# 618 sight unseen.



## Cheeseheadkeith (Sep 1, 2019)

Hey guys and gals. 
First post as I’m new to the forum
I recently bought an atlas 618 sight unseen. 
I’ve had a 618 before so I knew about what I was getting into 
For $225 I got a functioning lathe on atlas 10” leg castings. An extra bed   And an extra carriage

What I did not know until my brother brought it across the pond ( Lake Michigan) is that it was stripped of all power feed and threading capabilities. 
No lead screw. No reverse tumbler. No backgear assembly. And to top it off the bull gear had the teeth machined off.
I’m still confident I got a good deal just now am on the search for a bunch of parts
I’ve already acquired the lead screw with banjo and the reverse tumbler

Oh well looks like the daily eBay check is a part of my schedule for a while.


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## Latinrascalrg1 (Sep 1, 2019)

Honestly with that amount of parts missing you would be better off parting out and selling what you have and find something more complete.  What you are gonna find if you try to piece it together is that you would spend enough to buy a brand new fully tooled lathe for the same cost without all the hassle.


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## francist (Sep 1, 2019)

Wow, that’s a significant portion of the machine that got taken away! Too bad. 

Good luck on the search though. I have one 618 as my main lathe and another Craftsman version of the same machine that is in the wings. Neat little machines. Parts are out there as you have found, but not for cheap unfortunately.

Happy hunting.

-frank


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## Cheeseheadkeith (Sep 1, 2019)

Apparently the machine was custom made for a contact lens maker. Makes sense that none of that stuff was needed. 
Latinrascalrg1 you’re probably completely correct. I’ve thought about parting it out but I kind of enjoy the thrill of the hunt.....for now
I also picked up a south bend 9 recently so if my 618 hunts yield nothing I may have to go with parting it out
Interestingly the tags on the machine are for the lens maker. I think they may have had atlas custom make (butcher) the lathe


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## matthewsx (Sep 1, 2019)

pictures or it didn't happen.

Oh, and welcome to the forum

John


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## Cheeseheadkeith (Sep 1, 2019)

Hahaha. Just went to the garage to snap a few


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## benmychree (Sep 2, 2019)

Part it out and buy a real lathe, made of cast iron and not pot metal; you will be happier with a South Bend or similar machine.


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## BrianT (Sep 2, 2019)

Since you got the leg castings I think you did good. Those alone usually sell for much more. Trying to piece it all back together would cost way too much. 

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk


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## Martin W (Sep 2, 2019)

Yeah. Bought sight unseen. I feel your pain, I have done the same. Mine was an old Hough payloader. The guy had a video on youtube that showed it working. ( wasn't the same loader Lol ) Everything he told me wasn't true. It has actually worked out and is a pretty decent machine. 

Parts are abundant for Atlas lathes. Like guys said you may be better parting it out.
Cheers
Martin


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## Cheeseheadkeith (Sep 2, 2019)

I did also pick up a south bend 9 as well. I wouldn’t say the guy ripped me off I just don’t think he knew much about machining. It is functional just no power feed or threading capabilities and only the different speeds from the pulleys alone without the back gear. I did see a complete headstock with the back gear and correct spindle stuff for $180. Should have jumped on it but I missed out.


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## matthewsx (Sep 2, 2019)

Just make contact lenses....


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## brino (Sep 2, 2019)

Welcome to the group Keith!

-brino


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## Cheeseheadkeith (Sep 2, 2019)

Thanks Brino and matthewsx
I’ll keep you all posted on my progress with it or if I offload it


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## mattthemuppet2 (Sep 3, 2019)

you'll also probably need a new spindle pulley too as that one looks like it's a one piece with what would normally be the bull gear, plus it doesn't have the gear at the end of the spindle pulley to drive the back gear. You'll also need to buy or make a collar that stops the spindle pulley from moving back and forth on the spindle. The gears themselves go for around $100 or so a set too, unless you have a 3D printer to print them with.

They're nice little lathes, don't get me wrong (I have one), but if I had an SB9 and this I'd be selling the neutered 618 and putting that money into the SB9. I'm sure you'd be able to get your money back.


