grsjax

kgstakes, what is actually wrong in your opinion with your lathe ?
 
When pondering lathes it is important to draw up a list of the things and their enveloppe sizes that you are expecting to make. An old rule of thumb is to by a lathe that has twice the capacity you think you need 😉
 
Apart from that the other end of the size range also needs to be considered. If you are expecting to make (lots) of small parts, a chuck is not such a good option for a couple of reasons: it is less precise than collets and the spinning jaws are always a risk for valuable body parts, such as fingers. As you already have a lathe, you may want to look into a collet-chuck for it (I don't think the Craftsman has an internal spindel taper for collets). They are easy to obtain though ES-collets are more for tool-holding and not so good for work-holding. A 5C collet-chuck would be better. On the other hand, as you have thread-cutting capability on your lathe, you could make a collet-adapter four your own lathe quite easily yourself. You could then make one for WW-horological collets to work with really small parts.
 
An engineer's lathe is not ideal for woodturning, as dust can easily clog the drive spindle. A plain lathe would be better. When you turn wood, you should remove the saddle and apron as much as possible without going so far to disassemble the lathe and cover well the spindle in front of the bed. Dito for the backgear etc. I would tape it up. Otherwise you would need a thorough cleaning session as wood dust together with oil makes a nasty combination that can clog vital parts of the lathe easily.
 
To fashion a T-rest (or several sizes for convenience) should be quite simple. You would need to make a bed adapter that clamps to the lathe bed and to which a stem is screwed that carries the actual tool-rest. On the Internet there should be pictures of the (way overpriced) T-rest Sherline used to sell for their lathes, which should give you design ideas. I think that could be done without needing a milling machine, just using stock materials and simple tools.
 

Note that Sherline is selling these chucks with back plates to fit Unimat DB/SL spindles that are 12mm in diameter x 1mm threading (or 14mm x 1mm for the Unimat 3) or "1/2" by 20 TPI for "old 6" Sears lathes." Sears sold lathes in a variety of sizes. The smallest was a 6" lathe (capable of handling material up to 6" in diameter,) there was a 9" model, and the 12" model made by Atlas. I've never seen a 6" Craftsman lathe in the flesh, but the 9" Craftsman lathe was a nice little lathe. 
 
Back in the day, "Craftsman" was Sears' middle of the line "house brand" for tools while "Craftsman Professional" or "Craftsman Industrial" were the top of the line and "Dunlop" was Sears' lowest quality - lowest priced line of tools (which were later called "Sears," then "Companion," and are now called "Evolv.")   It's only been in recent decades as Sears began its long decline into oblivion that Craftsman tools began to be sold anywhere other than in Sears stores or mail order from their catalog. Stanley-Black and Decker bought the Craftsman brand in 2017 with Sears holding a license to use the Craftsman brand name without paying royalties to Stanley-Black and Decker for 15 years, so now you can buy Craftsman tools at a Sears store (if you can still find one, there's only 13 Sears stores left) or one of the many other stores now supplied by Stanley-Black and Decker.
 
The various old Craftsman stationary power tools were made by leading U.S. stationary power tool manufacturers of the day such as Atlas Press, Co. (in later years bought out by Clausing lathe company), King-Seeley, and Double A Products. These Craftsman tools were identical to the models made and sold by their manufacturers, save for the "Craftsman" label badges and model numbers attached to the tools made for sale by Sears, Roebuck, and Co. This was basically the same business model as Costco uses today with its "Kirkland" house brand. (Interestingly, the "Dunlop" line was named in honor of the man who was Sears' West Coast hardware manager who, in 1937, came up with the idea of making the Craftsman line of hand tools polished chrome plated and rust proof which resulted in a six-fold increase in sales the following year.)
 
The 12" Atlas Craftsman lathes have a spindle with an outside diameter of an inch and a half with eight threads per inch. This is a fairly standard spindle size and threading and there are all sorts of chucks that can be purchased with backing plates that have an inside diameter of 1.5" X 8 TPI, so you should have no problem finding a chuck in the size you desire. In passing, I'll mention that you may want to give some thought to investing in a four-jaw chuck instead of a three-jaw one since the four-jaw chuck is more versatile and accurate than the three-jaw. Four-jaw chucks come in "self-centering" and "independently adjustable jaw" types. For modeling work, you won't need the "watchmaker" tolerances of a Sherline chuck. One of the half-way decent Chinese imports will probably serve just fine. 
 
Here's a YouTube video from Mr.Pete22 / "Tubal Cain" on the 12" Atlas Craftsman headstock and spindle that you might find helpful.
 
 

The new year is here and I have made a resolution to pare my stash down.  My wife has been after me to reduce the stash for some time now, pointing out that I have far more kits than I have life left to build them.  So here goes with the first batch.  If you are interested but think price is to high make an offer.  Nothing lost if I don't accept and you might get a great deal.  Buyer pays for shipping.  My preferred method is USPS ground advantage but I will ship by whatever carrier the buyer wants.
I can send additional pictures to anyone interested. I will be listing some additional kits from time to time.

