# Atlas V36 rebuild



## jwmay (Feb 26, 2019)

Well I suppose there may be some interest in this. So I’ll post photos as I get through it all. The machine was bought as a basket case. It was covered in rust, then covered in paint. But almost all of it is there, and it’s within my hobby interest to make it useable again. The goal is to have no more than 650 dollars in it at the end. I’m at probably 400 now. First off was the saddle, which had 3 out of 4 wiper retainer screws broken off inside the casting. Secondly was the belt guard, which had one broken hinge. Time will tell on whether this repair will last. Here’s pics.


----------



## jwmay (Feb 26, 2019)

And the hinge, which I finished today.


----------



## markba633csi (Feb 26, 2019)

Nice fix on that hinge- you've got the hang of it!
Mark


----------



## Bill_729 (Feb 27, 2019)

I don't know which strategies you used, but the January issue of Home Shop Machinist magazine featured a similar repair (welding/brazing cast iron).  I made a mental note to remember that such a repair might be doable if necessary, while admitting that I hoped it wouldn't become necessary...  Nice job!

Bill_729


----------



## jwmay (Mar 3, 2019)

Thank you. Bill, this guard is made of aluminum. My little hinge piece was super glued on before I drilled and tapped the holes 4-40. Then I used Loctite on the threads. Needless to say, I got lucky with the repair. I’m a hack. 

The Babbitt headstock has some issues. One being the spindle threads are messed up somehow, and two being the guy said the bearings were shot.  I have a Timken headstock that’s been staring at me for three years from the dark recesses of the shop. I plan to use it instead. Here’s a couple progress pictures.


----------



## jwmay (Mar 4, 2019)

Did this today. Wondering about bearing replacement now. The races don’t have any ridges, but there are some shiny spots. I can’t find any obvious deformation. I should say that it didn’t seem like it needed a bearing change before I disassembled it. It was just too laborious to clean as an assembly. Now here I am...wondering if a preemptive bearing change is a bad idea. Surely 70+ years is a decent run for a set of bearings.


----------



## wa5cab (Mar 5, 2019)

It is often difficult to decide that.  Unless there are obvious defects.  If you buy replacements that are not marked for Class, you could be better off and you could not be.  And even the ungraded ones are not cheap.  If you buy Class 3, you will pay quite a bit for them.  Although it may turn out to be double work if you do this and find excessive run-out, my recommendation would be to reassemble with the original bearings and check spindle runout at both ends.  If you find the run-out to be less than 0.001" you will have saved a bunch of money.

Incidentally, if the lathe has Timken bearings, then the model number should be TV36, not V36.


----------



## jwmay (Mar 5, 2019)

I believe that’s what I’ll do. It wasn’t a terribly difficult task to disassemble it. If I later find that they should definitely be replaced, I’ll do it when I know. 

I agree with your assessment of the model number.  But it was a V36 when I bought it, and started the thread. I guess if my letter stamp is the correct size, I could update the data plate on completion.


----------



## jwmay (Mar 5, 2019)

A bit of bad news by the way. The threads on the other end of my spindle are damaged, and I’m currently unable to thread the preload nut back onto it. I’m going to have to dwell on this problem a bit. The little brass thread protecting plugs I’ve heard about were absent when I removed it, and it appears the set screws have really done some damage.


----------



## wa5cab (Mar 6, 2019)

On the model number, as I said earlier, the most likely case is that the headstock isn't "original".  The second most likely is that the bed and name plate are not "original".

On the problem with the threads and the missing brass, first thing to do is to get new brass plugs.  If you need something else from Clausing, order two (or four) from them.  They are cheap but shipping isn't.  Otherwise, determine the ID of the threaded collar holes and by a foot of brass rod in that diameter.  With something like a Dremel tool and cut-off disk, cut off two pieced between 1/3 of the tapped holes minor diameter.  To make the threads usable again, by a thread file set.  The last set that I bought came from McMaster (who should also have the brass rod).  The source of the set that I retired last year is lost in the mists of time.  The set was two pieces each about 1/2" square and eight or ten inches long.  Use this to clean up the spindle threads.  Then when you have the spindle back in the headstock, use the proper pitch face to clean up the threads until the collar will easily screw back on.  When you have the threads cleaned turn the collar over so that probably the set screws and plugs won't be coming down on the bad spots.

