the results, best i could measure, on the spindle
there is a slight wobble in that too
 
Just a followup. My drill press was markedly improved with removing the burr in the fit, BUT, it wasn't perfect. Recently I was just playing around and removed and re-inserted a bit numerous times. Every time it was still off center but by different amounts. Even though it looked great, it was the chuck. Just replaced the chuck and the arbor and now it drills straight.
 
6PakBee said:
Just a followup. My drill press was markedly improved with removing the burr in the fit, BUT, it wasn't perfect. Recently I was just playing around and removed and re-inserted a bit numerous times. Every time it was still off center but by different amounts. Even though it looked great, it was the chuck. Just replaced the chuck and the arbor and now it drills straight.
Click to expand...
I don't know why I didn't suggest that. I have a Jet drill mill. It has a taper that accepts collets, and then an adapter shaft for the chuck. Collets are much more true than the chuck.

In looking back, even though I don't use it much, MAN am I glad I bought it (used) when I did!!! I think I paid 400, I don't remember.
 
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