inherited an old lathe, and i know little about them. looks pretty simple,
but no plate or label anywhere. the lathe pully does say "Craftsman", but
googling around i found nothing similar. the base stand is home made, and
it is a very sturdy workbench and vise set up so its worth keeping, and if i
can learn and do some turning i think it will be a nice addition to the
garage.


http://i808.photobucket.com/albums/z...g?t=1262541385
http://i808.photobucket.com/albums/z...g?t=1262541385
http://i808.photobucket.com/albums/z...g?t=1262541385
http://i808.photobucket.com/albums/z...g?t=1262541385


questions:

1) the motor is 1725 rpm; is there a guide to know what my rpm will be for
the lathe using the various combinations of the step pullies? the motor has
a 4-step, lathe a 3 step. i guess i can do the math - equal sizes would
yeild 1725, and then i guess its a matter of factoring in the ratio
difference of the circumferences .......

2) it is apparently missing a tool rest and the spindle to hold the stock on
the power end. (my uncle had it set up with a grinding wheel) will the
spindle look like the one on the idle end? can i buy one that will fit?
any pics of what is missing would help, i can send them to my cousin who has
access to the shop where this was stored and she can look and see if they
are there.....

3) the motor is mounted on a pipe to swivel, making it very easy to change
pullies, but it this typical? i assume the weight of the motor provides
enough tension? the picture is in the "up" position
http://i808.photobucket.com/albums/z...g?t=1262541385

anyway, it is now dissassembled, cleaned and repainted, and ready for
reassembly.....

thanks in advance...

David

wrote in message
...

inherited an old lathe, and i know little about them. looks pretty
simple,
but no plate or label anywhere. the lathe pully does say "Craftsman", but
googling around i found nothing similar. the base stand is home made, and
it is a very sturdy workbench and vise set up so its worth keeping, and if
i
can learn and do some turning i think it will be a nice addition to the
garage.


http://i808.photobucket.com/albums/z...g?t=1262541385
http://i808.photobucket.com/albums/z...g?t=1262541385
http://i808.photobucket.com/albums/z...g?t=1262541385
http://i808.photobucket.com/albums/z...g?t=1262541385


questions:

1) the motor is 1725 rpm; is there a guide to know what my rpm will be for
the lathe using the various combinations of the step pullies? the motor
has
a 4-step, lathe a 3 step. i guess i can do the math - equal sizes would
yeild 1725, and then i guess its a matter of factoring in the ratio
difference of the circumferences .......


Wood lathes are pretty simple items. Unless you happen to luck onto the
original manual somewhere, just do the math. Sounds like you already have a
good grasp of it.

2) it is apparently missing a tool rest and the spindle to hold the stock
on
the power end.

The tool rest is pretty straight forward. Nothing special, and you can make
your own easily enough.

(my uncle had it set up with a grinding wheel) will the

??? That I would like to have seen.

spindle look like the one on the idle end?

It looks like there is a tape in the drive end, that may take a press fit
drill chuck, and nothing in the free end or tiny little center.

You will want a drive center on a taper shaft to fit on the drive end and a
free center on the "idle" end.

can i buy one that will fit?

Probably.

any pics of what is missing would help, i can send them to my cousin who
has
access to the shop where this was stored and she can look and see if they
are there.....

Go the the Harbor freight website and punch in center and chuck on the
search box and send her pictures of everything you find that is obviously
for a lathe. Also, maybe look up wood lathe and send her a picture with the
tool rest circled.

3) the motor is mounted on a pipe to swivel, making it very easy to change
pullies, but it this typical? i assume the weight of the motor provides
enough tension?

I have a table saw that just uses spring tension with a heavy spring. It
probably sees a lot more strain than typical use with a wood lathe. If its
not adequate you can always modify it, or tie some weights to the motor.
LOL.

the picture is in the "up" position
http://i808.photobucket.com/albums/z...g?t=1262541385

I hope I was able to help.

wrote in message
...

inherited an old lathe, and i know little about them. looks
pretty simple,
but no plate or label anywhere. the lathe pully does say
"Craftsman", but
googling around i found nothing similar. the base stand is home
made, and
it is a very sturdy workbench and vise set up so its worth
keeping, and if i
can learn and do some turning i think it will be a nice addition
to the
garage.

