Craftsman 109 Lathe Question

[Nubble]

Yep that's the one- not a bad price either if the bed isn't too worn
I don't see the complete set of change gears though
I'm not a fan of those link belts but that can be rectified
I see some wear on the leadscrew- and the little tumbler reverse gears

I'll say this, i don't have 1000+ to buy a complete lathe, the most I can spend is 650, so there's gonna be some compromises. How bad does the wear on the lead screw look?

 

[markba633csi]

Have to see a better view to tell - didn't look too bad
I've seen lathes in much worse condition overall
Clean is usually a good sign, both for the machine itself and the surrounding area it's in
Gears and other parts are readily available on Ebay so if the machine isn't 100% you can add to it later
I'm wondering why the chuck is shown sitting separately and not mounted on the backplate- maybe some additional fitting to do?
Probably not a big deal, but I would ask about that
Is there some issue with the spindle threads? Normally the chuck and backplate stay bolted together and are removed together as a unit

 

[verbotenwhisky]

I'll say this, i don't have 1000+ to buy a complete lathe, the most I can spend is 650, so there's gonna be some compromises. How bad does the wear on the lead screw look?

Its a tool, buy the best you can afford, if you have doubts wait till the next one comes up and save a little more for better. Whats the old saying? the satisfaction of a low price will not outlast the dissatisfaction of poor or low quality.....

 

[Aaron_W]

Agree with the general consensus, the Atlas 618 is a far superior lathe. I have both a Craftsman 101.21400 (same as Atlas 618) and a Craftsman 109.21270 same as in your first post. For me a couple hour drive and $200 would be well worth while.

That said, $450 is a fair price for the lathe shown, and the 109s do work, but how well will be very dependent on your projects. Other than being very light duty, the other major drawback is the lack of any graduated dials and odd thread on the lead screw. You have to cut and measure, cut and measure, vs using the graduations on your hand wheels until you get close and then taking more precise measurements to hit your final size.

To me those 109 lathes are fine for people with projects where you are mostly measuring by "looks right", maybe making pens, bottle stoppers and such. Anything requiring exacting size, you will be at a disadvantage. I kind of consider the 109s as a small wood lathe that can cut metals.

 

[wa5cab]

One thing that I did not mention last night is that Atlas quit selling the 618 and Sears quit selling their version circa 1974/5. Atlas began selling the MK II 6" which was pretty much a copy of the small Oriental 6" machines that had begun to appear. The headstock end was re-done but the bed and tailstock was either same as or similar to the 618. The 12x36 continued from Atlas/Clausing or Clausing/Atlas and Sears until March of 1981.

 

[Janderso]

Agree with the general consensus, the Atlas 618 is a far superior lathe. I have both a Craftsman 101.21400 (same as Atlas 618) and a Craftsman 109.21270 same as in your first post. For me a couple hour drive and $200 would be well worth while.

That said, $450 is a fair price for the lathe shown, and the 109s do work, but how well will be very dependent on your projects. Other than being very light duty, the other major drawback is the lack of any graduated dials and odd thread on the lead screw. You have to cut and measure, cut and measure, vs using the graduations on your hand wheels until you get close and then taking more precise measurements to hit your final size.

To me those 109 lathes are fine for people with projects where you are mostly measuring by "looks right", maybe making pens, bottle stoppers and such. Anything requiring exacting size, you will be at a disadvantage. I kind of consider the 109s as a small wood lathe that can cut metals.

Aaron, in your opinion would the 109 be comparable to a mini lathe?
Shoot, you can get one of those mini lathes from many sources, free shipping with change gears brand new for around $600???
To me, based on the 109 you picked up from me I think I would rather buy the new mini.

 

[Aaron_W]

Aaron, in your opinion would the 109 be comparable to a mini lathe?
Shoot, you can get one of those mini lathes from many sources, free shipping with change gears brand new for around $600???
To me, based on the 109 you picked up from me I think I would rather buy the new mini.

The Craftsman 109 I got from you, I would say is inferior to a 7" mini lathe in most every way possible except style. The 109s are great looking lathes.
I think they are nice little lathes if looked at more as a crafting tool, than a machine tool. I think somebody could be very happy with one for making pens, chess pieces, hair pins etc. I think they would lose their mind trying to make something more complex like a model steam engine.

I really cannot fathom the higher prices I've seen some sell for. They often sell for prices similar to the small Atlas lathes, but are a more cheeply made and far less capable lathe than the Atlas / Craftsman 6x18s (or the import mini-lathes). In the 1950s Sears sold the Craftsman 109s for about $40, but the Atlas made Craftsman 101.07301 sold for $160.



Now comparing the Atlas 618 (also sold as a Craftsman 101.07301 or 101.21400) to a 7" mini-lathe. These compare fairly well. I'd rate an Atlas 618 over all as better (assuming age hasn't taken too heavy a toll), but there are going to be a lot of individual opinions to sway that.

The mini-lathes have some distinct advantages like variable speed, and a larger 3/4" spindle bore vs only 9/16" on the Atlas. Also a slightly larger swing, but that is offset by the shorter distance between centers.
The mini-lathes have a flange to bolt on the chuck vs a threaded spindle on the Atlas. Some prefer the flange system because it is more secure for turning in reverse, but it is slow to change chucks. Personally I prefer the threaded spindle because it is easier to change a chuck.

It will cost you, but you can get most any "big boy" lathe accessory for an Atlas 618, taper attachment, collet closer, tail stock turrets etc. They are small lathes, but they were made for light industrial work, not just garage tinkering. Tooling beyond the basics is fairly limited for most of the import lathes under 12" swing.

One big advantage to the mini-lathes is portability. They are a stand alone unit and about 1/2 the depth of an Atlas 618 which has to be bolted to a board or benchtop. The 618 is also longer than any of the mini-lathes, still a couple inches longer than even the 7x16". Also quite a bit heavier 130lbs or so vs 70-90lbs for the minis.

 

[Nubble]

Agree with the general consensus, the Atlas 618 is a far superior lathe. I have both a Craftsman 101.21400 (same as Atlas 618) and a Craftsman 109.21270 same as in your first post. For me a couple hour drive and $200 would be well worth while.

That said, $450 is a fair price for the lathe shown, and the 109s do work, but how well will be very dependent on your projects. Other than being very light duty, the other major drawback is the lack of any graduated dials and odd thread on the lead screw. You have to cut and measure, cut and measure, vs using the graduations on your hand wheels until you get close and then taking more precise measurements to hit your final size.

To me those 109 lathes are fine for people with projects where you are mostly measuring by "looks right", maybe making pens, bottle stoppers and such. Anything requiring exacting size, you will be at a disadvantage. I kind of consider the 109s as a small wood lathe that can cut metals.

Well my uncle has a 109 but he said he'd be willing to sell to me for $200.

 

[markba633csi]

Another advantage of the Atlas is the huuuge number of threads they can cut- including metric and others
and the thread charts actually do work as advertised
Also nice is that practically any part can be found- they made so many

 

[matthewsx]

Well my uncle has a 109 but he said he'd be willing to sell to me for $200.

If your uncle has one that's probably a sign. I assume you can give it a try before you buy, but at $200 you should be able to flip it to get $$$ towards something better if needed.

John