# Got a tiny Craftsman lathe.  What do I have here?



## parrothead (Jan 6, 2020)

A friend gave me this nice little Craftsman lathe, number 109.21270. Does anyone have any information on one of these?
	

		
			
		

		
	








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## Cooter Brown (Jan 6, 2020)

I have that same machine but with a 4ft bed.... I haven't made anything with it yet..... Its kinda hard to run the carriage with the lead screw hand feed... But it should have back gears....


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## parrothead (Jan 6, 2020)

Mine has a 6” swing and the total length of the lathe is 27”.


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## DavidR8 (Jan 7, 2020)

Wow, that’s in amazing condition! Congratulations!


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## wa5cab (Jan 7, 2020)

During the early part of WW-II, and again from 1948 until 1959, Sears sold these under the Sears Dunlap  badge at first and later under the Craftsman "80" badge.  They were made by a company also in Michigan named AA, sometimes spoken as "Double A".  The company and the lathes have no connection to Atlas or Clausing, although I have heard it said that their Change Gears are interchangeable with those on the Atlas 6".  It has been a while but several of them have shown up and been discussed here.  And there are a few manuals and parts drawings in Downloads under the same folder/Category as the Atlas machines.


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## HarryJM (Jan 7, 2020)

Vintage Machinery has a copy of the manual at http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=601l.


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## markba633csi (Jan 7, 2020)

One weakness on those is the spindle is thin and can be bent easily- 
Also I believe they came with one of two spindle nose sizes: 1/2" and 3/4"- the latter being preferred
Check and see which one you have
M


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## JPMacG (Jan 7, 2020)

A friend owns a Dunlap lathe with a bent spindle and unfortunately, he has found no economically sensible fix.  So if yours is good, consider yourself lucky and treat it gently.


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## wa5cab (Jan 7, 2020)

There is also a copy of the manual on the 109.21270 in our Downloads.  As well as on the other models except on the last one from the mid-1960's.  And also Lionel Weithtman's parts drawings.


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## welderr (Jan 9, 2020)

JPMacG said:


> A friend owns a Dunlap lathe with a bent spindle and unfortunately, he has found no economically sensible fix.  So if yours is good, consider yourself lucky and treat it gently.


There are often repro spindles on Ebay  for these machines. TJ


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## pdentrem (Jan 9, 2020)

Could make a new spindle by turning between centers if the bed is long enough. The center in the spindle can be recut to remove any wobble.
Pierre


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## ericc (Jan 9, 2020)

"GAVE".  That means a lot.  These lathes can be a lot of fun, even with a bent spindle.  You can make another one, but it is an advanced project.  Looks good.  Don't push it too hard.  I ran mine with a loose belt to avoid mishaps.  It took a lot of patience.


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## parrothead (Jan 10, 2020)

This one seems to run true. I’ll probably never overload it, since I have a 15” lathe for bigger projects.


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