# Ugh! Craftsman drill press wobble :(



## new2woodwrk (Mar 16, 2015)

My craftsman drill press, which is only a year and half old, now has a wobble 

And of course there are no repair facilities within 100 miles of me 

I doubt I'll be buying another craftsman power tool again - no one repairs them!


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Sounds like DIY fun and games. You'll have to dismantle the head of it and remove the bearings and see if you can find a stock bearing. If it's appropriator you may need a new drill press.


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

the wobble may be coming from the chuck/shaft. see if the chuck can be removed. most drill presses have a morse taper (female) in the quill, and a morse tapered shaft which goes into the quill on one end, and into the chuck on the other. they can be tapped apart, cleaned and reset. 


I had to replace my chuck because the run out was there, probably one of the jaws was not true any more for some reason (cheap)


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## P89DC (Sep 25, 2017)

It's unlikely that it suddenly developed a wobble without some extreme external input. That can hardly be blamed on Craftsman who bought/imported the device from one of a few manufacturers in China. TimPa is spot on, see what it takes to remove the chuck/shaft. People have been know to bend them back close to original.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Exactly what wobbles?*



P89DC said:


> It's unlikely that it suddenly developed a wobble without some extreme external input. That can hardly be blamed on Craftsman who bought/imported the device from one of a few manufacturers in China. TimPa is spot on, see what it takes to remove the chuck/shaft. People have been know to bend them back close to original.


Very true. Things just don't go off and start wobbling on their own. Here's a test. Take a 4" long 1/2" round dowel and chuck it up. See if it indeed does wobble. Next look for a jaw inside that has shifted, a piece of scrap inside that is making one jaw operate differently or some thing else. If all looks "normal" inside, see if the outside is wobbling. If ONLY the chuck is wobbling and not the quill, then the chuck has come loose and must be reseated in the tapered hole or shaft which is just a "jam" fit. It can be wedged off if you use a cold chisel and work your way around, first on one side then the other, between the quill and the chuck. DO not oil the surfaces! 

Wipe them clean and reinstall it in the tapered hole. Then give a solid whack with a 2 x 2 or dead blow mallet. You should be good to go... IF it's a chuck issue...if not then...... :sad2:

It could be a lower bearing issue, which is very unlikely, but possible. Unless a lot of small round bearings fell out recently, it's probably not that. Here's a test. Grab the chuck and try to move it side to side. There should be NO lateral play. If so, you have a bad lower bearing.... :sad2::sad2: I've never had a drill press quill apart myself, but there is a rack and pinion gear, and two bearings maybe more , I donno? It's not something I would forward to in terms of a DIY repair, even though I'm a pretty fair mechanic and have lots of wrenches, sockets and gear pullers. Hopefully, that is not your issue.
:sad2:


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## Catpower (Jan 11, 2016)

New chucks are fairly cheap, Grizzly carries South Bend chucks that I have had good luck with, have gotten 3 from them and all were less than .001 runout, actually the needle on the dial indicator never even flickered


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## Sawdustmaker99 (Feb 1, 2018)

Do you have a dial indicator to narrow down the problem? Chuck something in the chuck and mark the high place. Rotate it 180 degrees and see if the high place is 180 degrees to your mark. That conforms the test rod isn’t bent. Now test the spindle to see if it or the chuck wobbles. If the spindle is bent you’re likely out of luck. I did manage to fix a bent spindle in my drill press. I bought a motorless drill press at an auction for a cheap price and swapped the spindle. I wouldn’t count on that working though.


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## new2woodwrk (Mar 16, 2015)

Thanks all

Yeah, the chuck moves when I when shake it.

Last time I tried to fix a tool myself, didn't turn out that well - in fact it's still broke and I still have the parts sitting in a box where they'll stay.

They're in the box because I replaced all the parts that were supposed to be bad and the thing still didn't work so I put the parts back in their box and they'll stay there to remind me that I DON'T FIX TOOLS! lol

Looking for a craftsman repair facility but doesn't seem to be one any where near me, and there's no way I'm going to be shipping this thing - I might as well buy a new one and sell this one for parts!


