# Old Craftsman Wood Lathe - maybe 1935?



## elm (Jul 13, 2013)

I posted this request to two folks who appear to have the tool about which I am inquiring. However, it appears that they have been inactive on these forums for well over one year. If anyone knows of SirBrian or ATLux, please try to bring this to their attention. Thanks.

I have been looking for information on a very old Craftsman wood lathe. I cannot find any model number. Most parts have part numbers cast into them. I have disassembled it to see exactly what I have vs need. Wonder if anyone can help me with a few issues?
I am looking for:
any manual that may have come with the lathe (no luck on vintagemachinery.org)
the tail stock clamp, part L2-7, someone used a hunkof steel plate instead
the correct tool rest, part number unknown, may be 9-333
the head stock base, part L2-2, part of it broke out, another one would be nice but not absolutely necessary.
What motor would you advise, hp, rpm, clockwise rotation, etc
Finally, can you suggest a way to remove really heavy rust before refinishing?
Thanks very much.









Ed


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## toolie (Mar 16, 2011)

try these guys:

http://owwm.org/index.php

http://vintagemachinery.org/

or this forum:
http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthreads/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=turning

i'd suspect a 1/2 or 3/4 HP motor would do well on that lathe.


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## JustJoe (Oct 26, 2012)

What is the tailstock number itself?


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## elm (Jul 13, 2013)

Tailstock is part L2-5.


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## JustJoe (Oct 26, 2012)

neener neener









Oh yea - for something that small you can get a big plastic tub at Wally World and use a battery charger and some baking soda for electrolysis.


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## elm (Jul 13, 2013)

Joe,
Are you in the process of restoring to a working lathe?


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## JustJoe (Oct 26, 2012)

No. I've got three working lathes already and parts of a small metal lathe I'm trying to decide what to do with. That's just a tailstock that has been sitting on a shelf in the laundry room for the last four years. I keep telling people - the tools and parts are all around you, you just have to look. Now be honest - have you looked on the shelf in your laundry room? It may be different depending on the type of dwelling you live in, but in my home the top five places outside the workshop to find tools or parts of tools is
1. Under/on the dining room table.
2. In the laundry room.
3. Under the living room couch.
4. That closet near the bathroom, usually behind the TP and spare towels. 
and for the real small parts -
5. Bedroom, nightstand drawer.


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## elm (Jul 13, 2013)

Is the tailstock clamp in the pic part L2-7? It looks like one of the parts I could use. If so, are you interested in working out some sort of arrangement for it?


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## TerryDowning (Aug 8, 2012)

It looks like my 1939 Dunlap

https://skydrive.live.com/embed?cid=DADE84084FE6576A&resid=DADE84084FE6576A%21607&authkey=ACMNg71Wp7G0rlY


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## Dakkar (Feb 14, 2013)

That one looks close to one I picked up at a flea market back in the '80s and never got going. It was so hopelessly rusted I was never even able to change the belt. I'm afraid it made it's way to the metal recyclers.

These days, I like the rust neutralizer you get at auto supply stores. It stops the rusting process and turns the rust black. The damage is still there, though, so you still have to sand it off.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Ed, it probably came with 1/2HP motor but I'd recommend grabbing a DC motor from a treadmill and having variable speed. You can look at my blog to see what I've done.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

That's some funny stuff, Joe.


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## JustJoe (Oct 26, 2012)

Loren - it's the truth though. I've got an electrolysis tank bubbling away on the countertop where most people keep a toaster and a couple of block planes soaking in evaporust in the bathroom sink.

Ed - It doesn't have any markings on it, but it looks original. The bottom is milled out for the bolt to sit in just right, it's about 1.5" wide. The stepped portion that goes in the gap on the bed is 2.75" long and the unstepped portion that would sit on the bottom is about 3-3/8". The bolt is just under 3" long and about 1/2" thick.

I've got another generic tailstock clamp that was sitting in my office on a shelt. That ones's made for a skinnier lathe bed - the stepped portion on that one is just a shade over 2".


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## elm (Jul 13, 2013)

Joe,
The 1.5" width is good. However, the rails are 1.75" wide. The stepped portion would have to fit that dimension. I have a 3/8" bolt. Nice try. If anything else shows up, please keep me in mind.
Thanks
Ed


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## hairy (Sep 23, 2008)

http://www.evaporust.com/evaporust.html?gclid=CNPrjvTmz7gCFa87MgodLmsAEw

This is good stuff. I get it at Harbor Freight. I used it on this old jointer.


