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Sears 15 inch Variable Speed lathe; help!

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Brian White

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Hello, all! I am a newbie in Glendale CA. I just bought a used 15" lathe, it runs, but as-is. Can anyone advise me as to a) What kind of lubricant to put in the drive b) Specs on the belt c) preventative maintenance on the shaft which holds the sliding split pulley, and d) any advice on replacing the lever handles on the tailstock and toolrest. This is not the current 175 lb. lathe, this is the older monster which weighs about 400 pounds.
 
Welcome to the Family, Brian. And welcome to the spinny world too.
It sound like you are describing a Reeves drive unit. If it works, no much has to be done to keep it working. A few drops of good lubricant, like a gun lube, on the shaft once or twice a year should be sufficient. Belts can give out. Having a spare on hand is a good idea.
Other than that, enjoy.
 
Brain Welcome to the clubhouse.

I would suggest a couple of things to make it easier to help you.

1) Take a picture if you can of your lathe.
2) See if you can find the actual craftsman model number and post that as well.

In general terms Frank has answered your question. But you mention a lot more which is hard to comment on without seeing which one it is.

You might want to mention how much you picked it up for as well.

The reason i say this is the guys that are trully in the know will tell you if its worth the cost/effort of modification given its age or whether it is a good old keeper and worth the touch up.

If you need help with pictures holler. There is a step by step instructions on how to post pictures on the forum here if you need help.
 
If you have a model number, you might be able to go to the Sear website, go tp parts and search that model. They may still have the parts drawings for that lathe. There is also a website for restoring old equipment but I can't find it right now. Very much worth some searching. It has a forum and all kinds of info on older machines. Yours may be on there.

Welcome to the site. I'd like to see pictures of your lathe.
 
Brian, welcome to the family, Vaughn is our resident expert on the reeves drive on Craftsman lathes. There are a couple of good sites on them and their maintenance. Will try to find them on bookmarked sites at home on my home computer and get back with you.
 
Brian answers your questions about 15" lathe

Howdy, y'all; My Code number is: 2003.11 and My model number is: 351.217150 This machine was built by Palmgren, and I have an email sent to them, asking their advice.
I already have the official Sears manual as a pdf file. I also have jpgs of the Reeves drive, will post them later.
My revised questions are: a) Where is the best place to buy a spare belt?
b) The split pulleys on my unit are really rusty, but NOT pitted as far as I can tell. After I clean them, what is the best way to prevent more corrosion? c) The shafts, which the pulleys ride on, give others a lot of trouble. Should I replace them? File them? Lubricate them, with what? [FYI, I have the Sears part numbers for these already, and the belt.
The day I bought this, I did plug it in, and put a knuckle against the spindle, which was not eccentric. So, I paid $200 for it, FOB Glendale.
d) If anyone out there built a gear puller for this (needed to change belt), please give me a few pointers.
I look forward to your input! Brian
 
Brian, I had that lathe, and it served me well. It did require pretty regular maintenance, and I tore it apart more times than I can remember. I'll answer in-line...

Brian White said:
My revised questions are: a) Where is the best place to buy a spare belt?
Click to expand...

I did some looking around, but couldn't find anyone else with a part number cross-referenced to either the Reeves belt (the big one) or the drive belt (the little one that's a pain to replace). There's a chance a good supply shop could find a match for the Reeves belt, but I think the drive belt will be harder to match because of the toothed design. So I bought all mine from Sears.

Brian White said:
b) The split pulleys on my unit are really rusty, but NOT pitted as far as I can tell. After I clean them, what is the best way to prevent more corrosion?
Click to expand...

I didn't have a rust problem with mine, but I suspect a good coat of wax would take care of things after you've de-rusted them. BTW, Evapo-Rust (available at Harbor Freight) would work great to remove the rust.

Brian White said:
c) The shafts, which the pulleys ride on, give others a lot of trouble. Should I replace them? File them? Lubricate them, with what? [FYI, I have the Sears part numbers for these already, and the belt.
The day I bought this, I did plug it in, and put a knuckle against the spindle, which was not eccentric. So, I paid $200 for it, FOB Glendale.
Click to expand...

I don't think you'll need to replace them, but you do want to clean then up real well and keep them lubed. I used graphite powder, which worked well until I'd let too much wood dust and belt crud accumulate on the shafts. Then I'd clean them again and re-lube.

BTW, you did good for $200. As I recall, I paid $330 for mine, and sold it almost a year later for $300. It more than paid for itself.

Brian White said:
d) If anyone out there built a gear puller for this (needed to change belt), please give me a few pointers...
Click to expand...

Here's a thread I posted a few years ago that shows how I did it. I'm not certain, but I might still have the parts for the all-thread spring release jig laying around the shop...

http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1386

Roughly whereabouts in Glendale are you? (You can send me a PM if you'd rather not post that info in public.) Maybe I could arrange to drop by and help you get things apart. (I'm just up the 2 freeway in Tujunga.)
 
Brian White said:
Howdy, y'all; My Code number is: 2003.11 and My model number is: 351.217150 This machine was built by Palmgren, and I have an email sent to them, asking their advice.
My revised questions are: a) Where is the best place to buy a spare belt?
Brian
Click to expand...

Brian,
Don't know the answers to your other questions, but by far the best place to buy spare belts - in my opinion only - is The Belt Store, Lafayette, LA. The lady that answers the phone seems to know all the right answers and their prices are the best I've found.... Phone Nr: 337-235 9736
Fax: 337-235-9030 website: www.beltsforanything.com

She'll probably need the model number, code number and if you have the part number from your manual....

I have two Jet lathes... when I broke the belt on my little 1014, called Jet to order another belt...between the belt and shipping, it was going to run over $30..... I called Phyllis at the Belt Store and got 3 belts + shipping for $21.
 
Vaughn pretty much hit the nail on the head. I had the same lathe and I was fixing it more than I turned on it. The belts can only be bought thru palmgren or Sears. I searched for almost a year trying to find a sub for them and with no luck. Nobody makes those belts but Palmgren at least that was the case at that time. The shafts need to be cleaned 3 or 4 times a year or more and I also used graphite to lube. My speed control busted and it was going to take 10 to 14 weeks to get one and I didn't want to wait that long. So while at Woodcraft my wife said just buy the Rikon and be done with it. If I would have known that I would have looked harder at the Jet 1642 or the Nova DVR.:rofl::rofl: Took the Palmgren lathe to the scrap metal place. Got a little money for it.
 
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