craftsman lathe

[dan petroski]

my craftsman variable speed lathe has died.has anyone had any experience with this lathe? I've had it for about 7 yrs with no problems. the fan runs but not the motor. potentiometer perhaps?

[Roger Chandler]

my craftsman variable speed lathe has died.has anyone had any experience with this lathe? I've had it for about 7 yrs with no problems. the fan runs but not the motor. potentiometer perhaps?


Does your model have a reeves drive in it or is it mechanical gears that reduce the motor speed. I had a Craftsman VS 15" model 351.217170 and it broke a gear shaft in the headstock.

Parts are no longer available for many craftsman lathes, but if yours has a reeves drive, you can still get some parts from Palmgren, Inc. the manufacturer for the ones with the reeves drives. Sears Parts direct also has some parts.

[dan petroski]

Roger i have the same lathe. it is an electrical problem. my troubleshooting abilities are limited but my first guess is the potentiameter. however that is my second guess too. when you turn the switch on the cooling fan runs so my guess is that it is not the on off switch. i've got a big maple log on the sawminn that i need to finish up and i'll tear it down

[Steve Schlumpf]

Dan - any chance you have sawdust in the potentiometer? Pretty common occurrence - no matter what brand of machine. Try vacuuming it or blowing it out with compressed air - with the lathe unplugged of course!

[Roger Chandler]

Roger i have the same lathe. it is an electrical problem. my troubleshooting abilities are limited but my first guess is the potentiameter. however that is my second guess too. when you turn the switch on the cooling fan runs so my guess is that it is not the on off switch. i've got a big maple log on the sawminn that i need to finish up and i'll tear it down


Dan,

That model also has had a history of problems with the circuit board. It might just be in the electronics............but I hope it is just the potentiometer. Sears parts direct and your manual will have a parts list and break apart view of the entire lathe. You can type your model number on the sears parts direct site and pull up the schematic.

I ended up making scrap metal with the one I had. the motor was still good and the circuit board, and I even put an offer for free parts here on SMC, but had no takers..... I wish I had known you would have needed one back then [fall of last year] because I would have given it to you for free.

[Randy Gazda]

My 15" craftsman lathe variable speed stops working when the reeves drive gets 'stuck'. It looks like that happens because the warm/cold of the garage draws moisture into the shaft and it rusts. Simple to fix by pulling the gears apart apply grease and put back together.

[dan petroski]

i blew out the potentiameter and still no go. i'll olm out that variac as soon as i get a chance and see if that is the problem. can you still get the circuit boards?

[Roger Chandler]

i blew out the potentiameter and still no go. i'll olm out that variac as soon as i get a chance and see if that is the problem. can you still get the circuit boards?


Dan,

All I can tell you is to check with sears parts direct and see if they still have one in stock. when mine broke last year, some parts were still available and some were not.

I just checked sears parts direct and the circuit board part no.6947.00 is no longer available, and there are no substitute parts recommended from the manufacturer.

Same situation I had with the gear shaft last year that made me have to scrap the lathe. they do list the potentiometer as being in stock, however.

[Lawrence Flowers]

my craftsman variable speed lathe has died.has anyone had any experience with this lathe? I've had it for about 7 yrs with no problems. the fan runs but not the motor. potentiometer perhaps?
You should check the brushes-chances are they are worn out.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Lawrence,

This thread is 11 years old.