Earlier this summer, I came across an auction online with a bunch of tools. The items were located up in Alpena and I was heading up to Long Lake for our family vacation in a few days. That’s only 10 miles north of town, so if I won anything I could pick it up locally instead of paying for shipping or needing to have my Dad pick it up. I bid on a few items, not really expecting anything, so I was surprised when I got an email telling me I “won” a lathe.

It is a Craftsman 12 Inch Wood Lathe (Model 113.23800) and was about $93 after fees and the auction house took their cut.

Here are a couple of pictures that were taken for the listing. It seemed to be in really good condition.

The lathe had been sitting in my garage for over a month and I needed to start clearing some space, so I finally put some time into it. I unbolted everything from the table top and cleaned it up. Then I painted the stand and table top. I cut a base out of some 1/2″ plywood and attached four casters to make it mobile in my shop. I also picked up a new belt from Autozone. When I was assembling everything I noticed the pulleys weren’t aligned, so I drilled new mounting holes for the motor.

Between the belt, spray paint, and casters I put about $20 into it. It cleaned up well and I think the paint makes the stand look a lot better.

One thing it’s missing is the original belt guard so I’m building one. I’ll post details when it’s ready.