Lathe obsession....

[Cgantner5150]

About a month ago craigslist finally came through with a metal lathe for a reasonable price. It was my first. It's a Craftsman/Atlas 12x36. Came with a lot of tooling and accessories - I'm a happy guy.

A couple of days ago another one pops up. Listed as a 1942 SB. Working but was being used for wood work. He says its big but it was a great price. Went and took a look and WOW. Put a deposit and rented a lift gate truck. Got it home and realized it's a whole other league from the Craftsman... It's quite weighty.



Notice the Craftsman in the background.

Measured the bed at 84" and 14 1/2" swing. Checked the serial number and according to the vintage machinery site calculations it comes in at 1918 vintage. Used the biggest straightedge I had and didn't detect any noticeable wear (no daylight shining through). The headstock bearings don't have any wiggle. Came with a three jaw chuck, four jaw chuck, lantern tool post, boring bar holder, steady rest, gear cover, gears (not all of them), tail stock, and some other small stuff.



Decided to do a restore and broke it down a little this evening. Bearings look good. Saw some strange stamps.

Left side of headstock


Right side


Unfortunately, (but thankfully for moving purposes) someone welded casters on the legs. I'll get those off when I get it in position.

 

[Cgantner5150]

The Craftsman (101.07403) is a nice machine and it came with all the change gears and about 100 lbs of cutters. Three and four jaw chucks. Also got some boxes of misc attachments that I am not even sure belong with it - but I'll take it. The cabinet and stand were all part of the deal.

Haven't decided on a resto of this one. So far it has been my learning machine. The wife mistakenly thinks I am going to sell it now that I have the big one. Little does she know....
Unless a mill pops up....





Not sure in the vintage but maybe someone can help?

 

[Fretters]

Personally, I'd say that Craftsman's in good enough nick not to warrant a resto'. A general clean up, possibly, but I wouldn't do a full strip down on it.

 

[rodsnratfinks]

Curious: Why don't you want to sell your old one?

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[woody 73]

I am also curious does your lathe have babbitt bearings; I was thinking maybe it did if it came from the first World War but I can not tell from the pictures.

 

[1982fxr]

maybe a dumb question because I don't have a lathe yet but do you ever worry about hot chips from the C-man getting back in the insulation and open framing and...fire?

 

[spongerich]

maybe a dumb question because I don't have a lathe yet but do you ever worry about hot chips from the C-man getting back in the insulation and open framing and...fire?

Those Atlas/Craftsman's are pretty small and light weight, so you're really not making chips that are all that hot.

 

[sasquatch12]

Re: Collectible, i always wondered if there was some guy who just collected lathes? Gotta be!! Like a lathe hoarder? Lol

 

[Fretters]

Re: Collectible, i always wondered if there was some guy who just collected lathes? Gotta be!! Like a lathe hoarder? Lol

Does 10 lathes classify one as a hoarder/collector?

 

[Fretters]

maybe a dumb question because I don't have a lathe yet but do you ever worry about hot chips from the C-man getting back in the insulation and open framing and...fire?

If you're making swarf/chips which are that hot, you're doing something wrong.

 

[nine4gmc]

Seems normal, if I ran up on a SB for the right price I would put it across the room from the Craftsman I own.

 

[Cgantner5150]

Fritters - 10 - I don't feel so bad now. Haha.

Nine4gmc - I'm surprised you didn't see this on Craigslist. I paid a whopping $400. Now you know why I could not pass it up.

Woody73 - which one? The Craftsman is roller bearings. The SB is obviously brass/bronze?

1982fxr - insulation and Sheetrock (2 layers) are in my near future. I found out recently that the wall needs to be fire rated. Oops.

 

[Cgantner5150]

Sasquach12 - you sound like the kids/guys I work with. But they keep coming to get their **** fixed. Just rolled a buddy's 86 Porsche 928 out after we did the timing belt / gears / water pump / tensioner / etc. He did help me build the garage and move the big lathe. He actually picked up his radiator after we replaced the plastic side tanks after we were done moving the SB.

