# Atlas lathe 10d restoration



## Cobrage401 (Mar 21, 2020)

Hello all 

I thought I'd post my progress with a 10D resurrection. 

First I'm not a machinist or a professional restoration expert. I'm a tinkerer at best lol and this lathe is being resurrected for myself and isn't being done for profit. 

With that said I can use any help and or suggestions,  support,  comments during this project. Please remember this resurrection is to place the lathe back into service and when possible keeping it original however after market,  modifications and alike will probably be done and may not sit in some of the purists eyes well. 

My good friend was visiting from Ohio for conference in Florida were I live and understood that I was struggling with my small HF lathe and give me this. Thank you!!! 

Sorry the only photos of the machine all intact are below for I have already disassembled and started. I will show photos of the sections before during and after. Hopefully you will all enjoy watching this project and will have plenty of comments!!! 

Thanks all!! 
Dave


----------



## Cobrage401 (Mar 21, 2020)

Bellow are the completed photos of the three jaw Craftsman chuck. Sorry again didnt have the before photo however it looks like the attached Craftsman 4 Jaw chuck below.


----------



## RYAN S (Mar 21, 2020)

Nice work on my the 3 jaw!! Looking forward to seeing the rest of the restoration!

Ryan


----------



## Boswell (Mar 21, 2020)

Welcome to the forums. Keep the pictures coming.  Looking forward to seeing your progress.


----------



## Cobrage401 (Mar 21, 2020)

Thanks all!! 

Today's mission was to place a final coat of paint to the top section of the tailstock. I'm waiting for it to dry and will post the completed tailstock probably tomorrow. 

Second mission was to clean the base. The ways look pretty good with what I would say normal were and should be ok... we will see when it's all done. 

If you can see in the photos the gray or light blue color is apparently the factor primer. It looks like the same red primer used on other casting of the day.

Well time to clean myself up and take my old man nap so I can do more work tonight...  

Forgot... the bottom looks just like the top so I didnt bother with a photo. Just need to clean the inside now. Ideally this should have been done with a soda blaster however I dont have one so I use the die grinder and some Krud Kutter.


----------



## Cobrage401 (Mar 21, 2020)

Rack Removal: 

As I progress I will post some of the challenges I come across that will hopefully help others like myself working on a Atlas lathe. I'd imagine that some of the obstacles will correspond with other Atlas lathe for they are all similarly different lol..

I had a hard time removing the rack from the bed. I removed all the screws and it wouldn't come off. I found that under all the dirt and crude the rack has two pins at each end that will need to be removed then it will come off easily. I have placed a photo showing one end of the rack pin location and the other is on the other end of the rack. 

I dont have and I'm unable to locate a 10D manual and if someone has one I'd appreciate a copy!! ... I have the 10F manual that has some mention to the 10D however the pins for the rack aren't showing in the manual. 

Dave 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Mar 21, 2020)

123 Blocks: 

Well a bit off topic however I received today the below 123 blocks from Amazon and they look pretty good. Only $22.00 so I'm not expecting Brown and Sharpe quality however looks well worth the low price. One complaint that was well documented is the 3/8 holes that aren't threaded are two small for a 3/8 bolt lol... the thread holes work just fine with the 3/8 bolts. 

Dave 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	







Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Mar 22, 2020)

Tailstock: 

Below are the almost completed tailstock photos. You will notice I haven't done anything with the handle for the handle knob is broken off and also the handle knob is about to break off on the ram lockdown handle ontop. I will need to find replacements. Unfortunately this appears to be a common problem for it appears the handle knobs are made out of cast. It also appears the knobs are pressed in.... more to follow with this problem. 

Let's talk about the tailstock and some of the obstacles I encountered.

Painting:

First I'm no painter! I dont have a spray both or a spray gun so this is done outside with spray cans. I wanted to obviously remove all the rust however I do like the paint over casting look however I cant stand looking at poor cast machine marks in the casting and the tailstock is full of them. I wanted to find a happy place in between paint over cast and no tooling gouges. I used bondo to cover the very bad sections and leaving the other sections untouched. The final peace was bondo, sand, prime, sand, prime, sand, paint, sand, paint, sand, clearcoat, sand, clearcoat, sand then a final coating of paint. This process will be done over the entire project I believe. I used self etching primer and smoke gray enamel paint. 

Bolts: 

Looking at the photo you can see some bolts and a brass washer/bushing. The large bolt that clamps the tailstock to the ways was bent and replaced with a grade 8 bolt, washer and nut. The two small tapered head screws are apparently used to adjust the tailstock gib. When the gib wears down it looks like you can make-up the difference pushing the gib closer to the ways. Using them I wasn't able to place the tailstock on the ways so we will see if I need them during final assembly and alignment. The brass washer was missing from the top handle that clamps the ram down so it was made on my not so working HF lathe lol. Interesting that the manual ( 10-F manual not the 10-D manual ) shows two of the adjustment screws. One is 2" long and the other is 3" long. I had to make a new 3" long adjustment screw for the original was bent however I dont know why it's that long for it's dangling out the back. I will probably cut some off after final alignment. 

Ram assembly: 

When disassembling the ram from the tailstock I had a difficult removing it. I didn't think much of it until reassembly when it wouldn't go back into place lol. Well the problem was when the top holes were made for the ram locking unit they forgot to deburrer it. Dont know how it ever worked! Also strange is the second hole ontop next to the ram locking unit. This hole in the manual shows a oil dropper however I don't know what it oils for it just a hole in the casting and dosen't have a path to the inside of the casting were the ram is. 




Dave  

















Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## coffmajt (Mar 22, 2020)

Cobrage401 said:


> 123 Blocks:
> 
> Well a bit off topic however I received today the below 123 blocks from Amazon and they look pretty good. Only $22.00 so I'm not expecting Brown and Sharpe quality however looks well worth the low price. One complaint that was well documented is the 3/8 holes that aren't threaded are two small for a 3/8 bolt lol... the thread holes work just fine with the 3/8 bolts.
> 
> ...


