"new" Clausing Lathes

I just purchased two "new to me" Clausing lathes. A model 5418 ser # 001987 and a model 6349 ser # 2-5591.
Got them home but haven't even unloaded them from the trailer yet. Each has a taper attachment and one has a 3 jaw chuck, the other a collet closer. Is there somewhere I can look up the serial #s to find when they were made. I suspect the 50's sometime.
I plan on ultimately only keeping one of them, probably the 6349, Probably also keep the collet closer, chuck & one taper attachment. The rest Ill sell off after cleaning them up a bit.
I also have a little Atlas 6" lathe I bought new back in the late 70's I think. Like to find the mfg. date on that as well.
Tim

Tim,

Unfortunately, Atlas or Timken didn't put inspection dates on the spindle bearings of the 6" lathes (or the mills or shapers). And no production history on any of the Atlas (or for that matter, Clausing) machines survived Clausing's many moves. So the only way to very roughly date a 618 is to assume that the annual production numbers were constant (which they almost certainly weren't) and using 1937 as the start year and 1972 as the end year, and assuming some final serial number, calculate the rough year of manufacture. We have a total of 49 612 and 618 with serial numbers in the database. The highest number is 027421. So I would use 30,000 as the total number made. The 618 was made from 1937 to 1972. Assuming that production started 01 January of 1937 and stopped 31 December 1972, that's a total of 36 years. Divide your serial number by 30000. Multiple the quotient by 36. Add the answer to 1937 and that's a very rough guess as to when your 618 was made.

If you would like to add your machine to the database, send me the serial number and any other information that you would like to include (like when and where you got it, what you paid, what accessories came with it, what its current condition is, etc.).

wa5cab said:

Tim,

Unfortunately, Atlas or Timken didn't put inspection dates on the spindle bearings of the 6" lathes (or the mills or shapers). And no production history on any of the Atlas (or for that matter, Clausing) machines survived Clausing's many moves. So the only way to very roughly date a 618 is to assume that the annual production numbers were constant (which they almost certainly weren't) and using 1937 as the start year and 1972 as the end year, and assuming some final serial number, calculate the rough year of manufacture. We have a total of 49 612 and 618 with serial numbers in the database. The highest number is 027421. So I would use 30,000 as the total number made. The 618 was made from 1937 to 1972. Assuming that production started 01 January of 1937 and stopped 31 December 1972, that's a total of 36 years. Divide your serial number by 30000. Multiple the quotient by 36. Add the answer to 1937 and that's a very rough guess as to when your 618 was made.

If you would like to add your machine to the database, send me the serial number and any other information that you would like to include (like when and where you got it, what you paid, what accessories came with it, what its current condition is, etc.).

Click to expand...

Guess I should have mentioned my little Atlas 6" is the Mark II, the blue one. I know I bought it new, seems like in the late 70's, sometime after high school. Originally had it set up in my bedroom!
Its in great shape. I have the milling attachment, steady rest, follower rest, 3 & 4 jaw chucks, quick change tool post and I cant think what else. Ill have to look for the serial #.
Tim

OK. 618 is a Model Number, often confused and sometimes mis-used for 6x18. Atlas replaced the 618 circa 1973 with the 3950 (and Sears 101.21200) square head lathe. But those have ball bearings and were all (originally) painted light machery gray. Circa 1977, the 3950 was replaced by the 10100 (Sears didn't sell them). These went back to the Timken bearings. The first few hundred were still painted gray but that soon changed to blue. Otherwise, externally they look just like the 3950 except that early in their production, the compound slide casting and feed screw thrust bearing plate were changed.

Both of these models originally had cast iron headstocks. If you remove the change gear cover, cast into the headstock should be the part number, which on the 10100's should be 383-020. To the right of that, partially hidden behind the large back gear, is the casting date (sometimes hard to read) in the format MM-DD-YY. As they apparently did foundery runs every few months, that date is the best indicator to when the machine could have been made.

Sometime before S/N 009901 and probably in 1979, Clausing foolishly changed the headstock casting to Zamak. These are recognizable in photos of the left end of the machine with the gear cover removed. The casting section thickness is very thin (~1/4"), and they were very prone to cracking. The legs were also changed to Zamak. Very few or either have survived intact. One photo that I have seen shows the same headstock casting part number (383-020) which was a dumb thing to do. They don't appear to have cast the date in. The 10100 went out of production some time in 1980.

If you will look in the Stick Thread area of the Atlas forum, there is a survey questionnaire for information on the Atlas MK2 6".

I printed out the survey on the atlas and will try to find the info this weekend and send it to you. Looks like its a 10100 dated 9/12/77 and is cast though from my brief look.
I "might" even still have the original receipt knowing how I save everything.
Tim

OK. Thanks. When you send it, please send to wa5cab at cs dot com rather than as a PM.

If we were closer I'd try to work a deal on the one your selling. But as my usual only bad luck runs my way. Pictures must have pictures.