Building/modifying An Atlas Th42

Small progress , but progress. Its out of the truck and sitting on a roll around cart in the garage:

4C1F2750-D6AE-44B6-A916-5CE8A6FA33C3_zpsgaikh1h8.jpg

Once we're moved into the house and unpacked, welding up a proper stand is first on the agenda.

:)
 
Mine has a 1/2 HP! 1/8 is much too small for what the lathe can handle.This one seems to be missing the tailstock. You'll need to get rid of that lantern tool post and get a QCTP. You need to check to see what kind of bearings it has-Timken roller bearings or Babbit. If Babbit, you might have a white elephant since they will wear and have to be repoured-a lost art. You can't replace them with Timken's, either.

Put a dial indicator against the side of the chuck, then try to move it back and forth by hand. Good bearing shouldn't move more than a few tenths.
 
You did pretty good there. That steady rest by itself would go for $200 or more on e-bay. You would think those things are gold plated or something :)
 
Nice score. Sounds like you did good. I've got a few vids on my youtube about the atlas and some teardown and reassembly. Let me know if you need to know anything about the atlas, I've played with a few.
 
From the photo, you can tell that it has a Timken (tapered roller bearing) headstock. The babbit bearings have removable bearing caps containing the upper half of the bearing. And two hex head bearing cap screws will be visible. Like the big end on a connecting rod from a piston type IC engine.

And yes, a 1/8 HP motor is much too small. Should be 1/2 HP.
 
fgduncan said:
Mine has a 1/2 HP! 1/8 is much too small for what the lathe can handle.This one seems to be missing the tailstock. You'll need to get rid of that lantern tool post and get a QCTP. You need to check to see what kind of bearings it has-Timken roller bearings or Babbit. If Babbit, you might have a white elephant since they will wear and have to be repoured-a lost art. You can't replace them with Timken's, either.

Put a dial indicator against the side of the chuck, then try to move it back and forth by hand. Good bearing shouldn't move more than a few tenths.
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The lantern post stays for a while. It will serve me fine for learning and later maybe a qctp.

Its Timken bearings. They're tight, will drop a dial gauge on it sometime for curiosity's sake. Babbet would have had two bolts visible on the headstock, this one does not.

Tailstock was removed to lighten it when pulling it out of the truck. Its sitting on the bench out of sight in the picture.

The 1/8 HP motor will do fine while I do a restore on the machine and start using it. I may replace it later down the road if I find it struggles, but I'm not looking to spend a lot more money on the lathe until I build the stand, clean it up and get some practice using it.

:)
 
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Are you sure it's 1/8th hp and not 1/3hp? Mine is a 1/3 hp motor and while it does struggle sometimes, I have done some heavier cuts on it.

 
1/3 HP would make more sense than 1/8 HP. I can't recall ever seeing anything that small in an AC motor except for universal (AC/DC) motors. Certainly, Atlas didn't supply them. And they did supply a lot of 1/3 HP early on.
 
You guys had me doubting myself, wondering if there was some dirt or schmutz on the number.

But nope, its pretty clearly stamped 1/8 HP:

B683956A-2D29-44B2-80AF-1B85D53EA152_zpsvvudewyr.jpg

If its not original, whoever put it on there did a darned good job. Looks factory, right down to matching paint color (doesnt look repainted either).

Dunno, old lathe, storied past I'm guessing.....
 
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