# vintage craftsman lathe?



## jimslathe (May 8, 2011)

I found a 1939(?) 9"craftman lathe #101.06242 at a barn sale w/1/2 hp thermotron motor, I dont know lathes. does anyone know if it can also be converted to metal work, and how to figure rpm's?everything looks to be in fine working order. jim


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## N'awlins77 (Feb 25, 2011)

*Well Jim, I'm no woodworking lathe expert, but I am when it comes to metal working lathes. And I doubt seriously a wood lathe, especially a '39 wood lathe can be converted to metal lathe. Unlike any wood lathe I've ever seen, a metal cutting lathe has to have power feeds. Meaning you have a carriage that can ride up and down the bedways to cut the metal with a slow feed for a good finish. And you also would have a Compound slide, that would feed your tool inward towards your work. In this case a round shaft. 

In my picture below, the machine to the right is a metal turning lathe. You can buy this one for about 30,000 dollars.*


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## barking spider (Dec 26, 2010)

While you could probably use a metal lathe for turning wood, I can't imagine how it would work in reverse (wood lathe used for metal).
Totally different cutting tools and methods. Speed is the least of your worries.


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## jimslathe (May 8, 2011)

phew$$$$ ...although I only paid $10.00 for my craftsman, I maybe I should stick to learning wood turning.


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## N'awlins77 (Feb 25, 2011)

jimslathe said:


> phew$$$$ ...although I only paid $10.00 for my craftsman, I maybe I should stick to learning wood turning.


*LOL, well Jim they do make smaller and much cheaper metal turning lathes. I just posted one from the company I work for. These are HD production machines. You can go to mail order places online like MSC or Enco or even Harbor Freight and find smaller and much much cheaper metal cutting lathes. And as long as YOU use them, in your backyard, they hold up pretty well. But you put one of those in a production shop, with 2 or 3 different people, young kids who don't respect the machine they get to make money on, and those machines may last two or three years at best! *


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