Craftsman 15" Lathe on order

[Peter Meacham]

Hello, a new turner here - actually, I have a Craftsman 15" (model 09-21715) on order. Any reason not to purchase this item (I can still cancel the order)? Anyone have any experience with this model lathe? Thanks, Pete

[George Guadiane]

Hello, a new turner here - actually, I have a Craftsman 15" (model 09-21715) on order. Any reason not to purchase this item (I can still cancel the order)? Anyone have any experience with this model lathe? Thanks, Pete
We will need details:
cost, construction of the lathe, model number, pictures.
Generally speaking, you will hear that we don't recommend Craftsman products. What we would recommend would be based on your skill, intent, desire and pocketbook.
If you are as crazy as most of us seem to be, this lathe will only satisfy you (if at all) for a short period of time...
You might be best served to hold off a bit, join a club, attend a class or two, find a mentor or two and try other people's lathes and listen to thisr stories. Some guys get a mini/midi lathe and stay with it, quite content as there is a lot you can do with one.
The rest of us need (want, really) the BIG toys. In the end, if you think you might "need" the big lathe, don't buy the inexpensive one as you will end up with the big one anyway.
Take the money you save by not buying the inexpensive one and spend it on good turning tools.
Those are my questions, observations and suggestions.
G

[Brodie Brickey]

Peter,

Welcome to the vortex!

The craftsman lathe has a 15" swing (ie 14 3/4 bowl) and a long bed for turning spindles. I got a used one for my Dad and it works pretty good. For a comparable lathe by size/specification you'd need to go to Nova 1624-44 (~$1000).

For basic turning of bowls, pens, goblets, mugs, platters, etc it should be good. You will want to bolt it to a heavy bench. The lathe has a reeves drive which allows you to slow or speed up the lathe and one of the best features is that the lathe slows down to ~200 RPM. This is really important if you are bowl turning from rough stock (aka Free Wood, :D).

The threading is standard 8x1 TPI & MT2 so if you upgrade later, you shouldn't have a problem.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
While the lathe will go slow, you'll want to round your rough stock before putting it on the lathe. I don't think that you can hang 100 lbs burls off this lathe when its out of round. The bearings just aren't made for that kind of abuse.

To give you an idea of maintenance or repairs that can be done to the lathe check out this guy's link (no affiliation). He has pics & directions for changing out the belt and other stuff. http://aroundthewoods.com/lathelube.html

SUMMARY
Its not the most heavy duty lathe in the world, but it gives you access to the extra swing to make larger platters and stuff.

Definitely join a local club, the AAW has a number of chapters (http://www.woodturner.org/community/chapters/). Having someone to mentor you will really improve your turning quickly. Check out the local Community College, they may also have a turning program.

MOST IMPORTANT
Now that you have the lathe, don't forget the face shield. Its hard to wood work by feel only!

[Bob Hallowell]

Peter,
I don't want to sound bad but I would not buy it, many of us bought the palmgren 15" for a good price and is and was the same lathe. Many of us had many many problems with them and when I finally got everything straighten out with mine I sold it as did many other. I am sure others will chime about this. when They work they are a decent lathe and I did make sure mine was working well when it was sold.

Bob

[Gordon Seto]

Please do a search on Palmgren lathe. I think that is the twin of this lathe with different label.

[Tony Wheeler]

if you like to spend more time changing bearing and working on the lathe or should I say fixing the lathe than working on it . I first bought one because of the price If I new then what I new now I would have bought a Jet Mini If you do buy it new be sure to get the extra warranty youl need it

[Bill Stevener]

I tried one several years ago. I called Sears and told them I am returning it. I SAID "If your doors are not open, I will give it back right through the plate glass."
Don't bother with an extended warranty, they have no idea how to fix one!!!!!!!!!!
I am not bashful, trust me, it's a piece of junk. You will learn to hate Wood Turning.
Get my drift, you asked.

