Drill Press Table

Burchtree

Burchtree

KnifeMaker & Moderator
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The other day, I actually broke the table (drill shelf) on my Craftsman drill press. At first I thought I was going to have to buy a new one, then I realized I could probably get a replacement part from Craftsman -- that was a no-go. Anyone have ideas on where to look for a replacement table?

Thank ye very much!
 
What the hell happened to the craftsmen garauntee? They owe you a new drill press no questions asked!
WTF? All thier stuff is manufactured by a competitor anymore anyways. If the bastards won't honor the garauntee I'll just buy the brand thats building the tools to begin with.

Care to tell us how you broke the table off though? Did the thing fall over?
 
I didn't think about that - but it's a 34-inch model that they don't make anymore. I was drilling away, and barely had any pressure down when I heard a loud crack. I look at the collar of the table and it had two large cracks on both sides of it. :grumpy:
 
I don't think Craftsman power tools are covered by the same lifetime warranty as the hand tools. They carry a standard 1 year (plus or minus) warranty.

I've tried to return drills and a shop vac and that is the way they explained it to me.

Eric
 
Some of the "Husky" tools from Home Depot are better looking, carry a lifetime warranty and are cheaper.
 
If they don't carry the part any more your screwed most likely. You can cruise the net for parts or a dead one. The easiest fix is to forge a new collar and attach a 1/2" by whatever steel plate to it.

It's already been pointed out that Craftsman is not the bargain it once was!
 
As a professional mechanic (airplanes and industry) my whole life I could never understand the attraction of paying super-high prices for tools. Tools are made to be used. Now bear in mind, this is getting into the area of name brands vs offshore stuff. I never bothered to get all the Snap-on stuff and spend megabucks out of my paycheck each week just to keep the Snap-on, Mac, or Matco guys up on their vacations to Aruba. No, instead I got Craftsman, and Stanley, and whatever was cheap. I think I did as good a job as anyone else, and I didnt break the bank doing it either.

Heck some of the guys in the shops I worked in gave more per year to the Snap-on guy than I would spend on my mortgage!

When the Gearwrench wrenches came out, I bought a set and was completely impressed. Here we had a tool that was made in Taiwan, was very nicely made and finished, had a clever and innovative design, and cost less for the whole set than one Snap-on wrench!!!

So I guess what I am getting to here is that if a tool performs the way you want it to then use it. A $2 wrench will turn that bolt as unceremoniously as the $20 wrench.

I will concede however that a cheap POS chinese drill press will wobble your holes into misery. For anyone who has ever used a nice American or European-made drill press, the difference is like night and day, and yes, Mother... there are some things that DEFINITELY CAN NOT BE COMPROMISED. Examples: Oreos vs Hydrox and Hellmann's Mayo vs <insert any other mayo here>.

:D
 
I tried to return a portable tool chest that the drawers wouldn't stay closed with the lid shut. Ya know, the ones with the handle on the lid. Me thinking they would replace it since it wasn't "powered" That was a no go also.

Anyway, try this link Sears Replacement parts and enter your model number. It should give you a parts list and a parts diagram. They should have a table for your exact press.

If not, I would go to your local machinist and see what he could do for you. (Take the broke one with you) Mine here in town is a he!! of a nice guy and he does all kinds of things very reasonable for me. I like to make/fix my own stuff but there are some things I just don't have the right tools for yet. Example, I just bought a like new palmgren 8" rotary table for $100 from a guy but it had two large pits on it where something had sat on the table for years. My local machinist surface ground it for $20. And while I was there he sold me two Kurt 6" milling vises for $140 for both of them! (I talked him down a bit :))Those look small on the table but trust me, they are not. 70#+ each. They are small sized pictures, I just didn't want to walk all over your post by posting 5 pics. :D

Palmgren Before 1
Palmgren Before 2
Palmgren Before 3
Palmgren After
Kurt Vises
 
jhiggins, have to disagree. Snap-on and Mac tools are far superior. They fit nuts and bolts much better and do not round off near as many. They do not break or wear out near as quick either. Pick up any of your used sockets you have right now and I bet there is noticeable wear on them where it counts. That being said, I would never buy a brand new Snap-on or Mac tool. But I have a buddy that has credit with both and would buy tons of stuff and then trade, practically give, them to me a couple weeks later. I am loaded down with tools. Roll around chests, air tools, hand tools, etc. :)
 
My marvelous Snears experiences:

1) my wife bought me a rollaway many years back. When she'd returned it the third time to try and get one not caved in out of the box, one of their marvelous salesmen asked "well, whaddya expect it to be perfect?" well, yeah, actually, I do....

2) when my old leaky Craftsman air compressor needed replacement parts recently, I check their "Replacement Parts", then call, because the proprietary piece I need isn't available. Their response: "well, that wasn't a very good design so we quit stocking the parts".

3) when the Craftsman 6x48 grinder came out of the box with a dead motor, they wouldn't exchange the unit. Instead, I had to wait a month to get a replacement motor.

Sears hasn't been much of anything for machine tools since Atlas quit making their stuff......
No, there's nothing at all wrong with well made Taiwanese equipment, but the problem is you never know what yer getting.....ask Magnum about his Grizzly/Chinese knee mill experience.....
 
ok here's a good one though my table is ok as of now i plan on doing this because its by far more sturdy of a set-up.... go to indiangeorgesknives.com..... click on workshop link... then click on the picture of grinding area left side. it'll show how he uses the base as his table... and just elevates his pieces using blocks of steel. much more sturdy than a darn table... and as far as adjustments just put in some more plates when needed. i've used it a lot and its a really nice set-up as far as keeping things level and making sure you're tables doesn't bend on an angle when you try to put some real pressure on it. definately an awesome set-up! ask if you have any questions
 
hmmmmmmm.... I looked at the pics, but shows his still attached with a bottle of cutting fluid(?) on it.

I may have a solution. Mine was moveable and I may have found a substitue from Grizzly that might fit the column for $20. We'll see. Of course I might just have to use it as an excuse to get a mini-mill. :D
 
his is still on... but he swung it to the size because it was too flimsy.... using the base gives you a nice flat surface to work with, and if you use steel plates as spacers you won't have to worry about them breaking off like a cheap table. in the picture you can see a steel plate laying flat on the base... he just stacks more if he needs them. from my experience the tables on the cheapy drill presses are just too.... well, cheap.... they don't hold up to a lot of pressure, some even bending and messing up the angle of your drilling. try e-mail indiangeorge, ask him how it compares to using a table he will give a beter explination.
 
Originally posted by Burchtree
...Of course I might just have to use it as an excuse to get a mini-mill...
Click to expand...
I am in your camp, BT...I feel your pain...:(
 
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