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Hello all, I'm currently turning on a Shopsmith and have the opportunity to pick up a Craftsman Professional Variable Speed lathe (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...4&blockType=G4) for a few hundred dollars. I can't find much information on this lathe, so do you guys think it would be worth it?
I'm struggling to find information on spindle size, morse taper, etc.
Thanks.
Nick,
You're lathe is listed in the link below along with most other lathes currently available in the USA.
http://www.woodturner.org/resources/LatheSpecs.pdf
My father has this lathe and its not a bad lathe. There is a lot of swing to work with, but it isn't really sturdy/heavy. As a result you'll need to anchor it to a sturdy workbench.
One of the largest issues with lathes over 10" swing is whether the motor has a slow enough rotation to safely turn a larger bowl. This lathe does slow down to ~250 RPM which makes it one of the few under $900 that do.
In my experience this lathe only has a couple issues:
- A lot of the housing is plastic.
- If the lathe hasn't been run for a while, the belt can form itself into an oval and then you need a new belt to have it run smoothly.
- You'll have to deal with Sears for part replacements.
In conclusion, its worth a couple hundred but not more than that.
Here's a link for maintenance of the lathe: http://aroundthewoods.com/lathemaintenance.html
Good luck.
This lathe is mostly cheap junk, and because Sears is no longer carrying their own brand of lathe [Craftsman] increasingly you will find it hard to get replacement parts. This lathe is manufactured by Palmgren,Inc.
I owned a Craftsman 15" variable speed lathe, and when the parts broke on my model a 351.217170, I could not get parts from sears, any other place on planet earth, so I ended up making scrap metal at the recycle yard with it.
While the model you have shown has a reeves drive, it has been known to give constant problems, and maintainence of this drive mechanism is really important, and I have heard others mention it eats belts.
I would go with something else altogether, if it was my decision.....just my humble opinion based upon what I know, and what I have heard about this craftsman model.
There is an old saying that goes around every time someone asks a question like this. Find the best lathe you can afford and buy the next one better.:eek:
I had one of those lathes when I first started. I wouldn't give 10 cents for one. I had mine for about 1 yr or so bought brand new. It was being fixed more than I turned on it. There always was a 4 to 8 week delay in getting parts. Belts cannot be purchased from anywhere but Sears or Palmgren and they are darned expensive. I sold it to the scrap metal place because I just couldn't sell it to anybody else. Just my $1.298.
I had a Sears lathe, although not that model. The parts/quality concerns are what I did not like either. IMO I would look to buy a used Jet, Rikon or Delta mini/midi. The Jet mini was a huge step up from the Sears, even though the Sears was bigger, longer and more powerful. I would pass.
I feel your pain with the SS, I have one too.
The Palmgren was my first lathe. I had issues with the headstock so they sent me another one. Well, it was frustrating using the lathe so i upgraded. See the picture of what my two headstocks serve as now. :D
Okay, based on this feedback it looks like I'll keep looking. Thanks everyone.