Lathe from Heaven?

[Neal McCormick]

I returned home from church yesterday to find a workbench with an old Craftsman lathe mounted on it parked outside my garage. It was "abandoned" by its owner as a result of downsizing their house. The lathe was in the house when they bought it and has been used sparingly over the last 20 years. It's a 12" lathe (model 113.???) that does not appear to have seen a lot of tough use or was owned by someone who took extraordinary care of their tools. It starts and runs smoothly. Along with the lathe was a set of turning tools - long handles as well as short handles. My untrained eye says they are in definite need of sharpening. There was no manual but I found one on the internet and should have it in a couple of days. My questions to the forum - What should I look for to determine if the lathe is functional? Can I use this to turn pens? I have no turning experiance at all but have a desire to learn. Anyone have any experience with the Woodcraft classes? I've spent my lunch hour reading this forum - so much information! Thanks!

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Neal,

I think I may have the same lathe as you, maybe a little smaller.

If you can, post a picture of the lathe, it will really help to identify it.

Congrats on the lathe from heaven! That is basically how I got mine.

[Carole Valentine]

Not familiar with the lathe, but if it works I guarantee you it is enough to get you hooked! Better run while you still can!
I have taken one class (bowl turning) at Woodcraft and it was excellent. If they weren't so far away, I would certainly take more.

[Raymond Overman]

The price was definitely right on that lathe. As for whether it's worth anything or not consider these few things:

1) Does the motor run without making a clanking or ca-chunk sound? If yes then that's good. If no, then that's bad.

2) Can you or you and a buddy pick the lathe up and the lathe doesn't fall apart from rust or other damage? If yes, then that's good. If no, then that's bad.

3) Can you slide the tailstock with the center up to the headstock and the points meet? Are they in line at 1 inche? 2 inches? 3 inches? See a pattern here?

4) Are you prepared to spend more money on your free tool than you have spent on any other tool in your shop? Are you prepared to have the urge to purchase a bandsaw, drill press, chainsaw, grinder with jigs, dust collector, respirator, air compressor, spray booth, vats of denatured alchohol and danish oil, a wood kiln, etc. ad nauseum... If the answer is yes, that's good. If no, then that's bad.

5) Is your wife prepared to not see you 3-4 nights of the week after supper, be woken at midnight to see your latest masterpiece, and put up with your constant, "Honey, look at this." when you get one of 6-10 catalogs or magazines gracing your mailbox monthly? If yes, then that's good. If no, then that's bad.

6) Do you own and are you happy with other Craftsman tools? Do you have an undying belief that the old Sears & Roebuck hasn't changed and they still stand behind everything they sell? Personally, I think they have some fairly good tools available even if their staff is undereducated across their whole product line, they just don't stand behind them like they used to. That being said, your newly acquired lathe is a good place to start and you'll have a tool to measure against a year or two from now when you're ready to make an upgrade. If you're satisfied in a year or two then that's ok too.

Congratulations on the new tool. As for learning, one of the best things I've done is join my local woodturner's club. They have monthly meetings, discussions, contacts, peers, and some hands on events that really help. Of course you can't forget your friends here too though. Get to turning something and post us a pic of the lathe and your first piece. We're ready to see it!

[Richard Allen]

Hi Neal

Congrats on the new lathe.

A lot of terrific things have been turned on Craftsman lathes.

Raymond got it mostly right. The lathe is very likely the most costly tool you will ever get for free.

I teach a Woodcraft woodturning class. I think the class is a terrific value. Woodturning is unlike most other woodworking that involves power tools. Getting some hands on training will take MONTHS off the learning curve.

Good Luck

[Don Kisela]

Neal,
That is the same lathe I started with. Very nice starter, but I guarantee you it will suck you into the vortex, where the only option is to throw handfuls of money at it!
There are a couple of things to know about: First, if the lathe is not already bolted to the workbench or whatever it will sit on, do that. Second, get yourself some cast iron lubricant (you may already have some) and some steel wool. The tube is probably a little rusty and in need of cleaning. Clean it and then lube. Makes a huge difference. Third, this lathe has a 3/4" x 16 tpi spindle with a #1 MT. Make sure that any accessories you buy can work with those sizes. I never had any problem finding accessories (pen mandrel, chucks, etc.) so you don't need to worry about that. Fourth, this lathe is a little louder than most lathes in it's category. That being said, "louder" is a relative term. This will still probably be the second quietest power tool in your workshop (drill press is probably a little quieter).
All in all, a very nice lathe that will still have some resale value if and when you decide to trade up...
Don

[Matt Meiser]

I returned home from church yesterday to find a workbench with an old Craftsman lathe mounted on it parked outside my garage.

My wife and I were just discussing that we need to be better about going to church. Thanks for the motivation!

Seriously, congratulations. Any working free tool is better than no tool.

[Neal McCormick]

I will post a pic asap (meaning when I figure out how to). I picked up an Ernie Canover book on lathes while at the library killing time waiting to pick up one of the kids - very informative. I will take your suggestions to heart at the first opportunity. Don - your response answered one of the key questions I had about the spindle. Raymond the first 3 check out OK. I'll have to let you know about the rest. And I am researching turners groups and the Woodcraft classes. Thanks again!

[Raymond Overman]

Glad to hear that it's working for you so far Neal. Good luck with the rest of the list. By the way, I wasn't knocking classes. I'm just a cheap woodturner right now and find the club the best bang for the buck.

I'm saving my pennys though and I'm going to break down one day and get some professional help... woodturning or otherwise.