Even though these blocks are hard, the unthreaded holes can be enlarged to 3/8 with a carbide drill.  Makes set ups easier and easily done == Jack


----------



## Cobrage401 (Mar 22, 2020)

coffmajt said:


> Even though these blocks are hard, the unthreaded holes can be enlarged to 3/8 with a carbide drill.  Makes set ups easier and easily done == Jack



Thanks Jack I thought of that also. Will give it a try sometime soon.


----------



## WCraig (Mar 22, 2020)

Cobrage401 said:


> Also strange is the second hole ontop next to the ram locking unit. This hole in the manual shows a oil dropper however I don't know what it oils for it just a hole in the casting and dosen't have a path to the inside of the casting were the ram is.


This feature was for storing a special grease used to lubricate the tailstock centre (aka dead centre) when turning between centres.  Nowadays, virtually everybody uses a live centre.

Craig


----------



## Cobrage401 (Mar 22, 2020)

Hi Criag 

Thank you!!!! 

It sure was strange to me without your explanation. 

Dave 


Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Mar 22, 2020)

*Craig  

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## hman (Mar 23, 2020)

The lubricant of choice "back in the day" was white lead. South Bend and Logan lathes originally came with a small dauber that was set into the well.  Here's a Tubal Cain video about how to make your own replacement dauber.




-or-
you can go to eBay:








						South Bend lathe Dauber!  | eBay
					

These are used to place a drop of lubricant onto the tip of a dead center to provide the neccessary lubrication. Maybe you need to repair your flat leather belt on your machine and need a neat clamping jig?.



					www.ebay.com


----------



## Cobrage401 (Mar 23, 2020)

Thanks all for the Dauber information!!




Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Mar 24, 2020)

Lead srew:

Below is the lead screw progress and naturally another broken part.

Notice the lead screw bearing is cracked... actually I didn't notice this until after I had taken the photos to post. Will need a replacement.

Now back to cleaning the base.


----------



## Cobrage401 (Mar 24, 2020)

Rack: 

Nothing exciting and luckily in good shape is the completed rack below with the infamous roll pins that got me hidden under all the grease in the above posting.


----------



## Cobrage401 (Mar 25, 2020)

Base: 

Well after procrastinating a day or two lol I finally got the inside of the base cleaned and ready for paint. This was no fun expesuly were one should have used a soda blaster or something other than a wire brush. Its loaded with hard to get to places. The base casting was made very well and will not need any bondo  

Now a guess and or question... notice the channel cut into the inside of the base casting above the base model number. I'm assuming this must be to basically make room for the saddle? The Gibbs don't ride inside of this and it dosen't appear the saddle actually makes contact with the casting. My thoughts are its been widened for the saddle to actually just fit. 

Dave 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Mar 27, 2020)

Base completion: 

Well the base is now completed. In the photo with the tailstock attached you can see a scratch I managed to make when removing the tape. I was going to leave it however it got to me and its been repaired and is missing now in the other completed photos below. Now working on the base bench legs. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



















Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Apr 2, 2020)

Bench legs: 

Nothing to exciting ... below is one of the completed bench legs. Again some bondo to fill the bad casting divots. You can see them on the unpainted surface were the leg bolts to the base in the photo below. 

Interesting the can of smoke gray paint I got is a bit darker then the original can I used on the base and tailstock. 

Dave 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	













Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Janderso (Apr 2, 2020)

Paint sure does make a difference


----------



## Cobrage401 (Apr 3, 2020)

Thought I might show a closer look at at least how I go from rust to done for people that might not have brought back to life something before. 

Below is a photo of the other base foot after cleaning the dirt off. I use Krud Kutter and let it soak for around 15 minutes then wash off all the dirt, grease and oil with soap and water using a green scrubber. Dont tell the wife you stole it from the dishes lol. 

Will be back when I get it down to cast iron. 

Dave 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			











Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Apr 8, 2020)

Back in the shop today and below is the foot now down to casting ready for prime. 

This casting is much better than the other and looks like no bondo is needed. 

Normally I use my die grinder and a brass wire brush to remove the paint and rust however I broke the collet errrr. So I used the old standby.... removed all the dirt and grease with Krud Kutter and gave it a bath. Removed all the old paint with the wire brush and electric drill then paint remover then back to the drill. This process takes much longer then using the die grinder and is much cheaper then rust removal products. 

Back when primed. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	










Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Apr 9, 2020)

And now with primer... sorry forgot to take the topside photo with the primer on it however looks the same as the bottom nothing exciting lol.

I use Rust-Oleum self etching primer and it works great for cast iron. Its very hard to remove when fully cured. 

I didnt sand this down for again I'm going for the paint over cast look and not a smooth car type finish. If I wanted the smooth look I'd probably would have used glazing compound on all the parts and sand and sand and sand lol. Not to practical for in a week of use the machine will be dirty anyways  

Back when painted 

Dave 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Apr 9, 2020)

Foot: 

Below is the finished second foot. Painted with Rust-Oleum Gloss smoke gray. 

Now off to the bottom of the head stock.

Dave 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	







Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Apr 9, 2020)

Forgot one 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Apr 9, 2020)

Headstock: 

Well now that the two base legs are down and ready to bolt down I'm moving to the base of the headstock. Below are before and after photos. Now down to cast. 

This will need some bondo to hide the front tooling gouges. 

Dave 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	













Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Apr 11, 2020)

Back Gear Assembly: 

Small packages sometimes give you big problems lol... 

First if your working on one remember you have set screws on the washers and in between the gear teeth. 

Well I had a hard time disassembling this. Problem is they used flathead screws on the gears and washers and overtime they scored the outside shaft. No dimples were used on the shaft for it would probably be impossible for you need to adjust the gears and washers during assembly. I replaced all the screws with socket head set screws so one can torque them down a bit more then standard screws hopefully preventing slipping around. 

You will see this assembly again when the ends are painted and installed on the finished headstock. 

