Chuck and hardware for an old beginners lathe

[Julio Navarro]

Greetings all. I think this is a first for me posting in the turners forum.

I have been wanting to try my hand at turning for some time now.

A while ago I picked up an old Craftsman(I belive) beginners lathe at a flea market for $40. What could it hurt, huh?

Of course I knew very little about lathes etc., so I didnt notice it had no chuck. So.. hence my post here.

Can someone recommend a beginners, inexpensive chuck and hardware needed to put an old lathe to function half way decent while I try my hand at it?

I will take some pics of it tonight and post them.

[Don Baer]

Julio,
I can't help you with the chuck question, since I haven't use a C Man but I'm sure others can, Does the late have a spur drive for the head stock and does it have a live center for the tail stock.

Oh and welcome to the vortex..:D

[Raymond Overman]

The first thing we need to know is the TPI at the headstock, whether it has a live center tailstock, and what's your budget. Some of the old Sears & Roebuck models even had the 5/8" D connection at the headstock end. Any chuck will more than likely cost more than the $40 you spent on the lathe. Welcome to the vortex.

[Scott Donley]

What could it hurt, huh?

:D :D :D :D Sorry Julio ;) I also started with an old CM so if you have a model # or pic's I am sure myself or someone else here will be more than helpful to help you spend your money ;) Welcome to the spinny side !

[Lee DeRaud]

Any chuck will more than likely cost more than the $40 you spent on the lathe. Welcome to the vortex.Let me expand on that: the lathe is the cheapest part of the startup costs for falling into the Abyss.

DAMHIKT.

[Andy Hoyt]

Let me expand on that: the lathe is the cheapest part of the startup costs for falling into the Abyss.

DAMHIKT. It's always been my belief that the falling part of falling into the Abyss is not only the cheapest - it's free. (why do you think they call it free falling, right?)

It's the hitting the wall of the Abyss on the way down where it gets pricey.

Bumpity Bumpity Bumpity:D

[Raymond Overman]

It's always been my belief that the falling part of falling into the Abyss is not only the cheapest - it's free. (why do you think they call it free falling, right?)

It's the hitting the wall of the Abyss on the way down where it gets pricey.

Bumpity Bumpity Bumpity:D

At this point, I feel like a pinball that's been tilted a few too many times.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Hey Julio, welcome to our world :D

is it an old C-man tube bed lathe like this...........

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/lathe/making_chips.jpg

or this....

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/lathe/12_inch_lathe.jpg

If it is, then you have a fairly common lathe, for beginners, that is what I started on too!

I got the Grizzly chuck for $42.50, it works well for what it is, make bowl turning a lot more fun!

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/lathe/ne/ne_chucked_up_ready.jpg
You can see the Grizzly chuck there.

I think it is 3/4" 16TPI (Thread Per Inch). (Thanks Wally!)

Good luck!

[Wally Wenzel]

the pic that Stu posted has a 3/4 in. by 16 tpi. I use that same lathe almost every day, it will do almost every thing another one will but may be with a little more work to get it mounted nice and solid.
Wally

[Julio Navarro]

Here area couple of pics of this old "Companion" lathe.

I know its not a professional lathe by very far but I'd like to try and get it to work a bit so I can turn some spindels or something and maybe have my 8 yo son give it a hand.

As you can see it has no chuck.

I took it apart to clean and polish and lubricate the shafts. I put it together rather haistely for these pics so you dont see the bearing that sits between the shaft and the pulley.

Again, any help is appreciated.
43696

43697

43698

43699

[Julio Navarro]

Hey Julio, welcome to our world :D

is it an old C-man tube bed lathe like this...........

Nooooo, nothing even close to this professional. Its more a toy compared to those, Stu. But eventually I'd like to up up upgrade to one of those baby's.

I posted pics. As you'll see its rather 'diminuative,' nothing serious. But you never know.

[Julio Navarro]

I guess I should correct myself, I meant "Companion"...I had forgotten and miss wrote Crafstman.

