1950 Craftsman 3/4 HP Motor Restoration

Restored an older 3/4 horsepower motor made by Craftsman. Cleaned out all the bugs and debris and painted a nice red and black color. Bearings were later greased and the windings/rotor cleaned.
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[@karlkemble9098]

When you have it apart. Wash the bearings in mineral spirits.Blow out with compressed air. Pack with bearing grease. Remove the bearing retention plates and add a few drops of oil periodically. If you don't disassemble the motor hold the motor with the shaft upright. Squirt a little oil around the shaft. Spray just a little brake clean to thin the oil and carry it in to the bearings. The brake clean will evaporate and leave the oil. Ball bearing only need a little lubricant to run a long time.

[@desertdweller9548]

Outstanding motors. Nice restoration.

[@BenNawrath]

I literally yesterday pulled the bearings on this exact same motor. Mines way dirtier too lol. Good to know I shouldn’t bother taking that one end cap off.

[@julianmedina6585]

Good work TIMO❤

[@chrisgraham2904]

That's a fine "cosmetic restoration". I just bought a 2004 King Canada contractor saw and have started a restoration. All the bones of the saw are in excellent condition, but it has been subjected to neglect and was stored this winter outside under a double tarp, a kiddie pool and a lot of duct tape, so I'm faced mainly with cleaning, surface rust removal and painting. I was shocked when I found the original King manual where they listed the Canadian pricing for spare parts for the saw (although parts are no longer available), particularly the 2 HP TEFC motor alone priced at $760.00 The motor seems to run smooth and strong but I'm not an electrical motor specialist so I took the motor to a local "motor rewind house" for an assessment. They checked the windings, checked the start and run capacitors, replaced the bearings and brushes for a total of $65.00 and they provide a 1 year warranty on the rebuild. Now I can do the "cosmetic restoration". When finished mine will look similar with a black/yellow theme.

[@chrisyoung6684]

Very Good. Plz do another & Install Bearings.

[@chrisdreyer8747]

I kept waiting for you to pull the bearings... you go to effort to disassemble the a motor and don’t replace the bearings or test the capacitor? There are some great videos on UTB to walk you through it. You missed a great opportunity to learn. I think we all need to push ourselves to learn something new in every project we tackle. On the bright side, the paint looks great. And you put yourself out here on the tube. Congratulations and keep on plugging pal...

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

Thanks for the positive criticism. This video is older and I realize I missed that opportunity to redo the bearings. I try not to skip parts like this anymore. Thanks.

[@sosrob8085]

Want to restore one for me? Great job! Seriously, I have a 1/2 hp craftsman on my drill press that could use a make over.

[@colinaskey9777]

A worthy restoration of a old motor,it will run for many years to come,well worth my 5 ☆ rating

[@briandietrich6533]

Nice job.. No matter what u use it for it will make your shop POP.. Nice clean looking appliances help whatever job go better..Look at all the pride , and the money saved over new stuff.. Great fun to watch U work..LOL..

[@joechenier7247]

I am referbing a identical 1959 craftsman motor, 115.18810. The two same size, but different brand bearings were noisy, replaceing them with 6202-16 2RS, I see your brgs have no shields or seals, making them easy to clean and regrease. Nice job on the color combination. I have a same vintage 8" saw with it. Fun winter project. All my equipment is vintage, like myself.

[@joechenier7247]

Make that 115.19810

[@krisfreyermuth935]

Outstanding work! I also like this style of video, no dialog and calm background music.

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

+Kris Freyermuth it is pretty soothing.

[@CPBuilds]

Holy smokes those look awesome!

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

+Chris Parker thanks Chris. Share the awesomeness! Haha

[@kdtrimble]

I really appreciate the work you put into these tools. I did not watch the the video once the soundtrack kicked in. Music is not needed. Your skills are why we are here. I know this is your channel and you can run it your way. This potentential subscriber would prefer no music and just the natural sounds of your hard work Thank you for your consideration.

