Craftsman 8-Inch Drill Press 1/3 HP Manual: Setup and Reference Guide
You brought home a small Craftsman benchtop drill press, maybe from a garage sale or a relative’s shop, and the head plate reads something like 8-inch with a 1/3 HP motor. There is no paperwork in the box. Before you plug it in and pull the feed handle, you want the craftsman 8 inch drill press 1/3 hp manual so you set the belt right, square the table, and avoid a wobble that ruins your first hole. This guide walks you through finding that manual, reading it correctly, and running the machine safely.
A drill press is a fixed, motor-driven tool that spins a chuck on a vertical spindle so you can bore straight, repeatable holes. The 8-inch number is the swing rating: it means the spindle centerline sits about 4 inches from the column, so the machine can drill to the center of an 8-inch-wide board.
Which Craftsman machine do you actually have?
Read the model number off the plate first, because that number decides which manual and which parts fit. Craftsman was a Sears house brand, not a factory. Sears contracted the tools out to makers like Emerson Electric, and the prefix on the model number tells you who built it. A 113 prefix points to the Emerson-built runs, and you will also see 137 prefix machines from a later supplier. The plate lives on the rear of the head casting.
This matters because “8-inch 1/3 HP Craftsman” is a family, not a single machine. Real examples in that family include model 113.213080, 137.280050, and 113.213843, and their belt paths, chuck sizes, and switch parts are not identical. Do not trust a spec you read on a forum until it matches the number on your own plate.
One warning that saves people real grief: the model 113.213850 is a 15-inch floor press, not an 8-inch benchtop. If a listing or a downloaded PDF shows a tall floor column and a 5/8-inch chuck, you are looking at the wrong machine. Match the manual to your plate number, not to a similar-looking photo.
Where do you find the manual?
Sears Parts Direct still hosts the original owner’s manuals and parts lists by model number, and that is the first place you should look. Type your exact plate number into the model lookup and download the PDF for your machine. The same manual system covers the wider Craftsman drill press line, so a craftsman 1/3 hp drill press manual, a craftsman 1/2 hp drill press manual, and a craftsman 2/3 hp drill press manual all pull up the same way once you have the right number.
If your press predates easy online records, VintageMachinery.org keeps scanned Sears and Craftsman publications, and owner forums often have the exact scan for an oddball run like the craftsman 8 inch 3 speed 1/6 hp drill press. Save the PDF locally once you find it, because these listings move around.
Setup: from crate to first hole
Bolt the base down before anything else. A benchtop 8-inch press is light enough to tip if you push a large bit, so anchor it to a solid bench, and if the bench moves, anchor the bench too. OSHA treats fixed machinery anchoring as a real requirement, not a suggestion.
Work through setup in this order:
- Mount the column tube to the base, then slide on the table support and head casting. Seat the head fully and lock the setscrews.
- Install the spindle pulley, motor pulley, and center pulley, then fit the V-belt over the steps you plan to use.
- Slide the chuck onto the clean, dry spindle taper and seat it with a soft mallet tap. Do not oil the taper; oil makes it slip.
- Square the table to the bit with a machinist square against a rod chucked in the jaws, then lock the bed.
If the return feels loose or the spindle drops on its own, the torsion spring under the spring cap needs tension. That spring is what pulls the quill back up after each hole, and a slipped one is the most common gripe on these older heads.
Changing speed with the belt
Answer first: you change speed by moving the V-belt to different pulley steps, not by any dial. Unplug the machine, open the belt guard, and loosen the motor bracket so the motor slides toward the head. Lift the belt onto the step pair you want, slide the motor back to retension, then lock the bracket. The belt should deflect about half an inch under thumb pressure, no tighter.
Slower steps (belt on the large spindle pulley step) give you torque for larger bits and metal. Faster steps suit small bits in wood. A press with only 3 speeds limits you more than a 5-speed head, so know your step count before you fight a hole that is chattering because the speed is wrong.
Depth stop and safe operation
Set the depth stop by lowering the bit to your target depth and locking the stop nuts on the threaded rod, so every hole in a run stops at the same place. Clamp the workpiece to the table with a hold-down or a drill-press vise. CCOHS is blunt about this: never hold the work by hand, never leave the chuck key in the chuck, and never reach under the stock while the spindle turns. Wear eye protection, skip the gloves, and roll your sleeves back.
How the 8-inch compares to bigger Craftsman presses
Question buyers ask: is the 8-inch enough, or should you hold out for a 10-inch? Here is the honest tradeoff.
| Machine | Typical swing | Motor | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Craftsman 8 inch 1/3 hp bench drill press | 8 in | 1/3 HP | small wood and light metal, tight benches |
| Craftsman 10 inch drill press 1/2 hp | 10 in | 1/2 HP | wider stock, more torque, still benchtop |
| Craftsman 15 inch (floor) | 15 in | 3/4 to 1 HP | tall work, heavy metal, shop centerpiece |
The 8-inch earns its keep as a compact, honest hole-driller for hobby work. If you regularly bore steel or wide panels, the 1/2 HP 10-inch or a floor model will frustrate you less.
Conclusion: read the plate, then read the manual
The single move that makes this machine work is matching your plate number to the correct Sears manual, then setting belt tension, table square, and the torsion spring properly. Keep these takeaways in mind:
- Your plate number, on the rear of the head, controls every parts and manual decision.
- The 8-inch is a benchtop press; the 15-inch 113.213850 is a different floor machine, so do not mix their specs.
- Anchor the base, clamp the work, and pull the chuck key every time.
- Move the belt to change speed, and keep about half an inch of belt deflection.
FAQ
How many speeds does a Craftsman 8-inch 1/3 HP drill press have? It depends on the exact model, but most 8-inch benchtop runs use a 3-step or 5-step pulley for roughly 3 to 5 speeds. You change speed by repositioning the V-belt on the pulley steps. Check your plate number against the Sears manual for your machine’s step chart.
Where is the model number on my Craftsman drill press? On a metal plate attached to the rear of the head casting. Record both the model and serial number, since the model number is what you enter at Sears Parts Direct to pull the correct manual and parts list.
Can I still get a manual for a discontinued Craftsman drill press? Yes. Sears Parts Direct hosts owner’s manuals and parts lists by model number, and VintageMachinery.org archives older Sears and Craftsman scans. Save the PDF once you find it.
Is the Craftsman 113.213850 an 8-inch press? No. The 113.213850 is a 15-inch floor drill press. If your machine is a small benchtop unit, you have a different model, and you should look up your own plate number.
Why does my spindle drop on its own? The torsion spring inside the spring cap has lost tension or slipped. Re-tension it following your model’s manual; this spring returns the quill after each hole.
What chuck fits the 8-inch Craftsman? Most take a small Jacobs-taper chuck sized to the spindle arbor, commonly a 1/2-inch capacity chuck on the 137.280050 and similar runs. Measure the arbor taper before ordering rather than guessing.
Do I need to bolt it down? Yes. A light benchtop press can tip when a large bit grabs. Anchoring fixed machinery is an OSHA expectation and a real safety step.
References
- OSHA, Woodworking eTool: Drill Presses. https://www.osha.gov/etools/woodworking/production/machines-tools/drill-press
- CCOHS, Metalworking Machines: Drill Presses. https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/safety_haz/metalworking/drillpresses.html
- Sears Parts Direct, Craftsman drill press owner’s manuals and parts lists (model lookup). https://www.searspartsdirect.com
- Craftsman 8-inch 1/3 HP drill press owner’s manual (Sears manual system example). https://c.searspartsdirect.com/mmh/lis_pdf/OWNM/L0904330.pdf
