# Craftsman 101.27440 Parts



## Jtsmith0272 (May 30, 2017)

I was able to purchase a Craftsman 6" model 101.27440 and serial # 12L 040548 with the quick change gear box.  It is missing one jaw from the 3 jaw, the drive gear for the quick change gear box and the tooling.  I need some suggestions on where I can find the missing gear and chuck jaw, manual, and suggestions on a quick change tool holder.  Read several place and some say AXA and others BXA so still not sure.  Everything else on the lathe seem to function properly with a clean bed and smooth carriage.   Any help this group can give is greatly appreciated.


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## wa5cab (May 31, 2017)

First, the 101.27440 is a 12x36, not a 6.  If you lived in the UK or in the Commonwealth, you would call it a 6", but in the US it's called a 12".

The gear driven by the 16T/32T gear on the tumbler pivot should be a 40T and is called the Sliding Gear.  The only time that you normally move it from the OUT to the IN position is when you are cutting 4 tpi to 7.5 tpi threads.  Which is probably never.  The input gear to the QCGB is actually two 48T  gears mounted on a common keyed bushing.  You can get the gears, the keyed bushing, the shoulder bushing that the keyed bushing runs on, and the mounting bolt, nut and washer from Clausing.  Or you may be able to find them used on eBay

Unfortunately, (a) the 3-jaw chucks (except for those more expensive ones that came with 2-piece jaws) originally came with six jaws.  Three are used for mounting smaller parts and three for larger.  And they are not interchangable between any two chucks.  You might get lucky and find four jaws that will actually fit your chuck.  But almost certainly the runout will be terrible.  So bite the bullet and resign yourself to buying another chuck..  It is possible to re-grind jaws to fit.  But it takes a tool post grinder and even with that, you can't do it the way that the factory did.

You can download the owner's manual with parts list from the Atlas-Craftsman section in our DOWNLOADS.  Instructions for navigating DOWNLOADS are a few threads below where you posted the above.  And if you didn't get a copy of the Atlas Manual Of Lathe Operation (MOLO for short) with the machine, you need one.  They turn up on eBay fairly frequently, usually at around $35 +/-.  The best edition for your machine is the 16th, printed in 1954 and 1955.  And preferably one that says CRAFTSMAN on the black front cover.  If you watch eBay for a while, one will turn up.  Unfortunately, the only extra 16th edition that I have is the one optimised for the Atlas 10".

The proper size QCTP for the Craftsman 12" is an AXA.  There are people on here and elsewhere who have put a BXA on their Atlas built 12".  But they fall into two groups - those who say that they wished that they hadn't, and those that wish it but don't admit it.  Unless you are rich enough or lucky enough to buy an Aloris, what you buy will probably be made in China these days.  So I would pay a few dollars more and get the wedge type.  Don't buy the cheapest one that you can find.  And don't buy one with an aluminum tool post.  Whatever you buy, you will probably have to machine the T-nut to fit the T-slot on your compound slide.  You can do this on the lathe if you got it with a lantern tool post.  But I wouldn't do that because you will have to cut away too much of the nut and you will increase the risk of breaking the top of the compound.  

Most of the QCTP's can be had as a package deal with one each of four or five different cutter holders.  Buy several additional #101 holders (I currently have 12) and probably two additional #102 holders.  If you don't, every time that you need to use a different cutter, you lose most the benefits of a QCTP because you have to stop, get out the Allen wrench, remove the cutter that you were using, install the new one, and get it on center.


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## Jtsmith0272 (May 31, 2017)

Thanks for all the help.  This is my 1st Lathe and was searching for Craftsman 6" since the diameter of the chuck is 6".  Imagine my surprise when I started searching for Craftsman 12X36!   I also did not realize that this lathe was made in the 50's.  Does the serial have any relation to a specific year that it was made? 

I will call Clausing tomorrow and order the correct gears for the QCGB and keep a lookout for the MOLO on ebay.  There are several chucks on ebay in the 3 and 4 jaw but not sure what the TPI is that I need.  I will download the owners manual next and start reading up as well.  I have also read and looked at the pics of the twist lock style belts to use instead of the normal drive belt and that makes sense to me since I wont have to take anything apart to install a new belt and save on some time.  Once again, thanks for all the help and information.


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## Randall Marx (Jun 1, 2017)

I like my twist-lock belts, but some others do not. Removing and reinstalling the spindle is not that big of a deal, though. It might be a good idea to do that anyway just to get eyes on the spindle, bearings, gears, etc.
On any of the Atlas/Craftsman 12" lathes, the spindle nose will be 1-1/2" - 8 tpi. Quite often, the chuck is purchased as "plain back" and used with a backplate that has the appropriate hole and thread size for the spindle. One advantage of using that type of setup is that one can size the register such that adjustments can be made to limit or eliminate radial runout at the chuck.
I run an import AXA size wedge QCTP on my Craftsman 12x36 and love it. I just got a bunch more tool holders to go with it so I can leave the tools in them and not have to change tools in the tool holder. It is SO much more FUN to use that way!
Good luck with everything and don't hesitate to ask any questions here.
Randall


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## wa5cab (Jun 3, 2017)

I'm one of those who don't like link belts other than for what they were originally designed for.  Which was for emergency repairs to minimize downtime in a commercial environment.  And to reduce cost of spare parts stocked to limit downtime.  

In all other areas, they are inferior to V-belts.  They are more prone to slippage because they have much less surface area in contact with the pulleys.  They tend to wear pulleys unevenly.  They are not intended to be run in reverse.  And at the same quality level, they usually cost more.


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## Jtsmith0272 (Jun 20, 2017)

Thank you both for the information


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## Jtsmith0272 (Aug 6, 2017)

Update on my craftsman:  I sold my Craftsman 12X36 to someone that needed it  more than I did and has the time to work with it.  Sine I bought it I haven't been able to do anything with it or buy the parts that it needed.   Thank you for all the help.


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