[Julio Navarro]

Check this out. I just found this on the net:

It was introduced in 1939 and cost a wopping $5.45

http://www.lathes.co.uk/craftsmanwood/page4.html

Its the seventh picture down

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

the pic that Stu posted has a 3/4 in. by 16 tpi. I use that same lathe almost every day, it will do almost every thing another one will but may be with a little more work to get it mounted nice and solid.
Wally

Ya Wally is right, sorry about that, I slipped, the Nova has a 1 1/4" x 8 tpi :o

I'll change my post!:o

Nice catch Wally!

[Vaughn McMillan]

Julio, I con't offer any advice on the lathe that hasn't already been mentioned, but I do think you'd to better with a more neutral color of nail polish. The bright red just isn't you, dude. I'd think you're more of a mauve. :p

Oh, and welcome to the Abyss. Take a picture of all the money in your wallet, because you won't be seeing any more for quite some time. :D

- Vaughn

[Bill O'Conner]

Oh, and welcome to the Abyss. Take a picture of all the money in your wallet, because you won't be seeing any more for quite some time. :D

- Vaughn

I can tell you this much what ever you thought you were going to spend double or triple that and than add a few more dollars just for good measure
:D

[Ed Breen]

Oh poor Julio,
I came to the vortex as a simple woodworker. Slipped on a class in pen making and now find myself hunting tools and exotic woods (cant pronounce them) in the darndest places. While SWMBOis hunting collectables (she found me!!) I'm looking at the tools with an avid eye. Alas!
Ed

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

I can tell you this much what ever you thought you were going to spend double or triple that and than add a few more dollars just for good measure
:D

And Julio, my friend, Bill is just talking about the first month :eek: :D

Cheers!

PS, if you want to make some pens, (perfect little set up for that) tell me, and send my your mailing address, I have some pen blanks here from my logging in Tokyo adventure with your name on them! :D

(hey, if he is doomed, might as well help the slide ;))

[Henry C. Gernhardt, III]

Julio, first off: Welcome to SMC, and to the Vortex! As has been stated, the lathe purchase is going to be the least of your expenditures.

I haven't looked for the specs, but it looks like your little lathe has a 5/8" D-shaft on the headstock and a fixed dead center for the tailstock. You will need to acquire a spur center (or two) for the headstock. If all you're doing is spindles, don't worry about the chuck just yet. If you're getting into goblets, vases, and such, you will definitely need a chuck. You can get away with faceplates if you're doing facegrain bowl work, as you can build your own donut chuck to finish the bottom using faceplates, some bolts, and some MDF or plywood.

A few questions:

1) Do you know the swing above the ways/spindle capacity of this lathe?

2) Have you checked the headstock spindle size, and looked through Grizzly, Woodcraft, or others for matching accessories?

3) Have you picked out a motor for this unit?

4) Have you built/acquired a stand?

5) Have you acquired any turning tools and the requisite sharpening system?

Good luck, and enjoy!

[Julio Navarro]

... but I do think you'd to better with a more neutral color of nail polish. The bright red just isn't you, dude. I'd think you're more of a mauve. :p
- Vaughn

:p ROFLM*O!!

I'll have to tell my wife that, LOL!! (I had to have her hold that peice of paper so the digital camera could focus)

Mauve, huh?
You know, I think you're right...would match my new heels...can you turn a pair of heels on a lathe...hmm:rolleyes: ?

[Julio Navarro]

Stu, I will take you up on that offer. I'll PM you a mailing address.

[Julio Navarro]

Thanks everyone. I have to admit I was a bit affraid I would get laughed out of the forum for showing such a small non professional lathe but now I see I should have been more worried about the red nails:D .

When I saw the lathe I figured I'd use it a bit, see if I liked it then spend some heavy dollars on a real lathe then pass this one off to my son and daughter to try.

Thanks again.

[George Conklin]

Julio, I con't offer any advice on the lathe that hasn't already been mentioned, but I do think you'd to better with a more neutral color of nail polish. The bright red just isn't you, dude. I'd think you're more of a mauve. :p


- Vaughn

Dang it, Vaughn!!! You beat me to it:D

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Thanks everyone. I have to admit I was a bit affraid I would get laughed out of the forum for showing such a small non professional lathe but now I see I should have been more worried about the red nails:D .

