Sunday, July 17 2016
Just what I need. Another project.
At a discussion after a Sunday morning breakfast I mentioned that I’d once though of getting a small lathe so I can turn expensive stock into worthless chips. A friend mentioned he had one. Well, he had a project that could, maybe, be a lathe some time in the future. It was given to him when he retired (15 years ago) and it’s been sitting on a bench gathering dust ever since. Do I want it?
I’m a fool. I made room on my bench (more or less) and picked it up a few weeks after our conversation. The pictures tell the story. Perhaps if I throw enough money in its direction a working lathe will come out the other end. Perhaps. I’ll pull it apart, clean it, and try to get the rust off. Then I’ll decide if it will go back together. I can already see that I’ll need replacement back gears and carriage.
So what is it?
It is a Craftsman #101.07301, the Sears branded version of an Atlas 618. There are more differences than just the name. The 07301 is similar to the Atlas “Mark 1” version but with bushings instead of bearings for the spindle.
Variations of this lathe were made from 1938 through the 1970s. Lots more info here (lathes.co.uk). This particular lathe may have been made some time between 1946 and 1950.