Also below is the bed and feet assembly's. New screws were installed for I had some broken screws that I removed from the casting. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



















Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Apr 15, 2020)

Help: 

Well I need some advice at this point... 

I'm continuing work on the headstock and below is the spindle. You can see the marks in the spindle were it runs around the babbit and on the end were the thread is that turns the change gears you can see a big amount of ware. 

Now my guess is that the babbit wasn't oiled properly during operation and started to cut into the spindle ends. 

Should I replace or have someone make a new spindle or since the spindle should actually run on the oil will the groves actually help with the flow of the oil? 

Any thoughts? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	







Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## pontiac428 (Apr 15, 2020)

Since replacing the babbitt bearings is a difficult path to pursue, it is my inclination to leave the existing wear pattern in place.  I don't know of any way to renew that bearing surface to include both the babbitt side and the spindle side.  If you are lucky, you still have a clearance shim or two under each cap.  If you're out of shims, and your spindle deflects, then you are looking at making an oversized spindle or doing a sleeve or buildup job on the spindle you have.  Whatever you do, consider your options carefully, this is the "heart" of your lathe.


----------



## Cobrage401 (Apr 15, 2020)

Thanks!!! 

I will need to shim it for the shims are gone. 

If I pour new babbit with new shims I'm wondering if this will be ok. 



Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## pontiac428 (Apr 15, 2020)

If your shims are gone, it's possible that your babbitt bearings are out of adjustability and potentially even oblong.  I'm out of shims on mine, and I wish I had just a skosh more adjustment, because it's costing me accuracy that I can measure.  Pouring babbitt is a forgotten art when the spindle needs to be parallel to the ways by 1 thou per foot or better.  If anybody knows how to accomplish the job on an Atlas, I'd love to hear about it.

I suppose one option would be to use another Atlas lathe as a boring machine.  Placing the babbitt head keyed into the bed ways and feeding it into a boring bar chucked in the running lathe's head comes to mind.


----------



## Cobrage401 (Apr 15, 2020)

It appears the only option is to find a 10a-2b headstock. That's the bearing replacement stock for the 10D I believe. 

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Apr 16, 2020)

Well as you can see in the photos it's now dark outside as I been trying to beat this spindle problem. 

To make the spindle parallel with the ways and casting when poring new babbit I thought of the below mounting arrangement. 

What do you all think? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			








Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Apr 17, 2020)

I want to make sure the spindle is placed properly over the casting so no problems arise when assembling all the gears and pulley onto the spindle. 

Below you can see leaving the original babbit in place and the spindle installed I removed a small piece of babbit to get to the casting and measured the distance from the back of the spindle to the casting. This is 1.740 inches. This now gives me a good landing point so the spindle lands correctly lengthwise in the new babbit. 

The original bearing was installed to make sure the shaft lands correctly on the old babbit for the measurement needed. This bearing can be removed during the pour for I don't want to run the risk of heating it. Hopefully a tight packing of the babbit clay will prevent leaks when poring. 

Also if you are disassembling the gears from your 10D spindle (and maybe other Atlas lathes) you will need to remove that pin were the hole is in the below photo. The pin is VERY hard to remove!! I ended up cutting the top off of the pin then heating it before banging it out. 

I will return to the actual babbit pour later for I will be returning to work shortly and will need to purchase some equipment for the pour. I never did this before so this will be interesting lol!!! 

I will continue to work on the other parts of the lathe and posting until it's time to pour.

Forgot...  its probably a good idea to remove the oil caps on the top halves of the bearing before removing the babbit. They are lightly pressed into the casting and came out easily. I will probably be making adapters to use drip oils. We will build that bridge when we get to it lol. 














Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Apr 17, 2020)

The complete spindle assembly parts are now cleaned and ready for installation when the time comes. 

The gear to the left that drives the change gears will need to be replaced so it wasn't cleaned. It has a missing tooth and a lot of the ends of the teeth are almost gone. 

The spindle bearing was packed with NBU-15 grease. This is the large spacer looking part to the left in the photo. I'd imagine that this bearing was made in the factory for this lathe (just a guess). 

The role pin on the left will also need to be replaced as I had to cut the top off to remove it as I mentioned in the above posting. 

The set screw in the pulley assembly I believe is for a oil hole to lubricate the bushing and spindle as it slides on the spindle during operation. 

Dave 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	










Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## pontiac428 (Apr 17, 2020)

Watching with interest!  I'm looking forward to seeing your approach to the bearings especially.


----------



## Cobrage401 (Apr 17, 2020)

Yeah I'm sure it will be a don't try this at home kids moment with the babbit pour lol lol 

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Apr 22, 2020)

South Bend Chuck: 

As I wait on the headstock as discussed above I will continue to work on the other parts of the lathe and probably will be somewhat random.

Below is a completed independent 4 jaw South Bend chuck. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	










Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Apr 22, 2020)

South Bend Chuck: 

As I wait on the headstock as discussed above I will continue to work on the other parts of the lathe and probably will be somewhat random.

Below is a completed independent 4 jaw South Bend chuck. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	










Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Packard V8 (Apr 22, 2020)

If one wants to develop an real old school skill, have the shaft polished.  File a thou at a time off the bearing cap mating surfaces, blue the bearing, fit the shaft and with a bearing scraper carefully shave the babbit until you have an even fit.  Easy to write, hard to do, but was SOP back in the day.  I've still got a set of bearing scrapers and a tin of Prussian blue that I hope never to use again.

jack vines


----------



## Cobrage401 (Apr 22, 2020)

Thanks...

I'm also considering the 10a-2b headstock replacement with the bearings instead of the babbit. 



Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jun 7, 2020)

Headstock:

Well been busy at work and things slowdown a bit in the garage for it's getting hit now in Florida. 

Wanted to share my progress... decide to go with a 10a-2B Timken bearing headstock to replace the original 10D headstock. This was a factor update to the 10D and they also had a partial upgrade that included the casting, spindle, pulley assembly and gears according to what my research found. 

