Craftsman Atlas 12 questions

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stomp442

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First off I would like to say this looks to be a great site and I hope to learn a lot from being here.

I acquired a well kept Craftsman/Atlas 12 lathe from a friend from work Model #101.28910 serial #109024. . He said it was his dads and has been in storage for years. Other than dusty the lathe seems to be in excellent condition, I have cleaned it up and spent the last few months learning how to use it and making small parts on it. Near as I can tell the lathe was made in 73-74 and seems to be complete except for a steady rest. I have looked every where trying to locate one and cant seem to do it. Ebay seems to have a lot of steady rests available for the smaller 8 & 10 models but not the 12. My question is this, will a steady rest for one of the other models work on my setup? From what I understand this model of lathe has a 12" swing and a 6" center height. My other question is this, if one of the smaller ones won't work is there another alternative out there that is compatible with my lathe? Sorry for my lack of knowledge and if any of my info is incorrect please feel free to correct me. I am interested in learning all that I can about this lathe and learning how to use it.
 
stomp442 said:
First off I would like to say this looks to be a great site and I hope to learn a lot from being here.

I acquired a well kept Craftsman/Atlas 12 lathe from a friend from work Model #101.28910 serial #109024. . He said it was his dads and has been in storage for years. Other than dusty the lathe seems to be in excellent condition, I have cleaned it up and spent the last few months learning how to use it and making small parts on it. Near as I can tell the lathe was made in 73-74 and seems to be complete except for a steady rest. I have looked every where trying to locate one and cant seem to do it. Ebay seems to have a lot of steady rests available for the smaller 8 & 10 models but not the 12. My question is this, will a steady rest for one of the other models work on my setup? From what I understand this model of lathe has a 12" swing and a 6" center height. My other question is this, if one of the smaller ones won't work is there another alternative out there that is compatible with my lathe? Sorry for my lack of knowledge and if any of my info is incorrect please feel free to correct me. I am interested in learning all that I can about this lathe and learning how to use it.
Click to expand...

A steady rest wouldn't be too hard to make or possibly adapt one from another brand. Look at the attached link fora very simple design for ideas.
http://www.kinzers.com/don/MachineTools/lathe_projects/steadyrest.jpg
 
Thank you for the idea but I am really not that handy to make one. I was really hoping I could just find one for sale some place but they seem rare as chicken teeth.
 
Wow you do good work. As I am really pretty new to the whole machining thing I don't have near the experience or the tolling to accomplish such a feat. I have been looking around at the 8 or 10 model steady rests, would making one of them work be as simple as adding the appropriate height spacer block to be able to center up on my 12 and work properly?
 
stomp442 said:
Wow you do good work. As I am really pretty new to the whole machining thing I don't have near the experience or the tolling to accomplish such a feat. I have been looking around at the 8 or 10 model steady rests, would making one of them work be as simple as adding the appropriate height spacer block to be able to center up on my 12 and work properly?
Click to expand...

I was a beginner then and it was the first time I tried anything like that on a lathe, which was why I posted it to give you an idea what's possible just by a bit of experimenting..

I would think that almost any steady for a smaller lathe could be adapted by making a plate to fit between the ways and another wider one as a spacer under the steady, a couple of simple drill and taps and bolt it together. a hole through the middle for a hold down bolt and all done.

A steady does not have to be super accurately positioned, because the fingers are adjustable.
You could try putting a length of rod in the chuck and fit the steady to that, then get it centered as good as you can, measure up from the bed to get the thickness of spacer needed, a couple of bits of scrap, some sheet metal or beer can shims, a hacksaw and file would be all you need..you can always adjust it later when you're more confident...

The hacksaw is the beginners best friend, unlike a machine it takes determination to cut your finger off with one..:lmao:

Have fun and be sure and show us the results!

Bernard
 
Stomp442, check out the "Tools 4 cheap" website. I have one of his steady Rests for my 12" logan, and although made in China, the quality is excellent. Jeff is a great guy to deal with. He normally has the steady you need, but is out of stock right now. You can e-mail him, and he will let you know as soon as they come in. Hope this link works http://www.tools4cheap.net/products.php?cat=7 if not, just cut and paste it. Oh, and I have no affiliation with Tools4cheap, just a satisfied customer. Good luck, JR49
 
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Funny you mention this, I found his site yesterday while poking around and seen they were out of stock. I gave him a call and he told me to send him an email with what I am looking for and that he would go through the warehouse and try and find one. He just emailed me back about an hour ago stating that he was able to find one and it is now on its way to me. Jeff was very pleasant to do business with and went above and beyond to help me out. Great customer service, I will be using him again in the future for sure. Thank you everyone for your help.
 
My first lathe was a Craftsman 101 and I still have it. Check with Lost Creek Machine. They have a lot of Atlas Craftsman parts that are not listed on the website. There are a lot of these lathes out there. Parts and accessories turn up often on E-bay and craigslist. Be patient and you should be able to find a original easily.
 
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