Atlas MF

[PartyTurtle]

I'm completely new to the machinist world, but always wanted to learn. I've done a lot of woodworking and metal working/machining seemed like it would be nice addition for making some custom parts and tools. I have some basic tools, drill press, grinders, but no dedicated power tools until yesterday when I decided to save an Atlas MF mill from the scrap heap for a whopping $10 (pics in links below). I thought I would start with larger equipment, but for the price I couldn't see it scrapped. Now I'm sorting through all the parts and pieces and trying to make sense of everything. First steps will be a complete teardown to clean, remove rust, and properly grease everything. Any suggestions on where to start would be greatly appreciated.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6v_ebKZncZXS1VqWHdOTEhFOGs/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6v_ebKZncZXcTJ1eTljQ3FmX0k/view?usp=sharing

 

[4GSR]

Talking about a nice looking simple vertical head on that mill. Not bad!

Be careful of some of the parts, they are made of zamak or "pot metal". Very soft material that tends to break easily. Don't force any of it apart. Parts should come off easily. May have to polish some areas with emery cloth to get things to come off.
BTW-Nice find!

 

[ghostdncr]

What an awesome little mill! Yeah, definitely be careful with the Zamak parts. They are mostly zinc, so not really up to hogging material or fitting with a big hammer. 4gsr is spot on when saying don't force it. If you're trying to remove a gear or pulley it should pretty much slip right off if you're doing it right.

 

[34_40]

10 Bucks??? Oh Man!!! How about I let you double your money and you sell that pile to me for 20 Bucks??

What a deal. They are a good little machine for the size and I hope you enjoy your time with it.

 

[34_40]

Where to start?
First - download the manual, I'm pretty sure you can get it here under "downloads".. give it a read ( or two) and then look through a couple threads where others have torn theirs down.
They are really pretty simple and the manual will take you through it step by step.

 

[PartyTurtle]

Thanks for the heads up guys. I did find the manual and there are boxes of extra parts and add ons. I'm going through them all and will post more pictures as I tear down.

 

[Billh50]

If it gets too overwhelming for you I will gladly take it off your hands for $25 and pay shipping to my house.

 

[Tom from CA]

Hello PA, Here at www.vintagemachinery.org you can find a download for the Atlas Instruction & Parts Milling Machine MFC, MIC & MHC, under Publication Preview click on the View PDF link at the bottom of that section. Also there are a few excellent videos, a total of five on You Tube on the ghostses channel, where they dismantle and assemble a Atlas MFC milling machine in detail. Here are the links to the channels and download. Just click on them.

Atlas MFC download

Videos
Teardown
Assembly 1
Assembly 2
Assembly 3
Assembly 4

Hope this helps you. It sure helped me out quite a bit.
Tom

 

[A618fan2]

$10.......wow! You've got some pricey attachments with it as well. That's a spectacular get my friend!

John

 

[jocat54]

Well no one else has said it, but for $10