You can see the headstock is now repainted and ready for installation. 

If you have a atlas lathe with the timken bearings and need to replace the bearings hold onto your wallet for the two bearings and two racers will coast you anywhere from $250-$300. I was able to find them on Ebay and Amazon for around $266 total. 

One thing I noticed and a lot of people on YouTube are prying the dust covers off with a screwdriver to disassemble the spindle when replacing the bearings. I don't think this is a good idea for I had to reform the bearing dust covers with my press for my unit came with the bent screwdriver approach. My unit actually had hair in the bearings because of the bent covers! 

Simply banging on the spindle with a soft rubber hammer from the change gear side will remove the spindle and bearings. Then you can simply tap the covers out from the inside when the spindle is removed. 

Oilers: my original idea was to install drip Oilers in place of the original oil cover/caps. After seeing how the Oilers work it appears that the majority of the applied oil stays between the racers and casting and applying a small portion of oil to the bearings. Actually when I received the headstock one of the Oilers was clogged and no oil was passing to the bearing. I think I will now pack the bearings with NBU-15 grease and not use the oil. 

Back soon!!!
Dave 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			











Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jun 21, 2020)

Forward/Reverse Gearbox 

Anyone know what the two cardboard like washers are made of inside the gearbox? I'd like to replace mine. 

Thanks all!! 
Dave


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jun 21, 2020)

This is a photo of the two cardboard like washers I'm trying to make. Hopefully someone can help identify what material they are made from. 






Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jun 22, 2020)

Anyone know? 

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## pontiac428 (Jun 22, 2020)

They look like thrust bearings, can you re-make them out of bronze?


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jun 22, 2020)

Thanks... not sure about thrust bearings or at least in the traditional ones. They are labeled as washer in the Atlas manual and are made of some type of material like super strong cardboard however definitely not metal. 



Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## pontiac428 (Jun 22, 2020)

Bear with me.  My point was more along the lines of trying to get you away from the headache of tracking down some wartime era super-cardboard material.  We don't know what it is, so is an adequate substitute available, like copper or bronze?  I'm assuming these washers came from the QCGB, correct?  For as long as humankind has been running machinery with gears on a shaft they have needed some method of controlling thrust and preventing wear.  Commonly used materials for that are bronze and maybe copper, dense plastics, celluloid, and apparently cardboard.  Perhaps around the shop or the scrap bin there might be a simple solution for you.  I don't think an exact match is required this far down the concourse.


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jun 22, 2020)

Ok lol now I understand were you were going. 

The washers are measuring..0027 so I'm guessing the original size was .003 

They are used in the forward/reverse gearbox and look like they are basically shims to place the gears at the correct meshing spacing. 

I'm thinking of stamping them out with .003 brass or steel shims. 

Just need to find the correct stamps. I can't turn them for you need a lathe to fix a lathe lol and it would be a waste of material I'm thinking of the top of my head. 

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## mattthemuppet2 (Jun 22, 2020)

I really would advise against using grease on those headstock bearings. Those are dust seals, they won't keep out everything and it will be a total PITA to regrease the bearings. Use the oil cups, give each one a squirt of hydraulic oil (or bearing oil of your choice) before each use and you'll be golden. The oil will provide the lubrication and the frequent replacement will flush out any crap that gets in there.

I use a few sheets of folded kitchen towel under the headstock to catch the flow through and swap it out every time I clean out the chip pan.


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jun 23, 2020)

Thanks for your input!! 

The headstock and bearings were assembled sometime back and ready to go. I understand your concerns however over 90% of the oil applied to the bearings gets trapped between the racers and casting never making contact with the bearings. 

Another thing I observed is that the oil hole gets clogged. 

When the lathe is completed I will be looking at making a cover for the front bearing for it appears we have plenty of room between the casting and spindle. 

At the moment however I'm still stuck with the washers mentioned above. 

Thanks!!! 
Dave 

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Bill W. (Jun 23, 2020)

Cobrage401 said:


> Forward/Reverse Gearbox
> 
> Anyone know what the two cardboard like washers are made of inside the gearbox? I'd like to replace mine.
> 
> ...



Dave
First of all, congratulations on the restoration.  It looks great!  
I'm not familiar with the time period that lathe was manufactured, but kinda going along with what pontiac428 mentioned... could those "washers" be made with something that was more readily available during the war years other than copper, bronze, brass, etc. etc.?
Just kinda curious myself...  

Bill


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jun 23, 2020)

Honestly I don't know.. I'd be more inclined to replace them with brass or other soft metals for the gears spin on the washers when utilizing the apron lead screw. 

Understanding what the material they used in the past would have been beneficial for understanding what to replace them with. 

Just don't know and I'm open to suggestions as usual  

Dave 

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jun 23, 2020)

Ooo and thanks Bill!! 

It's a Atlas 10D around 1936 I believe 

Below is the photo of the washers in question in the manual to better understand what I'm looking at... yeah I should have done this earlier lol...

9-53 and 9-51 are the washers in the manual 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jul 1, 2020)

Forward/Reverse Gearbox: 

Below is the gearbox ready for assembly. I made a mistake in the previous posting the original washers appeared to be .032" NOT .0027

You can see the new brass washers on the gears that I made. I didn't do a very good job with the hole punches however they are perfectly usable. I will probably turn new washers when the lathe is completed. 

Notice the old casting the handle section was broken off from the casting and I was missing the handle and yoke. Was able to find a complete gearbox off of a Atlas THF lathe. Cleaned it all up and painted it. 

I actually have three of the original washers and they all measure. 032" so they are probably still good. We will see how we do with the brass washers first I guess. 

Dave 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jul 7, 2020)

Gearbox Washer: 

Well had to add another washer to the center gear in the forward/reverse gearbox. The .032 was way to small. The original washers measured .032 when removed so they obviously worn down significantly. Getting the center gear to fit properly was alot of tweaking to remove the play and find a happy medium. 