Instructions for disassembly and assembly of the Timken headstock are in Downloads, along with a lot of other stuff.  Access to downloads is available to all donors.  Minimum is $10.00 per year.


----------



## jwmay (Mar 6, 2019)

While Wa5cabs advice is spot on, we know there are endless ways of accomplishing a goal in this hobby. I called around locally and nobody had a thread file set. They can be ordered, but I didn’t feel like waiting. 

I first found a triangle file, and slowly ran it through the entire thread by hand with light pressure. I then identified some areas of concern. I used a dremel with cut off wheel to remove an ugly, wavy, broken start thread. I keep trying the nut after every tiny clean up attempt. It would thread on to the depth of the nut minus one thread. Finally I grabbed the polish, smeared it on the nut and started working the nut off and on to where the nut would bind. Eventually the nut would travel a bit further before binding. I remembered I had some diamond paste somewhere. Cleaned out the polish, and put a minimal amount of the diamond paste on. In about thirty minutes, the nut would thread all the way to the end of the threads. Needless to say my hands and arms are beat. But, mission accomplished with no additional cost.


----------



## wa5cab (Mar 6, 2019)

Well, yes, there is quite often more than one way to skin a cat.  However, if you ever again need to do something similar, you will be faced with the same choices.  Do it now the hard way or do it later the easy way.  I usually only choose the hard way if it has to be done now for other reasons than that I just want to.


----------



## jwmay (Mar 7, 2019)

wa5cab said:


> you will be faced with the same choices. Do it now the hard way or do it later the easy way.


 There's another choice that we may do well to consider.  The demand to do it now....the hard way.   This is an eventuality I strive to be prepared for. Practice is essential to success in that endeavor.

Anyhow, today I started masking the head stock.  I've been considering what to do about the oilers for a few days.  I haven't been able to remove them so far.  But I did WANT to remove them.  They are filthy, with paint hanging on from some iteration of painting it's received in the past.  I'd like to soak them in solvent, and try my best to make them shiny and nice looking again, as well as the obvious reason of protecting the bearings from old solids that may have found a home in there.  This is what I came up with.  I had to mill the cutouts in the tapered pieces.  The tapers were already cut when I rescued them from a metal dumpster.  Since it was a 3 piece set up, I had a little trouble holding everything together.  But a magnet holding the two tapered pieces together while I got the clamp just right seemed to do the trick. .  You can see there's a little damage to the bottom of one of the oil cups.  I assume that could have been avoided by grinding a better taper on the bearing surface of the split clamp key.  I feel like I had a successful day. Yay me.


----------



## markba633csi (Mar 7, 2019)

I would wager your Timken bearings are quite usable- they can go a tremendously long time.  As long as there is no obvious pitting or galling, run 'em. At 70 they're just nicely broken-in 
Mark
ps good fix on the threads, I do that kind of stuff too. Don't own a single thread file.


----------



## wa5cab (Mar 8, 2019)

Well, thread files are not expensive.  And they will last roughly forever if you don't lose them (which was why I had to buy a new set last year).  I don't recall where I got the original one or when, other than that I already had it when I moved to Houston in 1973.  I'm pretty sure that I will find it eventually.  The problems with a triangular file are that it is more difficult to keep properly aligned and it will never stop cutting.


----------



## jwmay (Mar 24, 2019)

Slow going recently. Lots of scrubbing, and polishing, and cleaning. I don’t enjoy it, but I suppose it can’t all be fun. I found that the step pulley in the Babbitt headstock has a bushing arrangement I consider better. So I used it instead of the one that had been in this headstock. I replaced the ball bearing in the plunger, as it had been missing since the beginning of my ownership. And now the headstock is assembled. I haven’t got the brass plugs yet, so everything is loose for now. 

