Craftsman Drill Press Stand Model 25921: What Owners Should Check Before Buying or Repairing

The Craftsman drill press stand model 25921 belongs to a category people forget existed. Before affordable benchtop drill presses were everywhere, Sears sold a clever middle ground: a stand that held your portable 1/4-inch or 3/8-inch electric drill and guided it straight down, turning the drill you already owned into a passable drill press. The 25921 is one of those stands, and if one has landed on your bench or in an online listing, there are a few specific things to check before you spend a dollar on it.

The Craftsman 25921 is a medium-duty drill press stand, sold by Sears from roughly the early 1980s into the mid-1990s, designed to accept 1/4-inch and 3/8-inch portable drills. It has an aluminum base and post, a mounting bracket that clamps the drill, a lever feed, and a depth gauge of about 2.5 inches of travel. It is not a powered drill press; the drill you fit into it supplies the motor and chuck. It is long discontinued.

Straight answer: check three things first. One, whether the stand includes its drill-mounting collar and hardware, since those are the parts that go missing. Two, whether your portable drill’s collar diameter matches the bracket. Three, the condition of the pinion and feed spring, the classic wear point on these stands. Get those right and the 25921 is a useful light-duty tool; get them wrong and it is an aluminum paperweight.

Understand what the 25921 is, and is not

The most important thing to grasp is that the 25921 has no motor, no spindle, and no chuck of its own. It is a guide. Its whole job is to hold a handheld drill square to the table and feed it down in a straight line. That means everything about the drilling, the power, the chuck, the speed, comes from the drill you clamp in, and the stand only adds accuracy and repeatability.

That design also explains why searching for 25921 “parts” like a motor or chuck is fruitless. The parts that actually belong to the stand are the base, the post, the drill-mounting bracket and collar, the rack-and-pinion feed, the return spring, and the depth gauge. The vintage-machinery community and Sears PartsDirect document the 25921 (and its close relative the 335.25926) with an operating sheet and parts diagram.

What to check before buying or repairing

The mounting collar and fit. The stand clamps the drill by its collar (the standard 43mm-style spindle collar many drills share). Confirm the bracket is present and that your drill’s collar seats in it. Without a matching collar fit, the stand cannot hold your drill.

The feed pinion and return spring. Owners most often report a weak or broken return spring or a worn pinion, which makes the feed sloppy. Sears documentation identifies a pinion spring for the 25921, and the vintage community discusses this specific fix. Inspect the feed action before buying.

The drill’s own chuck and key. Since the drill supplies the chuck, that is where your consumable spending goes. If the drill’s chuck is worn or its key is missing, a universal ratcheting chuck key or a replacement keyed chuck (matched to the drill’s mount) restores it. A drill press vise on the small base greatly improves safety and accuracy.

The honest flaws

Be realistic about what a drill-in-a-stand can do. The clamp introduces play, so runout and rigidity are only as good as the drill and the collar fit, and both fall short of a dedicated benchtop press. The aluminum base and post are light, which makes the stand tippy under side load and unsuited to large bits or metal. And holding a steady speed depends on your drill’s trigger, not a fixed pulley. It is a fine tool for straight, shallow holes in wood and plastic, and a poor choice for anything demanding precision or power.

Who should keep it, and who should move on

Keep a 25921 if you already own it and a compatible drill, do light work, and value the small footprint. It costs nothing to keep a working one useful.

Move on if the mounting bracket is missing, the feed is badly worn, or you need real accuracy. Completing or repairing a decades-old aluminum stand rarely beats buying an inexpensive modern benchtop press that includes its own motor, chuck, and a solid cast table. Do not overpay for a stand missing the one part, its collar bracket, that makes it work.

Conclusion: check the collar, the feed, and the drill

The Craftsman 25921 is a simple, honest accessory that only makes sense once you understand it holds a drill rather than being one.

• It is a motorless stand for 1/4-inch and 3/8-inch portable drills, not a powered press.
• Confirm the mounting collar bracket is present and fits your drill.
• Inspect the feed pinion and return spring, the common wear points.
• Keep it for light work; buy a modern benchtop press if you need power or precision.

FAQ

Is the Craftsman 25921 a drill press? No. It is a stand that holds a portable 1/4-inch or 3/8-inch drill and guides it straight down. The drill supplies the motor and chuck.

What drills fit the 25921? Portable electric drills with a standard mounting collar that seats in the stand’s bracket. Confirm your drill’s collar matches before buying.

Where can I find a manual for the 25921? The operating instructions and parts diagram are preserved by the vintage-machinery community and Sears PartsDirect, often alongside the related 335.25926.

What is the common problem with these stands? A worn or broken feed return spring or pinion, which makes the plunge action sloppy. Inspect the feed before buying.

Can I buy replacement parts? Model-specific parts are scarce, though the pinion spring is documented. The drill’s own chuck and key are the realistic consumables to replace.

How much travel does it have? About 2.5 inches of depth via the feed, suited to shallow, light-duty holes.

Is it accurate enough for fine work? Only modestly. The clamp introduces play, so it suits straight holes in wood and plastic rather than precise or heavy drilling.

References

• VintageMachinery.org, Sears/Craftsman 335.25926, 335.25921 Drill Press Stand operating instructions and parts diagram (PDF): http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=5719
• Sears PartsDirect, Craftsman 25921 drill press stand parts: https://www.searspartsdirect.com/model/5ew5sdi4ai-000247/craftsman-25921-power-drill-parts
• ManualsLib, Sears Craftsman 25921 Operating Instructions: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1753421/Sears-Craftsman-25921.html