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*A loose chuck is not a "repair" job ....*

Reseating the chuck in the quill is so simple you should try it because they just come loose sometimes. DO NOT give up until you've tried the simple suggestion we have offered unless you have money to burn. Part of this hobby is simple maintenance and this falls into that category. :wink:


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## andr0id (Jan 11, 2018)

I improved my crappy Porter Cable drill press by replacing the chuck with a $25 chuck. It took my wobble down from about 12 - 15 thousandths to around 2-4 thousandths.

Still not as good at the press at work, but at least I can make some reasonably placed holes in metal now as long as I center punch it accurately.


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## new2woodwrk (Mar 16, 2015)

woodnthings said:


> Reseating the chuck in the quill is so simple you should try it because they just come loose sometimes. DO NOT give up until you've tried the simple suggestion we have offered unless you have money to burn. Part of this hobby is simple maintenance and this falls into that category. :wink:


I certainly don't have money to burn, but I also know my limitations.

It is much better for me to have a professional fix an item than me trying to diagnose and purchase parts when I have no idea what I'm doing.

Even with everyone's help for which I am always grateful, it is still a blind alley for me. 

Unlike most of you, I've never been someone who works with their hands to build and repair things. That's never been part of my skill set.

Replacing the chuck is easy enough, I was able to remove it and reinstall it - but the shaft still wobbled. I have no doubt that it is most likely as you said the lower bearing - which I am not about to attempt to repair myself.

I spend 3 1/2 hours on the phone today with 8 different Philippine support people , just trying to find out how I can get the unit repaired.

I finally spoke with someone at my local sears - they sent it out for repair for a $50 service/diagnosis fee.

The unit itself cost me $185. I now have $230 invested it in. If the repair cost exceeds $100 (the $50 is applied toward it) - I'm going to tell them to keep the piece of crap and buy something else later.

Nope, no more craftsman electronic tools for me. I found a decent repair shop near me recently, They repair everything EXCEPT craftsman! 

So between the 3 1/2 hours of my life I'll never see again and the local repair shop who won't even look at a craftsman tool, tells me all I need to know about future purchases.

Interestingly, I had a craftsman drill and circular saw last 30+ years, a craftsman table saw last me 20 years.

I buy a new drill press that doesn't last 2, LOL fool me once, you don't get to fool me twice!


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*I probably have that same drill press.*

I paid $185.00 or so for mine as well, a 10" Craftsman with a laser light and very limited quill stroke, about 3". I would be fun to dismantle the unit to see what the issue was. I remember Sears wanting to sell a 2 or 3 year warranty when I bought my last tools, 10 years ago. Harbor Fright has the same deal. What you may find is that no matter which brand of DP you choose to replace the Craftsman, they may all be made in the same factory in China, I donno?

Rikon, Grizzly, Wen, Rockwell, are names that come to mind for bench top drill presses. The Wen was one I just researched recently and discovered has variable speed and is priced around $240.00 or so... a steal of a deal. It's a dang shame to "lose" a $185.00 machine over a bad $6.00 bearing. Hopefully, it can be repaired. Don't forget, drill presses do not like lateral forces applied at the chuck, only vertical ones as it causes the bearing to go bad prematurely.


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## Sawdustmaker99 (Feb 1, 2018)

A lower bearing isn’t that hard to change. I’d have been done with it before you got off the phone. Also I’d have skipped the useless craftsman tech support and found another supplier.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

For anyone that wants to change the bearings in a Craftsman bench top drill press the instructions are here:

https://www.machinistblog.com/restoring-a-craftsman-15″-drill-press/comment-page-1

Reading this will also dispel the myth about lateral force damaging the bearings, the bearings are axial bearings, all lateral force will do is possibly cause the chuck to loosen from the Jacobs taper. This is the reason why a bearing is recommended at the bottom of a sanding cylinder, or if you are using the drill press as a lathe.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Not so sure about that ....*



FrankC said:


> For anyone that wants to change the bearings in a Craftsman bench top drill press the instructions are here:
> 
> https://www.machinistblog.com/restoring-a-craftsman-15″-drill-press/comment-page-1
> 
> *Reading this will also dispel the myth about lateral force damaging the bearings, the bearings are axial bearings*, all lateral force will do is possibly cause the chuck to loosen from the Jacobs taper. This is the reason why a bearing is recommended at the bottom of a sanding cylinder, or if you are using the drill press as a lathe.


That particular drill press is a floor model so there may be differences in the bearings or other procedures...?

There are 3 types of bearings, axial, radial and angular contact.....