I reassembled the forward/reverse selector box  a few times, trying to figure out the order of assembly. Once it was almost complete, I found that my lever “stop” is missing or broken. 


	

		
			
		

		
	
So that’ll be the next repair I make. Now the fun begins again!


----------



## jwmay (Mar 24, 2019)

Shouldn’t there be a pin that holds part number 9-52A and 9-48B together? If anyone has knowledge of this pin, please let me know. 

In addition, I’ve discovered the lever is missing a spring and plunger. More stuff to make! Yay!


----------



## jwmay (Mar 25, 2019)

I’m assuming this gear was replaced at some time, and the woodruff key is worn out. The screw is also pretty worn out over the primary length of use. I’ll press the gear off, and replace the woodruff key. And perhaps modify the nut for antibacklash as I’ve read about on this forum.


----------



## jwmay (Mar 28, 2019)

Nothing too exciting. Bored a hole in some round stock for a spindle thread protector. Maybe tomorrow I’ll try to cut the threads. Did up my cross slide woodruff key repair/replacement. Started taking apart the apron, which has several rusty (not zamak) gears in it. One of which will need to be peened it seems. Cut some 6/32 screws for the switch plate...and ate a sandwich.


----------



## wa5cab (Mar 29, 2019)

jwmay said:


> View attachment 291101
> 
> 
> 
> ...



It would appear so.  The drawing clearly shows a hole in both the stub shaft and the gear.  However, none of the Atlas 10" parts lists that I have back to 1942 nor the 9" list from around 1936 show anything that would keep the stub shaft from turning inside of the left reverse gear.  Numerous people on here and on groups.io or the earlier Yahoo Group have indicated taking the gearbox apart but none ever mentioned this.  I tried to call Clausing about it but they close a little early on Friday and I missed them.  IFF you need to disassemble the 9-27X for some other reason, please report what you find.


----------



## jwmay (Mar 29, 2019)

Wa5cab, thank you. I ended up cutting a piece of quarter inch round stock to length, and driving it in. I found a YouTube video that clearly showed a pin in place between those two components. I thought about using aluminum or something, as a further protection measure for the geartrain. But after several moments of deep thought, I recognized that I wasnt smart enough to know if that would do any good. So, steel it is.


----------



## wa5cab (Mar 29, 2019)

OK.

How did you originally get it apart?  Or was it already disassembled when you got the lathe?


----------



## jwmay (Mar 29, 2019)

It was already disassembled. I bought this lathe as a neatly stacked pile of pieces, with ziplock bags full of fasteners.


----------



## jwmay (Mar 31, 2019)

Today I disassembled the backgear assembly , cleaned all the pieces, and put it back together. When I mounted it to the headstock, it bound up and wouldn’t rotate. I fiddled with it for an hour trying to come up with an explanation. I hit the internet in search of an answer. No luck. After another hour of pondering my dilemma, I went back to working on it. Eventually I realized I’d pinned the eccentric 180 degrees off. With that fixed, it’s mounted, and looks like it’ll do what it’s meant to do. I decided not to paint the cast pieces. I oiled them up really well. Not that it matters, but I found oven cleaner to be no more effective at removing ridiculously thick paint than any other way I’ve tried. The best way seems to be electrolysis, but I haven’t felt like setting that up this year.  

Thanks for reading.


----------



## vtcnc (Mar 31, 2019)

Paint is the fun part!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Bill_729 (Apr 1, 2019)

jwmay said:


> Wa5cab, thank you. I ended up cutting a piece of quarter inch round stock to length, and driving it in. I found a YouTube video that clearly showed a pin in place between those two components. I thought about using aluminum or something, as a further protection measure for the geartrain. But after several moments of deep thought, I recognized that I wasnt smart enough to know if that would do any good. So, steel it is.



