# Cleaning up Craftsman mono tube lathe



## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

A friend gave me his Craftsman mono tube lathe to pass onto another friend. The lathe has been replaced by a NOVA DVR XP.

Before sending this on I decided to cleanup the decades of dust, and see what else may need tuning up.

The tube had not been lubricated for awhile, it had small dings and scratches. No wonder the original owner friend complained of difficulty in moving the tail stock.

WD40 and some wet-dry paper to the rescue. In a few seconds all was working smoothly again.

Removed the tailstock and cleaned up the threads. Another part of the lathe which was overdue for lubrication.

Lots of old dust to remove, especially in the motor. An open drip induction motor is going to collect dust from a lathe. A consequence of the inexpensive price point of the lathe.

The pulleys had slipped over time. I had to use a pulley extractor to get them off The lathe pulley had slipped off sufficient the locking screw was not engaging in the machined flat section. It was now on the round section of the shaft.

After re-aligning the pulleys, I re-mounted the motor, attached the belt, and powered up. It is now running as good as new.

The original owner friend commented the lathe was noisy and vibrated a lot. I am not going to try any turning, but I do not feel the no load sound is noisy. I can just hear the hum of the motor.

Perhaps my friend needed to have cleaned this more often.

The lathe is now ready for the other friend to collect.

I have a new respect for all you folks who are using these mono tube lathes. The small levers for locking everything and their design would frustrate me.

The fact you are making some turnings with the lathe is testimony to your skill rather than the design of the lathe. :thumbsup:


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## robert421960 (Dec 9, 2010)

i had one and hated it so i sold it
my dad has one and everytime i use it i hate the handles too:yes::yes:


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

robert421960 said:


> i had one and hated it so i sold it
> my dad has one and everytime i use it i hate the handles too:yes::yes:


My friend did not turn up today, called away to a domestic issue.

The lathe was taking up too much space, and I am in need of the space, so I decided to drop off the lathe. 

He was still away at his domestic crisis.

I feel this will become another part of his tool collection.

I do not think he has used the previous donations of a Radial Arm Saw (from me) or a table saw (from the same original friend).

I am happy that the lathe is in a good operating condition if my friend ever attempts to use it.


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