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Craftsman Professional

Joined
Oct 4, 2020
Messages
23
Likes
3
Location
New Kensington, Pennsylvania
I have a 15 inch craftsman professional lathe I purchased around 20 years ago. It's really a great machine and I have done a lot with it. It had an optional tool rest set up for turning larger outboard bowls (the head turns and locks 90 degrees). The online parts lists etc all say these parts are <no longer available> however I wanted to see if anyone may have this outboard tool rest kit and not need or use it.
 
Try www.ereplacementparts.com to see what they have. Craftsman contracts with manufacturers and changes a few parts so they won't interchange. You are forced to go to Sears for a part. Once a Craftsman part is gone, it is gone forever. BTW, used to have Craftsman contractors as customers.
Good luck in your quest!
 
Glad you had good luck finding your part and with the Craftsman lathe. Our club was donated a Craftsman lathe when we first started the club. It was one of the worst lathes I've ever worked on. Nothing moved freely or locked down firmly and it was noisy.
 
Henry, here are a couple pics of the bracket.
 

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That looks like the one shown in the manual - I would love to get it but not sure how - maybe it would fit in a one price USPS large box that would ship for around $20 ? How much are you asking for it ?
 
I started on one of those many years ago. Take care turning bowls with that thing. Make sure its very tight and secure. Small cuts and careful tool presentation - the slightest catch can put enough strain on that cast iron and result in a break that can be really dangerous. Stay well out of the danger zone. Using cast iron for those parts is probably one of the main reasons they’re hard to find these days...one of my best turning days was when that one rolled out the door to be replaced with a Jet 1642. The next best day was when the Jet left to make room for the Beauty.
 
I started on one of those many years ago. Take care turning bowls with that thing. Make sure its very tight and secure. Small cuts and careful tool presentation - the slightest catch can put enough strain on that cast iron and result in a break that can be really dangerous. Stay well out of the danger zone. Using cast iron for those parts is probably one of the main reasons they’re hard to find these days...one of my best turning days was when that one rolled out the door to be replaced with a Jet 1642. The next best day was when the Jet left to make room for the Beauty.
I can appreciate your comments and thanks !
I am planning to edge work and large dia grooving -
 
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