Restoring Craftsman 101.07403 lathe- The good, bad and ugly.

[cbrase]

Hello everyone. I’m new to the forum and need some help. I recently purchased a Craftsman 101.07403 12x36 lathe with a QCGB (101.20140). The serial number stamped on the bed is 29108. From the sellers pictures a saw that it was dirty, and it had a broken feed screw bearing. I suspected that the split nut would need to be replaced.


In looking it over the head stock I found the gears were dirty but in good shape, no broken teeth. Did not feel any end play movement. The quick-change gear box was also dirty, but in good shape. The chuck was in working order. The bed was dirty and looked like it had dried old oil on it. The carriage was sticky but would move on the bed. The cross slide and compound both moved with ease. Tail stock would slide on the bed, and spin with a little effort. The feed shaft was even and did not look to have any wear spots on it. The motor did run (was in neutral because of broken feed screw bearing). I purchased it for $375 which at the time I thought was a god deal, he was asking $500.

The good: all the gears appear to be in good shape with no broken teeth. The bad: it dirty and needs a good, detailed cleaning (winter project) along with replacement of the feed screw bearing.



Now for the ugly: I took the apron off of the carriage (I think that the correct term) and found a lot of broken, missing parts. Everything from broken splint-nut guild, missing mitre gear and bushing, broken bearing, and that’s not all. The traverse gear box is broken and one of the gears is missing a tooth.


I’m looking for input (good or bad). Is this a lost cause or are parts out there to be found? Is there a way to cross reference parts with other makes (Atlas) and models? Any help would be appreciated.
Chris

 

[craniac]

Both the Atlas lathes I have purchased have needed this repair. I bought the parts from this fellow's site: http://www.mymachineshop.net/default.asp. He was able to advise of the parts needed for the model of lathe in question. He makes new parts too. This is obviously a common issue.

I paid very short money for my lathes and was aware of their issues. So had no problem spending for the parts.

Tim

 

[woodchucker]

welcome to HM. Seems like Craniac offered a good solution, and I have no info.
If you decide to keep going to restore, please post some more right here and show your resto.
You'll get lots of sound advice on cleaning and restoring here. Most of us have restored old machines.
Once you get the lathe in good running shape, consider a new table. That just does not look like you can adjust it and take the twist out if it's not level. Big old steel case desks and other big heavy desks make good bases and hold supplies.
A garage drip pan makes a good pan for under the lathe, and baking pans are good for swarf.
OIL, OIL, OIL ...

 

[cbrase]

When completed I plan to mount it on a new table. For now I built a dolly so I can move it around to work on it. I will try to post updates. Thanks for all the encouragement.

 

[matthewsx]

When completed I plan to mount it on a new table. For now I built a dolly so I can move it around to work on it. I will try to post updates. Thanks for all the encouragement.

Hello and welcome,

Sounds like you got a decent project machine for a good price. These lathes are pretty common so advice and parts should be available.

Be careful with the dolly, make sure it's plenty wide to avoid tipping the lathe over. Don't want to have more repairs than you already have.

John

 

[markba633csi]

Hi and welcome! Check the spindle step pulley for worn bushings. It might be pretty loose (mine was)
They can be replaced but it means removing the spindle which can be done with a home-brew puller arrangement
Ideally you want a tight fit on the spindle, about 1-2 thousandths

 

[cbrase]

Thank you for the info, I will check mine out.
Quick question, will a carriage and apron from a Atlas 618 work on my Craftsman 101..07403?
The casting (part) number on the apron are both 10F-9A

 

[markba633csi]

No, can't be- 618 is a 6" swing lathe

 

[pontiac428]

Congrats on the purchase. Atlases are like Toyota pickups, they'll go for 500,000 miles after you run the crankcase dry (not that you'd want to). I'd say you got a great deal, the quick change gear box goes for twice what you paid for the whole lathe on eBay. As the others said, those are common faults and there are parts out there to repair with if you're not in a position to re-make them yourself. If you need drawings or manuals, just ask here. Most are on our site download library also. Enjoy your new tool, but watch out, it's a gateway drug.

 

[Nutfarmer]

The parts are available. They are commonly needed replacement parts. On the feed screw support bearing there are aftermarket ones made of aluminum and not z-mac. The lathe is worth fixing because of the quick change gear box. As mentioned that part by its self is worth more than you paid for the lathe so you can't lose.