The spindle pully on my Craftsman drill press was bent, and wobbling badly, and I couldn't find a replacement, so I made a new one. To make sure I got the grooves to the right depth, I held the belt in tight in each groove of the old pulley, and measured the diameter across the back of the belt. Then after I cut the angled sides of the new grooves, I held the belt in and measured the diameter, and trimmed a few thou. off a side, until it came down close to size. For anyone who has one of these drill presses, the angled hole you see at the edge of the second step down is an oiling hole for the bushings. You need a long thin nozzle to go through the pulley, and into a hole in the casting
My Hamilton drill press had a few problems that I've fixed. the upper spindle bushing was worn about 5 thou..( under the cap with 4 screws in the 2nd photo) I made a new one, and made new felt washers that keep oil on the upper and lower bushings. I made the br*** guard at the top front of the machine from a piece of tubing that only needed a little material bored out at the lower end. The original was sheet metal rolled into a tube, with the back open. The spindle return spring was broken, so I used my Perkins Machine and Gear Co. spring winder for the first time, to make a new one. The belt guards were coated on the inside with some kind of thick green epoxy?, so I spent a long time chiseling most of it out, then I removed the labels, and sand blasted and repainted the covers. I cleaned and polished all the labels, (manufacturers and U.S. Navy) and put them back on. Miraculously, I did not loose any of the little rivets. The machine still vibrates a little, so my next job is to check the bearings in the motor and the variable speed drive mechanism.
The Jalopy Journal
