Vintage Machine Tools

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SOLD Vintage Craftsman / Atlas Lathe SOLD

Craftsman 12" x 36" lathe. This is my father hobby lathe in excelent condition. The bedways have no large nicks (see enlarged pictures) as best I can recall, no visible wear. I'll say 99%, just needs tuning, tightening, and comes with a very rigid stand that is available if you want it.

Original toolpost and craftsman tool holders. Has a 120 V motor . There is no noticable noise paint is like brand new under the cutting oil, will clean up very nice, just do not have the time to do it.... This is a fairly modern version of the Atlas lathe having threading gear box. It is the Craftsman model 101 289 10 ser#107436

This is a detailed description I found on the internet of this series of lathes made from 1959 to the 1980's (http://www.lathes.co.uk/atlas/page4.html):

The final form of the Craftsman 12-inch was identical to the new-for-1959 12-inch Atlas (for further details of how these Craftsman lathes changed over time, look at the Atlas section of the Archive). From this point on the Atlas and Craftsman versions of the lathe were identical with the same 6-inch centre height and both fitted with a conventional tumble-reverse assembly to drive the leadscrew as always used on the Craftsman version (the Atlas had employed a bed-mounted bevel box to achieve the same effect). Besides numerous detailed changes to the lathe the greatest single advance was the option of a neat self-contained underdrive cabinet stand that made the machine much more acceptable to training and education establishments as well as saving the home user valuable workshop space.
Depending upon their individual specification - various combinations of bed length, motor type, screwcutting by changewheels or screwcutting gearbox, etc. - the lathes are found with the following (and probably additional) Model Numbers: 101.28950, 101.28910 or a similar 101.289** number including: 101.2758, 101.2759, 101.2895N, 101.2893N, 101.2894N, 101.2897N, 101.28990, 101.28991N and 101.28993N2.
In the 1970s the lathe carried a "Craftsman Commercial" badge, though by the early 1980s this had been changed to "Sears Craftsman".

Atlas 12" x 36" long-bed
Introduced during 1959 this lathe, variously designated as the "late-model 12-inch Atlas" and the "Series 3000" was major redesign of the original and very popular 10-inch Atlas lathe that had enjoyed a production run of over 23 years. Although the flat-topped "English-style" bed still flew in the face of American preference for V ways, the rest of the machine was heavily revised and few parts were interchangeable with the earlier model. It was available in two versions, for either bench or stand mounting, with the former having a bronze-bearing countershaft (of rather agricultural construction) and integral hinged (cast-iron) motor mount that bolted to the bench behind the lathe (with a bracing arrangement to the back of the headstock) together with a lever-operated mechanism that slackened both headstock and motor belts simultaneously. The stand lathe sat on a neatly-constructed 190 lb cabinet (made from 3/16" thick steel with a chip tray as standard) that held a simple but robust countershaft with its pulleys overhung on 3/4"-diameter shafts from each side of bearings contained within central plumber blocks. Both models had an almost ideally-useful range of 16 spindle speeds that ran, in backgear, from 28 through 45, 70, 83, 112, 134, 211 to 345 rpm and, in direct drive, from 164 through 266, 418, 500, 685, 805, 1270 to 2072 rpm. Neat cast-aluminium covers guarded both the headstock and motor belt runs and the changewheels.
Strangely, although the bench model had a single V belt drive to the headstock the underdrive model used two - a design that can often lead to trouble when worn or unmatched belts are used. If your 12-inch underdrive suffers from a noisy headstock, vibration or a poor finish on turned work, look first at the final drive to the headstock spindle and check (by putting a chalk line across them and running the lathe) that the two belts are exactly the same length.
Whilst almost every 3000 Series lathes appears to have been fitted with a screwcutting gearbox some were made with a standard changewheel set up; the sales catalogues were a little vague on this point with publications for the American market sometimes listing the gearbox as a standard fitting on both stand and bench models but sometimes as an extra on the bench model only; export editions managed to show it both as standard unit and, simultaneously, amongst the extra-cost accessories for both versions. The gears within the box were of unhardened steel with all the bushes, whether for gears or rotating shafts, of the simple bronze Oilite kind lubricated through handy, dirt-excluding flip-top oilers. The "English" box was able to generate feeds from 0.0042" to 0.520" per revolution of the spindle and 54 threads from 4 to 240 tpi whilst that fitted to the rare all-metric machines gave feeds from 0.089" to 6.0 mm and 29 threads from 0.1 to 6.0 mm pitches. The 3/4"-diameter 8 tpi leadscrew was slotted and carried a sliding key that drove, via a worn-and-wheel within the apron, the power cross feed mechanism; end thrust in both directions was absorbed against radial need-roller bearings and, fitted at the headstock end of the shaft, was an over-load protection device designed to slip and prevent damage to the gearbox, its (steel) changewheel gears and the apron mechanism.
The headstock spindle, with a 1.5" 8 t.p.i. nose, 25/32" bore and 1/2" collet capacity, ran in Timken taper roller races; instead of being mounted to the rear of the spindle in traditional fashion the backgear assembly was built into the lower part of the headstock, rather like a Clausing or Raglan lathe, and engaged by a convenient lever protruding through the front face of the headstock below and just to the left of the spindle nose.
Whilst the apron and 11.25"-long saddle with its 33.75 square inches of bearing surface were strongly constructed - and the latter fitted to the bed by adjustable laminated shims - the compound slide rest could only be described as adequate for its purpose; the cross slide was of the type that, not being full length, caused wear across the central part of its movement and, to enable the cutting tool to be set at the lathe's taller centre line, the top slide base was simply "built up in the sand" to increase its depth. On the positive side the zeroing micrometer dials were clearly engraved and the mechanism to lock their rotation by positive finger screws.
In 1967 a minor change was made to the apron-mounted mechanism that engaged the (standard-fit) power cross feed with the provision of a simple, ball-ended toggle arm that slid the selector button in and out.
The tailstock was provided with an adjustable gib fitting to the bed and held a 1.125"-diameter ground-steel ram with an No. 2 Morse taper socket and engraved ruler marks from 0 to 3" in 1/16" steps. The clamping handle was permanently attached at the rear of the casting and, because room within the back of the casting was limited, was of the type that could be swung up and round to give a ratcheting action.

Unlike earlier Atlas lathes, which were without any form of dating (apart from the headstock roller bearings), some if not all 12-inch models had casting dates on the inside of their beds: a mark such as 9-2-59 would indicate a pouring date of September 2nd 1959 - providing the foundry workers had bothered to change the mould numbers, of course.

I will coordinate shipping from Wilson, NC 27822 zip or Raleigh, NC 27609 zip estimate lathe weight less the stand is about 350 to 400 lbs. High bidder responsible for all insurance, shipping & crating charges.

This item to be for weekend pickup in Wilson or for Raleigh, NC. Please bear in mind that my father was a hobby machinist and that my assessment of this lathe is not at the deepest technical level.

Would make a great Christmas present for yourself or someone that loves metalwork ....

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