# Atlas Th54 Basketcase. How Far Would You Go To Sell A Lathe?



## Holescreek (Oct 5, 2015)

This summer I bought several machines as a package deal.  One of the machines is an Atlas TH54 that needs someone to take the time to go through it and put it back in working order.  Originally I was going to do it myself (not my first time rebuilding an Atlas from the ground up) but really don't have the time or inclination to do it right. (I'm getting rid of machinery as it is to make room for a  much larger lathe!)

When I bought the lathe it was in a tiny basement and I had to disassemble it in "chunks" to lift them up through a hatch in the mud room floor.  I've got the iron legs cleaned up and spray painted, and the wood (top and shelf) sanded and mounted to the legs. Today I started the cleanup - degreasing of the bed and took a good  look at the carriage parts.

The lead screw is shot and I assume the half nuts are too (based on the leadscrew condition). The little gear  attached to the hand wheel has a broken tooth and if I were doing it, I'd  scrape the ways in immediately.  I think the forward /reverse gear lever handle might be missing too, It was pretty dim in the basement where I found it.

My question to the Atlas crowd is this:  Should I (Would you?)
A)  Advertise it as-is and hope someone with the skills (or wants a learning challenge) comes along?
B)  Make a new lead screw, half nuts and replacement gear first then advertise at a much higher price? (my thought is that someone wanting a lathe kit won't be able to make those things for themselves)
C) start parting it out? (I've never done that before, it seems wrong and I don't want to get stuck with parts no one wants)
D) Bite the bullet and do everything to get it running (but not painted) and hope to make enough money to cover the materials and time invested? (That sounds kind of cold but I have to turn down paying or at least more enjoyable work to have the time to do this.


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## Ulma Doctor (Oct 5, 2015)

i cast- part it out!
there are a lot of atlas machines to choose from. sometimes a basketcase is not worth the time to repair.
but, i'm all for doing ridiculous things that nobody else wants to do- so i might not be a good sounding board.

a point to consider, sell the pieces in a lots of a specified amount , like for example 100 dollars or so for a saddle and 80 or so for a tailstock.
and make the sub assembly the attraction- you can easily double to triple your investment-
but it may take a little diligence


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## MozamPete (Oct 5, 2015)

A or C.  No point wasting time and money rebuilding it for someone else benefit (unless restoring old machines is how you get your kicks).  Move it out and get on to doing something you actually want to do.


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## Bob Korves (Oct 5, 2015)

If you do not plan to keep it, and do not think you can make a handsome profit making it whole and working, then let some one else take it over and get on with the projects you are interested in for yourself, unless you get your kicks restoring machines for others.


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## jpfabricator (Oct 5, 2015)

If my homework was correct, that Atlas would have a 10" swing. If so, and only if you plan to part it out, I would be interested in the tailstock assembly.

Sent from somewhere in East Texas Jake Parker


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## francist (Oct 5, 2015)

Get rid of it. It's not what you want to do so don't beat yourself up over it. Advertise it as a "fixer-upper kit" and see what happens, if it doesn't move part it out. Someone will take it.

-frank


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## wa5cab (Oct 5, 2015)

I agree that A or C make the most sense.  I lean toward C.  There is, for example, a guy on the Yahoo A_C list with a 10D with questionable babbit bearings.  He might possibly be interested in the headstock.  And maybe the carriage.  He was already talking about down the road converting it for power cross-feed.


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## Holescreek (Oct 5, 2015)

Got some pics this morning.


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## mattthemuppet2 (Oct 6, 2015)

wow, some parts there have some serious wear. I'd add up what you would reasonably be able to get parting out each piece (perhaps not the bed), then knock of 30% or so and advertise it locally as a fixer upper. If you don't get any takers, starting listing bits separately. There are always people that want to add a QCGB to their lathe or fix some broken part (often in the apron). You might even be able to get serious money for the legs, if that "industrial table" craze is still going on.


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## Holescreek (Oct 6, 2015)

The only real heavy wear I see in person is in the apron control gears. If I had to guess, someone had a nasty habit of trying to power feed with the carriage locked.

I made an email offer to a local fellow that's been looking for a lathe but am not sure he got it. The offer was to sell him the lathe and teach him how to scrape the bed in and make the needed parts using the equipment in my shop.  If I don't hear back from him by Thursday I'll load the pics up on Craigslist with an honest description of what I think it needs and see if I get any hits.  Parting it out would take up as much of my time as fixing it when you consider all the email/financial issues/shipping etc. it takes for each part.

I'm really tempted to scrape the bed in just to show how easy it is on these lathes. Of course I'd cheat and use my home made power scraper.


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## mattthemuppet2 (Oct 6, 2015)

personally I think there's a bit too much wear there to make it worth fixing - the lead screw, half nuts, bed wear, the gear at the end of the spindle (what do the reverse tumbler gears look like?), that gear in the apron (one at the top center), the missing carriage gear teeth, whereas there are still a lot of parts there that would be useful to others. In particular, the zamac casting that the carriage gear sits in is a common failure point and the QCGB is highly sought after for retrofits. I think it's up to you, but it's going to be a lot of work and money before it gets back to the state it should have been in, which is an old and perhaps tired lathe. I admire the intent behind helping someone out with the repairs, I just think it risks being a cross for your back and the buyers.


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## Holescreek (Oct 13, 2015)

Just a follow up for anyone interested.  I posted it on craiglist with a good description of what I knew was wrong with it (basically what I posted here) and the same photos plus a few more from different angles.   I had two immediate hits from local buyers that offered $400, one wanted to come and pick it up immediately but I told him I wanted to run the listing for a whole week.  On the 3rd day I got an email from a buyer in Tennessee that offered full price (I'd listed it for $600) if I'd hold it for him and then drove over 300 miles  one way to pick it up.  Gotta love the internet!


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## wa5cab (Oct 13, 2015)

Somehow, I missed the QCGB photo.  Or did you add it later?  Anyway, that makes a considerable difference in perceived value.  I think you got a reasonable price as a unit, and the buyer did OK, too.


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## MozamPete (Oct 13, 2015)

That's a nice boost to the new tool fund.


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## Holescreek (Oct 13, 2015)

MozamPete said:


> That's a nice boost to the new tool fund.


 
That's been my goal all along.  As soon as I can free up some more space I'll order a new lathe.  I've sold 3 "extra" machines in the last month and still don't have a place to park one.  I am starting to like the new "clean" look and having space to work though.


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