Just uploaded some photos of the old wood lathe. If anyone has one this old , this is a sample of what it can look like after an overhaul and paint job. The old jewel works like a charm.
Jay

Looks good!
I believe the lathe I use is older, but I'm not sure who made it, there's no name on any of the castings and it is driven by a separate motor which mounts below and drives the lathe via a belt. I was told that it looked like either an old Craftsman or Atlas lathe, but never bothered to find out for sure. I am in the process of converting it to a modern chuck and I'll do a complete repaint on while I'm at it. I believe that it may have even been flat belt driven, the pully looks newer than the rest of the unit. The main frame is all one solid piece of cast iron, and it uses bronze sleave bushings and not ball bearings. There is an oil resovoir above each bushing with a wick to lube the shaft. Who ever had it before me took good care of it since it's still tight and works like new, but the drive end is a flat disc with interchangable spikes or pins which would bite into wood stock.
The far end has an MT2 taper and I jsut ordered what looks like the same live center as yours from an online supplier. I am contemplating ways to convert this to a normal chuck, the shaft on it now is a 3' flange with several threaded and unthreaded holes, and it's one piece with the shaft which is inserted through the bushing and secured and adjusted by the placement of the drive pulley. I have considered maching the drive end to take roller bearings and then make a new shaft to accept a normal chuck.
I've used it all these years as it is using wooden dowels as mandrels. Since I'm working on a new shop, it's time to give it a new refurb for it's new home.
I had gotten this for free about 20 years ago, and have just kept using it, since it's always done the job, I've never even considered upgrading.

I have an older Sears wood lathe that I purchased in the late 60s and it was old back then. back then Sears was introducing the laths built around the round tubes for the base. mine has a heavy cast iron base and is power by what ever motor you want to hang on behind the head stock via a belt. Since it has such a heavy cast base it absolutely won't warp or spring out of trueness from the center line of the tail stock to the head stock.

King-Seeley built most of the older Craftsman lathes and power tools of the 1950's and early 1960's. Emerson built the ones after those. At one time these were exceptional tools, far better than the Emerson built Craftsman power tools today.

The King-Seely models are cast iron, including the beds and were very good units. I have one from the early 1950's and except that it's not a variable speed model, it's in a class that puts it alongside lathes today that sell for well over $1500.

Your lathe is not very old. Most likely built in the 1970's or 1980's. Twin steel tube bed. Nothing wrong with it for rod building, of course.

..................



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/09/2007 10:22AM by Tom Kirkman.

I haven't been able to find out who built it. My guess is it was built in the early '70's. The tag says," Sears, Roebuck and Co. USA" Mo# 149.23871. I don't know how to decipher the mo. number.
It also says," Order parts from most Sears Stores or Catalog Centers." That statement tells me it is not very old. It is very rigid and has sealed bearings in the head stock. Plenty strong enough for turning handles.

I have an older 12 x 36" Craftsman metal lathe as well, I have assumed that that was made by Atlas since a buddy has an identical lathe in which the only difference is the logo on the gear cover. I bought that one at a farm @#$%&, still sealed in it's wooden crate about 15 years ago. It;s been an excellent piece or equipment. I did a quick search and found a pretty neat site on old wood working equipment, [www.owwm.com]
There's a picture area there too.