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

+Kevin Zoid Thanks for the feedback.

[@zanexx4409]

all u gotta do is hit the mute button. I could care less, but some people per the comments seem to like the music. Sometimes people get carried away with their yapping, sometimes the music is terribly annoying, in either case I just mute it. Personally a little bit of both would be my preference - talk thru the important parts to describe what you are doing, then music thru the boring part of actually doing the work, speak only when necessary. 2 ears - 1 mouth. Nice video. It killed me to see you paint over the pinstriping tho, thats my favorite part of those old Craftsman motors, the pinstriped ones are hard to find in my area, almost impossibe. They look good tho. Glad to see an oldie goldie back in use instead of at the scrap yard.

[@johnkelley9877]

They look brand new! Great job on restoring them.

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

+John Kelley thanks John

[@JSWMobileMedia]

Cool vid! Thanks much for posting it. Working on the same motor for my table saw. Looking to grease the bearings.. Any suggestion on which type of bearing grease to use?

[@colinaskey9777]

Hi,enjoyed your vidio,and you did a first rate job,its always nice to see young people taking an interest in old machines and giving them a new lease of life,you definatley get my thumbs up,keep at it,and you obviously get great pleasure in doing it,

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

I do enjoy it greatly. Even if I don't keep something I have restored, I still enjoy seeing them get back into usable condition.

[@howtocreatesculptures6713]

oh and i meant to ask you, when i plugged in my motor it ran well but then popped the breaker not too long after running, do you know why they do this ? thanks for your help : )

[@joaodeoliveira9157]

Well done! Nice job!

[@herbertbielefelder341]

Magnificent job. You gave this tool more 50 years of service !

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

Thank you!

[@EyesWideOpen77]

Did you know you can get an extra 50 years out of your car by painting it?

[@kirby62]

Thanks for the video working on the exact same model luckly was able to see how you took it apart before i started on mine i had a good idea of how to thanks great work!!!!!

[@wiliiamamey5967]

I'm putting mine back together. The problem I'm currently having is getting that center cover back on that seems to be a bit difficult. I was thinking about taking some welding wire and wrapping it around the hook part of it and seeing if I could tension it up enough to where they would come together by pulling on the hook part of the bottom side of the cover. Haven't tried that yet. For some reason just squeezing it together doesn't seem like that's going to happen

[@cpowerscpo2002]

awesome job tim

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

+Charles Powers thanks

[@zerocool2352]

It looks nice, but I'm not clear on what was "restored".

[@jodydille8612]

They do look nice, I have the smaller 1/3hp motor. These came with a power cable that is missing the ground, no green wire....so the plug is only a two prong. They are good motors, I wish he had replaced the cord.....or capacitor..

[@duracellrail]

Great job!!!!

[@garymucher9590]

Make sure the 3/4 HP motor isn't spinning too fast for a disk grinder. Usually a disk grinder spins at 1725 RPMs and some of those motors spin at 3450 RPMs. Just make sure because the sanding disks could sling apart/off if turned too fast...

[@donaldfennell971]

How did you clean the labels without scratching & scuffing? Looks great! I'm going with Ford Blue & clear, if I can clean my label.

[@larryle7554]

You can't call this a restoration video. It's a re painting video. Don't get it wrong it's a good videoand you did a great job on painting it.

[@jdominique70]

I want to do this also, but replace the bearings at the same time. Does anyone know the size or model# ?

[@amateurdesubaru]

shellacking the windings and cleaning/adding some grease to the bearings would have been much more helpful than a fresh paint

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

I did regrease the bearings after filming. I ordered some bearing grease and waited for it to come in the mail.

[@user-dx6pt9oo6h]

Very good restoration bro 👍👍👍

[@MyUnquenchableThirst]

Were you able to get the end with the reset bottom off? If so, how? Do you change the power cable? Or keep original?

[@jamietaylor9579]

Restoration = paint job only??

[@jasondean3332]

Jamie Taylor and he didn’t even prime it. What the......