 

[2oolhound]

Instead of removing the casters why not install levelling feet that would raise the wheels off the ground? or is the height getting uncomfortable already?

 

[Model A Fan]

Does 10 lathes classify one as a hoarder/collector?

Don't...FRET! You're not hoarding, you're storing them for future lathe users.

 

[rsanter]

if you use the machines enough you will find there to be valid reasons to have two lathes.
I have a big one and a medium and use both. its nice to be able to hop on the second machine and not disturb a setup or work in progress that is on the first one

keep them both, its another lathe. not like your bringing another woman home

bob

 

[woody 73]

So who said it was not like bringing another women home...Still cheating in my book.

After looking much closer I too see the bronze color, (coming from a color blind Man) I thought all those old bearings used lead, just goes to show I am learning new things everyday!

Great looking lathe by the way.

 

[nine4gmc]

Fritters - 10 - I don't feel so bad now. Haha.

Nine4gmc - I'm surprised you didn't see this on Craigslist. I paid a whopping $400. Now you know why I could not pass it up.

Woody73 - which one? The Craftsman is roller bearings. The SB is obviously brass/bronze?

1982fxr - insulation and Sheetrock (2 layers) are in my near future. I found out recently that the wall needs to be fire rated. Oops.

I take that back now you hoarder! I just saw your location... Makes me sad now...

j/k, congrats man, you scored and to beat me to it, you earned it!


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[rsanter]

So who said it was not like bringing another women home...Still cheating in my book.

After looking much closer I too see the bronze color, (coming from a color blind Man) I thought all those old bearings used lead, just goes to show I am learning new things everyday!

Great looking lathe by the way.

I said it
machines do not get mad or jealous. they do not make you sleep on the couch or throw you out when you bring another one home.
they are willing to share an owner. they are willing to share tooling and hell they are even willing to help the owner make repairs to another machine to help keep it in the family.
if you do decide to sell one of the machines, they don't go off crying ' and how do I know you wont go sell me next when some older made in the USA model comes along"
hell in my shop I have threesomes and even foursomes going with equipment and everybody seems content

bob

 

[spongerich]

keep them both, its another lathe. not like your bringing another woman home

I was going to say that it's a lot cheaper, but then I went out and looked at all of the tooling I own and now maybe I'm thinking that a girlfriend would have been less expensive.

 

[OccupantRJ]

If you're making swarf/chips which are that hot, you're doing something wrong.

I make some smoking hot chips turning hardened steels with carbide quite often. I must have been doing something wrong for years.

 

[Fretters]

I make some smoking hot chips turning hardened steels with carbide quite often. I must have been doing something wrong for years.

Not likely hot enough to ignite wood or glass fibre insulation though. Uncomfortable if they hit skin, yes, but an ignition source for stuff which doesn't burn readily, likely not.

 

[Fretters]

I take that back now you hoarder! I just saw your location... Makes me sad now...

Whom?

I was going to say that it's a lot cheaper, but then I went out and looked at all of the tooling I own and now maybe I'm thinking that a girlfriend would have been less expensive.

Hmm. A machine and tooling which willingly does what you ask of it, never complains or strops, always gives you something to show for any time or effort spent with or on it..., or a woman. Tough choice.

 

[Cgantner5150]

Have a question - does any body have a clue if the headstock is supposed to be greased or oiled? The rear bearing cap has a grease fitting. The front cap had grease in it but it looks like an oil cup.

 

[nine4gmc]

Fretters, that was for the OP but now that you mention it, YOU TOO!!

I mean, 10...come on now, save some for the rest of us with only 1...

 

[Fretters]

Have a question - does any body have a clue if the headstock is supposed to be greased or oiled? The rear bearing cap has a grease fitting. The front cap had grease in it but it looks like an oil cup.

Oil.

 

[Cgantner5150]

I have done some cleaning over the past few afternoons. 97 years of crud doesn't like to come off. Haha. 5 cans of dollar store oven cleaner and the pressure washer.





