109.21280 Craftsman Lathe

[bama7]

I just got a 109.21280 Craftsman Lathe in the Jacksonville, Fl area this morning. After a little research it seems this little rascal is relatively rare. It still has some of it's gold paint and came with a three and four jaw chuck. The four jaw still has it's original box with instruction sheet. It also came with an attachment that fits on the cross slide. A grinder maybe? Can anyone tell me something about the rarity of it and possible value, depending upon it's condition of course.

 

[David VanNorman]

The grinder looking thing is a mica under cutting set up. It is used for work on armatures like starters and generators. It cuts out the mica between the segments. It is a handy thing to have.

 

[wa5cab]

Well, well, well, one finally showed up "in the flesh".

The 109.21280 never seems to have made it into any Sears Power Tools catalog. I just made a new quick run-through from 1956 through 1973. So original selling price is not known. And there is no track record for guessing at current value. It is thought that it might be roughly equivalent in capability to the Atlas built Craftsman 101.07301. It has been stated in various places on the Internet that it was made sometime in the 1960's, presumably after production of the 109.21270 ceased after about 1961.

Can you confirm that it has sleeve spindle bearings but a 1"-10 spindle nose thread? And you might add photos showing the change gears and, if it has one, the countershaft assembly, and a view of the inside of the headstock.

The motor driven gadget in your seventh photo is a mica undercutter for DC motor and generator rework. It looks quite similar to the one offered by Atlas.

 

[VSAncona]

Very cool. You found the white whale of Craftsman lathes.

 

[bama7]

wa5cab here is what I found. The 4 jaw still has the receipt in the box and was bought on 16 Feb 1967 by a man in Cocoa, Fl for $53.21. Seems extremely high for 1967, but who knows, I was in Japan. I won't attempted to remove the chuck, again, until I get it in the shop, shed. The ID of the 3 jaw is 1.0075". ID of the Spindle gear end is .5100". It must have a "bushing", because it would have to be a small width "bearing" to fit in the space allowed in the headstock bed end. I took a picture of the threads in the 4 jaw. Just looked up the part number on the 4 jaw and it says it is a 1" x 10tpi.

 

[David VanNorman]

I believe this was made by B&B . The planetary back gears set up is what I see.

 

[bama7]

I believe this was made by B&B . The planetary back gears set up is what I see.

I don't know anything about it. What or who is a B&B?

 

[wa5cab]

The "109" in the Model Number is or at least was for AA. Their earlier 6" machines were much lighter having 1/2"-20 then 1/2"-24 spindle threads.

 

[wa5cab]

bama7,

Yes, $53 does seem high for that year. Sears didn't publish a 1967 Power Tools catalog but the price for the 4" dia. 1"-10 thread 4-jaw chuck in their 1966 catalog is only $24.99.

When you get the chuck off of the spindle, you should be able to see what type bearing or bushing is present. The earlier 109's all had bushings.

From the rear view photo, it appears that the back gear design is the same general type. And the change gears look the same (the earlier ones were interchangeable with the Atlas 6" models).

Is there a countershaft not visible in your photos or does the motor have a 3-step pulley?

 

[bama7]

bama7,

Yes, $53 does seem high for that year. Sears didn't publish a 1967 Power Tools catalog but the price for the 4" dia. 1"-10 thread 4-jaw chuck in their 1966 catalog is only $24.99.

When you get the chuck off of the spindle, you should be able to see what type bearing or bushing is present. The earlier 109's all had bushings.

From the rear view photo, it appears that the back gear design is the same general type. And the change gears look the same (the earlier ones were interchangeable with the Atlas 6" models).

Is there a countershaft not visible in your photos or does the motor have a 3-step pulley?

There is no counter shaft. The motor has a 3 step pulley. I wonder if the receipt is for the mica under cutter. It is a Sears receipt. I will take a closer look. Here is a copy of the receipt. I am not sure what it is for. It was in the box with the 4 jaw chuck.