[@seasonedtoker]

Recently I have built a buffing machine and I had to find a suitable motor. Since then I have developed a slight affection towards electric motors for no reason

[@Dewelful]

They look great Tim. Another great project. Maybe the smaller one could be a horizontal drum sander. Just an idea.

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

+John Early that is a good idea. I just picked up a slower 3/4 hp motor this morning that will actually be getting used for 12" disc sander.

[@prelwitz13]

bearings.......some people just dont have them.

[@lourias]

LOL

[@MrIamcrucified]

I have a 3/4” Craftsman motor but the wires are brittle and broken. Do you have a wiring diagram so I can rebuild it. Also it may need a capacitor or a reset switch. Do you know where I can get parts?

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

Ebay may be your best bet for finding parts for these older motors

[@mikeprell2747]

I enjoyed the music! Kept on waiting for Godzilla to show up!

[@jamesbehrje4279]

you know who did this music???

[@glenndespres5317]

Wanted to see how to repack or replace the bearings. Mine is screaming now after 20 odd years and well... maybe I’ll try greasing them. It powers a Craftsman table saw and is unseen underneath the wooden portable bench.

[@oddjobbobb]

How has the wiring held up? I have the 3/4 horse motor on a 50s 8” table saw and get a shock when the motor is running. I am in the process now of retiring as much of the 12/14 g wiring as I can without hurting any of the windings. The insulation on the original Wires was badly cracked and broken leaving many exposed wires. Initially tried just using liquid insulation to repair the broken areas but that wasn’t working. I am going to probably repaint with the original battleship grey as it matches my saw. I like how you finished yours. Very nicely done!

[@phenej]

What are thoughts out there on putting electrical grounds to housing c/w three prong plugs if you are changing out the original power cord anyway...does anyone do this.

[@josepcb2882]

GENIAL,Mejor que nuevo. Saludos desde Barcelona Catalonia

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

+Josep Cistare Baquero gracias, funciona genial

[@howtocreatesculptures6713]

Wow i really love that black and red look, i have to restore my 3/4 horse 1951 motor from a 10 inch tablesaw soon, i'm restoring the rest of it as we speak, very nice job and hey for the smaller motor maybe you could make a belt sander or a homemade bandsaw ? thanks for sharing your great works and cool ideas : ) have a nice holiday season !!!

[@oddjobbobb]

How did your motor rebuild go? I am in the process of re-wiring a 3/4 motor like in this video.

[@Travelbenefitsbydesign]

I have the same motor but the capacitor is bad and the specs are missing from the old capacitor, does yours have the specs? The voltage and microfarad rating? Thank you.,

[@wonderstud]

I have the 1/2 hp model almost identical to this one and it is 124-155 mfd cap.

[@87mini]

I have one of these and it is 200-300 mfd @125v I believe they are non-polar.

[@Jhihmoac]

These motors might've been intended for full-sized woodworking machinery... I believe Delta made a full line (scroll saw, band saw, drill press, jointer, table saw, lathe, belt sander, etc.) for Sears back then...

[@Lasurge1982]

Where exactly is the start capacitor on this unit I have the same one. is it the silver box with the two cords coming out of it that is inside of a cardboard shield. When I checked the original manual it says the condenser and condenser she will do so I’m assuming that that is the capacitor correct? If I’m wrong can somebody please correct me?

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

+Lasurge1982 it is accessed through the bottom

[@Lasurge1982]

Timothy Charles thank you. Yeah I figured that was it. The one I have the capacitor went out. They don’t have sell those ones on the internet so I figure something else out.

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

+Lasurge1982 good luck on the search

[@Lasurge1982]

Timothy Charles Thank you I was looking on the Internet and I think I might just go with the regular round capacitor and buy A capacitor cover and mount it to the side of the grinder.

