Craftsman 101.07403 change gears

rockyrude

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Hello all, I recently acquired a craftsman 101.07403 12 x 36 lathe that was used for woodworking of all things. The big issue is it didn't come with the change gear set. I am able to cast aluminum. If one of you folks that has a set could either post or dm the tooth count and major diameter it would be great for me to develop molds.
 
Aluminum change gears won't last very long. However... the 101.07403 parts manual is in Downloads (requires Donor status to access).

The parts list is drawn to match how the lathe originally shipped from the factory. Meaning that the change gear set shown on one page does not include the ones that were on the lathe when shipped. Those are shown on the page covering the headstock.
 
Thank you for the info, there are different grades of aluminum and I have to believe that they could be at least as strong as the die cast gears that came with it
 
For casting, I think you'd be far better off using a zinc/aluminum alloy (Zamak) like the originals. Besides being easier to cast, many of the Zamak alloys have excellent wear characteristics whereas most common aluminum casting alloys do not. Also, if your intent is to cast a net shape gear without machining the tooth profile, the only practical way that will happen is to 3D print the gear in PLA or (or suitable casting filament) and investment cast the parts.

You could try pulling molds of originals and making waxes, then investment cast, but I think the shrink changing the pitch diameter could prove problematic. Again, a zinc alloy would exhibit less shrink.

They're still available from Clausing and used at the auction sites and various others. You can also buy blanks from Martin Gear.

The change gears themselves are not heavily stressed and can be 3D printed directly and used as is in ABS and harder printed materials. They would last quite a long time. If you can 3D print I'd just skip the casting altogether.

You have to really want to make them to justify the effort. Just depends on whether you want to make lathe parts from scratch or make parts with a lathe.

Best,
Kelly
 
Cast aluminum is strong, but it has a higher coefficient of friction than zamak. It is also weaker. That said, I have used cast aluminum gears on my South Bend, as well as 3D prints with as low as 20% infill. On the low infill gears, a stiffening plate made out of sheet metal works wonders, and on large gears, a cast aluminum inner core works great and saves filament. It would be nice to have a set of real cast iron gears, but not at the prices I see on Ebay.
 
I would not have believed plastic would hold up. I wouldn't mind sacrificing filament in favor of strength
 
To answer an earlier question, with the exception of the 6" lathe and the 96 tooth gear, all of the Alas lathes either use the same gears or the stock gears can easily be modified by shortening the 1/2" long hub to 3/8".
 
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