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Okay, same topic, new lathe. I came across an old craftsman lathe that I couldn't pass up. For a very small price I got a fantastic work table with an old lathe attached. I've spent hours looking around the internet and Old Wood Working Machines site trying to identify it. It is, as of this post, the only model I've seen that has the word Craftsman actually molded on the base, not on a little metal shield or plaque. I saw another guy's site that had an almost identical lathe from 1941, but had the metal shield. It has what I believe is a 'compound' tool arm, but I'm sure it's not a metal lathe. My question is, how can I determine the morse taper size? It has a smooth hole in the threaded headstock spindle and in the tailstock. Both of these holes are 1/2". From what I've gleaned this suggests that it's a 1MT, though I could be horribly wrong. I'll post pictures later when I can, my hard drive blew all to hell and I'm currently using the wife's sloooooow laptop. Thanks again all!!!

This page may be helpful in determining your MT size:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_taper#Morse

Yeah, I had looked at that earlier today, and visited the Quick Determine your MT size link. The hole is just barely under 1/2" (by tape measure) which, if the hole's diameter is supposed to be equal to the widest point on the taper itself, makes it a number 1.

BeatusLiebowitz wrote:It has what I believe is a 'compound' tool arm, but I'm sure it's not a metal lathe.

Perhaps you mean a compound toolpost, in which case it definitely is a metal lathe.

Is it this one here? I've got one of these, myself, along with a couple other lathes.

From your description, it sounds like it's a #1 MT.

But I think, if it were me, I would focus on the spindle threads. Pretty much any tool with the "Craftsman" brand is worth owning.

And since it sounds like it has a compound tool post/rest, I think you could definitely turn such a lathe into a serviceable stummel and stem lathe.

I would determine what threads are on the spindle, spend maybe $60-100 on a chuck, and get started making chips.

Robert, that's the other site I had mentioned. It's very, very similar to that lathe(exact same tool rest and tailstock), which is another reason I was thinking it was a 1MT. The reason I'm trying to find out is so i can get a jacobs chuck that fits the tailstock. Oh, and it came with a four jaw chuck (score ). Thanks!

Sounds good. Yeah, a Jacobs chuck, and you should be set.

Frank wrote:Perhaps you mean a compound toolpost, in which case it definitely is a metal lathe.

Okay, gotcha. I was able to actually track down the manual online. Apparently it's a wood lathe that was also provided with a compound toolpost for limited metal turning capabilities. Now my only problem is that it doesn't have the wood tool rest, so I'll need to track one down...

My computer is back, and tougher than ever! Here's some pics of the lathe. I found a 2MT drill chuck at Harbor Freight and looked at it; the MT is too big for this lathe....so I'm assuming it must be a 1 (or 0?)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15961634@N02/3835336870/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15961634@N02/3835332462/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15961634@N02/3834530145/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15961634@N02/3835327606/

BeatusLiebowitz wrote:My computer is back, and tougher than ever! Here's some pics of the lathe. I found a 2MT drill chuck at Harbor Freight and looked at it; the MT is too big for this lathe....so I'm assuming it must be a 1 (or 0?)

Yeah, I'm like 99 percent sure it's #1 MT.

And you're really lucky to have the countershaft setup on yours. I'm guessing this should give you a wide variety of turning speeds from around, say, 250 RPMs up to around 3,000 RPMs.

I still haven't figured out what the two pieces of bent steel parallel to the bed-ways are for, though. Are those tied into the compound tool post/rest? Or do they serve some other purpose?

Hopefully your manual discusses proper oiling procedures. If so, follow them. If not, look the lathe over for oil cups, oil holes, etc., and try to keep everything oiled up.

Like those oil cups above the spindle, those should probably have some cotton wicks inside, and they will probably need a few drops of "spindle oil" dropped in them on a daily basis.