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## TakeDeadAim (Sep 3, 2019)

Cheeseheadkeith said:


> Thanks Brino and matthewsx
> I’ll keep you all posted on my progress with it or if I offload it


Welcome to the group.  Honestly I dont think its worth the time, money or the hunt.  When your all done, even if you find it all, you still have an Atlas 618 which is a light weight, under powered low RPM machine.  I'm not trying to burst your bubble but you have had one and didn't keep it for a reason.  Id go through all that work and expense if I was going to end up with a great condition Hardinge toolroom lathe but not a lot else.  There are a lot of good machines out there.  Check Milwaukee Craigslist there are a few options there right now.


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## whitmore (Sep 4, 2019)

Cheeseheadkeith said:


> I recently bought an atlas 618 sight unseen.
> I’ve had a 618 before so I knew about what I was getting into
> For $225 I got a functioning lathe on atlas 10” leg castings. An extra bed   And an extra carriage
> 
> ...



Technology to the rescue!   The lead screw can be worked effectively without a geared connection nowadays:
<



>
It's a work in progress, but a very interesting work to someone in your circumstances.


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## Downunder Bob (Sep 4, 2019)

Very interesting, I have no need for it as I have a full Norton style gearbox on my lathe, but I can see that many people would find this a very useful device. I hope it goes well Your idea of making and selling a kit with pc board I think could prove popular, good luck.


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## mattthemuppet2 (Sep 4, 2019)

in defense of 618s, they are light for sure but they're pretty robust for their size and can turn out good work within their limits. I sometimes run mine up to 2500rpm for really small stuff, so it's pretty handy for small work too. Definitely no SB9, but I would have to find a pretty nice SB9/10, Logan or similar to want to replace it.

That said the OPs one will pretty much require rebuilding to be fully functional and it's just not worth the money. Even if the lathe was free I would think carefully about it.


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## TonimusMaximus (Sep 4, 2019)

If you do decide to part it out, I really need a compound to finish my rescue...


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## ericc (Sep 5, 2019)

When I bought my lathe, which was pretty much a basket case, the old man who sold it to me had a really thrashed Atlas in his garage.  I asked him how he could treat a lathe like that.  He told me that he primarily uses it for polishing, sometimes as a welding positioner, and occasionally to cut off hardened pins with an angle grinder . He said it was better than scrapping it, and also better than abusing his main lathe. Come to think of it, that was a good idea.


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## BGHansen (Sep 5, 2019)

Really tough call on when to dive in or punt. If you enjoy the satisfaction of turning a piece of "art" into something useful, go for the restoration. If you get more enjoyment out of making chips, sell it as is and chalk it up as a good lesson learned.  Many unscrupulous people out there misrepresenting stuff. Buyer beware.

Bruce


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## Cheeseheadkeith (Mar 12, 2020)

TonimusMaximus said:


> If you do decide to part it out, I really need a compound to finish my rescue...


I may have an extra compound in the box of parts. I’ll have my brother look


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## Cheeseheadkeith (Mar 12, 2020)

For any that are interested.
I gave the lathe to my brother in payment for him transporting my south bend back to Wisconsin. He tore it down and rehabbed it. It has a dual speed motor so it works fine for the tinkering he does with it


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## Cheeseheadkeith (Mar 22, 2020)

Here’s the finished product my brother is just using it to tinker with for now. We keep our eyes peeled for more parts but for now he’s using it as is


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## francist (Mar 22, 2020)

Wow, nice job Keith! Looks super 

-frank


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## DavidR8 (Mar 22, 2020)

Nice work Keith! I’d be mighty happy to receive that! 


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## Cheeseheadkeith (Mar 22, 2020)

Thanks guys. However my brother did everything. He was on restricted duty for a while so he had a friend get it on his bench and he went to town. It belongs to him now. I still love seeing it progress so I just ordered him a complete back gear assembly and new spindle pulley. Just missing a bull gear and the half but assembly for it to be completely rebuilt and stock operating condition.


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## Cheeseheadkeith (Apr 5, 2020)

Would somebody mind sending me the dimensions for part m6-78. It’s one of the last parts we need and it can be easily made on the lathe


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