Aligning my Grandfather’s old drill press

[JHZR2]

I inherited my Grandfather’s old drill press when he passed some years back. He built grandfather clocks and furniture. I remember doing projects with him and always using it.

Now I need to cut threads for a repair, and want a tight hole. I started to check straightness, and the platform, to my disbelief was crooked.

The unit is set up like this:

So I started to try to figure out how to make what straight relative to what. Thing is, I can’t it seems.

The floor and stand is slightly off. But the platform is way off.

When I use proper right angles against the chuck, the platform is still crooked. That’s what confuses me.

There’s a protractor underneath. Not that I trust it.

I think the key is that the platform is properly perpendicular to the chuck, right? And then the work piece has to be similarly so.

Not 100% sure how I do that when everything is crooked from the floor on up!

Recommendations on how to set this up to be properly square???

Thanks!

 

[spasm3]

You can't loosen and move the platform left to right to level ? Front to back may be the hardest , unless you can somehow adjust the head.

 

[mk378]

Chuck a straight rod in the chuck then check perpendicular to the table with a square.
Overall level with the Earth does not matter as long as the spinde and table are perpendicular.

 

[JHZR2]

You can't loosen and move the platform left to right to level ? Front to back may be the hardest , unless you can somehow adjust the head.

I can. Point is that what looks level isn’t. The stand I have it on is not as far off as the bubble. The bubble is similar on the base and the mobile stand at a value different than 90 on the protractor (which I know can’t be trusted).

There is a tapered pin that is supposed to set the platform at perfectly flat/perpendicular to the vertical. I guess it is in that regard.

I drove the tapered pin out (probably hasn’t been out in 70 years), and then moved the base how I needed it to make my manifold clamp down and everything square.

I still feel like something is still crooked.

I’m thinking I should find a way to get an exact reading of the actual base, and then set the platform to perfectly parallel, and adjust the protractor to “90” even if it isn’t. Then I can do relative readings from there.

Not entirely sure hot to get a really exact parallel reading. Im guessing I need to figure a way to get the angle relative to the floor??



Then there’s the matter of if I can reduce the runout on the chuck a bit.

 

[Astro14]

Level, and square, are two very different things.

Chuck a rod in it. A known, good, straight, metal rod, and make the table orthogonal to the rod. Be certain that the rod remains orthogonal through the travel of the quill.

Done.

Who cares if it is level?

If you want it level - you will need to measure and check everything - base, stand, power head, quill, and chuck. But none of that matters if the table is orthogonal to the chuck axis.

Edit - You’re drilling the manifold, aren’t you? A couple thousands of runout in the chuck won’t make any material difference in that job.

 

[D60]

You can put a test indicator in an Indicol (tedious) but that's way too precise for a DP. Chuck up the rod of a mag base dial indicator and sweep it on the table.

Something like this but you don't need the 1-2-3s.

Note small changes will net big differences and if that table is warped you'll just eventually collapse in the corner, drooling and comatose. Also without the gear drive fine adjustment of a mill head, it'll be frustrating -- but possible with patience

Gently pull the indicator stylus up as you travel over gaps in the table, lest it fall in and catch.

Also note for general machine work we won't strive to tram a vertical mill better than .002" all around. An old drill press can be much worse....and again if that table isn't flat it definitely will be

 

[ka9mnx]

If you want it level you have to start at the base using shims. Once that is level the only adjustment of the table is left and right by loosening bolt #59 and watching you level. There is no fore and aft leveling outside of shimming the base fore and aft.

I worked for years drilling precision holes on an old Craftsman drill press like yours. To get the drill centered I found that by slightly loosening the chuck and rotating the drill slightly in a clockwise direction until you get the drill to run straight.

 

[JHZR2]

Level, and square, are two very different things.

Chuck a rod in it. A known, good, straight, metal rod, and make the table orthogonal to the rod. Be certain that the rod reminds orthogonal through the travel of the quill.

Done.

Who cares if it is level?

If you want it level - you will need to measure and check everything - base, stand, power head, quill, and chuck. But none of that matters if the table is orthogonal to the chuck axis.

Understood wrt level and square.

And I have an old house, with an old basement, so the floor is likely not level. But if I’m going to mess around with making it better, it would seem to me that it’s worthwhile making it better relative to both.

It just struck me as odd that the stand I have it on has one level, and the press bases are both different. I guess maybe I didn’t plane the base level and true enough, or something else….

Now, wrt the rod… I was using a drill bit. The bit itself may not be true round, but how would I know? Whats a good source of “good enough” rod to check with? I don’t know what the tolerances are, but I suspect since I’m talking 0.008” max, that the product has to be straight and not have variations more than a slight fraction of my measured runout.

Perhaps router bits are machined to more precise tolerances that I could use the shaft of one of those?

 

[Astro14]

Drill bit might work - if the flutes are all ground to the same diameter as the shank of the rod. I roll it on the bed of my jointer (known flat surface) to check for runout. If it passes that test, it’s within a few thousandths - which is close enough for your work. If you don’t have a jointer, then, table saw, perhaps, or a piece of plate glass.

 

[JHZR2]

Drill bit might work - if the flutes are all ground to the same diameter as the shank of the rod. I roll it on the bed of my jointer (known flat surface) to check for runout. If it passes that test, it’s within a few thousandths - which is close enough for your work. If you don’t have a jointer, then, table saw, perhaps, or a piece of plate glass.

I used the smooth upper section of the drill bit (Cleveland quality bit) when I did the test I showed in the photo…

The flutes are wider than the shaft by a tiny amount.

 

[AZjeff]

Getting the table square to the bit left-right should be easy. That's what parts 59,60 & 68 are for. Adjust the protractor after you get square to a bit or rod.

Is it out front to back? I have a newer Craftsman DP and can cause the table to flex down if I push too hard. I have an old RV jack stand that I put under the table and snug up to keep it from moving. Maybe you could do the same to force it up to square. I'll bet if anything it's down in front.