Will Oliver Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 hi all. i don't think i have posted before. but. I need some advice. I went to the local used tool store and they have an old craftsman metal working lathe. its mounted on a table and it seems nice. it has a four jaw chuck and a whole mess of tools to go with it. The asking price is 400. it only needs a belt. this is a crappy picture of it. but i was wondering what yall think of it? I have never used a lathe before and I would like to build one, using the gingery series but time is so hard for me to find to do that. kids, school and what not. They also have a huge leblonde regal lathe for $2,500 which. I know would be nice. its just so HUGE! : ) thanks in advance. WIll Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 Probably worth $400.00, ya ever heard of "negotiating"? Heck, offer him $2,000.00 for the LeBlonde, he'll take it, you'll find room and you'll never regret it. Beside you'd probably want to buy a three-jaw chuck for the sears. And the LeBlonde probably has quick-change threading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainely,Bob Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!(the one who looks like Frank Zappa)He`ll only teach you bad habits. If you have never run a lathe and aren`t sure if you even need one then maybe a $400 metal lathe will be a good investment to get your feet wet and not waltz yourself off into too much trouble.If you take to it like a duck to water and can find a way to make money with it then upgrade and either keep the Craftsman for small stuff or sell it and get your money back.Even better would be to look into adult ed classes at a local vo-tech school.That way you could learn with a knowing hand at your side.(ready to whack you on the knuckles with a pair of slip joint pliers if you reach for the wrong thing). Big machines can and will break expensive tooling in a hurry.If they eat tooling with impunity then human flesh is no problem at all.One of the WWing forums I visit posted a link to a pic of a guy who was drawn into a large lathe after it ate the rag he had wrapped around his hand.It literally tore him to pieces.Tough way to die. Me,I`d go for the LeBlonde(offer $1800,expect to pay $2000,like Grant said.Especially if it has tooling with it) but then I already know how to run a lathe and have a Southbend I`m looking to move up from now that my sons are out of the house. Just so you know,buying a lathe leads to buying a milling machine leads to... another serious addiction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Oliver Posted March 14, 2010 Author Share Posted March 14, 2010 Well, I got it. now I've much stuff to figure out. Its a sears and roebuck metal lathe serial number 10107301. i think the bed is 24 inches long. the motor is separate. its a dunlop type sw140. I'm going to take some pictures. I have to replace the cord to the motor. and one of the belts. i've got a thirty pound box of tools to go along with it. im trying to see if maybe I could find an instruction manual on it to replace the belt. I doubt that though. So I will have to think on this some. : ) The leblonde was sweet as hell looking but I couldn't even begin to know what to do with it. Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Oliver Posted March 14, 2010 Author Share Posted March 14, 2010 actually I just looked it up and found this. http://www.ozarkwoodworker.com/item/craftsmanatlas-6-lathe-10107301-manual-revised/ I guess thats what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainely,Bob Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 I was going to say that the Craftsman lathes were made by Atlas but then clicked the link and they beat me to it. So now when you`re surfing Flea-bay looking for parts you know what to look for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkunkler Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 Congratulations on your lathe. Here is a link to operating instructions and parts list. http://www.metalworking.com/dropbox/_2000_retired_files/ac6man.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Oliver Posted March 14, 2010 Author Share Posted March 14, 2010 Thanks! I got the motor rewired and its all set. The only thing I can't figure out is how to put a new belt on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainely,Bob Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 Are you talking about the belt that powers the headstock spindle?If it`s a V belt then you can just get some of that red link together belting and cut the old one.Link together enough links to equal the old belt,wrap it around and then link up the last connection.Those link type belts run smoother with far less vibration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Oliver Posted March 14, 2010 Author Share Posted March 14, 2010 well the one belt that powers the spindle wasn't on it. soooooo....where I do I get this link stuff? I've seen it I just can't think of where. Also thanks for all the help. I'll post the pictures of it. The tooling I got with it, is going to have to be sorted. I honestly have no idea what most of it is. But I'm looking to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkunkler Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 Harbor Freight should have link belt and be open on Sunday if you're really itchen to try it out. Harbor Freight Tools USA Inc 1770 Central Ave Ste 4, Albany, NY 12205 (518) 452-3875 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainely,Bob Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 Looks like you got a pretty good cross section of the usual stuff.At least you have what looks to be the complete tool post and a couple of bit holders. That tube with the black rimmed hand wheel is the drawbar for those collets in that block of wood. Couple of Jacobs chucks,one of them looks like a keyless model. I see at least one dog in there.Is there a faceplate hid in there somewhere? Clear an area at least twice the size of the bench to house this.Put it near a wall so you can build a BIG rack to house all the toys you`ll accumulate. I DID warn you about the new addiction now. Have you checked yet to see what time Horrible Freight opens? