Drill press

Probably a long shot but I'm trying to find a part for my broken drill press. It's a Northern Industrial drill press Part Number 155301. I need item #68 on the parts drawing. It's referred to as the insert pulley. I've tried googling and ebay and such, but without an actual part number for the part, it's hard to find anything. Didn't know if someone that maybe repairs such items or has more knowledge would be able to help me locate one or not. If not I'll just have to go buy another drill press, but was trying to fix this one if I could.

Have you tried contacting Northern Tool? I

Yes, drill press is out of warranty, so they were no help.

I would start with John's suggestion. Might also try some other places like harbor freight, Grizzly, or other discount tool houses.
Most of the parts are interchangeable but that unit does look pretty old so that could be an issue. Any chance of repairing the existing one?

While sitting here having lunch, I 'chatted' with Doug from there regarding this.

In a nutshell, he said its too old and no longer supported.

He showed me a newer model but the parts were totally different.

I think the part is mislabeled in the manual? What 68 is pointing to sure looks like a spindle, which 69 pointing to a pulley claims to be?

I tried to save the chat we had, as he suggested one place that might be able to help, but it hasn't shown up in my email (yet).

Is that shaft missing or worn? Have any machinist friends? Looks simple enough for any one that has a lathe and knows how to use it.

Pretty basic lathe job.

I can't say whether they can help but you can check here.
https://littlemachineshop.com/

I've gotten parts for my Harbor Freight Mini Lathe from them.

It's broke in half where it changes in diameter from big to small. There's 2 bearings that mount on the bottom side with a spacer in between the bearings. The top part goes thru the top pulley. The center of the "insert pulley" is hollow for a square stock of the drill press shaft spindle.

Thanks, I'll contact them to see if they can help me out.

Do some random searching online for drill presses on google images and see if you can come up with another manufacturer or supplier. A lot of the time multiple companies sell the same drill press with their own name on it and you might be able to find someone who's more help getting parts if they still exist.

You can get a mini for $69.99 https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/black-bull-drill-press-with-laser-centering-guide-5-speed
I have the full size Black Bull 16 speed drill press. Used it only a few times, Wish I would have bought the mini. Takes up less space.

Agreed that a guy with a lathe could knock that out fairly easily.

The question becomes, will he do it for less than the machine is worth.

Sad but true, much of this import equipment and tools are considered consumables. Use it 'till it breaks and get another.

I'm like you, I hate to throw otherwise good tools away. I'll usually spend the money to fix it, if it's a good tool otherwise.

I suffer from the same problem. I just spent $60 to fix my old (like 43 years old) Craftsman 1HP air compressor. Probably should have just chucked it, but it did serve me well for a bunch of years. DeVilbiss actually made them back then, so maybe it was the right thing to do.

I'd much rather repair something old that is quality. If you pitch and buy new, you have just gotten on the throw-away merry-go-round.

Old Harbor Freight stuff was better quality then the new Harbor Freight stuff is.

Maybe you can find someone that has the same drill press that has something different broken on it and he will give you his at a cheap price.

That said, how much value does a $150 drill press have after 15 years of service? Did you get your $10 a year worth of use out of it?

What is going to break the week after you invest in having a new part machined?

Any chance he could research who the supplier was ?

Is the hollow in the middle round or square to fit the drill press shaft spindle or is it round and the drill press shaft spindle connects to the pulley on top?

If the hollow is square then it may take a shop with a broach or something to make the square hole. (Not a machinist so I don't know what the options there are).

If that is the case it may be cheaper to have the two pieces welded together and machined down to fix it.



If it seems like a decent tool then it would be worth fixing but I have seen some really bad crap being sold in the last couple decades.

Sadly it's kind of a crap shoot.

The comments on that drill press make it look like it's pretty hit and miss, it wouldn't be my first choice

Check ebay frequently. There's always people selling parts from older/rusted/damaged tools.
Don't just rely on what parts are listed, but what parts are listed for that Brand of press.
Somebody may have listed a different part for that press, but not that part.
Sometimes they may not list it, believing it's not a 'demand' item.
Contact them and see.
Also check sold/completed listings for that type press & inquire.

