# Newbie With A 6" Lathe And Motor Issue



## T. J. (Nov 2, 2015)

I thought I'd fire off a first post and mention a motor issue that I discovered.  After several months of watching other people make chips on YouTube, I scored a Craftsman 101.21400 on Craigslist.  It's in decent shape and mainly needed a good cleaning, which I've done.  I've almost got a bench built for it and will soon be in business!  I purchased a new Dayton 1/3 HP capacitor start motor and then discovered the issue.  A motor with a capacitor mounted on the top won't work with the mounting configuration depicted in the Atlas manual because the capacitor interferes with the belt between the countershaft and spindle pulley.  I've never seen this issue discussed before in any forum, which is my reason for mentioning it.   Luckily I discovered this before I had my bench built and have modified it to mount the motor under the bench.

Anyway, I'm happy to join the forum and I'm sure I'll be asking for some help soon...

T. J.


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## Kernbigo (Nov 2, 2015)

I had a atlas 10" that i had a tread mill motor on it and worked great, sold it a year ago and bought a south bend wide 9", also mounted a tread mill motor on it. There is nothing like variable speed.

Edit-


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## T Bredehoft (Nov 2, 2015)

Ignore this post.


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## Kernbigo (Nov 2, 2015)

sorry spelling error


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## mattthemuppet2 (Nov 2, 2015)

reverse the motor (refer to the motor wiring diagram) and mount it to the left


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## T. J. (Nov 2, 2015)

That would definitely be an easier option. However, I already had the wood cut for the bench top when I realized the problem and it wasn't wide enough!


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## mattthemuppet2 (Nov 3, 2015)

is the countershaft mounted to the lathe or to the bench? If to the lathe, raise the lathe with a couple of hardwood blocks. If to the bench, raise the countershaft  lots of ways to skin this cat


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## T. J. (Nov 3, 2015)

The countershaft mounts to the bench.  I considered that, but it would have required riser blocks under both the lathe and countershaft.  I made the decision to mount the motor under the bench thinking it would be easiest and shield it from chips better as well.  I was wrong about it being easier, but I'm almost done now.  

Speaking of different countershaft assemblies, my lathe came with lots of extra parts.  Included were 3 countershaft brackets - 2 of the 'typical' M6-20A brackets and one that bolts to the lathe bed (M6-20).  I chose to use one of the M6-20A's since I believe it is 'correct' for when my lathe was made.  I was curious if anyone has a feeling for which one is more mechanically sound/desirable?


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## Kernbigo (Nov 3, 2015)

i ran my 10" for about 10 years with no counter shaft direct drive using a treadmill motor


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## A618fan2 (Nov 3, 2015)

I can't offer an opinion on which is more desirable but once you've picked the one you want, the other two could go a long way to offset the cost of your lathe.  I had to buy one of those when I set mine up and OUCH!  Good luck with yours - they're nice little lathes.


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## wa5cab (Nov 4, 2015)

The M6-20 came on the original 618 and was only made for a year or two.  I've never seen an M6-20A, although there may have been one.  The 101.07301 parts lists that have survived call for an L9-20A.  All of the actual 618's and 101.21400's that I have seen photos or parts lists of have the M6-20B.  So whichever of the countershaft brackets you have is original to the lathe depends upon which lathe you have and in the case of the 618, what year it was made.

Could you upload a photo of the bracket that mounts to the side of the lathe?  It has never been clear how it did so or what it mounted to.  The only photos of it that I have ever seen are all taken from the front of the lathe, and don't show how the bracket mounts.


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## mattthemuppet2 (Nov 4, 2015)

mine just bolts straight on to the side of the bed using 2 tapped holes. There are 2 vertical slots on the countershaft bracket that allow for some vertical adjustment. I don't have my camera to hand, but I can take some pictures if you want. It's not super interesting though


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## wa5cab (Nov 4, 2015)

If it's on a 6", it would be of some interest as none of the 15 or so different Atlas built 6" lathe parts lists that I have over the years turned up show anything other than L9-20A or M6-20B.  Both of which attach to the bench.


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## mattthemuppet2 (Nov 4, 2015)

sure, can do. I'll try tomorrow night.


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## T. J. (Nov 4, 2015)

My previous post should have said M6-20B instead of M6-20A.   I'm assuming that is the proper one since since my lathe doesn't have the tapped holes for the M6-20. 

I've attached some photos of the M6-20 bracket. It doesn't have the countershaft hanger assembly with it. It looks like the same hanger would work for either bracket.


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## mattthemuppet2 (Nov 4, 2015)

that's the exact same one I have on my 618!


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## wa5cab (Nov 5, 2015)

T.J.,

Thanks.  Comparing parts lists that we do have, it appears probable that the hanger assembly off of the 101.07301 would fit.  The hanger casting on it is M6-21, whereas the one shown on all of the 618 parts lists that we actually have is M6-21A.  They are all probably post-WW-II.

The M6-20 Countershaft Bracket looks more like it would bolt to the bench than to the back of the lathe.  It is very similar to the L9-20A shown on all of the 101.07301 parts lists.


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## mattthemuppet2 (Nov 5, 2015)

here you go Robert




no idea if that set up is normal or if a previous owner drilled and tapped those holes. I didn't check the part no. as it's a bit of a pain to get to and it was cold last night


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## wa5cab (Nov 6, 2015)

OK.  Thanks.  I believe that is original to the early 618.  The catalog photo now makes sense.  See catalog page from November, 1937.

Note that motor is mounted behind the countershaft assembly.

Do NOT click the red box for Full Size.


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## mattthemuppet2 (Nov 6, 2015)

cool! Thanks for the info.

On mine the motor is to the left of the headstock to allow the fan mounted to the treadmill motor to spin in the right direction. Mounted behind the countershaft would have had it spinning backwards and thus considerably less effective.


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## wa5cab (Nov 7, 2015)

OK.  Some fans are not totally bi-directional.


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## mattthemuppet2 (Nov 8, 2015)

yep, especially 12V computer fans


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## T. J. (Nov 9, 2015)

So I finally finished the bench and got everything mounted an running this weekend. I wound up mounting the motor on a hinged bracket to allow its weight to keep tension on the belt. A future project will be to make a two step drive pulley, as the original was missing. I've got to get some experience under my belt before I tackle that one though!


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## mattthemuppet2 (Nov 9, 2015)

beautiful looking bench! I wouldn't worry about the larger step pulley for now, see if you need those higher speeds first.


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## The Liberal Arts Garage (Nov 20, 2015)

Clean, neat, appropriate, nice work.........BLJHB.


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## T. J. (Nov 20, 2015)

Thanks for the compliments. I'm very happy so far with my lathe. I've mostly been practicing on some scrap and making some small projects like a chuck wrench for my four jaw. My next project will be to machine the back plate for the brand new Shars 3 jaw chuck that came with it so I can get it mounted.


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