Craftsman 101.289XX Clutch...

[aaronrumple]

Fixing up the clutch and adjusting. Do the washers get grease? They look like a plain jane gasket material. Might replace with a plastic at some point. Seems that would be smoother and more consistent on setting the torque. Mine was cranked down solid by the last owner. Took a lot just to loosen it. Had to chuck it up and put a big breaker bar on it.

 

[wa5cab]

No, the slip clutch must remain dry. And it shouldn't slip unless you have a crash while the carriage or cross slide is moving under power.

If the friction washers look like plain-jane gasket material, then they are probably flexible and not original. The originals are rigid. Before you go to the trouble and expense of trying to find a suitable material and then try to make replacements, I would suggest that you call Clausing and see whether they still have them.

What is a "101.288" supposed to be?

 

[aaronrumple]

Sorry - 101.289XX lathe model.
I'm sure the washers are original - this thing has never been apart and was hardly used at all. (Part 933-017) They are a stiff but fibrous material - much like gasket material of the era. Parts 932-057 and 3980-25 are steel, with these fibrous washers sandwiched in between. The ones I have are in fine shape, but can't be really accurate as a clutch material. They were well stuck to the other parts since the previous owner had tighten the clutch down as tight as humanly possible. It took a razor blade to separate the parts once disassembled.

 

[wa5cab]

OK. I am not sure what specific material the non-metallic washers were made from but it would be the same sort of material as used for the friction material on automotive manual clutch discs.