Photo Index - Sears | Craftsman - 101.03662

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Manufactured/Badged by:
Sears | Craftsman
Chicago, IL

True Manufacturer:
Atlas Press Co., Kalamazoo, MI

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Wood Working Machinery & Metal Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Drill Press
Machine Size:	15"
Submitted By:	James Blanchard

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	101.03662
Date of Manufacturer:	1942
Serial Number:
Last Updated	2/27/2012 12:51:09 AM

Comments:

This drill press was acquired from a retired machinist in central Florida. He told me that he was the second owner and that he had acquired it from the first owner in Wisconsin. The original blue color can be seen behind the worn-away SKF decal and was also found under the sheet metal mid-band motor housing. At some point a cream-colored paint was brushed on. The drill press functioned quite well - it was evident that it had been used, but not abused, during it's life. The reversing switch was not the original option available, although the PO had done a fine job of integrating it with a Square D foot pedal. I kept the foot pedal and refinished it to match.

I pulled the motor apart to inspect it and found that the wires from the windings and between the switches and terminals were cracked and dry-rotted. I ended up re-wiring the entire motor. The original windings were still serviceable, as was the condenser, the start switch, and the thermal switch. The motor bearings were in very good shape; I cleaned them and repacked them with grease. This motor has a service plate on it's end. Under this plate are the terminals and wires that are interchanged to reverse the motor. When I reassembled the motor, I re-routed those wires through the motor body to exit at the base with the other motor leads. This allowed me to consolidate all the wiring through the base of the motor and into the body of the press. I drilled a second hole on the back of the press to allow me to feed a total of six wires through. These wires were then connected to a 3PDT toggle switch in the factory switch location to allow forward and reverse operation. This wiring is very low-key and does not detract from the original configuration. The foot pedal works very well in conjunction with the reversing switch.

The slow-speed pulley setup was in place and only required cleaning. The bearings in this assembly were also in very good condition. I found the quill, spindle, and head bearings to be in particularly good condition. These were the original bearings. Again, it's evidence of the care given this machine over it's life. I chose to reuse all the original bearings.

Certain metal pieces, such as the feed lever handle bars and the spindle cover on top of the machine seem to have originally been plated. This plating had pitted somewhat. I chucked those pieces into my lathe and simply polished them smooth and uniform with sandpaper. The column was in reasonable condition. It was cleaned with light sanding. I put a fresh grind on the table and polished it out with WD40 and light sanding. The pedestal plate had a very rough grind on it; I re-ground it smooth to compliment the table and to approximate the finish seen in the original catalog. The cast parts were cleaned with a wire wheel, primed, and painted with Krylon satin black.

This drill press operates perfectly and is real pleasure to use. I am presently looking for the table-lift assembly that was an option on this machine.

Photo 1:

Comments: I did this in black because I thought it really complimented the utilitarian design of this old press. Visible in this photo is the reconfigured power switch. I took the original switch plate, flipped it over, and made a new decal indicating FWD/OFF/REV,
Source: My iPhone.

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Photo 2:

Comments: The day I picked it up. Despite 72 years of use, it ran very smoothly.
Source: My iPhone.

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Photo 3:

Comments: My research tells me that the model number for this drill press was 99 PTM 2393.
Source: My iPhone.

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Photo 4:

Comments: Another view of the slow speed pulley setup allowing speeds from 200 to 10,000 rpm.
Source: My iPhone.

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Photo 5:

Comments: This machine was complete and all the parts were there.
Source: My iPhone.

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Photo 6:

Comments: The grease cup and new switch.
Source: My iPhone.

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