Old Lathe Dedicated to Sharpening?

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Smokin Slow

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Just getting into turning a bit more seriously now with the purchase of a new Jet. Have an old Craftsman that I would guess will be hard to sell and not worth a whole lot anyway. Question - can I turn my Craftsmen into a dedicated tool sharpener? Thought I would hack off the bed so its not so long and it has a mandrel with a chuck plus a spot for a wheel.
Anyone seen anything like that, see any reason it couldnt work?
 
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I wouldn't hack off the bed .....


It may be that the head can be rotated for "outboard turning" in which case you could use it like a flat faced disc sander with variable speed motor.

If the head cannot be rotated, then mounting a holding system upside down over the lathe bed (with chisel pointed down on the side of the disc coming up - the BACK SIDE of the lathe) would work just fine too.

Or you could just mount your holding system just off the center line at an angle that is comfortable to work with, so that the lathe bed is not in the way.


You never know when you'll want a backup lathe for other purposes ... such as a dedicated pen blank drilling system, or for pre-forming your blanks before you drill and tube them.

Last, but not least, there are a LOT of us new turners running about out here. A lot of us can't afford to run out and pay 5 or 6 hundred dollars on a new lathe, much less the 3,000 some people are dropping on a brand new deluxe system. Many of us would be happy to give that old Craftsman a new home and some TLC for a long time to come. Figure out the cost for packing it up and shipping it and what you'ld like to get for it, and post it in the marketplace. Like Lucky says, it will sell, if priced right for one of us out here. And then you could put that money towards a dual speed grinding wheel sharpening stone system, or pick up a jig that works with an existing sander that you may already have on hand ...

A lot of us use a sander rather than a grinder. There are a LOT of different systems out there to properly maintain or re-grind a new bevel, as well as give you the proper cutting edge on all your tools.
 
I would rig a router set up to it and use it as a dedicated segmenting lathe. So many cool design can be made with that set up.
 
KenV said:
Buffing station makes more sense for an old lathe.

Ever seen a grinding wheel come apart while in motion?


I have --- once.
Click to expand...

Yup, I was working in a tool room when the wheel on the big surface grinder came apart. 4" wide wheel, scared the hell out of me and a few others. :eek:
 
Buffing station is the way to go.......Three big cloth wheels and the white diamond and you will make your pens shine.

Get the right grinder when they are one sale or when a group buy happens.
Doing it the right way makes more sense then hacking a lathe apart.
 
Smokin Slow said:
Just getting into turning a bit more seriously now with the purchase of a new Jet. Have an old Craftsman that I would guess will be hard to sell and not worth a whole lot anyway. Question - can I turn my Craftsmen into a dedicated tool sharpener? Thought I would hack off the bed so its not so long and it has a mandrel with a chuck plus a spot for a wheel.
Anyone seen anything like that, see any reason it couldn't work?
Click to expand...

I just bought an old craftsman lathe. There are people that want to get into pen making or duck call making and they will be checking Craigslist often. I was looking at CL almost every other day looking for an affordable used lathe. Someone will want it and someone will pay for it :biggrin:

Good Luck

Drew
 
I saw a 48" diameter wheel come apart on a big Taylor Thompson Surface Grinder. Scared the pants off me. I've got a LOT of respect for grinding wheels. When I was a kid, I used to use a "Work Arbor" with a grinding wheel on it on my Craftsman Lathe to sharpen lathe tools. After seeing that wheel on the Taylor Thompson come apart and watching it fly - even with guards - I would Never do that again.
 
+1 on the buffing system.....I have a Beall system on a Rikon Econo...it is awesome. It saves a ton of time over MM and IMHO , for the most part, better results.
 
Ok so the wheel idea is not so good, can't say I have ever seen one come apart but don't want to start either. We seem to have a LOT of old craftsman lathes around here, must have been the thing to have in the 60's and 70's!
I'll try selling for a while yet and look at other options for sharpening.
Thanks for the insight
 
Consider as a buffing station...

This is how I repurposed an old Craftsman lathe that was given to me. I cut the lathe main tube down to size, used 1/2inch All-Thread and 8" buffs. I really like being able to select the desired speed for the best finish. Speaking of repurposing, you can see a 15 drawer "Dewey D." library card file down below the buffer-lathe. It holds some kits, but not enough!:smile:
 

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Smokin Slow said:
Ok so the wheel idea is not so good, can't say I have ever seen one come apart but don't want to start either. We seem to have a LOT of old craftsman lathes around here, must have been the thing to have in the 60's and 70's!
I'll try selling for a while yet and look at other options for sharpening.
Thanks for the insight
Click to expand...

It's my opinion that those old Craftsman lathes did more damage to the hobby of woodturning than they ever did help. The first time a guy tried to turn a bowl on one, he parked it in the corner of the shop and never used it again. He was scared for his life as the lathe spun too fast, and had no mass to absorb any vibration. I say put it out it's misery, and cut and make it into anything you want. Anything is better than using it as a lathe! LOL
 
Depends on how OLD it is. The one with the round "bed" was a complete piece of junk but the models preceding that which had a cast iron bed and cast iron headstock and tailstock were pretty good lathes. Four speeds with a step pulley and ball bearing headtock spindle bearings. Indexing. Could turn outboard with a reverse threaded faceplate. A lot of people had those old lathes which were made by King Seeley in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I turned a lot of spindles AND bowls on my Craftsman Lathe. In some ways i wish I still had it.
 
That is the same one my dad left to me. I watched him many hours on it. The only thing having to do with it that I use are the set of chisels that came with it. Somehow making pens with dads old tools puts a little bit of him in every one.
 
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