# 101.28990 Year Of Manufacture?



## Kilroy486 (Apr 5, 2016)

Is there a way to decode the year of manufacture from the serial number on a 101.28990?
My serial number is 108639.
Thank you!


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## Mondo (Apr 5, 2016)

Easier to pop the dust covers off the spindle bearings and see what date is engraved on the bearings.  That is not exact, but is going to get you closest.
The SN for unknown reasons is not a reliable way to determine DoM.

Spiral_Chips


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## Steve Shannon (Apr 5, 2016)

There is a database that is slowly being filled at http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=51&tab=5
It might help get you close. 


 Steve Shannon, P.E.


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## Kilroy486 (Apr 5, 2016)

Thanks guys. 
The list over at vintage machinery is inconclusive. And I've buggered up my knuckles without budging the bearing caps. 
Time for kroil!


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## wa5cab (Apr 6, 2016)

The headstock spindle bearings in the Atlas 10" and Atlas-Craftsman 3/8" ways 12" had dates hand-engraved. most commonly on the big end of the cups (Atlas always stocked and sold the bearings only as cup-cone sets).  There has been some discussion as to whether Atlas or Timken actually did the engraving.  However, it appears that the practice stopped around the time that the 1/2" way 12" machines sometimes known as the Commercial came out.  No Commercial spindle bearings have been reported as having dates engraved on them.  So spare your knuckles.

There are several obvious errors in the Vintage Machinery list.  For example, the first 101.28910 wasn't made until late 1967 so S/N 105857 couldn't have been made in 1958.  

The final version of the Atlas and Atlas-Craftsman 12" lathes came out in late 1967.  Both started at S/N 100000.  The Atlas models and the Craftsman models ran separate serial number pools.  Which is unfortunate as data is a bit better on the Atlas models than on the Craftsman ones.  But all six (at the beginning) models of both groups did share a pool so if we had much data, at least we wouldn't have to worry about model numbers in each group.  Craftsman S/N 102826 (coincidentally a 101.28990) was reported as being purchased 16 January 1974.  The highest serial number in our database is 109258 (a 101.28910).  This was one of two that I had but I wasn't the original owner.  The bench models disappeared from the Sears catalogs in late 1974.  So since your serial number is a little less than this one, I would guess that yours was sold in late 1974.  Absent someone coming along with an original invoice on one with a serial number very close to yours, that is probably as close as you are going to get.


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