Atlas Drill Press Restoration: A Buyer's and Restorer's Guide

Atlas Press Company of Kalamazoo, Michigan, built a lot of the machine tools that filled home shops and small businesses in the mid-twentieth century, and it built many of them for Sears under the Craftsman and Dunlap names. An Atlas drill press is a well-made, sensibly engineered machine that responds beautifully to restoration, and because so many wore a Craftsman badge, a great number of the vintage presses people restore today are Atlas machines whether they realize it or not. Knowing you are working on an Atlas, and what that means for parts and inspection, is the first step to a good restoration.

An Atlas drill press is a mid-century American machine built by Atlas Press Co., sold both under its own name and, very often, as a pre-1946 or later Craftsman or Dunlap model. The lineup ran from light bench presses to more substantial floor machines, all built with the standard consumables and repairable design typical of the era. That shared design is why an Atlas comes back to life on the same sequence as any good vintage press, once you have identified it correctly.

Buying: what to check first

Inspect an Atlas candidate in the protective order.

Castings. Check the head, base, column, and table for cracks and old brazed repairs. Sound castings are the foundation of the restoration; a cracked head is a walk-away.

Spindle and quill. Feed the quill through full travel and feel for smooth motion. Grinding or catch means dried grease at best, worn bearings or a scored bore at worst, and heavy play in the spindle points to bearings.

Completeness. Atlas parts are available but not as plentiful as Delta or later Craftsman, so completeness matters. Confirm the table, drive, spindle assembly, pulleys, chuck, and motor mount are present, since a missing Atlas-specific casting can take time to source.

Drive and motor. Check the belt and pulleys and confirm the motor runs or turns freely. As always, rust and old paint are just work.

Identify it correctly first

Because so many Atlas presses wear a Craftsman badge, correct identification is essential before ordering parts. If you have an Atlas-branded machine, use its model number. If you have a pre-1946 Craftsman or a Dunlap, understand that the real maker is likely Atlas, and research Atlas parts and diagrams rather than a Craftsman model that did not exist. The VintageMachinery.org archives document Atlas Press Co. and hold its literature, which helps confirm the maker and model from the castings and any numbers. Photograph the machine and match it against the archive before shopping.

The restoration sequence

With a sound, reasonably complete Atlas, work the standard sequence.

Disassemble and document, separating the head, spindle assembly, table, and drive, bagging hardware and photographing each step. Free seized parts with penetrating oil, patience, and gentle heat, never force, since a cracked Atlas casting is hard to replace.

Remove rust from hardware and machined parts with a chelating remover. Evapo-Rust lifts rust while leaving the parent castings and machined faces intact, leaving a gray film that buffs off; dry parts immediately since they flash-rust fast.

Replace the consumables that restore reliability: a fresh V-belt sized to the pulley path, any rough ball bearing, and a tired quill return spring. If the chuck is worn, confirm the arbor taper, commonly JT33 on these machines, and fit a standard JT33 keyed chuck once the old chuck is driven off, checking runout on a budget chuck before precision work. Where a broken return spring needs replacing and the original is unavailable, a generic return spring assembly can work if you measure the housing first.

Protect the cleaned iron with a film of Boeshield T-9 on the table and column, buffed before use. Reassemble with fresh grease, set belt tension and spring preload, rewire with a grounded cord if needed, add a vise for safe work-holding, and test on scrap.

Conclusion

An Atlas drill press restoration follows the familiar vintage sequence, with one crucial first step: identify the machine correctly, because so many Atlas presses wear a Craftsman or Dunlap badge that researching the wrong maker is the most common early mistake. Check the castings, spindle, and completeness before buying, confirm the true maker against the archives, then disassemble, free seized parts gently, remove rust without harming the iron, replace consumables, protect the surfaces, and make it safe. The result is a sensible, well-built machine restored to decades more use.

Three takeaways: many Craftsman and Dunlap presses are really Atlas, so identify the maker first; check castings, spindle, and completeness before buying; and standard consumables bring it back on the usual sequence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was my Craftsman drill press made by Atlas? Quite possibly. Atlas built many pre-1946 Craftsman and Dunlap presses, so an early Craftsman is often an Atlas machine. Research Atlas parts and diagrams rather than a Craftsman model.

How do I identify an Atlas drill press? By the model number on an Atlas-branded machine, or by recognizing a pre-1946 Craftsman or Dunlap as an Atlas build. The VintageMachinery.org archives document Atlas Press Co. and its literature.

Are Atlas drill press parts available? Yes, though less plentiful than Delta or later Craftsman parts, so completeness matters when buying. Standard consumables like belts, bearings, and chucks fit by measurement.

What chuck fits an Atlas drill press? Many use a JT33 arbor, so a standard JT33 keyed chuck fits once the old chuck is driven off. Confirm the taper first, since some smaller machines may differ.

Is an Atlas drill press worth restoring? If the castings are sound and it is reasonably complete, yes. Atlas machines are well engineered and respond well to restoration. A cracked casting or missing Atlas-specific parts may change the math.

What is the difference between Atlas and Dunlap? Dunlap was Sears’ budget line, often built by Atlas. A Dunlap press is typically a lighter Atlas-built machine, so research Atlas parts for it as well.

References

• VintageMachinery.org, Atlas Press Co. history and publication archive. http://vintagemachinery.org
• CRC Industries, Evapo-Rust Rust Remover product information. https://www.crcindustries.com/evapo-rust/
• Jacobs Chuck Manufacturing, Mounting and Removing Chucks. http://www.jacobschuck.com/uploads/ueditor/file/20200604/1591240204146153.pdf