- Joined
- Nov 5, 2016
- Messages
- 1,420
I got this Craftsman lathe as part of a lot that was sold from an estate. I wasn't really looking to buy a lathe; I wanted some of the other items in the lot. Here are the stats:
So, I decided to disassemble, clean, check everything out, lubricate, reassemble and paint. 35 hours of work later, I found it was in surprisingly great shape! Once disassembled, cleaned and lubed, everything freed right up. All bearing are nice and tight. There were absolutely no worn items or wear ridge lines on any gears or ways. The half nuts, lead screw, cross feed and compound screws and nuts are in fantastic shape and are nice and tight with minimal backlash. Very quiet even when running in backgears. I checked the 3/8" flat ways for wear and they were within .0005" (1/2 thousandth) entire length. There is some tarnishing on it (i.e. chuck, knobs, etc.) but it doesn't effect function; just cosmetic. The lathe was either used very little, very well maintained, or both when it was being used. I replaced the ungrounded electric cord and put in a new on/off switch after opening and inspecting the motor.
I don't know much about Craftsman/Atlas lathes, although I was a machinist years ago (now retired). It's obviously a light duty machine and has to be treated as such.
So, did I find a diamond in the rough or fools gold? What is something like this worth? I know it depends on location (I live in western NY), and a lot of other things... like what someone is willing to pay, etc.. I've watched Craigslist for years and don't ever remember seeing a Craftsman/Atlas lathe listed. Mostly South Bends, Clausing, Monarch, LeBlond, etc..
Any idea what it's worth?
Thanks,
Ted
- Model: 101.07403 (with QCGB)
- Serial: 12L-041649
- 12" swing; 24" between centers
- Tooling: 3 jaw chuck, 3 rocker tool holders, lantern holder, misc. boring bars, holders and tools, spindle sleeve and center, dead center.
- No bench
So, I decided to disassemble, clean, check everything out, lubricate, reassemble and paint. 35 hours of work later, I found it was in surprisingly great shape! Once disassembled, cleaned and lubed, everything freed right up. All bearing are nice and tight. There were absolutely no worn items or wear ridge lines on any gears or ways. The half nuts, lead screw, cross feed and compound screws and nuts are in fantastic shape and are nice and tight with minimal backlash. Very quiet even when running in backgears. I checked the 3/8" flat ways for wear and they were within .0005" (1/2 thousandth) entire length. There is some tarnishing on it (i.e. chuck, knobs, etc.) but it doesn't effect function; just cosmetic. The lathe was either used very little, very well maintained, or both when it was being used. I replaced the ungrounded electric cord and put in a new on/off switch after opening and inspecting the motor.
I don't know much about Craftsman/Atlas lathes, although I was a machinist years ago (now retired). It's obviously a light duty machine and has to be treated as such.
So, did I find a diamond in the rough or fools gold? What is something like this worth? I know it depends on location (I live in western NY), and a lot of other things... like what someone is willing to pay, etc.. I've watched Craigslist for years and don't ever remember seeing a Craftsman/Atlas lathe listed. Mostly South Bends, Clausing, Monarch, LeBlond, etc..
Any idea what it's worth?
Thanks,
Ted