# Craftsman lathe 101.21400



## MrCrem

This is a link to my first video of my "work in progress". http://youtu.be/VpQY5_iIfdM
Its not much but Its a start...


----------



## cru1966

MrCrem said:


> This is a link to my first video of my "work in progress". http://youtu.be/VpQY5_iIfdM
> Its not much but Its a start...



Nice looking lathe.  I just picked one up at an estate auction.  The 618's seem to be pretty common.  I haven't got mine up and running yet. I have to re-wire the motor since the wires were in bad shape and clean it up since it looks to have been sitting for some time - minor surface rust, etc.  I plan to do a moderate restoration on mine - new paint etc.  I'll be picking up some evaporust to soak some of the part into before painting.

Craig


----------



## righto88

Nice looking lathe. I am sure you will learn lots and and have lots of fun with the little 618. I keep mine and am 
not sure why.


----------



## Ray C

Good luck and have fun.  Please be safe with open gears...

BTW, that runout probably was not all that bad.  Did you try reading off the side instead of the point?  Also, sometimes a center does not seat properly and it take a couple tries to get it clean and pushed in there just right.


Ray


----------



## ksierens

Great looking lathe!  One thing though, the 101.21400 is actually the newer square head style lathe that they switched to in around 1973-1974, which I have, so someone must have swapped the bed at some point which is no problem.

I will say, I love the look of the older style ones like yours more.


----------



## Bailey

MrCrem said:


> This is a link to my first video of my "work in progress". http://youtu.be/VpQY5_iIfdM
> Its not much but Its a start...



I have an Atlas 618 that I have rebuilt, looks similar to your unit, most likely you have the Timken bearings in the headstock.
At the end of your spindle on the left hand side is an adjustment nut, to tighten or loosen the tension on the headstock, you may want
to tighten it no more than maybe a 1/4 turn and check run out, there is also a small set screw in the adjustment nut and it needs to be
tightened after adjustment. If you can move the spindle with your hand you need to snug up the adjustment nut, then check for run out.

The only time I use the back gear is when I am cutting threads. 
The gears on these machines are cast (Zimac?), doesn't take much to lose a tooth or two if something is out of alignment, I know first hand <g>
Keep the bearings well oiled, I use a 20 wt. oil.
Looks like a nice machine and you will have many hours of enjoyment with it.

Regards,
Bailey


----------



## wa5cab

ksierens,

The square head Mk2 6" is the Atlas 10100 or Craftsman 101.21200.  The Craftsman 101.21400 is an Atlas 618 with a Craftsman nameplate.  The lathe in your photograph looks like a 101.21200 with a 618 or 101.21400 tailstock.  I don't know whether the 618 and 10100 beds are actually interchangable or not as the part numbers in the available catalogs are different, but Atlas had a bad habit of changing part numbers during production with the new number sometimes backwards compatible and sometimes not.  So I can't say whether or not you could put a Mk2 headstock onto a 618/101.21400 bed or not.

There was also an Atlas 3950 Mk2 that was only made for about a year but it doesn't appear that Sears ever sold it or if they did they used the same catalog number for both so it'e not possible to really tell from the catalogs.  I know that the Craftsman model numbers seem backwards as the older machine has the higher model number but this isn't the only example where they did that.  Some of the 12" Commercials are that way.

There was also an Atlas 10200 metric Mk2 but at least going by the catalogs, Sears didn't sell it.

Robert D.


----------



## shoeboxpaul

.001 runout. I would not be happy with that. My 6" Atlas is about spot on. Like Ray C suggested, check it in another area. That is a "dead" center and the area you are indicating is where items rotate., maybe not that high up but, still, you need to check. I would remove the center and set an indicator on the Morse taper in the spindle. You will only be able to check the end but, it should be an indication of what is going on. If that checks out, make sure the tapers are clean, free of burrs.  Morse tapers and dirt do not make for a good fit and a burr can develop in the spindle and a new center will feel tight but, the burr causes runout.  Try puting some Prussian Blue on the taper and check the fit between the two surfaces. If you have no blue, use a magic marker. It will rub off in steel to steel situations.  Reinstall the center or new center and indicate the end as shown in your video plus the other surface that has the Morse angle.  Since you just assembled the unit, make sure your bearings have preload. Timken bearings run with preload, unlike a ball bearing. This will not cause runour but, can set you up for other ghosts when machining parts.  It will be a lot more fun once you get it done. Looks good.


----------



## MrCrem

Thanks for all the advice and information. I am finding this forum very helpful. After I posted the video I continued with mounting the carriage , compound  and lead screw. Guess what....  I think my split nuts are stripped. Or it could be an adjustment issue. It feeds for a few inches then stops. I measured  the lead screw and it isn't worn. Has anyone had any luck making new nuts with brass or bronze.


----------



## cru1966

I'm not sure if this is your problem but have you checked all of your gears to make sure you don't have a bad tooth anywhere?  See the youtube video below (about 30 seconds into the video it shows the lead screw issue).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiaRN-dh8AA

Craig


----------