If they're missing the cotton wicks, you can probably just poke a little wad of cotton into them. Then, theoretically, as the bronze or babbitt bearings heat up, the oil thins slightly and trickles down out of the wick onto the bearing surfaces.

The wick holds the oil, preventing it from just gushing through all at once, but it supplies the oil on an as-needed basis.

There are other places to oil, as well.

Like, if the countershaft has oil cups, those will need the same treatment as the oil cups over the spindle.

And the ways -- after any rust is removed with steel wool and any problematic dings are carefully removed with a file -- will need to be wiped down with "way oil" regularly, maybe every day, depending on how much dust and humidity you have around.

The compound will probably have some little oil holes, and those will need oiling on approximately a weekly basis.

But follow the procedures in your manual, if they're in there. They'll keep your lathe operating well for another 60 years, give or take a day.

Thanks a lot for the oiling info Robert! Yeah, there are no wicks in the cups, so I'll get to replacing those. The metal frame you're seeing is part of a Craftsman 'Copy Cutter'. Since the lathe doesn't have a cylinder shaft, someone bored four holes through the frame of it to attach the copy cutter. I've since removed it, and at least the holes were cut cleanly, so it almost looks like they're supposed to be there.

BeatusLiebowitz wrote:Thanks a lot for the oiling info Robert! Yeah, there are no wicks in the cups, so I'll get to replacing those. The metal frame you're seeing is part of a Craftsman 'Copy Cutter'. Since the lathe doesn't have a cylinder shaft, someone bored four holes through the frame of it to attach the copy cutter. I've since removed it, and at least the holes were cut cleanly, so it almost looks like they're supposed to be there.

Unless it is a capillary oiling system with a reservoir (South Bend, for instance), they are just oil cups, without wicks. It's a total loss oiling system; you pour oil in the top, and it works its way around the bearing until the spindle slings it out. Putting in cotton will just make you think you have oil for your bearings when in fact you don't.

Jack

Here's a picture from OWWM of the same type of compound tool arm I have (I'm too lazy to take my own picture).



Erm..... how do I use it?

I understand putting the cutting tool in and using the wheels to advance it in either direction; but how can you be sure the tool in the post is set up to face off rod stock or cut a tenon? I've been searching the web for info on using this kind of arm, but not having much luck. If anyone could give me a quick explanation that would make my year (if this type of arm CAN be used for this...?) Anyways, thanks a lot, and I hope I'm being clear enough. There's children-manufactured chaos going on around me at the moment....

Check out this manual. The first section shows how to set up a rocker tool post (which is what you have), and the second section shows how to perform facing, turning & sholdering opertations.

That is freaking awesome. Thank you Fred, you're a saint!

I practiced my first facing operation on a scrap piece of vulcanite rod today. It was fun. I was able to center the stock and the facing went okay; the face was a bit rough afterwards, and the tool kinda 'nicked' up and slightly rounded off (shouldered?) the edge as it came off the rod. I'm thinking that perhaps this is the fault of the $2.00 Harbor Freight cutting tool....? Regardless, I think I'll invest in some nicer cutting tools now that I'm getting to know how to use 'em.

You might want to look at the links on the right side of this page. http://www.longwood.edu/chemphys/7690.htm
Each link is a PDF copy of a chapter from an old Army machine shop manual. Chapter 7 is all about the lathe including how to grind a tool bit. The assumption in the manual is that you are cutting metal, but hard plastic can be cut with tools that are prepared like a metal cutter, but with a little bigger relief angle. The trick is to get the cutting edge sharp and polished using a stone.

Good luck with your lathe. My father-in-law has one like yours. I've always thought that is was the perfect pipe making lathe because it could do light-duty metalwork as well as wood turning.

Cheers Benton! Very useful!

Yeah, sounds like you just need to sharpen your bits.

I usually test the edge on a turning chisel by seeing if it'll shave hair off the back of my hand.

But with lathe bits, I usually test the point on one of my fingernails.