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## elm (Jul 13, 2013)

Additional information from www.lathes.co.uk/craftsmanwood/. My model appears to be a cross between two models mentioned below, headstock from the 1st with bed and tailstock from the 2nd. Year, 1935 - 1936.

By 1935, and with the dropping of the Herberts "Wood Wizard" range, the entire range of Craftsman wood-turning lathes had been changed. The cheapest machine, illustrated below, was the 6-inch swing by 24 inches between centres model which, like its forebears, had a 5/8-inch spindle running in bronze bearings driven by a 3-step V pulley. Instead of a central foot, the cross-braced bed was deepened in section over its central portion. The price, at $4.85, remained below the crucial $5 mark.

First pic at - http://www.lathes.co.uk/craftsmanwood/img23.gif

Craftsman 6-inch x 24-inch wood-turning lathe of 1935 - this inexpensive model remained in the lists until 1938.

Second pic at - http://www.lathes.co.uk/craftsmanwood/img24.gif

1935 to 1936 Craftsman 9-inch lathe.
Unlike the earlier 9-inch lathe, with its ball-bearing headstock, this model made do with cheap "Oilite" porous-bronze bushes. However, the spindle was bored hollow, took a number 1 Morse-taper centre and could be fitted with a faceplate on its left-hand end for large-capacity bowl turning.. Unfortunately, the ring of 60 indexing holes on the headstock pulley was missing and the bed had lost its mid-way foot. However (and rather surprisingly) the tailstock could be set over for taper turning and a limited range of accessories - a compound slide rest, 3 and 4 jaw chucks and a fixed steady - was available to convert it into a metal-turning lathe.


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## mrg (Mar 10, 2010)

That's a Dunlap lathe with Craftsman branding. Dunlap also made the lathe for Montgomery Ward. I have one of these lathes. Do you need the Manuel.


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## REO (Sep 20, 2012)

elm,
for fun that lathe will do in a pinch. For lots of turning the "bearings" in the headstock don't hold up well. watch the pressure of the tailstock as well. they don't like thrust either.


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## elm (Jul 13, 2013)

mrg,
Yes, I would very much like a copy of the manual. What info would you like from me in order to send?

Do you use your lathe very much? The more I find out, its not a very good lathe. Poor quality bearings in headstock, tailstock cannot be pushed against wood to hard. $3.00 at auction, no biig deal.
Thanks
Ed


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

I found a Craftsman lathe on CL for $350 and it has electronic variable speed and is 15×38. I'd have bought it but I just bought a new Craftsman with Reeves drive. Here is the link if interested:

<c114e657fbd635a49b7fca925dc4af74>;

.............Jim


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## elm (Jul 13, 2013)

Jim, complete link did not come through. Please resend. Thanks.


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## IrreverentJack (Aug 13, 2010)

MRG, I believe 'Dunlap' was a Sears economy line(Craftsman was the high end). An executive named Dunlap worked for Sears and they renamed the 'Companion' economy line after him in the 1930s. The first digits of the model number indicate the manufacturer. -Jack


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## mrg (Mar 10, 2010)

Elm send me a pm with your email address and I will email you the PDF of the manual.


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## berniecj (Mar 5, 2016)

MRG, i just picked up the same lathe and need the manual if you wouldn't mind sending it over?
the bearing went bad and need to figure out the set up on the spindle. 
berniecj


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

> Hi, I am new in woodworking.


Spam, don't bother guys. Photo stolen from Mountainbrook Studios. 
Reported.


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## WibblyPig (Jun 8, 2009)

I too am rebuilding one. For anyone else who comes across this, they're actually nice little lathes. They were made by Atlas and rebranded as Craftsman. Atlas must not have cared too much because you can see where they took out the Atlas name plate, dropped in a Craftsman and then did zero grinding on the rough edges around the name plate.

As far as I can tell, Sears only sold them in '35 and '36 and then in '37 went to a similar lathe but started with the 101 prefixing.

