# Craftsman 8" Drill Press - Not turning



## ChristopherG (Sep 10, 2014)

I have an 8" table top press that my wife bought me a few years back and this past August my nephews took to polishing some 4" 1/4 diam tapered pins to the point of a mirror finish. At some point the motor stopped turning and I was called in to investigate. I noticed that the motor was quite hot. When you turn the press on I get a hum but the motor wont turn. should I try replacing the capacitor on the back of the 1/3 hp motor or is it time for a new motor, which as I discovered probably will run about as much as a nice used 12" Delta in these parts. 

Thoughts?


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## PhilBa (Jun 30, 2014)

It could well be the cap though it sounds like your nephew abused it pretty badly. 

First thing to do is take the belt off and see if the motor spins freely (bearings check). If it does then see if it spins when powered. If it doesn't try replacing the cap. If the motor spins see if the chuck assembly spins. If it isn't a cap, go for a new drill. 

If the nephew is on your wife's side, think of this as an upgrade opportunity and don't settle for a used Delta...


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## Maylar (Sep 3, 2013)

If it's belt driven, remove the belt and check that the drill spindle still turns freely. The bearings could have seized up. Then turn the motor shaft by hand and see if that turns. If both spindle and motor bearings are OK, then pursue the motor / capacitor.


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## ChristopherG (Sep 10, 2014)

Chuck turns, unpowered the motor turns freeley. When I apply power all I get is a hum and if I try the spin assist it never catches and goes. Just hums. There doesn't seem to be any additional resistance and the other odd thing is that no burnt smell.


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## ChristopherG (Sep 10, 2014)

Sears no longer sells the motor so I think the only other choice is the replacement road. Phil, correct me if I'm wrong duty isn't Delta considered a slight step up from the lower end of powdered tools. For what it's worth I am not using this in a commercial application it's just another addition to my basement shop which includes a mixture of craftsman and other offerings from the Home Depot as well as a nice vintage Delta table saw. If I was to check out the Delta press are there shortcomings I should be aware of before dropping a c note or less if I'm lucky.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*that's a sign of a bad start capacitor*

hums and won't spin up, is a bad start capacitor ....usually. :yes:


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## red (Sep 30, 2008)

woodnthings said:


> hums and won't spin up, is a bad start capacitor ....usually. :yes:


Should be a fairly cheap fix unless you want to upgrade to a larger drill press!

Red


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Couple easy ways to check and see if its a bad cap. The most obvious is to actually use a multtimeter, most have a capacitance test function. Switch the meter to that, apply leads and make sure the values on the screen match up with the value on the cap. The other slightly more dangerous way is to put power on the motor and manually spin it. On some motors the cap is there to give the motor a starting jolt to get it spinning so the magnetic field can take over. No cap, no jolt, so if the cap is the issue the motor should spin when you find another way to jolt it


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## PhilBa (Jun 30, 2014)

ChristopherG said:


> Sears no longer sells the motor so I think the only other choice is the replacement road. Phil, correct me if I'm wrong duty isn't Delta considered a slight step up from the lower end of powdered tools. For what it's worth I am not using this in a commercial application it's just another addition to my basement shop which includes a mixture of craftsman and other offerings from the Home Depot as well as a nice vintage Delta table saw. If I was to check out the Delta press are there shortcomings I should be aware of before dropping a c note or less if I'm lucky.


Table top drill presses have limitations so my thinking was upgrade to a floor model. Delta is a step up from sears, but a small step. That said, I have an old 17" floor model Delta and it's been solid. 

Check to make sure that the used drill press you buy spins freely, grab the chuck and try to move it sideways to see if it has any play. Inspect for wear - belts and pulleys. You might need to replace a the belt. Inspect for missing parts, rust and any damage from misuse. Then turn it on - does it run smoothly with minimal vibration? See if you can take along a small metal rod, say 6" or so, that you can chuck in the drill and then turn it on. The rod should not wobble. If you care, you could measure the amount of run-out (basically wobble) but if the rod test looks fairly clean, I wouldn't worry. A DP is not exactly a precision machine.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*drill press motors ...*

Drill press motors are like stray dogs, there's one in every yard sale, flea market, pawn shop etc. They just don't say "drill press" on them. They are usully open frame where you cam see the guts inside and split phase, 1/2 HP or 1/3HP or so. $ 20.00 should get you one that works ...site test it in a yard sale, or have it turned on at the pawn shop. The bearings should be a sealed type NOT ones that require oil drops into the little caps because the motor will be used vertically, not horizontally.





ChristopherG said:


> Sears no longer sells the motor so I think the only other choice is the replacement road.


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