Does anyone have a spare jackshaft assembly? I'd like to get the speed down on this late 30's Craftsman lathe. jholmquist@ucla.edu
Thank you,
Jeff
Thank you,
Jeff
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- Thread starter Jeff Holmquist
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Power the lathe with a VFD and a 3-phase motor and your problem is solved.
You can use your house power to run the VFD and the VFD converts your house power to 3-phase to run the motor at any speed.
This is one of the cheapest ways to achieve speed control on that type of lathe.
Installing a jack shaft and pulleys will require steel mounts on both ends of the jack shaft mounted between your motor & headstock.
This requires metal fabrication, welding, modifications to the lathe leg supports and plenty of design time.
The VFD and 3-phase motor is plug and play with very little modifications if any to your existing lathe.
You can use your house power to run the VFD and the VFD converts your house power to 3-phase to run the motor at any speed.
This is one of the cheapest ways to achieve speed control on that type of lathe.
Installing a jack shaft and pulleys will require steel mounts on both ends of the jack shaft mounted between your motor & headstock.
This requires metal fabrication, welding, modifications to the lathe leg supports and plenty of design time.
The VFD and 3-phase motor is plug and play with very little modifications if any to your existing lathe.
Mike, thank you for your advice. I've wondered about a VFD and 3-phase motor, and I'll give that some additional thought. That would certainly provide variable speed, which a jackshaft cannot.
Almost all of my woodworking machinery is old iron, and I've enjoyed the metal fabrication/design elements involved in the restoration of each of the machines. I don't think that welding or leg support mods should be required. Craftsman, Delta, and other manufacturers offered jackshaft assemblies, and lots are still out there. Not quite plug and play, but close enough.
Something like these period-appropriate examples would be ideal, but I don't mind modifying something or starting from scratch if need be.
I suspect that what I should *really* be doing is buying a new, or at least newer, lathe. This 9 x 30 lathe is sufficiently archaic to be holding even me back. Obviously little swing, and it has never known a ball bearing (though bronze/oilite bushings don't get enough respect). I think that most of my old machinery is actually superior to what can be affordably purchased now, but that is not the case with this lathe. So, I've also been considering a mid-grade lathe from Jet.
I will continue considering a VFD or new lathe, but in the meantime I remain interested in finding an old jackshaft assembly.
Almost all of my woodworking machinery is old iron, and I've enjoyed the metal fabrication/design elements involved in the restoration of each of the machines. I don't think that welding or leg support mods should be required. Craftsman, Delta, and other manufacturers offered jackshaft assemblies, and lots are still out there. Not quite plug and play, but close enough.
Something like these period-appropriate examples would be ideal, but I don't mind modifying something or starting from scratch if need be.
I suspect that what I should *really* be doing is buying a new, or at least newer, lathe. This 9 x 30 lathe is sufficiently archaic to be holding even me back. Obviously little swing, and it has never known a ball bearing (though bronze/oilite bushings don't get enough respect). I think that most of my old machinery is actually superior to what can be affordably purchased now, but that is not the case with this lathe. So, I've also been considering a mid-grade lathe from Jet.
I will continue considering a VFD or new lathe, but in the meantime I remain interested in finding an old jackshaft assembly.
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What you’re showing was my first lathe, inherited from the landlord of our rental house in 1978 or so. It served me well for a number of years, although I did manage to break the cast iron banjo following a catch. Made a replacement from a stout piece of oak which, while not ideal, worked well enough. Even has an indexing head, if I remember correctly.
Lou, that's neat. Funny how old machines seem to find us. And you're correct-- the lathe does have an indexing head. That's a beautiful boat-- did you make it?
Thanks Jeff! Yes, an Adirondack guideboat. Mostly traditional, but the hull is cedar strips instead of lapped pine planks. 
Holy cow, that is spectacular. I'm calling my wife over to take a look too. I can't imagine how much work went/goes into that.
Thank you! About a year of part time work. I’ve actually built two of them. The second was much easier. Here’s one more picture: 
Gorgeous. I would have thought that the caned seat alone would have taken a year. And all of that bent wood . . .
Most of the bent wood is steamed laminations glued with epoxy. Here’s a link to the website I made to sell the boat. https://adkboat.wordpress.com/
Remarkable that the boats weigh in at only 65 lbs. Must have been hard to part with one.
It was, but we sold the place we had in the Adirondacks and it was pretty impractical to keep. The second one (actually the first I built) hung for a while in the rafters of my garage shop, and then I shocked my wife by taking it out and cutting it in half. This way I can enjoy it every day. 
The other half is still in the rafters in case we, or someone else, ever needs an extra set of shelves.
The other half is still in the rafters in case we, or someone else, ever needs an extra set of shelves.
I did see a jack shaft assembly on eBay the other day. Searched using "wood lathe" and it came up.
Mike, thank you! I missed what appears to have been a nice Craftsman/Dunlap on eBay about a month ago, so I will see what's there and save a couple of search terems. But-- as it turns out I found a used Jet 12-21 just today, which is an upgrade over my old Craftsman pal in many ways. The old feller does offer more length for the occasional longer spindle, so I plan to keep it around. Getting the speed down on the Craftsman will suddenly be less of a priority now, though I may still try a jackshaft or VFD at some point.
Hello @Jeff Holmquist,
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