When I saw the lathe I figured I'd use it a bit, see if I liked it then spend some heavy dollars on a real lathe then pass this one off to my son and daughter to try.

Thanks again.

That is a very good idea Julio, but you can also set it up and keep it for turning pens, if you have the space, this is a good option, I'm sure that lathe will work just fine for pens.

Good luck, pen blanks on the way! :D

[Julio Navarro]

Cool, thank you Stu.

[Joe Melton]

I guess I'm a contrarian in my opinion of your lathe. I think Craftsman is a mediocre brand, and their Companion stuff is far worse. I would not waste any time nor money on this lathe. It may very well be that you will, as a result of fighting with the poor quality of it, think turning is unduly difficult or unpleasant, and therefore lose the desire to continue. I would recommend getting a better lathe immediately. If it does turn out that this is not what you want to do as a hobby, you can easily recoup your investment, or at least the large majority of it.
As many have pointed out, the investment in the lathe is tiny compared with what you will spend on accessories, tools and materials.
Just my opinion. I hope I have not offended any Craftsman owners on the list.
Joe

[Don Baer]

I guess I'm a contrarian in my opinion of your lathe. I think Craftsman is a mediocre brand, and their Companion stuff is far worse. I would not waste any time nor money on this lathe. It may very well be that you will, as a result of fighting with the poor quality of it, think turning is unduly difficult or unpleasant, and therefore lose the desire to continue. I would recommend getting a better lathe immediately. If it does turn out that this is not what you want to do as a hobby, you can easily recoup your investment, or at least the large majority of it.
As many have pointed out, the investment in the lathe is tiny compared with what you will spend on accessories, tools and materials.
Just my opinion. I hope I have not offended any Craftsman owners on the list.
Joe

Joe,
I can see your point and partially agree but, also disagree. I have never turned on a Craftsman, I did however have a metal lathe that I tried to use as a wood lathe with poor results. I got a set of HF turning tools and muttled my way thru a few small piece, enough to let me see the joy of making curls but also let me know that I realy needed a machine designed for the task. I could have very early gotten discouraged but joy of those wood shaving that I was able to make were enough to get me to sell the metal lathe and get my little Rikon, Oneway chuck, more turning tools and a chain saw. Not everyone will be turned off by inferior machinerary for many it is just the bananna peel that is needed for them to slip into the abyse..now I am looking forward to gettng a much larger lathe in the future. Some more tools etc. etc. Oh the slippery path we travel on..:D

[Julio Navarro]

I guess I'm a contrarian in my opinion of your lathe. I think Craftsman is a mediocre brand, and their Companion stuff is far worse. I would not waste any time nor money on this lathe. It may very well be that you will, as a result of fighting with the poor quality of it, think turning is unduly difficult or unpleasant, and therefore lose the desire to continue. I would recommend getting a better lathe immediately. If it does turn out that this is not what you want to do as a hobby, you can easily recoup your investment, or at least the large majority of it.
As many have pointed out, the investment in the lathe is tiny compared with what you will spend on accessories, tools and materials.
Just my opinion. I hope I have not offended any Craftsman owners on the list.
Joe

I certainly appreciate your candor, Joe. I think I will do six of one and half a dozen of the other. I think I will eventually be getting a serious lathe and sooner than later as I am getting ready to sell my bike and will have a few dollars to throw at one. I am figuring that any accessories I buy for this old lathe I will be able to use on a new one. That is certainly true of any tools I get. But you are right I need to make sure I dont get a bad taste from using this cheap lathe. But I have it, I might as well give it a shot and keep in mind that it will perform subpar. Thanks again.