Not being an engineer, I'm not sure whether it would make any difference,  but it seems like even "hardened steel" wouldn't be out of the question. From the diagram, it looked to me like the part/pin gets a fair amount of strain (you can tell better).   I definitely would not have thought of using aluminum.  : )

Bill


----------



## wa5cab (Apr 1, 2019)

wa5cab said:


> It would appear so.  The drawing clearly shows a hole in both the stub shaft and the gear.  However, none of the Atlas 10" parts lists that I have back to 1942 nor the 9" list from around 1936 show anything that would keep the stub shaft from turning inside of the left reverse gear.  Numerous people on here and on groups.io or the earlier Yahoo Group have indicated taking the gearbox apart but none ever mentioned this.  I tried to call Clausing about it but they close a little early on Friday and I missed them.  IFF you need to disassemble the 9-27X for some other reason, please report what you find.


I finally remembered to call Clausing this afternoon early enough and asked Tom McNett about the question of what keeps 9-52A from turning inside of 9-48B.  He dug up a drawing for 9-27X, which is the complete reversing gearbox.  The answer is a 1/4" dia. by 7/8" long steel roll pin.  I updated the final 1966 parts manual to include it.  Anyone who has 10L-6 should download Revision 11.


----------



## jwmay (Apr 1, 2019)

So today the cat turned up with a broken femur. This is completely off topic of course. Anyways, I thought he’d made it to the end of his nine lives, but tomorrow he’ll be evaluated for amputation. Swmbo has decided. 

Anyways I started working on removing the paint from the motor bracket and countershaft bracket. After too long outside with a wire wheel on a grinder, I decided I’ll set up the electrolysis bucket tomorrow. Too many curves and crevices on these pieces. I cleaned up the banjo, which appears to have been broken and brazed in 5 places. I may spring for the steel replacement I see on EBay. Just depends if this one will let the gears run true. If there’s a ton of oscillation, then a new one will have to be sourced. No progress so far with the thread protector or the plunger for the reversing gearbox.  Thanks for reading.


----------



## markba633csi (Apr 1, 2019)

Sorry to hear about your cat, I have a fondness for the critters
Making good progress on the Atlas
mark


----------



## Bill_729 (Apr 2, 2019)

Here's an article to get you started with roll pins (I was completely ignorant about them before I read it):






						Tips for Inserting a Roll Pin
					

Roll pins are used in a variety of automotive and industrial applications to provide a clean, hidden method of connecting parts at 90 degrees, allowing the two parts to swivel in relation to one another. The roll pin mates two parts by passing through them. A groove in the pin allows the pin to...




					itstillruns.com


----------



## jwmay (Apr 3, 2019)

Well that’s a nifty article. I can’t say I’ve ever done any reading on roll pin installation before. I will say though from my own experience, that you don’t actually need anything but a small hammer to drive one in. A soft hammer if you’re concerned about deformation of the pin.  Driving them out is considerably easier with the roll pin punches though. Especially the small ones.  

Anyhow, I had a great day today! The cat will come home tomorrow. I spent the morning in school, teaching a young man how to run a manual lathe. We’re building an adapter to mount a gripper to a Fanuc robot. Then I got another couple hours of basement shop time at home before the family started arriving for the day.  Now a progress picture. Yes...two hours...I know...I work slow. This will be a spindle thread protector  for the Atlas if I don’t screw it up.


----------



## Bill_729 (Apr 4, 2019)

jwmay said:


> This will be a spindle thread protector  for the Atlas if I don’t screw it up.



It looks nice so far.  Don't screw it up!    : )


----------



## jwmay (Apr 6, 2019)

I’ve gotten myself in a pickle. Firstly I have no way to check this thread protector to find if the threads are full depth. Secondly, I am threading away from the chuck, and have made the thread relief(right term?) too short.  So what's happening is that as I wind out the compound, my threading tool has already begun hitting the area meant for threads.   I wonder if that's clear.  I have bored three sections in this piece.  One section is meant for the register, one short section equal in diameter to the root of the threads, meant to place my threading tool before actuating the half nut, and one section equal in diameter to the crest of the threads.   The idea here was that I'd be able to safely assume my thread was complete when my tool bit scratched the relief area.  Yes I know...I set myself up for failure.  I had intended to make this piece before I reinstalled the spindle.  Then I'd have been able to actually check the threads before removing the piece from the chuck.  So what's the plan?  For now, I'm waiting to hear back from a couple of friends locally who "think" they "might" have a 1 1/2-8 tap.  If that avenue fails, I will remove my threading tool bit, and use a boring bar to extend the thread relief.  I'll have someone at work turn sixty degree points on two headless screws, thread those both into a standoff, and use that as a makeshift thread depth measuring device.  Reinstall the threading tool bit, pick up my threads, and continue.  