[@gaylandbarney2231]

today's problem...went looking for replacement cap SIZE (MFD) , and got here ...hoping he'd have replaced his , and knew the size required....was going to replace w/BIG cap , bigger=better...WRONG!....anyway , mine's a beauty , and the tablesaw's unique....so ,any clues from y'all out there ? thanks ahead of time , i hope

[@ironwill8596]

Were to find those square start capacitor?

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

Probably find them on amazon

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

Probably find them on amazon

[@karlkemble9098]

These motor normally run very quietly. Craftsman marketed these motors. I forget who made them. It's too late for me to think that hard. +++ Patch up the crumbly cloth covered wiring by putting a sleeve of shrink wrap over it.+++

[@oddjobbobb]

Shrink wrap in the wiring is a good idea. But some of the connections will still have to be un-made then te-soldered. There are a few connections that join 3 wires and you can get at the wires below the joint without opening the joint.

[@thomallan2659]

Did the ends come off easily with your method of screwdriver and mallet, or did you use something else off camera? I'm restoring the same motor and they don't want to come off....

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

Try squirting some PB blast around it to see if it will loosen anything up, but yes the mallet and screwdriver worked

[@timothyhayes763]

how do you date them, i have two but not sure when they were made?

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

Its based of the numbers on the plate. I think if you google something like "dating a craftsman electric motor" you will find something.

[@timothyhayes763]

Yes ,i just did that, and found that the motors i have are from, 1949 and 1952 and both run fine, and read the interesting history of how Mr. Sears and Mr. Roebuck started there business. thank you@@ASliceofWoodWorkshop

[@NMranchhand]

Looking great! I hope you ignored stupid comments. If the motor doesn't smoke you really can't hurt it. If it needs a bearing later then do it when it does. And remember, you can run anything you want at any speed with enough pulleys and/or gears. I enjoyed your video.

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

+NMranchhand thank you!

[@oddjobbobb]

Agreed

[@bohabdestructo7489]

Your front bearing is fried I can hear it.

[@wonderstud]

Anyone have luck sourcing the flat rectangular caps?

[@policedog4030]

Looks great and I'm gonna try and copy that color scheme. The gloss black should be easy but what Red is that? There are lots of shades of red - some more orangey but it looks like you nailed the craftsman red exactly. Also I've found a clearcoat works great with rattle can paints so long as you wait the 48 hours after the color coat before applying. I like ToolGuyBak's suggestion about adding the three wire grounded plug. Regarding figuring out the manufacture date my 1HP craftsman motor number plate has a very small "51" stamped into the very top left upper corner of the motor number plate, and in the upper right is stamped a "32" using what look like 1/8" number stamps - very hard to see unless you have good light and a magnifying glass.. I happen to know mine is a 1952 so maybe that will help some of your commenters asking about manufacture dates. Thanks for posting your video!

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

It was the only red enamel that walmart had in spray form.

[@policedog4030]

Oh that narrows it down, LOL - I tried searching for Craftsman Logo Red and found someone on youtube repainting his Craftsman Toolboxes and he recommended Rustoleum Sunrise Red. That is good to know because just Rustoleum also makes and Walmart sells makes Colonial Red, Apple Red, Cranberry Red, Cinnamon Red, Claret Wine Red and Sunrise Red.. But if it was Krylon there are eight more reds..Here is the title of that guy's video so folks can see the match if they are curious: "Fixing up the Tuff Box, & Craftsman tool box paint match"

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

Yeah it is rustoleum engine enamel red. It is suppose to be harder than regular spray paint and with this being a motor i figured I better use the tougher stuff. Of course you could always powder coat

[@policedog4030]

Thank you! Okay I know that paint - you saved the day - I would have bought the Sunrise Red and wondered why it didn't look as good as yours. Since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery I hope you don't mind inspiring everyone to paint their motors with your design.. Maybe I'll add some white pin striping to mine to make it at least a little different.. Thanks again and hopefully other viewers had the same question but weren't Otaku enough to ask.

[@ke0qe]

I think this more of a Dupont restoration. Not bad, but not an actual restoration. Replacing the brittle power cord and cleaning the starter would be more of a restoration.