[David Wilhelm]

Peter, I don't Know what you are paying for this lathe. Nor do I know what price range you have to stay in at this time. I have came up with this way of thinking when talking to a fellow who wants to get a lathe to start turning. #1 if you are going to buy new then buy a lathe that you will keep and not upgrade. If your budjet is small then buy a mini like a jet 1014 or 1220 this is a lay that does not have to be upgraded at all but you may at some time step up from and add another lathe keeping the mini for other turnings. The best thing about craftsman is the credit card and thats not saying much. Things are just not like they use to be. I have an old craftsman pipe lathe and it serves it purpose. I always said my 2nd lathe would be a jet 1642EVS 220vts But There was this big sale on the 1442 and the only one left was the floor demo. My eyes got big and I loaded her up. I've seen the same lathe on CL for $500.00 and one without legs was cheaper than that. Look hard at the 1220. Then if you feel the need to grow yellow may be your favorite color.

[George Guadiane]

I tried one several years ago. I called Sears and told them I am returning it. I SAID "If your doors are not open, I will give it back right through the plate glass."
Don't bother with an extended warranty, they have no idea how to fix one!!!!!!!!!!
I am not bashful, trust me, it's a piece of junk. You will learn to hate Wood Turning.
Get my drift, you asked.
And I thought that I was being brutal!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Peter I also had one. It lasted longer than most others. I just took my second headstock to the scrape metal place. There are 3 belts on this unit and you can't buy them from any other place but Sears or Palmgren. They will run you about $70 I think for the belts. I have had to repair mine 7 times in 1 1/2 yrs from belts, capacitors twice, start/run switch, speed control arm, and one pulley. Some of these parts took 6 weeks to get. If you get a extended warranty the repairman they send out doesn't know squat about lathes and I ended up doing the work. If this thing quits again I am not going to fix it. If I were you I would look at the Nova 1624-44 (16" swing), Rikon midi or the Jet 1220 which both have 12" swings. I heard the Jet 1220 is coming out with a Variable speed unit in Feb. Just my $1.298.

[Hilel Salomon]

I won't add much to this, but someone else is looking to buy a Sears bandsaw. The problem began when Sears stopped getting their motorized tools from Emerson or some other relatively reliable outfit and went to Ryobi stuff. My experience with Ryobi made equipment is not good. Quality control is terrible. You will find some people who are perfectly satisfied with their Ryobi equipment, but more often than not, you'll find people who are very frustrated with theirs. I won't buy Ridgid (home depot) stuff for that reason. There are some very good, relatively inexpensive lathes out there, especially when outfits like Craft, Woodcraft, Hartville and Rockler and others have sales, BUT........ I strongly urge you to go to a local dealer who can give you advice, service your machine and order parts for you readily.
Ask other Creekers near you for the name of a dealer.
Regards, Hilel.

[robert hainstock]

Sears tools are now and always have been made by some subcontractor. there was a time when the craftsman name meant something quality. This does not seem to be the case any more. You have gotten some excellant, tho be it HARD advise here. I have not nor will I buy anything in tools from them. You mihgt rethink your quest. A hard, but hardy welcome to the site.:):):)
Bob

[Bill Stevener]

And I thought that I was being brutal!

A George, the gentleman asked. I will not recommend any one lathe, however, I will put down a bad one. How does the saying go -- if it quacks, it's a duck.:D

[Peter Meacham]

Thanks to all who responded. I know Craftsman is not the top brand in the world - but somehow I have purchased tons of their equipment over the years. I guess it all has to do with pricing and availability of parts, if necessary.

I can't really badmouth Craftsman for the most part - you get what you pay for but their tools seem to do the job for me. I am getting the lathe for about $404 after sale and discount. It seems to have some decent features for the money. Hopefully it will last for awhile. I don't want to put a lot of money into a lathe at this point as all I want to do at the moment are some baseball bats, rustic furniture, etc. Nothing too exotic as most of you probably do. I may get hooked and branch out further as time goes on. But I also have a CNC router and laser engraver to keep me busy as well.

Again, thanks for all replies and I am still deciding on whether to take delivery of the lathe or not. I am not shy about taking tools back to Sears if necessary - I did buy a Compucarve (Carvewright) machine about a year ago from them (yes, on sale) and then took it back - it was OK and if I did not already have a bigger CNC machine I might have kept the Compucarve

Regards, Pete

[Bill Stevener]

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m109/nicebill/funny-4.gif

[Bernie Weishapl]

Peter a Rikon with a bed extension will give you 38 1/2" or the Jet 1220 will give you almost 50".

