Craftsman 15 1/2 inch drill press vbelt

[prouddad27]

I have this same drill press and have a new belt on it. Still have a problem slipping on soft woods. My question is, can the two pulleys be replaced with like 1/2" step pulleys and a 1/2" v belt. I know it will drop to like 6 speeds but I only use about 3 speeds anyways. Is this a possibility to get a little more torque?

[steamin10]

I and a friend have used the Crapsman DP with the scrawny scary belt for many a bazillion holes. I broke mine on a one inch drill, that is too big for the press really. I dont know if you have the scrawny belt, but it does well within reason. AFIK Sears Hardware still carries parts for them, by order.

I no longer have my Crapsman DP having gone to a much larger Taiwan job with a bigger chuck. Bigger but not better. I do my heavy drilling on my Mill drill, that is 70's Taiwan. My other mill is too small being a Rockwell school training mill.

[mike in wi]

I have the same question about replacing the step pulleys if I can't find a 3/16" belt. What speeds would I get?, and what are the high speeds (8600) used for, like a router bit. I got this DP cheap but was concerned about the thin belt (I asuume it's for achieving the high speed)

Mike

[Pontiacguy1]

look on page 1 of this thread. There I list the Gates part that I use on my drill press to replace the original stretched out belt. It works fine, and has for the past 6 or 7 years. I ordered 2, so I should be good for a long time. The original lasted from the late 70's/early 80's.

Why fool with modifying this drill press? It works fine for most jobs out there, and I prefer it to other, larger machines. If it ain't broke don't fix it!

[Fender]

The higher speeds are useful when you need to drill a lot of small holes in brass or aluminum. I have the same Craftsman drill press and use it a lot for holes up to about 5/8" in steel. Any larger drills cause a lot of chatter, squealing and/or blue chips on the slowest speed (350 RPM, I think). I bought a Buffalo Forge three-phase d.p. with a #3 Morse taper and use it at slower speeds for the bigger holes. You can get "Silver & Deming" drills with 1/2" shanks, but the larger holes are drilled or reamed more easily with taper-shank bits.

[mike in wi]

Thanks for all the info. I've got some of it apart for cleaning the rust off the base and column right now, but did run it with a badly worn out belt when I got it and seemed to run fine(was in a storage garage for a few years, I guess it belonged to his father-in-law)

I wasn't so sure about buying it at first when I saw the belt, it looked like a big rubber band, but for $90 and some cleaning and a little paint if it didn't perform well I could always make a little profit selling it.

But it looks like it will fit my needs, 75% woodworking, 25% metalworking(most steel holes 1/8 to 3/8)

Thanks again,
Mike

[mike in wi]

Forgot to ask if anybody has a copy of the Manuel for the 11321310 15 1/2' drill press.
Mike

[Dick_Morris]

If the Sears replacement parts web site is still in operation you should be able to find it there. I don't see that model at vintagemachinery.org, but there is another model with the skinny belt. This is an excellent source for obsolete tool manuals.

The skinny belt on my Craftsman drill press is still giving me good service after 45 years.

[Pontiacguy1]

I have used mine to drill a 1" hole through a 1" thick tractor drawbar before I had the milling machine hooked up. It didn't like it very much, but it got the job done. Probably why that belt got stretched out! Mine was built in the late 70's I think, and is still going strong. I did have to replace the quill once. My uncle and my dad were using it and hung the bit. Whatever they were trying to drill, most likely a part on the combine, got snatched and slammed it into the column, bending the quill while it was at it. The poor chuck would wobble terribly when it was turned on. I ordered new bearings, quill, and other parts from Sears, put it all back together, and she's running good. All that was about 12-13 years ago.

If you gave $90 for that drill press, you got a heck of a good deal. It might not be the most powerful or heavy-duty, but it is very versatile. They sold thousands of these things, and parts are still available.

[super7b]

The moral behind this thread is to find out what belts are on your machines now. Lift the cover on Lathe/Miller or whatever find the drive belt designation (if it's legible on the belt) and write it on the inside of the cover. Better still decide to buy a new belt and fit it before the old one gives up half way through the next important job.

[ccvstmr]

Mike,

Go to your search engine and type "Craftsman 113213100 manual" and you should get several hits for downloadable and/or printable manuals.

btw...have had the same drill press for close to 40 years with that skinny belt. During all those years, have replaced the drive belt only 1 time. Have been certainly been impressed with the power that little belt can deliver to the work piece. Larger drills/holes...just have to slow down your feed rate. Let the machine and drill bit do the work. Pushing the arbor down any harder will only stall the machine.

Have to say...had one incident several years ago. Drill press started tripping the circuit breaker as soon as the power was turned on. Not good! Thank goodness for over-current protection devices! A little investigation revealed the following:

You're probably wondering what would make that kind of burn pattern? See next photo...

This was one of the washers used in the flip-up belt drive cover. The washer came loose and fell down EXACTLY between the motor plug and the socket up inside the head by the light. Like...what are the chances of this happening? Only took one time! Enjoy your new machine. Carl B.

[mike in wi]

Thanks everybody for all the great info.
Mike