Craftsman 101 Redemption

[MillersvilleProf]

Finished this today. It started out as basically a parts machine I purchased awhile back. Along came a new machinist with interest, but not much money to buy a lathe. Anyway, after a lot of cleanup, tuning, I have it worked into something that will serve him well until he has the money to get something bigger.

I made no attempt to restore it, just put it back into service. Whatever happened to it along the way it didn't deserve to end up scavenged for parts. Now it can once again make parts like it was built to do. Interesting stencils on the gear cover, kind of wonder what its history is.

 

[brino]

Nice job.
You saved it from the scrappers, chalk one up for the good guys!

I made no attempt to restore it, just put it back into service.

I would find that very difficult, but I have a bit of an "an all or nothing" streak in me.
I like to think it's somewhere between "always curious" and "obsessive".....but my family might say other wise!
(....of course the "all" option usually takes a few years.)

Interesting stencils on the gear cover, kind of wonder what its history is.

Hopefully someone here will recognize those marking and give at least some history.

Thanks for sharing this!

-brino

 

[MillersvilleProf]

If I had been keeping it for myself I would have probably gone the full restoration route; however, I personally have nothing against leaving things with the marks they have accumulated over the years. This lathe has some stories to tell I bet, some of good times and of bad, not much different than the people that use it I suppose. In any event, it has been preserved and is once again able to work as it was intended to do.

 

[hman]

I recognized the cross slide plinth you built and described in another of your threads. You have indeed done something very nice for your "new machinist" friend! And incidentally saved a worthy tool from the scrap heap.

 

[WCraig]

Looks darn good, but there is a fair bit of 'colour' in the spindle taper:



Have you checked that a Morse taper will seat OK? Turning between centers is still a good thing from time to time.

Even further, have you measured runout on the spindle?

Craig

 

[MillersvilleProf]

That was an older picture, it is much cleaner now, not perfect but usable. Spindle runout is less than a half thousandth.

 

[Tmate]

Those are fun little lathes. I enjoyed mine while I had it. Sears also sold a cheaper lathe called a Dunlop. My neighbor gave me his Dunlop when I was a kid. I bent the spindle on it within a week.

 

[MillersvilleProf]

I know the Dunlap/Craftsman 109 lathes well, currently own two of them and sold a third a few weeks back. Definitely not a lathe for a beginner, but they are still fun to play with and an interesting lathe from a historical standpoint in regards to model lathes. The two that I have remaining are destined to be fully restored/improved. Both will end up with new bearings and probably new solid spindles. I have some 1144 barstock that is just itching to be turned into a spindle with 3/4-16 threads. I have had a desire for a few years to turn one of them into an attachment for my ShopSmith Mark V and run it off the headstock motor, perhaps this winter I will get around to trying that little experiment.

 

[Tmate]

Only drawback to the 6" Atlas as I recall was that it had no power cross feed.

 

[MillersvilleProf]

True, but what lathe in the 6" range did have power cross feed? The 6" lathes made by Atlas were designed as home shop machines for the how-to market that was flourishing during this period and as such they lacked some of the features that were more common on larger lathes, but they still represented a good value for the people who bought them and produced a lot of good work over the years.