1.  Model Airways Wright Flyer 1:16 scale.  New open box.  $75
2. Panart Lancia HMS Victory 1:16 scale.  Old stock, complete and unstarted. $125 now $100
3. Panart Lancia Armata 1803 1:16 scale.  Complete but a previous owner punched out some parts and glued them together then took them apart.  In excellent condition.  $150 now $125
4. Disar Marieville Sternwheel Steamer 1:72 scale.  New open box.  $150 now $125

Keep the Atlas.  You can turn wood on it no problem.  Just clean the wood chips out of the lathe when you are done.  There is a Facebook group for Atlas lathes that you might find useful for info and finding parts.  Lots of Youtube videos about Atlas lathe operation and repair.
 
Check out this website for wood turning on a metal lathe. https://www.lathematters.com/turning-wood-on-a-metal-lathe/

The new year is here and I have made a resolution to pare my stash down.  My wife has been after me to reduce the stash for some time now, pointing out that I have far more kits than I have life left to build them.  So here goes with the first batch.  If you are interested but think price is to high make an offer.  Nothing lost if I don't accept and you might get a great deal.  Buyer pays for shipping.  My preferred method is USPS ground advantage but I will ship by whatever carrier the buyer wants.
I can send additional pictures to anyone interested. I will be listing some additional kits from time to time.

1.  Model Airways Wright Flyer 1:16 scale.  New open box.  $75
2. Panart Lancia HMS Victory 1:16 scale.  Old stock, complete and unstarted. $125 now $100
3. Panart Lancia Armata 1803 1:16 scale.  Complete but a previous owner punched out some parts and glued them together then took them apart.  In excellent condition.  $150 now $125
4. Disar Marieville Sternwheel Steamer 1:72 scale.  New open box.  $150 now $125

The new year is here and I have made a resolution to pare my stash down.  My wife has been after me to reduce the stash for some time now, pointing out that I have far more kits than I have life left to build them.  So here goes with the first batch.  If you are interested but think price is to high make an offer.  Nothing lost if I don't accept and you might get a great deal.  Buyer pays for shipping.  My preferred method is USPS ground advantage but I will ship by whatever carrier the buyer wants.
I can send additional pictures to anyone interested. I will be listing some additional kits from time to time.

1.  Model Airways Wright Flyer 1:16 scale.  New open box.  $75
2. Panart Lancia HMS Victory 1:16 scale.  Old stock, complete and unstarted. $125 now $100
3. Panart Lancia Armata 1803 1:16 scale.  Complete but a previous owner punched out some parts and glued them together then took them apart.  In excellent condition.  $150 now $125
4. Disar Marieville Sternwheel Steamer 1:72 scale.  New open box.  $150 now $125

The new year is here and I have made a resolution to pare my stash down.  My wife has been after me to reduce the stash for some time now, pointing out that I have far more kits than I have life left to build them.  So here goes with the first batch.  If you are interested but think price is to high make an offer.  Nothing lost if I don't accept and you might get a great deal.  Buyer pays for shipping.  My preferred method is USPS ground advantage but I will ship by whatever carrier the buyer wants.
I can send additional pictures to anyone interested. I will be listing some additional kits from time to time.

1.  Model Airways Wright Flyer 1:16 scale.  New open box.  $75
2. Panart Lancia HMS Victory 1:16 scale.  Old stock, complete and unstarted. $125 now $100
3. Panart Lancia Armata 1803 1:16 scale.  Complete but a previous owner punched out some parts and glued them together then took them apart.  In excellent condition.  $150 now $125
4. Disar Marieville Sternwheel Steamer 1:72 scale.  New open box.  $150 now $125

Keep the Atlas.  You can turn wood on it no problem.  Just clean the wood chips out of the lathe when you are done.  There is a Facebook group for Atlas lathes that you might find useful for info and finding parts.  Lots of Youtube videos about Atlas lathe operation and repair.
 
Check out this website for wood turning on a metal lathe. https://www.lathematters.com/turning-wood-on-a-metal-lathe/

Have a look on this website, they have loads of info.
 
http://www.lathes.co.uk/atlas/
 
Also as others have said search YouTube someone is bound to have fixed one up already
 
Tim

This picture is not my lathe but it is the same as what I have.  Fix it and use it??
 

As to fixing the larger lathe- You can make small parts on a big lathe, but you can't make large parts on a small lathe.

If you have the Atlas Craftsman lathe, you have a tool that I have llusted over for years but never owned.  The top of the line lathe for modelmakers would be a Sherline but outfitted with chucks and other accessories to be useful will probably spend $1500++ and you will lose some capabilities; power feed and a good system for turning tapers.
 