Interestingly, the logo is wrong on the lathe. The line continuing from the bottom of the C in Craftsman denoted Companion tools which were the home grade line while the extension from the top denoted Master Craftsman which was the pro line. This lathe has the bottom line but is considered the pro line with optional metal work accessories, #1 Morse tapers at head and tail and offsetable tail for off center turning, etc.

I have the 1934 Atlas catalog page and 1935 Sears catalog page downloaded and when I get to my computer I'll post them both.

As I make a lot of pens, mine is going to be set up as a dedicated drilling machine. I just picked up a 1/2hp Century repulsion start with oiled bearings today so I'll be keeping a can of oil next to this machine. The motor probably weighs as much as the lathe.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

> Interestingly, the logo is wrong on the lathe. The line continuing from the bottom of the C in Craftsman denoted Companion tools which were the home grade line while the extension from the top denoted Master Craftsman which was the pro line.


Not sure where you got that from… but here is the badge on my 1937 drill press (101.03661):










Which was their top of the line at the time and obviously branded as "Master Craftsman"... and here is the embossed logo on the belt cover:










And here is the 1935 catalog entry that shows both versions being used:












> I have the 1934 Atlas catalog page and 1935 Sears catalog page downloaded and when I get to my computer I'll post them both.
> 
> - WibblyPig


No need to post them - both can be found at the VM site.

Cheers,
Brad


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

TO ME that looks like it was probably from the Driver Line of smaller tools made by Walker Turner.


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## WibblyPig (Jun 8, 2009)

Look further in your 1937 catalog. By then, they had changed to Craftsman and Companion as two separate lines. It's the '35 and '36 catalog that has the over/under difference. But you are correct - in other places they show the under with the Master designation.

No, they are not Walker Turner, that's why I'll list the Craftsman and Atlas pages here - so people can see for certain the lineage of this lathe. They were only built for 2 years but there seems to be a lot of them out there.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

> Itss the 35 and 36 catalog that has the over/under difference.
> - WibblyPig


Got it… I thought you were referring to the actual logo on the *machine*, not what was used in the *catalog*.

Cheers,
Brad

PS: Don't place too much faith in catalog pictures - they frequently used old graphics and were not a true representation of what the machine looked like in person. Not just C-man… pretty much all of them.


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## WibblyPig (Jun 8, 2009)




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## WibblyPig (Jun 8, 2009)

You're right about the difference - notice the catalog has the over image but the actual lathe has the under as well as 9" cast into the bed.


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## IHartner (Oct 11, 2017)

Hey everybody,
I'm new to the forum but I came across this thread while searching for what size belt I'll need for my newly restored 1937 Atlas/Craftsman lathe. Does anyone know if it takes a 1/2" or a 3/8" belt?

Thanks!


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

> Hey everybody, I'm new to the forum but I came across this thread while searching for what size belt I ll need for my newly restored 1937 Atlas/Craftsman lathe. Does anyone know if it takes a 1/2" or a 3/8" belt?
> - IHartner


Measure the pulley… there is no telling what has been changed/modified on that machine over the last 80 years. It most likely is a 1/2" (A or 4L) as those are the most common, but there is no guarantee.

Cheers,
Brad


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## Levus (Nov 6, 2017)

I have this exact lathe but an older mdl, mine has a metal tool attachment with micro positioning making it a metal lathe. I also would like to find a model number


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## bfester (Jul 6, 2018)

I have this same lathe (except mine is painted red). Have had it for a decade and bought it at a yard sale. 1/2 hp motor on it, and I've used it to turn pen blanks, which it does pretty well. I'm pretty sure mine is the 9" version, probably mid '30s, but there's no brand on it.

I'd like to rebuild the headstock front bearing area, but I've got no idea how that was originally made. At this point there's a roller bearing that "almost" fits the housing, and a wooden bushing that fills out that shaft between the stepper pulley and the headstock housing, but I'd like to find out how that was originally made. Does anyone have an exploded view of the headstock end (and perhaps a photo of one)?


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## don1950 (Sep 26, 2019)

Thanks for the Add, Just stumbled on to your site, in search of info on a Old Craftsman 9" wood lathe a good friend of mine has. We found his lead screw nut is bad and was trying to find a replacement or repair. Belonged to his Dad when he was alive and is used often to make Baseball bats for his baseball buddies and himself. Saw MRG's listing for said Lathe and though maybe he could help me out..

Again thanks for the add

Don


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