[@spiderlovesbeerohyeah4760]

He dove deep into that one. He took it apart pretty heavily. Damn it...... I’m going to restore one now. Let’s see how deep I can go. I still need a cameraman so if anyone wants.... I’ll make ya famous. Good job tho. At least he tried. BTW... it shouldn’t sound so loud like that. You shouldn’t even know it’s on. That’s how quiet those old gals are.

[@karlkemble9098]

Make this motor look really cool. Put 6 inch wide Mylar chrome tape over the plated thin metal center piece. It will fit perfectly. Crap, I'm giving away too many of my tricks. You should have had me make the video! Alright, get chrome acorn nuts for the threaded rods that hold the motor together. Then,,,,,,,,,,,when you mount the motor, use stainless carriage bolts with stainless acorn nuts. Slick as eel 5h1t!

[@NokneesLooney]

what Video editor do you use tim.

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

+Noknees Looney sony movie studio

[@NokneesLooney]

I like your channel keep up the good eork.

[@NokneesLooney]

Work.

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

+Noknees Looney thanks!

[@NokneesLooney]

thankyou for the reply. I have started to Video for my utube channel,thank you again.

[@Broncort1]

What about the capacitor? It would be hard to believe that can hold a charge after all these years and you can’t buy new ones flat so.....

[@fuentescgabriel]

"Sounds really smooth"... u forgot to remove your ear protectors...

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

+Gabriel Fuentes you couldnt hear the smoothness haha. thanks for checking it out.

[@pkrent3461]

dude what about the coils

[@wiliiamamey5967]

Whenever I look at videos about this motor everybody seems to not cover that part

[@mannieecker8602]

Nice job on this, your color combo looks amazing.......its great to see you keeping the old craftsman stuff alive .......And for all the haters I am impressed with the young mans skills and execution of this......not everything has to done to a super hi level.....sometimes there are budget and other considerations. Nice job Timothy DC!

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

Thanks!

[@mannieecker8602]

@@ASliceofWoodWorkshop Keep up the good work.....I am looking forward to browsing through your channel and seeing what I can learn from you...Its .Great to see a young man interested in such things.

[@eirikolsnes]

Consider making a coffee grinder? : )

[@ernestobueno9159]

Hola amigo ,tengo un motor hobart 1/4 hp 1922 en condiciones normales,sin restaurar,funciona,al parecer fueron hechos originalmente para usarlos como coffee grinder,puedes ver uno en benco vintage esta genial.saludos de sinaloa.

[@thecynic807]

Sounds like you need new bearings

[@jamestreanor4361]

Your choice in music sounds like the end of the world. Electric motors won't matter.

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

I thought that music was spot on. Oh well. Thanks for checking the video out and commenting

[@jamestreanor4361]

@@ASliceofWoodWorkshop Instead of music why not explain what you are doing. I like the video, but with out teaching it's just showing.

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

I have taken comments such as yours and now do that in newer videos. This one is a couple of years old. Some I may still just do a "showing", but I hardly use music in videos anymore.

[@toolguybak]

A 3450rpm motor is too fast for a 12" direct drive disk sander. It has to be half that speed. I've restored several of these motors. I typically drill and tap an 8-32 hole inside the base for a ground screw and replace the 2-wire power cord. Also, the grease in the original bearings have lost their lube after 60+ years of service. If you don't replace the bearings you should at least scoop out the remaining grease wax and add fresh ball bearing grease. I typically flush, repack, and reinstall original bearing that are still in good condition.

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

+toolguybak thanks for those tips. I actually picked up a 3/4 1725 rpm dayton this morning that i will be using instead. Do you know how to find out a date of manufacturing foe these types of motors? This is the second one Ive restored (i will be going back and doing thoae bearings).

[@toolguybak]

Timothy Charles Sounds good. The date code on these motors are in the small box at the bottom of the tag. Typically there is a month letter followed by a week number, then two digits which is the year (52=1952). Let me know if you have any other questions.