How often do you see a 1936 lathe on its side lol... had to turn it over to install the last headstock bolt and place some grease on the forward reverse box. 









Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jul 16, 2020)

New Parts: 

Thought I'd post some of the newly manufactured parts that are available online if someone is new like me and working on a atlas lathe. 

My lathe had a crash that appears to have originated from the change gears or threading use. My lathe broke everything that is commonly breakable in the atlas lathe series when a crash occurs and then some. Probably why it was taken out of service back in day. 

One thought (just a thought lol) looking at the photo below I purchased two sleeves. They are I think steel sleeves with brown plastic bushing instead of the original metal bushings. If one is not using the aftermarket plastic change gears this might help save the lathe during a crash were hopefully the plastic will give way before other major damage occurs. 

The traverse gear box is aluminum with steel gears and should never break again. Wait to you see the photos of the original one when I post the saddle/apron work. 

KNOW YOUR LATHE: 
Just a word of caution... not all the atlas lathes share the same parts even though they look similar!! If your working on a atlas 10D they have the older 5/8 lead screw. I believe all the other 10" and 12" models have the 3/4 screw. This means all the parts shown in the below photos will not fit the lathes with the 3/4 screw. However if you are working on the newer 3/4 leads screw 10" lathes they are available at this time. The 9" and 10D however shares the same 3/4 screw and alot of parts ar interchangeable between them. Another note I believe all the 9" 10" and 12" lathes share the same change gears with the exception of the newer version have more gear options. Also I believe all the 9,10 and 12" lathes share the same forward/reverse gearbox for the 3/4 lead screw is tapered down on the ends to 5/8. The 10D box had the original atlas name plate on the casting however I don't think the other 10 and 12" lathes had it. None the less with or without the name plate I believe they are the same. My box was off a atlas THF and fits nicely on the 10D. Yeah I know confusing so do your homework before purchasing!! 

Things are a bit slow because of the heat in Florida however I will be updating the completed headstock shortly as I'm just doing some final work on the gears. 

Dave 








Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Boswell (Jul 16, 2020)

I look forward to your posts and meticulous approach to rebuilding your Atlas.


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jul 17, 2020)

Thanks Boswell!!

It's a fun learning experience for me 

Dave 

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## craniac (Jul 17, 2020)

I have a lathe of similar vintage a 10C and replaced the same parts, One note is that other more recent Atlas lathes have a 3/4" lead screw, not 3/8" as you state above. That would indeed be small. 

Good info on the interchangeability (or lack thereof) between Atlas lathes models. Enjoy the posts.

Tim


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jul 17, 2020)

Lol thank you!! I must have had 3/8 on the mind... I will change it above  

Dave 

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jul 29, 2020)

Headstock Completed: 

Below is the finished headstock.... 

Note the top cover didn't come with my lathe. I was able to find one with the mounting brackets and restored it. I had the original covers that would have been used with the vertical cantilever or a overhead drive shaft. I don't have the cantilever and will be making a vertical motor setup and wanted the correct cover to help keep the chips out of the gears. 

I didn't have all the factory gears that are listed in the manual that would have shipped from the factory that would have been used I think for just a power slide and not threading. I was able to find what was missing and installed the baseline gears. Two 20t, two 64t, one 56t gears. 

A lot of time was spent getting the gears to run correctly on the bushings. 

Next up will be the apron assembly and when finished will complete the lathe restoration. Then we start on a motor solution  

Dave 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			














Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Boswell (Jul 29, 2020)

you do nice work !


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jul 29, 2020)

Thanks Boswell!!!

I'm just a tinkerer in a garage having fun and learning  

Dave 

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jul 29, 2020)

Apron: 

What a mess lol... before and after photos below...

Look at that travers assembly... it broke at some point and was welded together.

Today we will tackle the split but assembly and new brass half nuts.  

Dave 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	
















Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## markba633csi (Jul 29, 2020)

Hi Dave! Glad you decided to replace the headstock, I was going to suggest it many posts ago.  The babbit situation would not have given a satisfactory result, and the roller bearings can be so easily adjusted for essentially zero runout with virtually zero effort.  The ultimate no-brainer

I wanted to mention having a variable speed motor is a real plus.  You might consider either a dc motor/controller or 3-phase + VFD system
It's really the cat's meow; once you use variable speed you'll be spoiled
-Mark


----------



## mattthemuppet2 (Jul 29, 2020)

while you have the carriage off I'd suggest cutting some oil grooves and adding oil cups to both sides. See if you can fashion up some way wipers too. That'll allow you to go a little tighter on the gibs and still have very smooth movement. Worked a treat on my Atlas 618.


----------



## pontiac428 (Jul 29, 2020)

I am bummed that we won't be seeing babbitt pouring as part of this resto.  I was really looking forward to that!


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jul 29, 2020)

Hi Mark 

Yeah I guess that is the big conversation what is better on this lathe. The fact is I'm seeing just a flicker on my one thousand indicator runout. I'd guess I'm around 3 tenths or less. I already have a new 1 horsepower DC motor and will be using a speed controller.... more to come lol. 

Pontiac... yeah I'm with yeah lol I was also wanting to learn the babbit pour however it just wasn't practical for me on this restoration however I'm sure I will have another project that will need the pour to share with people  fyi love the baby face lol 

Dave 

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jul 29, 2020)

mattthemuppet2 said:


> while you have the carriage off I'd suggest cutting some oil grooves and adding oil cups to both sides. See if you can fashion up some way wipers too. That'll allow you to go a little tighter on the gibs and still have very smooth movement. Worked a treat on my Atlas 618.


Hi Matthemuppet2 

1) Thank you for the tips! 

2) Im also considering the wipers if I can make something fit. Maybe I can make the one for the later atlas 10 12 lathes fit. 

3) not sure I'm understanding the oil cups. 