Clean parts

 

[Cgantner5150]

I guess I am going to need some paint remover to get the last of the orange paint off. The oven cleaner did a pretty good job.
Got gloss black for the main parts and white for the inside of the bed (heard that was the way it was done back then). I found white inside of the bed but the color under the orange is a dark grey and it's really thick.

 

[DocsMachine]

I mean, 10...come on now, save some for the rest of us with only 1...

-I only have three. And I drove four hours one way this past weekend to look at a fourth. (Which, surprisingly, I didn't buy.)

Do I have a problem?

Doc.

 

[Fretters]

If you've taken the shiny surface off that paint, I'd just paint over it as is, unless it's a few layers thick. New paint will cover over it. Trying to get every last speck off is usually a patience tester.

Paraffin/kerosene is about the best degreaser you'll find for removing caked up grease and crud, btw. Just thought I'd mention incase you need to clean something else up in future.

Do I have a problem?

Doc.

You're a member on here. Goes without saying.

 

[Cgantner5150]

Made a whole lot done the past couple of weeks on the resto.
Had to fix/make a tooth on the small back gear.



Cleaned the chucks and the tail stock in the electrolysis bath



Painted everything



Started reassembly

 

[Cgantner5150]

Wired it up temporarily and let her run.
Had to adjust the head stock bearings. They are still a little loose (0.0025) but I still have some shims in there.
The back gear repair seems to work fine.

Try some video links - don't know if they work?

http://s890.photobucket.com/user/cg...2-4EE9-AB3C-387D8DDC4AD6_zpswoikfhyk.mp4.html

 

[Cgantner5150]

Having an issue with the cone clutch. It doesn't seem to be grabbing enough? I replaced the 3/16 rods (one was broken and one was bent). The star wheel moves it in and out and it tightens but never seems to get moving. The worm gear is turning and the out clutch gear is turning. I'll have to investigate some more. Also need to make some washers/spacers for the change gears.

 

[Iggi]

Those old lathes will be high treasured in the decades to come. There will be less and less as the years go by.

 

[DocsMachine]

Painted everything

-The images had only partly loaded when I read that; all I could see was the far end of the bed with the blue and white. My first thought after reading that and seeing the partial photo was that you'd painted the ways.

Carry on.

Doc.

 

[longlivepunk]

Mind showing more pictures of that gear repair? Not quite sure what you're end goal is there. Do you use the posts to weld/braze on a new chunk of steel then file it to shape, or have access to a horizontal mill?

I recently picked up my first Lathe. A Rockwell 11". I'm super excited, but I'm going to need to get a bit more work done on the garage before I can tear into it. Apron and gear-box need to come off, get cleaned and lubed, then I can run through it a bit better to see what all works or needs repairs. Then it'll be a full tear down. Poor thing has sat unused for at least 15 years and the grease is pretty much petrified.

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Post your find over on the SBL thread on Practical Machinist .. http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/south-bend-lathes/

They'll certainly be able to help identify nearly when it was produced and more about it that you may be willing to know.. Also, great place to connect with folks that may have spare parts, vintage tooling etc. I always turn to SBLatheman / Ted.. He's helped me out a bunch with my 10K...

Dennis

 

[Cgantner5150]

Drilled for 3 rods and tigged them in place where the broken tooth was (3/16 CRS and stainless filler wire). Tapered 2 more rods to fill in the gaps. Tigged them in between. Hand filed and used a drimmel to get the basic shape. Colored the new tooth with sharpie and checked the fit with the gears installed (turning by hand). Files where needed.









Hope this helps.

 

[Fretters]

Poor thing has sat unused for at least 15 years and the grease is pretty much petrified.

Kerosene will be your new best friend by the end of that cleaning task. Get yourself some. It'll soften and cut through the old grease better than owt else.

 

[longlivepunk]

Interesting fix. Thanks for sharing it!

Haha thanks, Fretters. I will.

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