On 20 Nov 2003 12:03:26 -0800, (drew j.) wrote:

hi

i just bought a used craftsman 109.20630 mini lathe, and was wondering
if any of you guys could offer any advice about restoring/using it.

I had one of those- the company that built it (AA Products in Ann
Arbor MI) went out of business years ago. Sears doesn't carry any
parts for it.
Try eBay for parts- I parted out mine when the bed wear became
excessive.

As another poster pointed out, the AA has a very weak spindle.
Don't try any hogging cuts.
The chances are good that the rear spindle bushing is worn out- they
usually are. Replacement is a snap- drive out the old bushing and
drive in a new 3/4 in X 1/2 in oillite bushing and then hand ream the
hole to 14 mm.

The front bushing is adjustable- I used to set mine after cleaning and
reinstalling the spindle by chucking up a piece of bar stock (to use
as a handle) andsetting up a dial indicator on the edge of the chuck
body. Wiggle the chuck while slowly tightening the spanner nut for the
front bushing. Tighten until you get a total runout of about one
thousandths of an inch.
Make sure the oiler for the front bushing never runs dry- check it
every five minutes.

i'm specifically interested in getting a manual, threading chart &
assembly/exploded drawings of it, if possible.

Try a google search on 'AA lathe'- someone made up blueprints for the
lathe and accessories and posted them in pdf format. I used to have a
copy- I'll see if I can find it.

-Carl