Dave 

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## mattthemuppet2 (Jul 29, 2020)

here you go. Somewhere to hold way oil so that it can slowly drip down into the oil grooves below. I have a little bit of felt in each so that it doesn't all come out at once. I don't have any pics of the grooves unfortunately. On the carriage I did them with a Dremel and carbide burr in a zig zag pattern, on my tailstock I did them with a ball endmill on the mill with a cross drilled hole to connect both sides to the oil cup.




makes a big difference. Slides really easy compared with before.


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jul 29, 2020)

Thought that was you were talking about 

Nice work!! I will consider this ... my lathe actually has factory shims between the ways and saddle that will need to be considered beforehand. 

Dave 

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## craniac (Jul 30, 2020)

I also really like the oil cup and wiper upgrade.

My 1936 atlas has babbitt bearings- run-out is less than 3 tenths I suspect ball bearings are not superior but more convenient (Quite substantially). My lathe doesn't need a bearing pour but I am talking myself into doing a pour on old drill press.

Tim


----------



## mattthemuppet2 (Jul 30, 2020)

Cobrage401 said:


> Thought that was you were talking about
> 
> Nice work!! I will consider this ... my lathe actually has factory shims between the ways and saddle that will need to be considered beforehand.
> 
> Dave



thanks, it was worth the effort. 

As for the shims, I don't know about your lathe model, but on mine the shims were between the carriage and the two bottom hold down plates that ride on the underside of the ways. You remove shims to adjust for clearance between the carriage and the upper way surface. Might be worth checking that yours are in the right place, I've not heard of shims as a contact point for the carriage and the ways.


----------



## Cobrage401 (Dec 12, 2020)

For all of you watching and supporting me in this thread thank you!! And sorry I been busy with work and other projects in the garage however I have made some progress....

Apron / carriage assembly: all I can say is wow alot of work on this section.

1) All new screws and newer style gib screws with locking nuts.

Normally I like to use the original screws when possible however changing the slotted screws that hold the bearing plates makes it easier to work with.
Locking nuts for the new gib screws to hold them in place were the originals didn't have them.
I changed all the square bolts out in the lathe for they had all stripped. They were replaced with grade 8 bolts and the one on the apron I have placed a rubber washer underneath it's normal washer.

2) Bearing plats were flipped around for they had some ware on one side of them. One plate I had to open the holes to allow the screws to fit.

3) Bearing plates shims. The original shims according to the manual should be .002 to .003 inches. My shims were. 0025 to .003 however I had to add .002 shims to the original shims for without them the carriage was to stiff sliding across the ways. I'd imagine I will have to tweak this section more during final alignment.
If your working on a 10-D lathe the above values my be different for you.

4) New parts!! Expensive however I'm very grateful that folks are still making stuff for the old lathes!!!!

5) New half nuts. I had to file down the edges until they worked smoothly.

6) New travers assembly. The case is aluminum and the gears are steel. The original screws I believe were 1/4 - 20 however using that size didn't allow any movement for adjustment when bolting it to the apron and meshing properly was a problem. The original case appears to have slotted screw holes for adjustment were the new case didn't.
The fix: simply went with 10-32 stainless screws and bolts. The smaller size now allows for adjustment.
Look up in the posts you will find the photo of the orginal assembly with a totally useless travers assembly.

7) know your lathe!! I have mentioned this before for new people like myself working on the atlas lathe line. The model 10-D isn't the same as a model 10. When ordering new parts for the 10-D make sure it's for a 5/8 lead screw. The 10-D I find is the hardest lathe to find NEW parts for were the 6, 10, and 12 inch lathes are more readily available. The 9 inch lathe falls into the same hard to find new parts as the 10-D.

8) Handles are still a problem for I'm missing some and others are broken.

9) Working on the threading indicator and will post that shortly.

Thanks
Dave


----------



## Cobrage401 (Dec 12, 2020)




----------



## Cobrage401 (Dec 14, 2020)

Threading indicator: 

Nothing special with this just clean paint and oil  

Dave
	

	
	
		
		

		
			








Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Dec 14, 2020)

Gib handel: 

Well a bit interesting... the photo shows the handle to the right was the original handle and one can see it has suffered the classic zamak attack lol well broken. Now the original handle for the 10D appears to be a press on as the handle on the left is for the 10D forward reverse gearbox and is the same handle and that's on the other atlas lathes I believe part number 10-29. Apparently atlas made this change at some point during the 10 inch lathe evolution. Now trying to find the original 10-D handle would be challenging however the newer style is easier to acquire. I simply filed the square shaft until the newer handle slides on then drilled and taped the 10-32 hole and now I can use the newer style handles that are easier to find. Dont know why the handles for the forward/reverse gearbox and half nut handles were different on the 10-D. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	













Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Dec 16, 2020)

Cross slide:

Getting ready for assembly... again nothing to exciting here just clean and paint. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	










Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jan 17, 2021)

PWM and Motor work 

Hello all hope you all had great holidays!!! 

Well I have been working on the new travers gearbox that I mentioned previously in this thread and its been given me problems so I decided to take a break from that installation and move to something else. The lathe resurrection is basically completely done except for getting that travers case working and general tweaking of the lathe. We will post more on the above later. 

Motor: below is the photo of the motor I went with. It appears nice and is readily available. It's a 90VDC motor 1HP 10amp and is rated for continuous duty. The build quality also looks pretty good. Unfortunately its blue and doesn't match the paint scheme lol lol. 

Motor pulley: I purchased a 3" dual V belt cast iron pulley to accommodate two of the pulley locations in the head stock. The pulley has two sets crews and runs true. Like the motor looks good however time will tell. 

PWM: I went with the KBMD Penta PWM and the below information is my thoughts on this device...

The KBMD is well made and worth the extra money compared to others regarding its build quality however it's not perfect... let's look 

1) If you're looking at buying one you will also need to purchase the extra parts for it to work. If your running a 1HP 90VDC motor like me you will need the below parts and the total price is $236 shipped. You will need the armature  fuse rated for a 1HP motor and the plug  in resistor rated for a 1HP motor. If your running a 1HP motor or 2HP motor you will also need the optional heat sink. Running less than a 1HP motor the heat sink isn't required.  Now if you want the forward/reverse and brake switch you will also need that option. Check the website for the required options for your size motor. Parts REQUIRED for any size motor are the armature fuse and the motor plug in resistor. 