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

Is that part of the model number? I have a "type: COBK9" "Model: 115 6963" and a random number on the bottom "C2 48"

[@toolguybak]

Timothy Charles Yes, the alpha-numeric at the bottom. I believe C=December, 2=second week, 1948.

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

+toolguybak ok thanks. Are you part of vintage tools.org? I think i saw an article by you.

[@peterjenne3552]

Nice work nut should have replaced the bearings...

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

I agree, next time it will happen.

[@bonehengemusic989]

Noisy bearings. He should at the least have popped the seals out, washed them out with solvent, dried them and repacked them with electric motor-grade ball bearing grease (Mobil Polyrex EM or equivalent). Ideally he should have replaced the bearings.

[@lengaming1651]

Wow you didnt even start it

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

Knew I forgot something!

[@my2cents616]

Thanks,due to the awful music,I'm left feeling more dreppresed after watching!

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

😢

[@davidpineda599]

Bueno ..... Ahora ya sabemos cómo pintar un motor ¡¡¡ joder........

[@Ben__1867]

No bearing replacement? Come on it took me 15 seconds on my 1950's craftsman motor.

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

This is an older video. I have learned a lot since this and even though it ran fine with the current bearings in, if I could go back I would definitely change out the bearings.

[@anthonycphillips2430]

this was NOT a motor restoration. i have the exact model 1/2 hp from my 1957/58 craftsman tablesaw. he didn't pull the bearings and didn't inspect/repair/replace any internal wiring. mine has broken wiring inside that i will be replacing and the bearings also need to be replaced. by the sound of his motors, there is a lot of whining coming bearins. likely worn. mine sounded the same way and the bearings on my motore are worn.

[@vicoilsteems9764]

It doesn't sound to good,,, that was electric motor restoration?

[@Ricopolico]

What nonsense. This is no "restoration" - This guy didn't even disconnect the drop cord, let alone test the field, starting capacitors or check for leakage current. He didn't even slop some fresh grease in the bearings. But, it does look real purdy.

[@jordaneven9096]

rattle cans are supposed to be used upside down 2 inches form the workpiece, right???

[@NMranchhand]

Idiot

[@oddjobbobb]

Morons, all three of you

[@CattleRustlerOCN]

No primer, no point

[@ZR195M]

thumbs down for the misleading title to get views

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

Thanks for watching though 👍

[@oddjobbobb]

Very unkind, Saittao

[@al9094]

So you don't understand what restoration means . Thats not even a repair . Misleading description. Just know from now on when you see a dislike on your videos one will be mine if you lie about the description. Clean and paint is "NOT" a restoration

[@FARMALLHmodel]

Wouldn't call that a restoration bud. All you did was paint the case.

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

I have found a 1 h.p. motor and will be doing a complete restoration on. Thanks for checking this out though.

[@FARMALLHmodel]

@@ASliceofWoodWorkshop good deal, look forward to seeing it

[@brucewayne2984]

Unreal. This is the caliber of work that today’s generation is doing. Un-freaking real. Young men like this have got to wake up! There is no way this is a restoration. Please, for the love of God, understand what the word restoration means before calling it so. I just shake my head in disbelief at the horrendous work ethic here!

[@oddjobbobb]

Kevin Counihan you two are total morons. Bruce WYne isn’t even creative enough to have an original name, and KC has produced no content. NONE! Both are losers. Good Job, Tim!

[@brucewayne2984]

oddjobbobb Yes, I totally agree. Thanks for your comments.

[@dfgggfg]

This is not a restoration - just a painting. Dislike.

[@ASliceofWoodWorkshop]

+dfgggfg i did not have bearing grease at the time, but since have done those as well. The cord is in great shape, nothing else needs to be done.

[@dfgggfg]

If yu are making a restoration, why didn't you paint it in original colour?

[@oddjobbobb]

Timothy DC you did a great job Tim. Ignore the turkeys.