Reading the above mentioned article, it says..... "Only the lower bearing needs to be an angular contact bearing; radial bearings are fine for the upper spindle bearing and drive sleeve. Why an angular contact bearing? Angular contact bearings are designed to take both axial and radial loads, unlike radial bearings which are made for radial loads only." 
He says when he replaces the bearings "next time" he will use angular contact bearings.... 

Axial and radial are not the same:
https://www.quora.com/Whats-the-dif...axial-and-what-are-some-good-examples-of-each

Angular contact bearings are defined here:
https://www.kaydonbearings.com/typesACX.htm

Assuming ... and that's always dangerous, a cheap drill press would only use axial bearings or thrust bearings which are not designed for radial loads, the admonition against applying lateral or side forces would apply..... I donno? :|

Thanks for that good article link, Frank! :smile2: I learned quite a bit about bearings which although simple and similar in appearance, can be quite different internally. And then there are roller bearings .....


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## new2woodwrk (Mar 16, 2015)

woodnthings said:


> I paid $185.00 or so for mine as well, a 10" Craftsman with a laser light and very limited quill stroke, about 3". I would be fun to dismantle the unit to see what the issue was. I remember Sears wanting to sell a 2 or 3 year warranty when I bought my last tools, 10 years ago. Harbor Fright has the same deal. What you may find is that no matter which brand of DP you choose to replace the Craftsman, they may all be made in the same factory in China, I donno?
> 
> Rikon, Grizzly, Wen, Rockwell, are names that come to mind for bench top drill presses. The Wen was one I just researched recently and discovered has variable speed and is priced around $240.00 or so... a steal of a deal. It's a dang shame to "lose" a $185.00 machine over a bad $6.00 bearing. Hopefully, it can be repaired. Don't forget, drill presses do not like lateral forces applied at the chuck, only vertical ones as it causes the bearing to go bad prematurely.


I researched drill presses yesterday while on hold, and I'm really liking the low end bench top Wen for the amount and type of drilling I do, an $80 model is much more appropriate and affordable for me

I don't know why you guys think I put lateral pressure on the chuck - I only use it for drilling a few holes here and there in wood and once a few holes in aluminum - it's not like I bang it around with a hammer or anything


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*No one accused you of abusing it!*



new2woodwrk said:


> I researched drill presses yesterday while on hold, and I'm really liking the low end bench top Wen for the amount and type of drilling I do, an $80 model is much more appropriate and affordable for me
> 
> I don't know why you guys think I put lateral pressure on the chuck - I only use it for drilling a few holes here and there in wood and once a few holes in aluminum - it's not like I bang it around with a hammer or anything


We wouldn't know even if you did. It was just a caution and a reason for a premature bearing failure IF indeed that was what the issue was. :smile2:
To have a bearing failure after only 1 1/2 years and from very moderate use is highly atypical. My drill press, also a Craftsman is at least 30 years old and I don't pamper it..... it runs like it's new.
A drum sander is often used in a drill press to sand edges on round shapes without any issues, as I have done. It's a shame that you ran into this problem and have to start over with a new machine. :sad2:


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

new2woodwrk said:


> Replacing the chuck is easy enough, I was able to remove it and reinstall it - but the shaft still wobbled. I have no doubt that it is most likely as you said the lower bearing - which I am not about to attempt to repair myself.


 before giving up ,try applying some troubleshooting techniques based on input from this thread.


remove the chuck and watch the shaft coming out of the quill to see if it is spinning true (no wobble). can that shaft also be removed? cleaned? reinstalled? remember you need to clean both the male and female surfaces. have you tried different chuck positions on the shaft. if there is some runout on the shaft AND on the chuck, finding the right corresponding position can cancel (reduce) them out (rather than combining for greater runout).


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## P89DC (Sep 25, 2017)

new2woodwrk said:


> ...I found a decent repair shop near me recently, They repair everything EXCEPT craftsman!...


I know you're frustrated and maybe you got unlucky or Craftsman spec'ed a cheap bearing set. But I can't understand why a repair shop would work on a Harbor Freight/Jet/Delta/et al Chinese-made drill press and not a Craftsman Chinese-made drill press. It's not rocket science, they're all the same basic design. 

If you lived close by I'd offer to drop by and help you fix it. Once it's fixed I'd expect it'll work for several decades (with proper bearings; cost ~$20 for the set).