2) comes in a nise case and the switches operate nicely. 

3) Has all the required trimming pots on the board to adjust to your motor spindle speed. 

4) Directions are pretty good. During the installation of the forward/reverse switch I was a bit confused for the directions make reference to short and long red and black wires however with the switch not installed the are basically the same length however when you install the switch it will become clear the difference between the short and long pairs. My long pair of red and black wires had a wire tie and the other pair didn't. 

5) Installation of the forward/reverse switch will require some modifications in my mind!!. First the switch comes with a nut attached and the manual said a spare nut is provided incase you lose the original nut. USE the spare nut its smaller then the one original on the switch and fits inside the cover mounting holes were the original is to big and you will not be able to install the case cover!! The case cover is installed with two screws on the top as the manual points out. The cover is hard to slide off I actually went looking for other screws thinking it was still screwed in someplace lol. 

6) Forward/reverse switch placement and mod. Ok now looking at the photos below you will see that the installation of the switch placed the switches backing plate almost touching the armature fuse!!! I removed the original fuse and installed a traditional plastic fuse holder. I didn't use the original fuse holder because I didn't want to drill into the case however one has room to do that if one chooses. 

7) The case: looking at the photos you will see the new 3/8 electrical strain reliefs I installed. Strangely the case had one grommet installed and the other hole was just a cover. The hole with just the cover is larger then the other hole however the 3/8 size fits both. 

8) Case and switch: when the switch is installed into the case it covers one of the access holes to the trimmer potentiometer!! I was able to still access it using the adjacent hole for the other trimmer ( just barely) one may opt to make your motor speed adjustments before installing the forward/reverse switch. 

9) Motor brake: The motor brake works well however given that we have zamic parts in this lathe I don't think I will utilize this option. 

10) Power: This PWM supports 110VAC and 220VAC power input from your mains. One doesn't need to have a separate DC power supply like other PWM. My unit was shipped to me in the 220VAC position so living in the US I moved it to 110VAC. 

11) Heatsinks: in the photos below you will see the optional heat sink attached to the bottom of the case. This option is required according to the manufacturer for any motor from 1HP up. I'm actually not sure how effective this is for this unit has 6 transistors mounted to the back of the case. In order to deliver maximum heat transfer the sinks should be attached to the back of the transistors and not on the bottom of the case. I might make a aluminum sink for this later to mount behind the transistors. 

Now I'm working on the actual motor mounting system and will post that when completed.


----------



## Cobrage401 (Jan 31, 2021)

Motor Mounting, T Nut and Travers gear case 

Motor Mount: below are the photos of the motor mount ( sorry dirty bench lol ) the black T mount was acquired from work and modified on my mill. It's a steel T slide from a industrial roller system. 

The aluminum base was milled to 1" thick 7x12". Holes were slotted for belt adjustment and three holes were drilled,  counter sunk and taped to hold the motor bracket. The aluminum was also fly cutted on the top and bottom for flatness. I was going to paint this however it didn't make much sense for it will probably just get all dinged and I don't have to worry about it rusting. 

T-Nut: I decided to make a T-Nut in preparation  for a QC tool holder today from some scrap cast iron. 

Travers gear case: I was able to solve the problem with the case. I had to slot the three holes slightly adding .02" and also need to make three .02" shim washers for one of the gears was scrapping the apron. I didn't take any photos of the mod for if you purchased one your milage will vary. 

At this stage the lathe is turning nicely and the apron is also running smoothly using the change gears. The change gears still need some work or maybe I will replace them with nylon gears. 

Work still needed... 

1) order a QC tool post 

2) mount and run all motor wires and control box. 

3) build the touchdro kit. 

4) install two iGaging dro scales.  

5) alignment and gib adjustments. 

6) whatever I forgot above lol


----------



## Cobrage401 (Feb 9, 2021)

First test cut:

 As I get closer to completion I decided to make a quick test run ... photo below shows not bad and has promising results before alignments. Probably the first time this lathe turned since 1936-1937. 

Cross slid handle: 

Below is a photo of a brand new handle. Fits nice on the 10D however I did need to mill the end nut down to fit for with the new handle I didn't have alot of working thread remaining.


----------



## Cobrage401 (Feb 13, 2021)

Alignment Time : 

Ok let's play  lol... my innately turned piece above and further turns on the same round stock is now showing much better results in terms of cut quality even with the wrong QC holder I installed lol. I temporally made some mounting solutions to fit my old mini lathe QC on the lathe lol. What is happening is I'm turning a taper of .05 over the length of the stock that is only 2 1/5 inches long!!! Wow it's out. 

Now like I mentioned before I'm no machinists I'm just a garage tinkerer having fun so with that said let's look at what I'm going to attempt to do in order to fix this. All thoughts and suggestions are much welcome!!. 

First I have some tools coming in today that we will use and I will give my thoughts on them when they arrive 

The assumption is that I will need to adjust twisting in the ways and I already know that the headstock needs alignment. 

I will post each operation in separate threads as a go along. 

So the first part of what I can check with the tools on hand is how flat the ways are from headstock to tales tock. If the ways had a significant dip in its travel from ware the only way to resolve that is sending out the ways for grinding or scraping them in. So let's hope all is good. 

Measuring with my .01" indicator from headstock to tail stock I'm showing basically no movement when indicating we're the cross slid travers up and down. And again we're the tailstock travel's. I'm showing basically no movement in the meter. Now this only shows me that I have no dipping in the ways   photos below of the setup. 

Back when my alignment tools arrive. 

