"Terry G" wrote in message news:HPt6c.42619$506.37621@fed1read05...
I picked up the lathe yesterday. It looked to be in good condition. It is
a Craftsman 101-17403 with 12" swing and 30" between centers.

Ok. Craftsman is rather pedestrian, but quite usable.


The threads are all there, but the first 12 inches or so of threads are not
as square looking as the rest of the leadscrew.

Wouldn't worry about it, that's the area that it gets the most use.
Unless they're really worn, it won't make a lot of difference. I'd
say try it, and if it works ok, leave it alone.

I also want to change the belt that goes to the main spindle pulley. He has
an orange type of elastic snap together belt on it. I guess he didn't want
to take it apart to put on a new belt. It just feels sloppy.

I wouldn't be in any great hurry to change it, I was surprised to find
that those linked belts pull pretty good. Runs pretty smooth too.

One last thing, the 5" 3 jaw self centering chuck looks to be original. It
centers up pretty nicely, but it is about .003" off. I figured out which
jaw is causing the problem, and if I put in a .0025 to .0035 shim, it seems
to zero it up to within .0005". Is there a rule of thumb for how accurate
you need to be. Or in other words, what type of tolerances should I expect
to get from the rest of the machine? I am pretty picky, and I'll keep
playing with it until it is perfect, but I am not sure what perfect is. I'm
thinking of purchasing a new chuck, they are a bit pricey, but will I get
more accurate than .0005" right out of the box?

MOst work, .003 isn't going to bother you, there are times when you'll
want more accurate, but not as often as you'd think. Replacing it may
be more than just unscrew the old one and put the new one on, most of
them are furnished without the backplate, and to be accurate, it has
to be fitted on the spindle that it will live on. The new chuck will
be accurate out of the box, but your mounting will either make or
break it. 5" seems a little small for this size lathe, but may have
been the preference of the original owner. Buying a good chuck can
make a lot of difference in the machine. If it's not mounted
properly, it can be the source of endless frustration.