[Scott Donley]

Joe, have to agree with Don on this one, and to blanket all old CM lathes as mediocre does nothing to help Julio with his question. We all don't own a Oneway or can afford one.
Is Julio's worth spending money on ? I don't know, I am not Julio and will admit the spindle size might be a problem if it is a non threaded spindle, but it might work for him.
And yes, my first lathe was an old CM (King Seeley) all cast iron, that without it I probably would have never started turning. I would put it right up there with any old Rockwell it's same size, plus the price was right, free, but it too needed a motor, centers, and stand. Good luck Julio, and if start doing pens let me know and I"ll send you my old barrel trimmer.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Joe you do have a good point, but I too started on a C-man lathe, and moved to the DVR 3000. I could do a fair bit on the C-man, and in fact, if I had not got such a good deal on the DVR, I'd still be on the C-man :rolleyes: but, that being said, Joe is right that Julio has to be careful and understand that this little lathe he has is very limited.

Just for that reason I suggest to Julio that he set it up for pens! :D

You do not need a super powerful motor for pens, the tools needed are basic, and the end product that comes off the lathe is of value to almost anyone, a good thing I think (Impressing SWMBO with cool new pens worked for me!).

Julio, the stuff you need for the pens, in particular the pen mandrel that holds the pieces of wood will fit that lathe, but unless you buy an adaptor will not fit most others, as I'm fairly sure that lathe has a MT#1 on both ends, and almost any other lathe you move to will have a MT#2 on it.

I say set it up for pens, get a new live center for the tail stock, and new drive or spur center, and the $40 HF tool set, then you can start making bonkers, after that, the stuff for pens, and then you can start making pens.

If you are really bit by the bug, you will know.

I'd also suggest you find a local turning club and join it, and attend some meetings, maybe you will get a chance to turn on a nice lathe, so you can see the difference.

Good luck!

[Joe Melton]

I'm sorry I offended some, and should not have posted what I did. Some of the older Craftsman stuff is pretty good, and I was wrong to use the word mediocre. In fact, my late uncle was a gunsmith and used a Craftsman lathe to drill barrels and make round parts. I think the lathe was actually made by Atlas.
I would point out, however, that Julio doesn't have a Craftsman, new or old. He has a "Companion." This is/was Sears's "economy" tool. Anyone else here using a Companion lathe?
Someone stepped on the hose to my Craftsman (ok, I confess, I have a Craftsman product) shop vacuum and broke the plastic coupling that connects between the hose and attachments. The part is not sold in Sears stores, so I called their mail order line. After almost 15 minutes of fighting off the woman who was trying to sell me everything else short of aluminum siding, she told me the total cost of the six dollar part was 24 dollars, which included their shipping and handling. I told her something impolite, hung up, and bought a new Ridgid.
So, while Julio is building a stand, replacing bearings and belts, trying with only slight success to get things aligned, dealing with Sears "service" and possibly acquiring a bad opinion about woodturning, he could be turning ugly pieces of wood into works of art. I think he will regret it someday, and life, in my opinion, is too short for such regrets.
Joe, statesman

[Andy Hoyt]

Do you want to take the low road or the high one. Doesn't matter. They both lead to the same place.

Some like to tinker, build, weld, and such (Stu comes to mind) and some like to just get to it (Like that Andy guy).

Knowing Julio is probably more like Stu than me (as discerned from his DC experience) I say have at it and restore the thing. And so what if it's not dead perfect - he'll still find out if turning suits him. If it does he'll have a great rig for buffing or some such thing when he upgrades. And if he doesn't - he doesn't.

Git r done Julio!

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Joe, please, you did not offend me, and I very much doubt that you offended others by giving your honest opinion, I'm VERY sure that is what Julio is looking for, so please, don't stop doing so!!:D

I have to agree with you on some of your points, but I also think the second cheapo lathe for pens etc would be OK as well.

I really don't think that Julio should even bother with a stand at this point, but just bolt it to a workmate with a couple of bags of sand, or a bench or something, get some sort of motor on it (old washing machine motor?) and try to spin some stuff, if he likes it, well, there is the slippery slope, all greased up and ready for the slide :D

But please Joe, don't stop posting your honest opinions.

Cheers!

