What Is An Craftsman 101.2048?

Well, as you are now committed, there's no point in going back over there for any measurements. Wait until you get the machine home.

First thing to do after you get it home and if necessary clean it up a little is to remove the chuck from the spindle. After you've done that, take a length of 1/2" dia. solid round stock and run it through the spindle. Set up and zero the dial indicator on the spindle register. That is the unthreaded area between the spindle threads and flange. Pick up on the rod and note the indicator reading. rotate the spindle 90 deg. and repeat. With used sleeve bearings you will probably get some movement. But the two readings should be the same. Then try tightening the slotted head screw just a little and repeat.

To check for bed wear, you will have to have a 0-1 micrometer. Carefully clean off the top and bottom, and front and rear, of the front way at the right end and again about 6" in front of the spindle nose. Measure the thickness near the front edge of the way. The difference is the front bed wear as the right end should still be as new. Repeat in the same locations near the rear edge of the rear way. Then measure the width of the front and rear way in approximately the same locations.

Visually inspect the lead screw threads toward the right end and about where the halfnuts would be with the center of the saddle about 6" from the spindle nose. Position the carriage as before (center of carriage about 6" from spindle), set up the dial indicator to measure left-right carriage movement. Close the half nuts and rock the carriage back and fourth. Move the carriage to the right end and repeat. The difference in movement readings is approximately the lead screw wear.

Be sure that you go through the full lubrication instructions and then turn the spindle over several times before you first run the machine.

There are many other checks but those will be you started.
 
Thanks. For some reason I got a good feeling about it. Machine was pretty clean. Did not look like it was used a ton. Even the original manuals were there and in Excellent condition.

If there is a major check I could do with a dial indicator when there, I could. I have a low deposit on it.
 
Well, you could mount your dial indicator to the carriage or compound and set it to indicate on the top of the unworn part of the front way. Zero it with the carriage as far to the right as it will go. Then run the carriage over towards the headstock. That should give you nearly the same reading as mikeing the way thickness. And you could do the same along the rear of the rear way but here, you will need to pull toward you on the tool post as you traverse the carriage in order to keep the carriage gib against the edge of the way. And if you can get the chuck off, you could mount the indicator to the compound and check movement and runout of the spindle. Note that I do not know what type of clamping arrangement you have on your dial indicator. I'm just assuming that once clamped, you can then move the indicator around to bear on whatever you want it to bear on.
 
Ok, so an update.

I picked up a Brown & Sharpe DTI and magnetic stand combo from Enco.

The DTI is great. Stand is sort of crappy.

The inside of the spindle is right around .0.001 runout. Maybe slightly more.

The runout measures at the base of the spindle threads, on the polished step near the bearing is < 0.001. Probably around 0.0005

Letting the DTI take a ride down the ways on the carriage tells me that they vary by <0.002 end to end (probably closer to 0.0015).

From what I'd gather, this is a pretty typical example, no?
 
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It's typical for the spindle and pretty good for the bed on a used lathe.
 
Thanks. So far so good. It will take me a while to get it up and running. I need be make a bench for it, but I have at least one other project I need to complete before that.
 
Sound like it should be fine. Tooling that fits the newer machines can vary. Make sure you get 1-8 mount chucks. Other accessories will be fine. Drawbar for collets and end mill holder is different than the 618. the spindle is longer on the old plain bearing models.
 
Thanks for the heads up on tooling. It came with a 4 jaw chuck, a few collets, misc hss tooling, a few boring bars, a Jacobs-style chucks for the headstock and tail stock, as well as dead centers for both.

I suppose enough stuff to get me started!
 
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