1940s Dunlap 103-0603 Lathe Restoration

PappiJoe

New User
E
Hello everyone-

I recently purchased an old lathe and was looking for some guidance from any of the woodturners/equipment restorers on this great forum.

So far, I've found out that the lathe is an old Dunlap 103-0603, probably made for Sears. This is a picture of an 1941 catalog showing a similar unit(i.e. 103-0602 instead of 103-0603).

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The lathe has no motor and it has a sharpening stone installed on the headstock. It came with the pulley mounts for the motor and the tool rest assembly. There is a high probability that the tail stock is a dead end, which I believe means that the pin that holds the right side of the wood does not spin. I have an old 1/3HP motor I believe is similar to the original motor the unit would have used.

Anyone else has restored one of these before?

Ideas for the head and tail stock and potential upgrades are welcomed.

Thanks in advance.

Here are some pics.

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Oka

Casey
Corporate Member
I learned on one of those, Mount it to something that will not vibrate or move, clean it up repaint, change out the bearings add a vfd motor and it will serve you well enough until out grow it.
 

PappiJoe

New User
E
I learned on one of those, Mount it to something that will not vibrate or move, clean it up repaint, change out the bearings add a vfd motor and it will serve you well enough until out grow it.
Fantastic!
Good to hear. Thank you. Any specifics on the headstock? I am NOT well versed on lathe talk so Im not aware of what I dont know. Any diagrams? Manuals? suggestions on the vfd motor?
 

PappiJoe

New User
E
I think the head and tail stocks are #1morse taper. I used to have some accessories for one of these. If I can find them they are yours. No promises.
Ha. Understood. In the meantime, I’ll go research to find out what #1 morse taper means.
 

marinosr

Richard
Corporate Member

smallboat

smallboat
Corporate Member
I think Chris is referring to the price on the catalog page you showed.
A new one at that price would be quite a find.
 

PappiJoe

New User
E
I think Chris is referring to the price on the catalog page you showed.
A new one at that price would be quite a find.
Haha, thanks for the translation. Well, using the inflation calculation, that would be around $239.23 today. Which makes my buy that much better considering the fact that I paid around 10% of that
 

awldune

Sam
User
I think the head and tail stocks are #1morse taper. I used to have some accessories for one of these. If I can find them they are yours. No promises.

Before you order any parts, determine the specifications of the spindle and tailstock attachments. The sale brochure above says 1/2''-24 TPI, which is very oddball for a lathe. You may not be able to find a live tail center for such a connection. The manual PDF appears to show #1 morse taper, which is somewhat unpopular but you can easily buy new parts for.

It looks like the lathe has bronze bushings rather than ball bearings. They need to be oiled.

The main annoyance using this lathe will be moving the tool rest with a wrench.

Depending on how difficult it is to take apart the headstock, it may be worthwhile to obtain a cheap link belt to drive the spindle pulley.
 

smallboat

smallboat
Corporate Member
If it turns out the tailstock is #1 Morse taper, you can get a suitable live center from PSI for under $20.
That might come close to doubling your investment!
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
A VDF motor will cost 20 times more than you paid. I would stick with sheaves and v-belts to get started. It worked when new.
A live center would be nice, but not necessary. Do you have a faceplate or drive center for it?

From Vintage Machinery:
A brand of Sears, Roebuck & Co., made by Atlas Press, Central Specialty (later King-Seeley), Double A Products, and others. The Dunlap brand first appeared in the spring 1937 catalog, for hand tools. In 1941 it replaced the earlier Companion brand on machinery. It was reportedly named after Thomas M. Dunlap, the head buyer in the hardware department of Sears Roebuck.
 

PappiJoe

New User
E
Before you order any parts, determine the specifications of the spindle and tailstock attachments. The sale brochure above says 1/2''-24 TPI, which is very oddball for a lathe. You may not be able to find a live tail center for such a connection. The manual PDF appears to show #1 morse taper, which is somewhat unpopular but you can easily buy new parts for.

It looks like the lathe has bronze bushings rather than ball bearings. They need to be oiled.

The main annoyance using this lathe will be moving the tool rest with a wrench.

Depending on how difficult it is to take apart the headstock, it may be worthwhile to obtain a cheap link belt to drive the spindle pulley.
Ill keep that in mind. Thank you.
 

PappiJoe

New User
E
A VDF motor will cost 20 times more than you paid. I would stick with sheaves and v-belts to get started. It worked when new.
A live center would be nice, but not necessary. Do you have a faceplate or drive center for it?

From Vintage Machinery:
A brand of Sears, Roebuck & Co., made by Atlas Press, Central Specialty (later King-Seeley), Double A Products, and others. The Dunlap brand first appeared in the spring 1937 catalog, for hand tools. In 1941 it replaced the earlier Companion brand on machinery. It was reportedly named after Thomas M. Dunlap, the head buyer in the hardware department of Sears Roebuck.
I dont think it has either a faceplate or a drive center. Ill double check what I have and get back to you. If we don't Ill definitely come back to you all for assistance on procuring one.
 

FredP

Fred
Corporate Member
Well, I looked. I used to have a couple of face plates that would fit that lathe but it appears I either gave or threw them away. If I find them I'll let you know.
 

Roy G

Roy
Senior User
The tail stock center may be integral to the tailstock quill. It probably is a cup center that you should put wax on before mounting a piece of wood between centers. How is the grinding wheel held onto the headstock? Is it threaded on to the spindle? Can you spin the grinding wheel by hand and listen to the headstock bearings? Any bad sounds? Best to find out if the headstock needs rebuilding before sinking a whole lot of money into a motor or building a stand.

Roy G
 

creasman

Jim
Staff member
Corporate Member
I have a very similar model. Apparently these were very versatile lathes, with accessories for all sorts of wood turning as well as metal. I also found and framed the Sears catalog page. It's the model I have although mine is branded Dunlap instead of Craftsman. I wish they still offered all the accessories (and at the same prices ;)).
IMG_2789.JPG

Mine was given to me several years ago by a friend who was moving to California. He had mounted it on a very shaky stand made of 2x4's and plywood. Perhaps this is why he never really used it. I build a solid base and purchased a new motor (old one quit working after the first couple of tries). The crosspiece on the base (bottom shelf) is hollow and filled with sand to give it weight. I never have a problem with stability, but then I don't typically do off-center turning.

IMG_2786.JPG


The only significant part I had to replace was the dead center. It was missing the center point. I was able to purchase a replacement with the right taper from WoodCraft in Raleigh. I also added a handle to the crank since the original was missing. As you can see mine is missing the pulley cover and I've mounted the motor underneath rather than the way it came (in back of the head stock I believe). It's a great lathe for spindle turning. I use it frequently. The turning shown will be a couple of feet for a spice box (easiest to turn these two at a time). The wood is walnut.

IMG_2787.JPG


You're gonna have a lot of fun restoring and using it. Enjoy! Post pictures of your progress, please.
 

Gotcha6

Dennis
Staff member
Corporate Member
The indexing pins on the headstock pulley are a big plus. I have a newer version of that (my first lathe) and the headstock has a 3/4 - 16tpi thread IIRC and spindle adapters can be bought for 4 jaw chucks to fit it. Looks like the OP's lathe is not as sophisticated, but it'll be a good starter for him 'goin' down the slippery slope'!!!
 

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