Sell it on craigslist, there's always some like us that will fix it up to use or re-sell.

Sorry for your bad experience, I'd avoid Craftsman in the future too if I went through this.


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## Catpower (Jan 11, 2016)

That guy in the blog is swatting flies with a sledge hammer, a good ball bearing will take up angular and radial pressures, a roller bearing will take angular pressure a tapered roller bearing will take up angular and radial pressures, and a thrust bearing just takes up thrust pressures


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

woodnthings said:


> That particular drill press is a floor model so there may be differences in the bearings or other procedures...?
> 
> snip


The heads on a 15" floor model and a 15" bench model are identical, only difference is what goes on below it. I mentioned bench model in the reference to the link, should have been floor model but my fingers worked differently than my brain. :|


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Catpower said:


> That guy in the blog is swatting flies with a sledge hammer, a good ball bearing will take up angular and radial pressures, a roller bearing will take angular pressure a tapered roller bearing will take up angular and radial pressures, and a thrust bearing just takes up thrust pressures


The 6204-ZZ bearing that he mentions as stock is not an ordinary ball bearing, it is a deep groove bearing. He merely suggests that he thinks he could improve performance with an alternate style, kind of what they do in that circle. :smile2:


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## new2woodwrk (Mar 16, 2015)

woodnthings said:


> We wouldn't know even if you did. It was just a caution and a reason for a premature bearing failure IF indeed that was what the issue was. :smile2:
> To have a bearing failure after only 1 1/2 years and from very moderate use is highly atypical. My drill press, also a Craftsman is at least 30 years old and I don't pamper it..... it runs like it's new.
> A drum sander is often used in a drill press to sand edges on round shapes without any issues, as I have done. It's a shame that you ran into this problem and have to start over with a new machine. :sad2:


Yeah it sucks, but moving on - I don't really use the press that often anyway - I bought a drill guide that I can use my hand drill with as well as a drill guide from my dremel - with both of those I should hopefully be covered with my drilling requirements



TimPa said:


> before giving up ,try applying some troubleshooting techniques based on input from this thread.
> 
> 
> remove the chuck and watch the shaft coming out of the quill to see if it is spinning true (no wobble). can that shaft also be removed? cleaned? reinstalled? remember you need to clean both the male and female surfaces. have you tried different chuck positions on the shaft. if there is some runout on the shaft AND on the chuck, finding the right corresponding position can cancel (reduce) them out (rather than combining for greater runout).


I did something like this before I brought it in but it's in for repairs now.


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## new2woodwrk (Mar 16, 2015)

P89DC said:


> I know you're frustrated and maybe you got unlucky or Craftsman spec'ed a cheap bearing set. But I can't understand why a repair shop would work on a Harbor Freight/Jet/Delta/et al Chinese-made drill press and not a Craftsman Chinese-made drill press. It's not rocket science, they're all the same basic design.
> 
> If you lived close by I'd offer to drop by and help you fix it. Once it's fixed I'd expect it'll work for several decades (with proper bearings; cost ~$20 for the set).
> 
> ...


Well, you'll just have to move closer to me then 

Besides the weather is warmer in Florida


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## Mad (Dec 9, 2017)

Even though you have chosen drilling guides and hand held drills to resolve your future drilling needs, please do report back on what Sears reported the problem ended up being, so others (like me) can learn.

A Craftsman drill press from 30 years ago is likely an entire different animal than a Craftsman drill press from 2 years ago.

Thirty years ago, the drill press still may not have been made in the USA, but it might have at least been made in Taiwan, which has been known to produce higher quality replicas of mid century American tools and industrial equipment than China has been known to produce.

My 20" floor model drill press, (a Dayton brand, from Grainger, but the same casting design as many different brands, including some Crafstman branded models of the same era) was built in Taiwan in 1987. During the mid 90's, I would periodically visit the Sears store looking for bargains in the tool department as Sears was shrinking the store's selection and display of hard goods in favor of soft goods (more clothing, yuck, what a waste of store space).

I noticed over those visits a decline in quality of Sears offerings. The industrial line became catalog and later online only, before being shrunken to extinction. The drill press that used to look very similar to mine disappeared, and was replaced by a smaller, lighter duty version with a bigger stop button and more plastic, but a smaller tube, base, and table. Higher advertised "peak" HP, but a lower amp rating on the motor. More speeds, but less in the range where needed. Made in Taiwan became Made in China.

