Picked up my first lathe... its a toy.

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So I was at a buddies house and see this little tiny lathe sitting on his garage floor... I have been wanting to learn a thing or two about machining as I currently know nothing, and I find myself wishing I had basic machining skills all the time. So I ask him what he wants and he shoots me a very fair price and I threw it in my trunk and hauled it home.Now that I have it home I did some reading... its a Craftsman 109 made by Dunlap and sold somewhere between the 40's and 70's. This thing is tiny, tiny tiny... HF mini lathe tiny. I don't expect to turn out anything too impressive... but I do expect it to be a good teacher... and possibly even result in me making a few useful items while I learn. A useful and CHEAP stepping stone... I am on the real hunt for a South Bend 9", but for now will try and make some small chips with this toy.
Reply:The small lathes are very capable within their limits.  A good gap bed engine or tool room lathe is the next logical step.  Dont forget to respect the machine tools as they are not forgiving at all.  Make a mistake and you will pay dearly so keep that in mind when you are learning.  If you are interested PM me and I will give you some very good sites for learning and solving problems when you get em,  Soon you will be turning stuff like the Zap, it just take patience to get there..BobI'm spending my Kids inheritance, I dont like him that much anyway!!!!!!Enuff tools to do the job, enough sense to use em.Anybody got a spare set of kidneys?  Trade?
Reply:Take a look at Mini-Lathe.com.  It's a good place for you to start.http://www.mini-lathe.com/
Reply:I had one of those.  Cleaned, tuned and painted up real well, it sold for a solid profit.I had a machinist bore out the headstock though to get a real spindle in there.  The tiny morse tapers it used before were almost impossible to find.Do you have the change gears?  Those are also pretty rare.  It's not a machine I would use for threading, but they can make a decent difference in the value.
Reply:It has the change gears... I gotta snap some pics.
Reply:Pics, or it didn't happen.... Those are the rules.My name's not Jim....
Reply:Try this...http://groups.yahoo.com/group/atlas_craftsman/There may be other specific groups there that address the particular model you have,but they will have more information about the small Atlas/Craftsman lathe than you can imagine...Clean it up and learn on it and if you decide to upgrade it will help finance a larger machine.
Reply:Originally Posted by BoostinjdmPics, or it didn't happen.... Those are the rules.
Reply:Originally Posted by mudbugoneTry this...http://groups.yahoo.com/group/atlas_craftsman/There may be other specific groups there that address the particular model you have,but they will have more information about the small Atlas/Craftsman lathe than you can imagine...Clean it up and learn on it and if you decide to upgrade it will help finance a larger machine.
Reply:?????? I don't own an Atlas/Craftsman lathe....Mine is a Southbend.I was just posting a link that deals with the Atlas lathes for information....they have all the information you need about that lathe.... If you don't think the government already has your information you're mistaken... Unless you don't have a computer,cell phone or a job or bank account,or credit cards you're not hiding from anyone. Sorry ,but that link was for the original poster for his information. .Last edited by mudbugone; 06-26-2011 at 03:04 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by BoostinjdmPics, or it didn't happen.... Those are the rules.
Reply:Originally Posted by dumb as a stumpPerhaps that will also work in a child custody case someday too? I'LL tell the Judge...Oh never mind. G
Reply:Good deal..Make sure to get some hss tool blanks..they are easy to grind and work great..I have a small HF lathe and had some cheapo carbide tools, I didnt really enjoy the machine until I discovered hss
Reply:[QUOTE=mudbugone;525602. . . There may be other specific groups there that address the particular model you have,but they will have more information about the small Atlas/Craftsman lathe than you can imagine...[/QUOTE]The Dunlap was not an Atlas.  Craftsman had a 6" Dunlap and a 6" Atlas.The Dunlap had Vee ways (unlike Atlas's signature flat ways), but the Atlas had a carriage rack (the Dunlap is cross-fed via the threading lead screw).
Reply:You are correct...My mistake.... the correct group...http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=Dunlap+109+lathe
Reply:not a toy at all actually!I'd suggest to go tohttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/AA_109_Lathe_Users_Group/and join up!for parts for that lathe you can go to:http://www.homeshopsupply.com/parts.htmlI have one that i am in the middle of setting up to run off a DC motor from a treadmill. My southbend lathe is deep in storage 250 miles away so i will use what i have handy.again it's ot a toy and if you work within it's limitations and learn you can actually do some pretty cool work with it.and if you "restore" it and decide to sell to help finance a larger lathe later, there are people who will pay a decent amount for this one. Personally i would suggest to keep it and use it for small things, and if you need a large lathe se it for larger things.Paul
Reply:Originally Posted by BoostinjdmThat has absolutely nothing to do with the current topic and maybe you should stay away from minors...