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWooldridge Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 I would put a real v-belt on it but that's just me. The link belt may work fine. To install the v-belt, you have to pull the spindle but that's not as tough as it sounds. If you decide to go that route, buy a heavy industrial belt like the type used on commercial lawn mowers as they last for years. The collets may be 3C size, which would be about right for this lathe. I think you can get sizes from 1/16 up to 9/16. There is another smaller keyless chuck hiding in the box and several Morse taper drills that fit in the tailstock. The LeBlond would very likely have been 3-phase so you made a better deal getting the small one first. They are like any other tool so treat it with respect but don't be afraid of it. The old Southbend book, "How to run a lathe" is a good one to read and don't fret about carbide inserts and all that jazz when you look at tooling - HSS works fine in the home shop. BTW, I have two lathes and am about to get a third one so it does become addicting... :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 Quality link belts work fine, better than black vee belts, but not better than the green gates vee belts. The green Gates vee belts are good for three times the horsepower of the black ones. I use them almost exclusively to avoid breakdowns. The only caveat as far as the link belts go is that the ones with metal rivets do not last nearly as long as the all plastic type, under severe duty at any rate. Of course, the most important aspect of vee belt longevity is proper alignment of the pulleys, generaly easy to check with a straightedge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Think ya just about have to use the plastic link belt in this situation, unless you want to take everything apart just to put on a belt. The spindle and the jackshaft would have to be disassembled. I've found the link belt to work better in every way too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragons lair Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Can't remember back to HS metal shop and may need new specs. However I am thinking flat belt. Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 We 'don need no stinking face plate! When I work between centers, I just have a piece of round stock machined to a point and re-cut it every time I put it in. The dog will usually drive by one of the chuck jaws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWooldridge Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 I don't use a faceplate much either but they are quite useful for odd shaped parts that can be bolted to it. I repaired a high pressure pump housing for a guy once (and only once ) that needed some build up welding on a flange and then machining to dimensions. We had to bolt the piece to the faceplate with T-bolts and clamps plus we had to add an block as a counterweight because the flange was off center and would have been imbalanced while turning. It took a very long time to set up properly and only a few minutes to machine but turned out OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragons lair Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 We 'don need no stinking face plate! When I work between centers, I just have a piece of round stock machined to a point and re-cut it every time I put it in. The dog will usually drive by one of the chuck jaws. Grant if you will. How does a dog drive past the jaw? I screw off the chuck screw on the face plate. Run the dog a 1/2" thru the face plate. Did I miss sompthing in shop class? Ken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Oliver Posted March 20, 2010 Author Share Posted March 20, 2010 Grant if you will. How does a dog drive past the jaw? I screw off the chuck screw on the face plate. Run the dog a 1/2" thru the face plate. Did I miss sompthing in shop class? Ken. I used the acculink belt from harbor freight. it works sort of. it seems a bit to wide. I can't get it to work on all the pulley's as it should. but its working. it'll bog down really quick then the belt will start slipping. Thanks for all the help! Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 I have done the same as Mr Zappa with the between centers turning. The dog is driven by the chuck jaw, same as a slot in a faceplate would. The dog does not "drive past" the chuck jaw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Grant if you will. How does a dog drive past the jaw? Ken. I don't understand what you mean by that. The jaws are going around with the chuck. If the dog can catch on one of the jaws, it'll push it around and around, right? Sometimes you have to modify the dog like maybe weld something onto it. Does what it needs to do. I started doing that because I had pretty big lathes and changing the chuck was not fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yesteryearforge Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I had one like that about 30 years ago but it was made by southbend and had a much smaller bed . Somewhere I think I remember hearing that southbend made those lathes for Sears I was going to have it chrome plated and use it as a hood ornament on my pick up. Traded it for a 22 magnum rifle instead. Mike Tanner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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