I had a heck of a time trying to figure out how to cut internal right hand screw threads away from the chuck.  And to be honest, I'm not absolutely confident that I'm doing it right.  I watched Joe Pi's Youtube video on threading, which is when I basically decided to never thread towards the head stock again.  I highly recommend that video, which can be found here.  



   I can say that this is the single best method I've ever seen or tried. 

Pictures to follow.


----------



## jwmay (Apr 6, 2019)

And here they are...some pictures.


----------



## wa5cab (Apr 7, 2019)

Well, you need at least a GO Gauge.  I would suggest contacting Joel Rogers or one of a few others who routinely part out Atlas built lathes and ask him or them whether they have a spindle out of a babbit bearing 10" or 12" whose bearing journals are worn out but which still has good threads on the spindle nose.


----------



## jwmay (Apr 9, 2019)

I'm not sure what sort of paint the PO used on this lathe, but it's been a bear to get rid of.  While I had intended to use electrolysis, I realized I didn't have any good sacrificial sheet metal to donate to the cause.  So that plan hasn't been enacted yet.  I did try the Easy Off oven cleaner again.  This time I soaked all the parts, came back 8 hours later, and soaked them again, came back 8 hours later and did the scrubbing.  This worked very, very well in some spots, and not at all in others.  I haven't figured out why.  For instance, the motor platform: The Easy Off almost completely cleared off all the paint on the bottom side of it with very little pressure required. But it didn't even budge the stuff on the top side.  I mean it's like I didn't even put anything on it.  Puzzling for sure.  So I removed what I could, considered the idea that it's possible most people would never scrutinize this piece quite so exhaustively as I have been doing, and decided to paint over the stubborn top side paint.  We'll see how that worked out in a couple days.  

I have big plans for the carriage area.  I have an MLA T slot cross slide that's been sitting around here for a few years.  I'm going to machine it for this lathe.  I'm also going to copy Ironman's carriage improvements detailed here:  https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/10-atlas-carriage-modifications.21046/ 

After I get that done, I'm going to try to copy Dranreb's mods pictured here:  https://www.hobby-machinist.com/thr...t-reading-cross-slide-dial.19715/#post-167176 

Mine won't be exactly the same as either I'm sure.  Firstly, I'm not using a plate of brass on the bottom of the carriage, but two flat bars, and am trying to figure out how I'll make them replaceable.  I'm also lacking in confidence on how Ironman did the piece for the apron, and am full of confidence that I'll screw it up.  With Dranreb's mods, I won't be using as large of a dial.  I have one of those laser cut aluminum dials from an Ebay vendor, and will try to figure out how to adapt it.  It won't be direct reading, but I'm mostly concerned with trying to copy his dial adjustment method.  

In addition to all of that, there's a fellow out in the ether known as Bogstandard, and another Rick Sparber I believe, whom I'm sure most of you are familiar.  They've both done mods to their own Atlas lathes and recorded it for me to steal from.  So I'll be cherry picking from them as well.  Specifically, Bogstandards method of getting some clearance under the lathe bed, and Mr. Sparber's tailstock lock. 

Their stuff can be found here   http://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php?topic=1428.0 

and here  https://rick.sparber.org/tsl.pdf 

and also Mr. Sparber I believe contributes to some of the hobby machining magazines.  His website has a ton of interesting information on lathes, mill, shapers, and machining topics.  If you're interested, check here:  https://rick.sparber.org/ma.htm 

All that said, I believe my ETA on completion will have to be extended.  I was thinking June originally.  Now I'm thinking October.  Which, may very well be too optimistic.  But who knows.  Luckily, there's only two or three of us even slightly interested. lol  

I ordered vertical countershaft gear guards from Antfarm2000 on Ebay today, because I realized just yesterday that I only had one of the two, and it was missing a mounting tab.  While I could have fixed it probably, with such a ridiculous list of things I WANT to do to the machine, I just figured I'd sit this one out.  

