old lathe ID help

[sorrybutnospam]

inherited an old lathe, and i know little about them. looks pretty simple, but no plate or label anywhere. the lathe pully does say "Craftsman", but googling around i found nothing similar. the base stand is home made, and it is a very sturdy workbench and vise set up so its worth keeping, and if i can learn and do some turning i think it will be a nice addition to the garage.

?t=1262541385?t=1262541385questions:1) the motor is 1725 rpm; is there a guide to know what my rpm will be for the lathe using the various combinations of the step pullies? the motor has a 4-step, lathe a 3 step. i guess i can do the math - equal sizes would yeild 1725, and then i guess its a matter of factoring in the ratio difference of the circumferences .......

2) it is apparently missing a tool rest and the spindle to hold the stock on the power end. (my uncle had it set up with a grinding wheel) will the spindle look like the one on the idle end? can i buy one that will fit? any pics of what is missing would help, i can send them to my cousin who has access to the shop where this was stored and she can look and see if they are there.....

3) the motor is mounted on a pipe to swivel, making it very easy to change pullies, but it this typical? i assume the weight of the motor provides enough tension? the picture is in the "up" position

it is now dissassembled, cleaned and repainted, and ready for reassembly.....

thanks in advance...

David

[Bob La Londe]

Wood lathes are pretty simple items. Unless you happen to luck onto the original manual somewhere, just do the math. Sounds like you already have a good grasp of it.

The tool rest is pretty straight forward. Nothing special, and you can make your own easily enough.

??? That I would like to have seen.

It looks like there is a tape in the drive end, that may take a press fit drill chuck, and nothing in the free end or tiny little center.

You will want a drive center on a taper shaft to fit on the drive end and a free center on the "idle" end.

Probably.

Go the the Harbor freight website and punch in center and chuck on the search box and send her pictures of everything you find that is obviously for a lathe. Also, maybe look up wood lathe and send her a picture with the tool rest circled.

I have a table saw that just uses spring tension with a heavy spring. It probably sees a lot more strain than typical use with a wood lathe. If its not adequate you can always modify it, or tie some weights to the motor. LOL.

[Nonny]

My Dad gave me one back somewhere around 1955, and from my memory, yours is identical or its kissing cousin, down to even the gold paint. Mine was from Sears and the motor and mount were intended to be supplied by the owner. As I recall- I was a kid- the motor pulley was included, but no belt or motor mount/hinge mechanism. It was a darned good old, rugged tool. You should be able to make your own steady rest. Going on a 55 year old recollection, the headstock was just a machined piece that fit over the spindle with

3 or 4 teeth to hold the wood, and the tailstock was a bushing type, at best. This was about as primitive and basic a lathe as you could get.

I sold mine when I left for college, so maybe it's my old one. Enjoy it.

[Sonny]

I inherited an old lathe, but not as old as yours. Looking on the OWWM site, the 103-21600 seems to be an upgrade to yours, also. My adobe reader is not working properly and I can't open PDF files, at the moment, but I would suggest opening any of the Craftsman's Catelogues, pre-1947, from the OWWM site and see what may be listed there.

[HeyBub]

Remove Adobe Reader. Install Foxit Reader. It's also free, but it's faster, smaller, and doesn't call home.

[nobody]

very helpful. googled around and learned some more. there is a Woodcraft not too far away, i am sure i can get some help there.

the shaft on the power end is 5/8" diameter, with a flat side. i assume this is a standard size....

[nobody]

sounds exactly like it. along with this came a 6" jointer, 12" band saw, and 10" radial arm saw, all Craftsman circa 1960. been wanting a shop all my life but never could afford it with kids and other habits, now i have a darn good start and can make a lot of stuff just with what i have. in my sights are a thickness planer and table saw......

[Bob La Londe]

I have mixed feelings about Craftsman tools. My dad had two of their table saw and a radial arm saw. Both table saws were crap, but he still uses the radial arm saw today, 40 years later.

I have a good table saw, and a better radial arm saw myself. I use the table saw for everything. Once you get used to a good table saw there are only a few things a radial arm saw does a little better.

Sounds like an awesome start on a shop. May you take satisfaction in the things you create.

OT for this group: I turned a special shoulder bolt / pivot pin out of stainless today for a knife my son gave me for Christmas a couple years ago. Then when I realized I didn't have a nut to fit it, I made the nut. LOL. I got a tremendous amount of satisfaction out of it. If I had gone to work instead I could have bought 50 of the knives for the time I spent fixing it, but that wasn't the point.

[Robert Bonomi]

Using circumferences is the -hard- way. :)

Use either the radius or diameter. They're easier to measure, and all three numbers differ only by a multiplicative constant (which drops out when you take the ratio).