My Dad gave me one back somewhere around 1955, and from my memory,
yours is identical or its kissing cousin, down to even the gold
paint. Mine was from Sears and the motor and mount were intended
to be supplied by the owner. As I recall- I was a kid- the motor
pulley was included, but no belt or motor mount/hinge mechanism.
It was a darned good old, rugged tool. You should be able to make
your own steady rest. Going on a 55 year old recollection, the
headstock was just a machined piece that fit over the spindle with
3 or 4 teeth to hold the wood, and the tailstock was a bushing
type, at best. This was about as primitive and basic a lathe as
you could get.

I sold mine when I left for college, so maybe it's my old one.
Enjoy it.

--
Nonny

ELOQUIDIOT (n) A highly educated, sophisticated,
and articulate person who has absolutely no clue
concerning what they are talking about.
The person is typically a media commentator or politician.

I inherited an old lathe, but not as old as yours. Looking on the
OWWM site, the 103-21600 seems to be an upgrade to yours, also. My
adobe reader is not working properly and I can't open PDF files, at
the moment, but I would suggest opening any of the Craftsman's
Catelogues, pre-1947, from the OWWM site and see what may be listed
there. http://www.owwm.com/mfgindex/detail....2&th=false&fl=

Sonny

Sonny wrote:
I inherited an old lathe, but not as old as yours. Looking on the
OWWM site, the 103-21600 seems to be an upgrade to yours, also. My
adobe reader is not working properly and I can't open PDF files, at
the moment, but I would suggest opening any of the Craftsman's
Catelogues, pre-1947, from the OWWM site and see what may be listed
there.
http://www.owwm.com/mfgindex/detail....2&th=false&fl=


Remove Adobe Reader. Install Foxit Reader. It's also free, but it's faster,
smaller, and doesn't call home.

On 3-Jan-2010, "Bob La Londe" wrote:

Harbor freight

very helpful. googled around and learned some more. there is a Woodcraft
not too far away, i am sure i can get some help there.

the shaft on the power end is 5/8" diameter, with a flat side. i assume
this is a standard size....

sounds exactly like it. along with this came a 6" jointer, 12" band saw,
and 10" radial arm saw, all Craftsman circa 1960. been wanting a shop all
my life but never could afford it with kids and other habits, now i have a
darn good start and can make a lot of stuff just with what i have. in my
sights are a thickness planer and table saw......

wrote in message
m...
sounds exactly like it. along with this came a 6" jointer, 12" band saw,
and 10" radial arm saw, all Craftsman circa 1960.

I have mixed feelings about Craftsman tools. My dad had two of their table
saw and a radial arm saw. Both table saws were crap, but he still uses the
radial arm saw today, 40 years later.

been wanting a shop all
my life but never could afford it with kids and other habits, now i have a
darn good start and can make a lot of stuff just with what i have. in my
sights are a thickness planer and table saw......

I have a good table saw, and a better radial arm saw myself. I use the
table saw for everything. Once you get used to a good table saw there are
only a few things a radial arm saw does a little better.

Sounds like an awesome start on a shop. May you take satisfaction in the
things you create.

OT for this group: I turned a special shoulder bolt / pivot pin out of
stainless today for a knife my son gave me for Christmas a couple years ago.
Then when I realized I didn't have a nut to fit it, I made the nut. LOL. I
got a tremendous amount of satisfaction out of it. If I had gone to work
instead I could have bought 50 of the knives for the time I spent fixing it,
but that wasn't the point.

In article ,
wrote:

inherited an old lathe, and i know little about them. looks pretty simple,
but no plate or label anywhere. the lathe pully does say "Craftsman", but
googling around i found nothing similar. the base stand is home made, and
it is a very sturdy workbench and vise set up so its worth keeping, and if i
can learn and do some turning i think it will be a nice addition to the
garage.


http://i808.photobucket.com/albums/z...g?t=1262541385
http://i808.photobucket.com/albums/z...g?t=1262541385
http://i808.photobucket.com/albums/z...g?t=1262541385
http://i808.photobucket.com/albums/z...g?t=1262541385


questions:

1) the motor is 1725 rpm; is there a guide to know what my rpm will be for
the lathe using the various combinations of the step pullies? the motor has
a 4-step, lathe a 3 step. i guess i can do the math - equal sizes would
yeild 1725, and then i guess its a matter of factoring in the ratio
difference of the circumferences .......

Using circumferences is the -hard- way.

Use either the radius or diameter. They're easier to measure, and all three
numbers differ only by a multiplicative constant (which drops out when you
take the ratio).