If we count the 65 dollars for that, plus the 80 dollars for the MLA casting, another 100 altogether for supplies I've bought, I think I'm at 675 dollars all in.  So, I've failed in my attempts at finishing for 650 dollars.  But I'm adding costs that were recouped earlier with the parting out of the original TH54.  It was years ago though, and I can't recall exactly how far into the black I was when I was done.  I'll assume I made a hundred bucks on that one, and say I have another 75 to spend if need be. HA!  

Thanks for reading!


----------



## jwmay (Apr 14, 2019)

My solution was to purchase a used tap of the correct size from EBay. I didn’t actually use the tap to cut threads. I simply used it as a go gauge. This worked. I’ll finish machining this on the Atlas when it’s ready to make chips.


----------



## wa5cab (Apr 14, 2019)

OK.  I meant to mention that but forgot.


----------



## jwmay (Apr 14, 2019)

Here’s an easy before and after.


----------



## jwmay (Apr 15, 2019)

Another quick one.


----------



## jwmay (Apr 20, 2019)

I had thought that my tailstock was missing it’s little clamp bolt things, because it wouldn’t lock. Lo and behold, all the parts were there. Just mashed and malformed. It took a “slide puller” (made up term) for a threaded rod and nut, to remove the bottom portion.


----------



## wa5cab (Apr 20, 2019)

"Slide Puller" or "Slide Hammer Puller" is a valid term.  I have one made by OTC that has saved my bacon several times.


----------



## jwmay (Apr 20, 2019)

Well here’s my semi permanent solution to missing a pin and spring from the reverse gearbox lever. I had these little springy things. I don’t know what they are, or where they came from. But I have them. I drilled a 1/4-20 brass bolt to accept the spring, and  viola. I’d like to make a little half ball to go on the end that bears against the detent. For now, I’m calling the lever done.


----------



## wa5cab (Apr 21, 2019)

Well, to paraphrase an old saying, "if it works, don't fix it".


----------



## jwmay (Apr 21, 2019)

Here’s my version of Ironman's add on bearing material. I used a product called Gorilla Weld. It’s stable to 300 degrees, which I assume means that if I decide it wasn’t a good idea later, I can remove it then with heat. I milled them about .0015 high, as best I can tell. I’m thinking this would be a nice little easy “scraping” primer. Also they’re made of soft brass, which many people say not to use. Only time will tell.


----------



## jwmay (Apr 22, 2019)

Here’s a half finished criss slide dial. It’s been sitting in a cubby hole for several years. I made it (or tried) back then, but kept it when I parted out the lathe I made it for. I’ll re-machine it for this one. This is more of a fit up type picture. I don’t think I’ll get to Bernard’s modification until I’ve made certain I’m happy with other parts of this project.


----------



## jwmay (Apr 23, 2019)

Today I put some of the repainted belt guards back together, made some brass plugs to go under set screws bearing on the spindle and installed them, then masked and painted a brand badge on the belt guard. No progress on the cross slide dial or custom carriage bearing plates.


----------



## wa5cab (Apr 23, 2019)

Actually, unless you know already that you are going to change the larger spindle bearing cone, I'm not sure those are really necessary on the spindle.  Unlike the case where some dufus taps the cone pulley oil hole through, because of the different diameters involved, the only part that has to come off of the spindle over where the set screws grip is in each case the part that the set screw is holding.