The hollow part is square.

as a machinist, in my opinion, your options are not favorable.
fixing what you have by welding the broken piece will be a tricky proposition, especially if you or the person you get to weld it up, lacks experience welding chinesium. that stuff is full of who knows what alloy, and many times when welded, will fracture on each side of the weld no matter what precautions are taken during the repair.
if you can find a machine like what you have that has other issues but the part you need is good, buy it cheap, or find the part you need by following the ideas already presented.
if it were me, i would look on the page of fake faces or craig's list for a better machine. lots of them there for very good prices.
remove the motor, the chuck, pulleys, and any other usable parts from your press, then junk the rest.
just my machinist in me talking. your mileage will vary.

Craigslist in Frederick has a nice Delta 3/4 hp 120/240
If you're in the position to budget, or finagle a better deal.
I bought a 1940's delta many years ago and don't regret it a bit.

Very good point about the chinesium

What about taking 4 slabs of flat 1/4" ( or thicker) plate steel and welding them together like a box along the edges. This would make the square hollow without special tools.

Trim the excess and chuck it in a lathe to turn the outside round. Not terrible labor but cost to pay someone else to do it?

Edit I just found this.
This guy has a away that may be easier and cheaper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnJMDtZelms

that looks just like my craftsman drill press . Maybe same parts.

Whats your modle and serial # ? it may help him

Or as the others have suggested, hit the local CL and FBMP

I've been searching around the last few days. I found a Ryobi drill press that the part looks the same, problem is that part has been discontinued. Worse part is that part cost $3 when it was available. Seems like this style or design is a little older and the newer ones have changed. Maybe they figured out it's a problem point or found a cheaper way to make them. I did find one for a Craftsman on eBay but it isn't square in the center. I'll keep browsing around, but more than likely I'll just end up asking for a new drill press for my birthday or christmas. It's not something I use a ton, but it's definitely nice to have one in the shop.

You might ask around as to what technical high schools or community colleges still teach “machine shop” classes.
Students in those classes need “projects” and your part matches what the student needs.
Offer to pay for 5 or ten such parts then sell them on eBay/Craigslist for a profit.

I “feel your pain” because when I was much younger I worked at and visited mining operations where there was an “emergency machine shop” that had equipment to create a part at higher cost than what you could buy a new part for, but at much lower cost than was “burned up” waiting on a new part while the “fixed cost” of having a mining operation shut down due to a critical part. It was not unusual to suffer $2000 per hour cost of waiting to resume production.

Your brain is never quite the same after you have seen a grey haired machinist straighten a long shaft with only the heat of a flame,
or mount a faceplate of a mill to create a lathe to create large diameter parts,
or cut gears with an multi-hole index plate.

I later learned from Navy veterans that Nuclear Submarines had extremely compact machine shops to make parts when waits are not just costly, but life or death.

When we launch a space ship on a voyage to a planet several light years away,
what should the on board machine shop contain?

that would be a really interesting topic !
when that becomes a reality, i'm sure there will be a super version of 3D printing, as well as ways to make whatever parts the computers needed for that flight would require.
the material needed for such repair parts, which i'm sure would include some exotic materials not yet thought of yet, would require some thought as to the variety and amount to carry as well.
as the machining industry is constantly evolving with new, more powerful machines able to do amazing things with a single setup, weight is drastically increasing as a byproduct.
old manually operated machines that are very precise are very heavy as well, because the weight is used to keep the machine extremely ridged, which absorbs vibrations and any shock loads that may be imparted during the process, thus allowing repeated, precisely made items to be produced.
although spacecraft are not lightweight vehicles, component weight is still a huge concern.
as an old [not much hair left on the top of my head] machinist with lots of experience with the CNC machines of my time, it is pretty neat what a person can do with just a basic drill press, small lathe, a bridgeport mill, and a few measuring tools.

https://www.ereplacementparts.com/drill-press-parts-c-18715_18731_18747.html


All I got. This place has helped me out.

3D Printing Test on ISS