Craftsman · Wood lathe · about 1948 to the early 1960s
Before Emerson took over Sears' shop machines, Central Specialty of Ypsilanti, Michigan, built many Craftsman tools under the 103 code, and King-Seeley owned it from the mid-1940s. Two 103 lathes cover most of what you'll find. The 103.23070 is a 9 in swing lathe with 30 in between centers, a cast bed and ball bearings, from around 1948 to the mid-1950s. The 103.23880 is a 12 x 36 in lathe on a steel-tube bed from around 1958. Both run 825 to 3,450 RPM on step pulleys from a small 1,750 RPM motor. A 103.23140 is a 1946 Craftsman drill press, so don't let that number fool you. These are light hobby lathes, and the bearings and tool rest decide whether one's any good.
Shop check
Should come with it
Hard to find if missing
Check the listing photos against these lists, and ask the seller about anything you can’t see. A missing fence, guard or motor should come off the price.
Bearings wear, tool rests and centers go missing, and tube beds can flex under heavy work. Bronze-bearing early lathes need more care than ball-bearing ones.
New to old iron? How to check a used woodworking machine covers runout, the table, bearings and the parts that go missing, and dating old iron by serial number shows how to tell what year a machine was made.
Buying guide
Only pulled parts are listed for the 103 right now, like headstocks, tailstocks and name plates, so we can't price a whole lathe yet. Sears sold most of these without a motor and called for a 1/3 HP 1,750 RPM one, so the first question is what's driving it. After that, look for the tool rest and its base, both centers and a faceplate.
Snapshot
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Nothing was listed for the Craftsman 103 Wood Lathe when we checked.
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