Dave


----------



## markba633csi (Feb 13, 2021)

Dave: that last measurement is liable to mean very little except for perhaps detecting very short dips in the ways that would likely be visible to the naked eye anyhow, using Dykem and a straight edge.   Generally a lathe cannot measure itself
What you want to do is first level the lathe then cut a series of test bars, then measuring the bar at two locations.
Nice motor and drive by the way,  variable speed is a great feature
-Mark


----------



## Cobrage401 (Feb 13, 2021)

markba633csi said:


> Dave: that last measurement is liable to mean very little except for perhaps detecting very short dips in the ways that would likely be visible to the naked eye anyhow, using Dykem and a straight edge.   Generally a lathe cannot measure itself
> What you want to do is first level the lathe then cut a series of test bars, then measuring the bar at two locations.
> Nice motor and drive by the way,  variable speed is a great feature
> -Mark


Thanks Mark!! Yes I have a new bar and level arriving today to do exactly what you suggested.  I'm staring out the window waiting for fedex like a kid waiting for Santa  lol 

The motor setup is working well and thanks! Reverse isn't much of a option as it spins the chuck off lol. 

Dave


----------



## Cobrage401 (Feb 13, 2021)

Alignment Bar : 

Ok just off the FedEx truck is this alignment bar. One can get them pretty easily and it appears the one like I have are all made in India. At least the lower priced bar's are. 

I got the bar with a MT3 taper so I can align the headstock and then later use the bar to align the tailstock. 

It appears to be nicely made however it has .09" runout WOW!! ... guess I will need another bar. I have almost no runout in the spindle taper and on the spindle. Classic get what you pay for!! 

Looks like I will have to start with the ways leveling first.


----------



## Cobrage401 (Feb 14, 2021)

Machinists Level and Live center:

Yesterday my new level and center arrived.

I decided on the newer version of the
_Accusize Industrial Tools 6 inch Professional Master Precision Level in Fitted Box, Accuracy 0.0002''/10''_​
​_The level is nicely mad and working well. If your like me and this is your first time using a level like this your in for a treat lol just looking at it the bubble moves. They are very sensitive and at times the bubble moves very slowly. Now I decided on this instead of the Starrett only because I was able to get this next day. The Starrett was only $17 dollars more. I will be using this to align the ways.

Live center: 

Yes another Accusize product ...._

Accusize Industrial Tools MT2 Precision Medium Duty Live Center, Overall Length 5.83'', 0537-6436​



Another well made product. Its showing around. 003" runout on my Brown and Sharpe. 005 indicator. I will take that anyday   I will be using this during the tailstock alignment. Naturally this will also be used frequently during normal lathe operations unlike the test bar that will be seldom used.


Naturally I don't endorse any products I'm just mentioning what I'm using for this restoration and my opinion 

Dave


----------



## Cobrage401 (Feb 14, 2021)

Ways Leveling: 

Just wanted to show the starting point with the level at the headstock and tailstock. I'm showing a large bed twist. 

I spent half the day yesterday working on this and didn't make much progress as this is tedious and will try again today.


----------



## Cobrage401 (Feb 14, 2021)

Help!!!

Ok I'm not sure I'm understanding this totally...

Below photos shows the level indicating pretty good now after some ugly looking shims under the lathe bolts lol... now when I move the level as shown below to two places in the center of the lathe its off. This lathe has no adjustments to the center ways unless maybe some jacks were installed.

My question is... is this normal? Its almost a futile mission if you can't make the level true along the entire ways no?

Head and tail level positions... the parallels are just for repeatable with level. 
	

		
			
		

		
	





Two readings in the center of the lathe...


----------



## Cobrage401 (Feb 14, 2021)

Something correct:

Well I must have done something correct for now after doing the above ways adjustments I turned the same peace of aluminum with the below results...

1) Adjusted the stock in the 4 jaw chuck for around..005"

2) removed maybe. 04" of aluminum. Travel distance is approximately 2.5"

3) Runout maybe at .002"

4) Taper is basically 0 were before I had .05" taper within 2.5" of travel.

I will have to get a longer stock probably 12" in length and try again however I think this is a good start.


----------



## hman (Feb 15, 2021)

Cobrage401 said:


> Help!!!
> 
> Ok I'm not sure I'm understanding this totally...
> 
> ...


That's a real puzzler!  I'd almost be willing to suspect that the bed, originally twisted, did not untwist evenly when you leveled the two ends.  But what to do about it???  

Is your shop air conditioned/heated?  If so, maybe you could turn off the climate control for a week or so, let the air inside warm up and cool for a week or two, which might let the cast iron of the bed "relax" a bit with temperature cycling.  Of course, there probably isn't that large a temperature swing in Florida.  But that's the best I can come up with right now.


----------



## Cobrage401 (Feb 15, 2021)

hman said:


> That's a real puzzler!  I'd almost be willing to suspect that the bed, originally twisted, did not untwist evenly when you leveled the two ends.  But what to do about it???
> 
> Is your shop air conditioned/heated?  If so, maybe you could turn off the climate control for a week or so, let the air inside warm up and cool for a week or two, which might let the cast iron of the bed "relax" a bit with temperature cycling.  Of course, there probably isn't that large a temperature swing in Florida.  But that's the best I can come up with right now.


Thanks!!! Not a bad idea however it's not climate controlled. Will have to wait until I get a 12" bar and check for taper again however I have made a significant improvement. 

Interesting that I don't recall anyone checking or mentioning the center of the ways when regarding twist on YouTube using the level method. Only place the level at the headstock and tailstock. Maybe the assumption is the center should not have twist if the ends have been corrected. 

Dave


----------



## hman (Feb 15, 2021)

Yes.  You're the first one I've ever heard of that checked more than the end points.


----------



## Cobrage401 (Feb 15, 2021)

Well I guess my mother was correct when she said I was different lol lol  

Dave 

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cobrage401 (Feb 16, 2021)

Headstock alignment: 

Ok a change in planning.. I stumbled across this idea on using your coaxial indicator placed in your 3 jaw chuck or collet. I placed my indicator in a 3 jaw as I don't have a collet setup for the lathe yet. 

Indicator is showing around .001" 

Dave 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			








Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk


----------