----------



## jwmay (Apr 25, 2019)

I suppose I'm the type that wears a belt and suspenders.  All those spots already had imprints on the spindle from set screws, and I dressed them when I had it out.  While I'm sure you're right, I don't think it'll hurt anything to have them.  Here's a question for you.  I've been "testing" the carriage somewhat.  Running it up and down the ways with the carriage hand wheel.  The rack gear is steel, so I'm assuming it's a replacement part.  Or am I wrong on that?  Next question is that I can feel noticeable gear interference between gear and rack.  I'm sure this is going to cause issues with finish on the work.  Any ideas for a good strategy to address it?  Right now, I'm thinking this is going to be a job for a very small file, and many iterations of removing/reinstalling the carriage to check for interference.  That is not on my agenda.  Ideas?  And just in case it's on your mind, this gear interference was experienced before the additional bearing plates were added as well.  Actually I have an idea I'll try.  I have that other Atlas lathe bed with rack.  I'll stick this carriage on that one, and see if there's any difference in how the gear mates up.  But I'm still interested to hear your thoughts on the matter.


----------



## Bill_729 (Apr 25, 2019)

Would it be difficult to move the rack from your 2nd lathe to the one you are working on?  It seems like you could learn a lot in hurry.

Bill_729


----------



## jwmay (Apr 25, 2019)

I'm not sure.  I tried to remove the rack from the original once, but it was fighting me.  I didn't have a good reason to take it off, and I was afraid I'd bend or damage it if I continued with prying on it.  It's pinned and screwed in place.  In this particular case, the rack from the other is not the same length, so it most likely won't be a direct fit.  If the holes could be lined up, it's possible I could cut the other rack to fit.  But I'm suspecting the issue is with the gear more than the rack.  I don't have a good reason for that, other than I think the gear is a replacement made by someone in the last 10 years.  And I have a stubborn presupposition that almost anything made that recently will not be as well made as something from 60 years ago.  ha ha  Is that "agesim"? I don't know.  Anyways I know "intellectually" I'm wrong with that assumption, but I can't shake it.


----------



## wa5cab (Apr 25, 2019)

Like you, I have always assumed that the 12T gears are Zamak.  There are three gears plus the rack involved.  When the carriage is off of the bed, do you feel any drag when you turn the hand wheel?


----------



## jwmay (Apr 25, 2019)

No, it’s smooth turning when removed. There’s some play in the shaft with a gear on both ends.  I put the carriage on the other bed, and couldn’t tell an appreciable difference. I do think I found one clue though. It’s rougher moving towards the headstock than moving away from the headstock. On the other bed, there was a rough area once for every full rotation of the hand wheel. I’m assuming that indicates an error in the gear, or a bent shaft. My two clues don’t seem consistent with each other. Perhaps the rack is worn more on one side of the teeth than the other? If that’s the case, I may actually have to break down and buy a new part, if available. It’s not visibly apparent if that’s the case. Maybe I could flip the rack end for end.


----------



## wa5cab (Apr 25, 2019)

I don't think that I would try flipping the rack end for end.  First, the racks are countersunk on the visible side, so you would have to countersink the holes on the present back side and the existing countersinks would leave the screws unsupported.  Second, the pins are tapered and although I assume that the holes in the rack were drilled to print and the tapped holes in the bed were done to print, I would assume that the pin holes in the bed were match drilled and the holes reamed on assembly.

Secondly, there is a 2:1 reduction between the hand wheel shaft and gear and the rack shaft and gears.  So a once-around rough spot on the hand wheel implies that the problem is related to the hand wheel shaft or gear, or that the rack 12T gear is oval or egg shaped.


----------



## jwmay (Apr 25, 2019)

Maybe at this point, the best thing to do is nothing. It’s not a huge deal to take the apron apart later, if I discover I’m unsatisfied with something that I suspect is related to this. 

But to be clear, on the machine being rebuilt, the action is rougher than I expected through the full rotation. I’m used to a much newer machine though, so it’s possible I should temper my expectations. I considered blueing all the gear teeth, to later inspect for uneven wear. I could do that now, and continue on. Once it’s in running condition, I may find it’s not an issue that needs addressed.


----------



## wa5cab (Apr 26, 2019)

That sounds like a reasonable plan.