Roger

Gjoa was used by Roald Amundsen to traverse the North West Passage from 1903 to 1906.  She was built in 1872 and used as a herring fisher until Amundsen purchased her in 1901.  This kit is  an old Model Shipways “yellow box” kit that I purchased on eBay several years ago.  These kits have minimal instructions and just a few parts: a machine shaped solid hull, some blocks for deck houses that are never the right size, dowels for masts and yards, and a bag of metal fittings.  I worked on the kit off and on over the last several years but failed  to take any photos.  Once I finished the paper model of the liner United States I decided to attack the Gjoa seriously. Attached are a few photos showing the construction of the cap rails and the pin rails.  For the cap rails I traced the out line of the bulwarks onto a piece of sheet wood, widened the line to the cap rail width, leaving plenty of extra wood.  The rough rails were then glued in place and shaped to fit.  The pin rails were done similarly with lots of test fitting with final shaping after they were glued in place.  In the photo the port side pin rail has just been glued .

The deck furnishings are coming along. I didn’t have a wood thin enough to bend for the roofs of the WCs and the companion way, so I made them out of card stock. Now that it is posted I see a gap between the wall and roof on the starboard WC.  Have to fix that.  

Hawthorn seems to be a fairly common tree in the Northwest.  I have seen it growing in parks and along roadways.

A display case means that you will cutting dimensional lumber to size. For that a good 10" portable contractor saw like a DeWalt or Ryobi would be best using a good fence and sliding miter gauge plus many of these are pretty light weight. I have heavy duty cast iron table JET JTS-10 with a Delta fence and INCRA miter gauge. This saw weighs in at a lot of pounds but with that said, when 'tuned' it will shave pieces down to .010 but is overkill if you aren't doing a lot of work and moving often. Something like a Byrnes or Proxxon are great hobby saw but not big or powerful enough to size dimensional materials.

If you are speaking about planking actually I find it much easier to bend, including edge bending, than boxwood, pear, and other harder species.   It is easier to work if pre-bent with heat.  If soaked for some hours and then bent and heated it is even easier.  Have you watched the four You Tube videos by Chuck Passaro on proper planking techniques? He shows how to taper the breadth of the planks at each bulkhead or frame and how to pre-bend them so there is little or no bending of the plank on the model itself.
Allan

Almost all kits have inadequate instructions for rigging. Do you want this book? 

It has fairly detailed diagrams for the rigging, and it includes a chart of rope diameters which you will need to translate for your required scale. 
 
It is $613 on Amazon. I have completed my model and I don't need this book any more. I think $20 + shipping is fair. Inbox me if you want my copy. 

Anyone have a set of instructions for AL's Le Hussard model kit?  I need a set and wonder if anyone has one they will sell or will scan and email to me?

Interesting article. I think this type of WWI mine-laying submarine would make a great model kit.
 
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/3d-map-reveals-why-german-sailors-sank-their-own-submarine/ss-AA1l8L4M?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=d7c816a499af4dd6b8c865758d68fd48&ei=146

I bought this kit on ebay and found that several pages are missing from the instructions.  Everything else is there.  I have tried the AL website for instructions with no luck.  Looked online for a copy with no joy there either.
So anyone have a copy they are willing to part with or scan and email to me?

Hawthorn seems to be a fairly common tree in the Northwest.  I have seen it growing in parks and along roadways.

Re:  Wefalk’s post #12 above regarding growth rate & wood density.
 
An outlier would appear to be the Lilac bushes that grow behind my house.  These grow like weeds and require pruning every two or three years to keep them under control.  The last time that they were pruned I saved some of the larger branches.  The wood is hard, dense, with no noticeable grain.  
 
Roger

Figured out a better way to clamp the planks at the bow…

 

FINISHED!
 
Took a bit longer than anticipated but finishing the build was important to me. I can be a bit like a hummingbird with my hobby projects.
 
I didn't take pictures of the rigging process. I found the rigging frustrating. I can't imagine trying something more complex rigging-wise for quite some time. Some of the challenges are non-negotiable--like my eyesight--but having better tools and materials would probably help. I used string which I had on hand but I couldn't tell that it was any different than what was provided in the kit. Plus, mine was on a spool rather than wrapped around a card and had less kinks in it. However, my string is nylon and I found that knots slipped too easily and the thread always wanted to resume its curl. Basically, it was difficult to manipulate. I also found that the thread unraveled if I looked at it cross-eyed and once I clipped an end the thread tended to fray.
 
Tool wise... I've only got one pair of tweezers small enough for this work so last night I found myself looking at surgical needle holders on-line. I think those will help. I also need a better way to cut the string. I have a little pair of squeeze scissors but unless the string is under tension they tend to chew through the string rather than cut it. Overall, I think my rigging is pretty rough. Especially the lines attaching the sail to the spar. I keep telling myself that this is a learning project and I learned a lot!
 
What I did find very helpful is that I've got two LED lights on flex-stands that stick out over the work surface. Having the ability to hang lines from the light supports proved beneficial. I could even cut a number of lines and drag the ends through CA then drape the lines over the lights to let them dry. It kept them out of the way until needed. Same thing for my 'helping hands' with alligator clips. Just being able to keep tension on the lines by clipping them with the alligators and setting the 'hands' off to the side was helpful.
 
Anyway. I'm calling this one finished. Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. It's been a (mostly) enjoyable voyage. I'd recommend this kit to others at a beginning level. I might even see if I can find some 1/72 scale Vikings to crew her!