I am going through my late grandfather's 1946 (approx.) Craftsman lathe. it is pretty much complete. There is no serial number tag on it anywhere. The counter shaft does not mount to the body of the lathe. It is designed to mount on the stand or table that the lathe is mounted to. It has the bushing for the spindle in the head stock. Is the non-existent serial number any indication of its date(s) of manufacture? I have recently obtained another 6 inch Craftsman lathe. This one has the actual bearing in in the head stock. I would really appreciate any info that can be shared.
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- Thread starter Motorhead
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If it is actually from 1946 or so, the serial number and model number would have been on a name plate riveted to the right end of the bed. If it has two bushings on the spindle in the headstock, the probability exceeds 99.44% that its model number is 101.07301. Only if it was built in 1937, the model number would be 101.07300. The serial number may be stamped into the front way near the right end but if it was actually made circa 1946, probably not.
The second 6" if made after 1957 could be a 101.21400 made by Atlas for Sears (like the first one was). Or unless it has a Craftsman badge on the headstock, it could be an Atlas 612 or 618 (you didn't say how long the bed was). Many of the parts are the same on all three models. Between the 618 and 101.21400, the only differences are the badges and nameplates.
The second 6" if made after 1957 could be a 101.21400 made by Atlas for Sears (like the first one was). Or unless it has a Craftsman badge on the headstock, it could be an Atlas 612 or 618 (you didn't say how long the bed was). Many of the parts are the same on all three models. Between the 618 and 101.21400, the only differences are the badges and nameplates.
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Sorry that I don't have any information about your lathe, I'm a South Bend fan myself. You might try http://vintagemachinery.org/ to see if they have any info. By the way, welcome to the forum, you will find that those here on this forum are very helpful and friendly.
Richard
Richard
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Actually, we have a better library of Atlas and Atlas-Craftsman manuals here in Downloads than Vintage Machinery does. Unfortunately, because the additional storage space costs real money, we had to limit access to Donors only. However, unlike selling, the $10.00 per year minimum is sufficient.