----------



## jwmay (Sep 15, 2019)

Well this is a bit of a fast forward kind of thing. Here you can see it’s mostly assembled. I’m ordering some link belt, and have decided on leaving a few pieces unpainted/painted some other color for now. 

My tee slotted cross slide is as yet unfinished. I’ve moved house since last I posted. So there’s my excuse.

I’ve got some electrical to sort out at the new place before I’ll be able to run either Grizzly mill or lathe. Which prompted a mad dash of assembly on this machine that’ll run on 120 volts.


----------



## jwmay (Nov 6, 2019)

After much turning of handwheels, I decided I didn’t want to do the dovetails for the new cross slide. 11.5 inches of cranking was too much for me. I ended up asking a friend to finish them with his machine equipped with power feed. He milled the ends, finished the dovetails, and drilled and tapped for gib screws...oh and he surface ground the top and bottom  . All that’s left is milling the gib to size, and drilling for the cross slide nut.  Not out of the woods yet. I’ve screwed up simpler jobs.


----------



## jwmay (Apr 25, 2021)

So... finally got around to that gib and crossfeed nut job. It's like I lost a whole year somehow. I don't think I'm alone though.  Anyways, here's a picture of a set up that didn't work as expected.  Luckily, for the first time ever I made a practice piece out of aluminum first, which showed me my error. I ended up using some jacks and round  stock to hold the gib in the casting dovetail, and machined it that way.  My set screws are too short, or I didn't machine enough off the sides of the casting. Not an insurmountable problem, but a short term problem nonetheless. So here it is done. Thanks for looking.


----------



## jwmay (Jun 25, 2021)

Well the little Atlas is getting warmed up for another improvement.  I've definitely abandoned any notion of being fiscally responsible with this machine.  Hopefully I'll be threading 20tpi and turning at .0042 ipr by the end of the month. Wish me luck!
On a separate train of thought: I've noticed people are getting pretty picky about how the words "restore" and "rebuild" are used. So maybe I should have titled this thread Atlas V36 evolution?  Or just Atlas lathe made useful?


----------



## jwmay (Jun 26, 2021)

I hemmed and hawed around about paint. I figure if this goes the way the rest of it went I'll have it off and on half a dozen times before I get it right. So here's my first test fit. I had to take a lot more off than I saw in the bulletin. But maybe I just missed some details. I think I'm more fond of the looks of the change gear lathe than the qc version. But we will see at the end. The point is to not have to change gears after all..." looks" come second I suppose.  
I can't seem to get a good mesh with the reverse selector. Either it's good in fwd but reverse is barely engaged, or vice versa. I'm thinking altering the curve of the index plate may help? It's like the holes need to be further apart. I flipped the spindle gear because the other side had better teeth, and that helped a little. But I'm not happy with it yet. I'll pick it up tomorrow and try again.


----------



## jwmay (Jun 27, 2021)

All done for now. Ended up replacing both reverse selector gears. I had a brand new steel 20 tooth and a printed 24 tooth gear. I was very concerned with noise when I did this. Mr Pete says his Atlas lathes sounds like combines. I didn't want that.  I'm happy to say this is no louder than the Grizzly gear head lathe I used to have. And in neutral, it's almost silent. I really love that about it. I'm hoping to try to cut some threads later on today. Lunch time!


----------



## jwmay (Dec 24, 2021)

Here we are again with another little improvement I hope.  I have really been missing the compound on my lathe. Andy Loftquist provided a drawing for a boss by which I could mount the original compound. I borrowed some time on a lathe with a compound, so that I could make that part. Once again, my skills were the limiting factor. But eventually I succeeded. So now I've got a compound again!


----------



## jwmay (Dec 25, 2021)

And now some chip control.


----------



## jwmay (Dec 26, 2021)

Little stuff I changed. 
I bought the dial from an Ebay seller years ago. I couldn't read the numbers. So I painted the whole thing black, then removed all the paint except what got in the lines and numbers. It's way better.
I don't know where I came up with the thumb screws. But I hated using a tiny flat blade  screwdriver to adjust the gibs. I had intended on making fancy brass ones, but I already had these.


----------