[Dean Thomas]

...somehow I have purchased tons of their equipment over the years. I guess it all has to do with pricing and availability of parts, if necessary.
Yeah? I bought a LOT of stuff from them back when. Especially when the Craftsman name was respected and the guarantee was lifetime and instant nationwide. Not any more, Peter!

Parts? One word response on that one. Sorry to be harsh again, but the response is, "HAH!!!" Sears no longer supports their goods as they once did. A year or two max. By that time, they have changed the model number twice and no longer carry replacement parts for a particular model. I've got a number of friends who use their Sears machines for boat anchors because there are no longer parts available or because the customer service people (not the local folks) don't know anything any more. You can't get anything but replacement filters and the occasional nut or washer at your local store, and even then, not always.

If you are looking to purchase throw-away power tools, Sears is a good place to go. If you're just kicking the tires of this turning thing as a hobby, heck, you're better off (note sticking of words in my throat as I speak them) a Harbor Freight or Grizzly than you are with a Sears. HF & Griz will at least try to come to your rescue with parts or a new machine!

[Gordon Seto]

If you are looking to purchase throw-away power tools, Sears is a good place to go. If you're just kicking the tires of this turning thing as a hobby, heck, you're better off (note sticking of words in my throat as I speak them) a Harbor Freight or Grizzly than you are with a Sears. HF & Griz will at least try to come to your rescue with parts or a new machine!

I have more respect for Harbor Freight. They never pretend to give customers false expectation. Their price is cheap enough we know it is unrealistic to expect something of the best quality. We always know what we are getting into.

Peter, if you bother to search the archives, you will find posts posting the phone numbers of the superior for the service department of Palmgren. The parts and service department are not taking or responding calls. That is the company that makes this lathe.

[Ronald Fox]

I picked up the Cast Iron Harbor Freights Lathe for $200 on sale (normally sells for $280). This is my first lathe so I don't have any experience with any others, but it seems to work fine for me. I am having fun, and that is all that really matters ;)

[Jim Jakosh]

Don't buy it. I have two of them and they are junk. The first one I bought used and had to keep putting in start capacitors and freeing up the Reeves drive. I had it apart 4 time in 2 years. Then it would not start and kept blowing the breaker. I had a lot of special tooling made for that 15" lathe as well as a nice steel lathe station so I found a new one in Illinois and bought it and it bolted right in place . It was new in this guys basement and he never used it. It sounded real good and ran for 5 days okay. Then it made the God awful screeching noise off and on --drove me nuts. I told the guy about it and he was a Craftsman club member but Sears would not do anything for me. The reeves drive pulley froze on the shaft and I had to use a puller to get it off. Then it would not rev up to high speed. In the mean time I tore the other one down to the motor and the armature had .004 clearance all around and it was .005 out of center and rubbing on the field. In fact the armature was marked with bluing in the out of round area and they shipped it like that. I turned down the armature.012 and it ran fine. Now it will not start even with a new capacitor. Just a PIECE OF JUNK! Might make a good anchor!! I'm looking for a good 15" electronic speed controlled head to mount on that bed so I can still use all my tooling. I may gut this Craftsman lathe and run a belt from an outboard motor to this one. It won't even start any more.

[Jim Jakosh]

Don't buy it . they are junk!

[Dwight Rutherford]

Jim,
this thread is from 2008

[Bill Bulloch]

Thanks to all who responded. I
I am getting the lathe for about $404 after sale and discount. It seems to have some decent features for the money. Hopefully it will last for awhile.
Regards, Pete

You got solid advise here and none of it favored making this purchase. It seems you had already made you mind up, so I am wondering why you even bothered to ask for advise.

[Bill Bulloch]

I didn't notice the 2008 date. There's nothing new we can tell him; I am sure he knows all about it by now.

[David C. Roseman]

I didn't notice the 2008 date. There's nothing new we can tell him; I am sure he knows all about it by now.


It would be interesting to get an update! :)

[Barry McFadden]

I had a Craftsman 12" lathe years ago...never had a problem with it other than I wanted to do bigger and heavier stuff...so I upgraded to a larger lathe. I have a Craftsman 12" radial saw and a Craftsman 12" bandsaw which I have had for over 30 years and never had a problem with either one of them...I also have a Craftsman 28" snowblower which I have also had for 30 years...anytime I need a bearing or belt for it they have it in stock in the city I live in...can't beat that!!