A new (old) lathe, and a surprise

[Michael Robinson]

I've been wanting a lathe for a long time, just to experiment with to see if the craft interests me.

Didn't want to invest a lot so have been looking at garage sales etc.

On NY Craig's list found the following:

"Up for sale is a Sears Craftsman 12" wood lathe model number 113.228162 Comes with Copy Crafter (duplicator). This lathe is barely used. 1/2 HP motor, easy speed adjustment, 13 knives, and a copy attachment, $250."

Well, I went to examine today and the lathe looks like it just came out of the box and 8 of the 13 tools are by Robert Sorby. The duplicator is by Vega Enterprises.

Did I do OK?

Cheers,

MikeR

[TYLER WOOD]

not shabby. The tools alone are probably $100 plus. The copycraft will not really be of much use depending on what you are wanting to do, but still not a bad thing to have handy. It's more for production turning. The lathe just out of the box sounds like not too bad a deal, a little older model though. Make sure you bolt the thing down to a sturdy surface. This will help with the pipe ways bending and getting your tail stock and head stock out of alignment. Also add lots of weight to the bench it's attatched to. This will give ot more stability. It's a good tool to get into turning, not a lot of money spent if for some reason you don't like turning. Nice gloat!

Oh, that's the cheapest you'll probably get out. Turning is addictive and expensive. Welcome to the vortex muahahaha.......

Hey guy we've got a live victim here!!!!!!!

[Paul Engle]

Yep, just a couple of hundred $ more and you'll be ready to spend another thousand... or soooooo. chucks, grinder/s, tool grinder jig, more power, more finish, more sand paper, more wood blanks, more shop tools ,more shop , more catalogs coming in the mail, and ...ah "just one more tool" .... but ..... more satisfaction , way more fun, SWMBO will know where you are 24/7, more stuff you can make for her, more you can make for all your friends and family, you're gonna love it Mike. Welcome to the vortex.Look up the nearest club and get with 'em, they will have lots of great advice and help for the one just starting out.

[Dean Thomas]

Hey Mike!

I'll add my own welcome to "the vortex" or what some others call the black hole of woodturning.

Yes, you did pretty darned good. At least for the duplicator and the sorby tools. The lathe is a crap shoot. If you got one that's not a trainwreck, you'll be okay for a while, until it turns into a trainwreck. Crapsman, er CRAFTSman lathes are not known for longevity or being made with, well, good craftsmanship to begin with. I do know a few guys whose Cman lathes have served them well. Most folks I know either gave up on turning all together or moved on to a more reputable lathe.

Probably the biggest complaint is that Sears does not stock spare parts for the darned things and after just a year or two, the model is often an orphan.

Seems like the biggest problem is with the spindle getting bent or coming pre-bent.

Do you have any good turners near you who'd be willing to take a look at your new-to-you machine? Or if you have a discerning eye, what you're looking for is to make sure that the point of the spur center is absolutely aligned with the point in the tailstock center (live or dead center point). If it aligned smack on, you're ready to look at checkpoint #2. Without moving the tailstock, rotate the spindle by hand and watch the points. Does your alignment change? If the spur drive point describes a circle, you've likely got a bent shaft. The angle of that point could well change enough to be visible. If it stays aligned and still draws that circle, your alignment may be questionable.

Those are the biggies to watch for. Let us know what you find.

PS. You can probably sell the Vegas duplicator for more than you paid for the whole thing!

[Michael Robinson]

Yes, I checked the alignments and they are both spot on. So, we'll see how things work out. I already have a list of 'things' to produce for family and friends.

My original reason for the lathe was that I wanted to produce models of lighthouses. (I've spent over 50 years sailing so have a different perspective of lighthouses).

However, everyone wants bowls, candlesticks and other stuff, so I guess I'll start working on the things that others want.

Will keep you posted on my 'progress'.

Off to Cayman Islands for next week. (Nice).

Cheers,

MikeR

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Mike.......Congrats and welcome to the money making craft known as woodturing or "the Vortex'!Somebody's got to be making money 'cause all of us are spending money!

[Wally Wenzel]

I would say you made a very good buy,i have had my craftsman lathe for over 30 years, just receintly replaced the bearings and spindle shaft that i ruined the threads on out of a very dumb stunt i pulled. Had no trouble getting all the parts i needed from Sears, it may not be the best lathe in the world but i have made a ton of stuff on it and has served me well.
Wally

[Brett Baldwin]

If you haven't already you'll start looking for wood to turn everywhere you go. You may want to think about leaving some room in your suitcases for some Cayman woods. It sounds like you're off to a pretty decent start in your turning experience.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Michael welcome to the black hole of turning. Your lathe is the cheapest expense you will have. Have fun and enjoy.

[Allen Neighbors]

Michael, my first lathe was the same as yours. I turned a few table legs on it, and set it aside for about 25 years. When I saw some nice hollowforms, etc., I decided to get it out from under the junk and turn. First thing I did was stupid. I put a chunk of Mesquite on the 6" faceplate (that came with the lathe), screwed it onto the spindle, and turned it on. The Mesquite wasn't balanced, and I didn't know enough to use the tailstock. Bent the shaft within 3 seconds... that's about how long it took me to realize that banging was the wood hitting the tubes.
It will turn some nice pieces. Just make sure you follow good sense, and use the tailstock whenever possible, especially until your blank is balanced. IOW, don't be stupid like me.
The 3/4x16tpi headstock spindle has a 3/8 through hole for the knockout rod. Think about it... that leaves only 3/16" of thickness to the metal of the spindle.
Welcome to the addiction!!

[Robert McGowen]

I would think that just the 8 Sorby tools would be easily worth what you paid for the entire rig.