Old Craftsmsn wood lathe help

[Ed Mills]

I have been looking for information on a very old Craftsman wood lathe. I cannot find any model number. Most parts have part numbers cast into them. I have disassembled it to see exactly what I have vs need. Wonder if anyone can help me with a few issues?
I am looking for:
any manual (I think someone is sending a pdf file)
the tail stock clamp, part L2-7, someone used a hunk of steel plate instead
tail stock hand wheel w handle, part 9-23
the correct tool rest, may be part 9-333
the head stock base, part L2-2, part of it broke out, another one would be nice but not absolutely necessary.
What motor would you advise, hp, rpm, clockwise rotation, etc
Concerning rust removal, EvapoRust is awesome stuff.
Thanks very much.

Since posting this to a couple other forums I have learned that this lathe is probably from 1935 or 1936. It is Craftsman's cheapest model. Could have been made by Dunlap. Could have been made for Montgomery Ward. Bearings are of very poor quality at best, not ball bearings, do not know how it would perform if I ever get it running.

Might have better success getting parts if someone has given up on trying to get theirs working and just want to get rid of it.

Anyway it only cost me $3.00 at auction. Not a major cash outlay.
Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[Joe Greiner]

You can download a manual at Old Woodworking Machines ( now http://vintagemachinery.org/ ).
Select Manufacturers' Index, then Sears - Craftsman.
Under Publication Reprints, filter for Lathes.
Your lathe looks a lot like 101.06241 (1938).

Note that "Craftsman" and "Dunlap" are marketing badges, manufactured under contract. The contractor ID is the "101" part.

 

[John Torchick]

Good luck in finding parts.

 

[kenvalaska]

That looks to be a restorable spindle lathe.

There was a lot of machinery with sleeve bearings. Takes a drop of oil at the start of every session to assure the bronze sleeves are not dry. They are easily found and are replacable if they develop too much "slop"

Not a watch makers lathe, but with a 1/4 to 1/3 hp motor, will give good service for spindle work the like.

If you are not into getting a precise vintage restoration, will make a fun little lathe with a more modern tool rest.

Many adaptable parts are available for hand wheels, levers, etc from Granigers, McMasters Carr, and the like.

 

[Hugh]

I have an old Dunlap lathe made for Sears that looks very much like that.....except mine is put together. The bearings are bronze sleaves and can be replaced (I replaced them on my lathe). Mine has a small badge on it saying it was made by Dunlap for Sears. It has a "0" or "1" MT, I can not remember. It was my first lathe and I paid more than $3.
Hugh

 

[Ed Mills]

What is a bit puzzling is that my lathe actually has Craftsman 9" cast into the base. There are no other identifying marks anywhere on the base. If it says Craftsman, maybe it is safe to assume that Craftsman manufactured it, not Dunlap, not Atlas. Then, looking at a few of the owner's manuals on lathes very similar to mine, some part numbers seem to be used between models, rather than being specific to one model.

The lathe came assembled. I disassembled to see just exactly what I have as well as to do some rust removal.

It might be a good idea to at lease replace the bronze sleeve bearings in the headstock. With not much knowledge on machining, I am a bit uncertain about how to proceed, as well as size of bearings, and their source.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Craftsman is a Sears store brand. They contracted with various manufacturers to produce their branded products.

 

[John Torchick]

What Bill said. I used to call on a manufacturer in SC that made Craftsman power tools and another that made their shop vacuums. Visited a plant that made their riding mowers along with the regular brand.
Sears never made anything but used contractors. BTW, the contractors changed all the time. Plus Sears changed a few parts so all parts wouldn't interchange with the OEM parts.
Good luck on restoring the lathe.

 

[MichaelMouse]

Sears never made anything but used contractors. BTW, the contractors changed all the time. Plus Sears changed a few parts so all parts wouldn't interchange with the OEM parts.

It set the bar for the manufacturer/importers of today.

FWIW, 101 is Atlas. http://professional-power-tool-guid...pany/sears-and-craftsman-source-product-code/

You should be able to get suitable sintered bearing replacements by mail order.

 

[Ed Mills]

Craftsman is a Sears store brand. They contracted with various manufacturers to produce their branded products.

Oops. Yeah, I realized the error in my statement immediately after sending it. Sorry.

 

[Scott Coursin]

Any ideas on disassembling the headstock?

I have a 101.06241, and would like to replace the belt, but I cannot figure out how to get the shaft out of the way. I tried loosening all the set screws I could find, but it did not seem to budge when I smacked it with a rubber mallet. I did not want to damage anything, so I was not hitting it that hard.

If I do get it apart, I would consider replacing the bronze bushings. What would be a good source? Anybody have specs?

Thanks
Scott

 

[john lucas]

That looks very similar to a J-line lathe I had once. I don't remember how the headstock spindle came out because it's been too many years. I've had a lot of lathes apart and usually they are held in place by either set screws or in some cases the tailstock hand wheel or a nut on that end pushes things together. If you have removed all set screws and it still won't move it could be a burr raised by the set screws on the shaft. Take a drill bit that is a snug fit in the set screw holes. Turn the drill on and push lightly. You don't really want to drill a hole you just want to get rid of any raised burrs created by the setscrew. That has usually worked for me. That and put some liquid wrench in and rotate the parts. It might take more than a rubber mallet. Use a bigger mallet and piece of wood to protect any threads. Don't usually see E rings on wood lathes but sometimes there is a sort of keeper on the bearings.

 

[Bill Boehme]

The most obvious thing would be snap rings retaining the spindle bearings. On my old Delta lathe, it was necessary to remove the headstock handwheel. You might have something similar. The Jet mini lathe has a similar deal except that the handwheel unscrews after loosening the setscrew. If you haven't checked the Vintage Machinery site yet, that is your best bet for a manual.

The manual is pretty basic, but with the parts shown, it isn't too hared to figure out what to do. Like John said, a bigger hammer might be the answer. I love the price list. It says that a new tool rest is 75 cents.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

A thought on what I had on my Jet. Is there double set screws (one on top of another) and you only removed one?