[Joe Melton]

OK, Thanks for the motivation, Stu!:D
What makes you think an inferior lathe is ok for pens but not for other turnings? I think you've got it backwards. Concentricity is very important with pens because of the mating of the parts. If that is off, the person holding the pen can feel it. If the pen mandrel doesn't turn right, the pen will never feel right.
If one side of a bowl is .025" thinner than the other side, no one will notice, but if one side of a pen is off that much, you might as well throw it away.
As for buffing, the table on this lathe is probably not long enough to accomodate the Beall system, but the lathe could be used with a sanding disk or single buffing wheel.
I'll shut up now.
Joe, forever mute

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

OK, Thanks for the motivation, Stu!:D
What makes you think an inferior lathe is ok for pens but not for other turnings? I think you've got it backwards. Concentricity is very important with pens because of the mating of the parts. If that is off, the person holding the pen can feel it. If the pen mandrel doesn't turn right, the pen will never feel right.
If one side of a bowl is .025" thinner than the other side, no one will notice, but if one side of a pen is off that much, you might as well throw it away.
As for buffing, the table on this lathe is probably not long enough to accommodate the Beall system, but the lathe could be used with a sanding disk or single buffing wheel.
I'll shut up now.
Joe, forever mute
Don't "Shut Up" Joe, your points are very good ones!

One of the reasons I'm "NOW" telling Julio to NOT build a stand for this lathe is that he should give it a spin under power first to see how it goes.

I'm fairly sure that a MT#1 live center and spur drive will not set him back much, then with a motor borrowed from another machine or whatever he can mount it on the bench with some screws (not drywall ;)) and make a bonker :D

If things check out then that little lathe could be great for pens, but you are correct, if the lathe is not running true, then is it not worth much but maybe some extra weight to add to the stand he builds if he buys another lathe.

Cheers!:)

[Joe Melton]

Stu, you remind me of Michael Jackson the way you backpedal!
Joe

[Joe Melton]

I've been in a strange mood today. At noon, over lunch, I dropped in to see a friend I'd not seen in awhile. He is retired and working on vintage motorcycles for spare cash. He had three of my engines to rebuild, and I thought I should inquire on his progress. I knew it was hopeless to ask because he always promised more than he delivered as he always helped the guy who came in with an emergency. Sort of last-in first-out system. Well, his brother was there and informed me my friend had passed away. He was 18 months into his long-anticipated retirement, and died in his sleep while camping with his wife. His heart stopped.
My wife and I have been discussing my retirement, and I'm about ready to give notice. Today about put me over the edge. I have enough projects and unfinished business, not even including woodturning, to last me 20 years, that is retirement years. The thought of passing on just 18 months after finally escaping the confines of my office scares me. I guess I took it out on Julio, and apologize for that.
Oddly enough, a week ago I got fed up with looking at the parts of an old roll top desk I stripped and dismantled twenty, yes, twenty, years ago. I gathered up the pieces, took them to the yard and finished the stripping. Now they are pretty much finished. Maybe something subliminal is telling me to clean up my act; I even thought about finishing those dining chairs that I started three years ago.
Oh, what was the subject? Lathe? Sorry. Life goes on. At least, we expect it to.
Joe

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Stu, you remind me of Michael Jackson the way you backpedal!
Joe

Boy how am I supposed to take that one?

:D

Joe the point is, for a small amount of money, and a little tinkering, which I know Julio like to do, Julio can have a functioning little lathe, that, he can test the waters with.

Your points are also valid, and for someone like Andy, who would and or could rather just spend the money and be done with it, your advice would be spot on.

Sorry to hear about your friend, that sucks. My Dad is now 71, and he retired early, as he was jut fed up with the whole deal, he got a good early retirement package, and he has not looked back. He says he is busier now in his life than nearly any time he can think of, except maybe when us four kids were little. He does the yard work and that kind of thing, but he is also an avid RC airplane modeler, and he has taught, over the years, hundreds of guys to fly, in fact the last time I was home, in Canada, we went to the flying field, and all of the 12 guys there that I talked to told me that my dad had taught them to fly. He is enjoying his retirement, and I sincerely hope you enjoy yours.

Have a great day!

[Bill O'Conner]

I have a spare motor and 4 pulley set-up on it should work for your lathe let me know if intrested? Also have a MT2 to MT1 adaptor don't think I'll ever use it quite happy with the old C-man that I have

Bill