Fast coward to Christmas of 2017... the only table saw that Sears had on display was entirely made of plastic. Even the table itself was plastic. It was almost as if the thing was a replica of a table saw that you would give to a seven year old second grader so he could pretend to be like Daddy in his make believe workshop. It might not be fair to compare Sears tool offerings of today with what was available 30 years ago.


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## new2woodwrk (Mar 16, 2015)

Mad said:


> Even though you have chosen drilling guides and hand held drills to resolve your future drilling needs, please do report back on what Sears reported the problem ended up being, so others (like me) can learn.
> 
> A Craftsman drill press from 30 years ago is likely an entire different animal than a Craftsman drill press from 2 years ago.
> 
> ...


Yah agreed - Like I mentioned earlier, I have 2 craftsman power tools over 30 years - made very solid.

It's my opinion, tools made now are made to be thrown away when they break because repairing them costs the same as buying new.

And the quality of tools built today is IMO no where near what the quality of work was 30-40 years ago when people had pride in the things they made.

I'm sorry but these made in Asia tools are for me, not worth the headache. 

Price isn't so much the issue as workmanship - my hand held craftsman drill weighs a ton compared to my black and decker cordless (although I don't have an issue with the B&D at the moment and no idea where it'smade). 

The craftsman just "feels" like it's made so much better since there's one piece of plastic on the entire drill - the trigger..

Now granted, that drill press I bought was no where near top of the line, and it was recommended by someone here (which was fine). 

But it used to be when someone said "Craftsman" - you thought Quality not "It will break in 1 1/2 years or less"!


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

Guess why I don't buy Sears or Craftsman. Had too many bad experiences with them. One thing is they change a few parts different from the OEM and you can only get the parts from Sears or online.........that is if the parts are still available. When they run out, you are outta luck.


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## new2woodwrk (Mar 16, 2015)

*Update*

Just thought I'd update this thread on the latest and greatest of my craftsman drill press.

I finally got in touch with a repair person. He asked what was the issue, and I told him about the wobble in the bit.

He said "I'll call you right back".

15 mins later, he calls back and asked "What about the broken table and bent arms?". I replied - "What broken table and bent arms". 

He said "I'll call you right back".

5 mins later, he explained to me that he would not be able to repair the unit as the damage besides the wobble was too severe and they were going to return the item to the store and mark it as "Warranty Replacement".

So it appears, when they shipped the unit to the repair facility, they dropped the damn thing!

I called the store today and asked if they had received my drill press - they had. I asked what was next and they said "Come in and let's get you a replacement. If we don't have one in stock we'll order one"!

So, tomorrow I go to Sears and try and get a replacement drill press.

HOWEVER, this unit is no longer sold/made (Craftsman 12" Drill Press with Laser and LED Light ) so not sure what the replacement will be since the closest unit in price to what I paid is a Wen 12" for 264.91 (I paid $185 on sale)

I see they have a few 10" SEG, Rockwell, Genesis (out of the question) and a Wen

Kind of sucks I'd have to get a 10" to replace my 12" 

Thoughts?


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## new2woodwrk (Mar 16, 2015)

Update... again:

Well, I went to the store today - they agreed someone dropped the drill press on route to delivery so I get a new one of equal value.

I explained the one I had is no longer made/supported so what were they willing to do.

Evidently after a walk over to the Drill presses, it seems they still have them in stock LOL.

But the only one currently in stock was the floor sample - but there are 3 on order.

So, after all this fiasco, I should be a getting a new in the box same replacement model next Friday - good thing I don't depend on this to make a living...


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## new2woodwrk (Mar 16, 2015)

Last update to this fiasco....

The drill press never came - they said it was now due to arrive in June... JUNE? Are you freakin' kidding me?

They offered nothing in the way of exchange.

I suggested at this point they should reimburse me the original purchase price and we will call this a draw - either that or.............

They opted to reimburse me.

I took the money, bought a Wen 10" drill, SAVED $100 from the original price and lived happily ever after.

THE END!


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## P89DC (Sep 25, 2017)

Makes me appreciate that old Craftsman 150 from 1947 I had for years. Paid $80 for it at an auction.


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