# Questions About My New/old Lathe.



## pgmrdan

I see that the Craftsman 101.07301 is a 6" swing lathe but what is the distance between centers?  The bed on mine is about 30" long.  Is it considered a 6" x 12" lathe?

Thanks.


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## T Bredehoft

Welcome to arguably the best Hobby machinist's forum.  We really try to help folks with problems. 

I have a similar lathe, next generation, made by Clausing, but on the Atlas plan, the bed length (total) is 30 inches. if I put a center in the spindle and another in the tailstock, I can get a piece 20 inches long between them. But its' a reach. I'd want a steady rest to support any work that long.

I consider mine to be a 6 by 20 lathe.  Don't know what the manufacturer called it's size.


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## pgmrdan

I meant to ask if it's a 6" x 18" lathe.  I keep hearing about the Atlas 618 but when I called Clausing they said this isn't the Craftsman version of the Atlas 618.  Did Atlas make the 101.07301?


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## RJSakowski

pgmrdan said:


> 101.07301


My Atlas/Craftsman 6", Model no. 101.21400, has a bed length of 30" and a distance between centers of 18".
Here is a link for the manual for your lathe: 
http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/222/5329.pdf
All indications from websites point to it being made by Atlas.

Bob


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## wa5cab

Yes, Atlas built the 101.07301 and 101.21400 that Sears sold.  The "official" size of the Atlas built Craftsman 101.07301 is 6" swing by 18" between centers.  Atlas built and sold under the Atlas badge the 612 and the 618, where the model number came from the swing and maximum C-C distance.  The 612 is rare so apparently few were sold.  Production of the 612 probably ceased in 1947 or 1948 *(Correction: it disappeared from the catalogs after 1941)* when they ceased production of the 18" and 30" between centers 10" and 12" machines.

Production of the 101.07301 was from 1939 through 1957 (catalog years).  In 1957 (late) Sears started selling the 101.21400 which is identical to the 618.  At the time that the 101.07301 introduced, the differences between it and the then current 618 were limited to the headstock casting, spindle, spindle bearings and ball thrust bearing.  The countershaft bracket on the 618 was revised at some point prior to 1950 or 51 but the change was not made to the 101.07301.  It continued to use the 2nd version bracket throughout its production.

Production of the 618 and 101.21400 ceased in 1972 when they were replaced by the ball bearing 3950 and 101.21200.  This is the 6" x 18" lathe with the square headstock casting which many call the 6" MK2 (although there is no known evidence indicating that the term was ever used officially by either Atlas (at that time Clausing) or Sears.  The bed on the MK2 is essentially the same as the one on the earlier 6"  machines.  The part number change is because the legs and headstock were changed and the attachment hole patterns are different.  The compound slide and swivel and the rack were also carried over to the new models, although both were later changed.  The tailstocks look different but are interchangable.  The ball bearing MK2's were made until sometime in 1977 when Sears quit selling the 6".  At about the same time, the 3950 was replaced by the 10100, the main difference being a return to using Timken bearings.  After the first 1500 or 2000 of the 10100's were built, the compound slide was revised and at some point the rack attachment method was made cheaper.  In 1979 (probably early), the carriage was changed to add an adjustment to the carriage traverse intermediate gear mesh.  At an unknown date but thought to be early 1980, the headstock and legs were changed from cast iron to Zamak.  This was an ill-advised change and production ceased shortly thereafter (within a year I think).


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## wa5cab

Also, manuals, bulletins and a some drawings on most of the Atlas and Atlas/Craftsman machines are available in DOWNLOADS.  The majority are cleaner scans than you will find elsewhere (except on the main A-C Group on Yahoo).


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## pgmrdan

Thanks all!  I've begun tearing down and cleaning my lathe.  I hope the parts I need to replace are readily available.  It's becoming quite enjoyable to come home after work and go into my basement workshop to putter around on this project.


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## T Bredehoft

pgmrdan said:


> It's becoming quite enjoyable to come home after work and go into my basement workshop to putter around on this project.



You've hit on the secret of Hobby  Machinism. It unwinds one admirably.


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## pgmrdan

Shouldn't there be an exploded parts diagram instead of just having all the parts scattered around on a page?

I took the parts off the spindle without taking pictures first and now I notice there's not a diagram showing the arrangement of some of the parts.  I know how most of them go on but a couple of parts are somewhat a mystery.  Besides, taking a picture before I take assemblies apart assumes that the prior owner put things back correctly.  Knowing the way this lathe was treated doesn't make me at all confident that the lathe was correctly assembled before I got it.


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## mattthemuppet2

post up pics of the parts and we'll help you out. There's not much to it, although some bits have to go on a certain way round or in a certain order. On reassembling one of my I put the tumbler gear on the end the wrong way round but it was obvious once I put the reverse tumbler back on. Similarly, last night I was putting the spindle back in my 618 and realised the only way to put the bull gear key in the spindle is before you put the spindle back in the headstock - for the 7301 you have to put it in afterwards.


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## wa5cab

Dan,

Unfortunately, Sears never had Atlas do an exploded view drawing of the 101.07301.  However, for most of it you can use the manual for the 618 or 101.21400, several different versions of which do have Illustrated Parts Lists.  Whats different are the headstock, spindle and the countershaft assembly.  

The headstock is pretty obvious.  

What's different on the spindle are the bearings (they go in the same location and you have no dust covers to worry with) and a thrust bearing and spacer on yours versus a collar on the 618.  The pulley bushing part numbers are slightly different because the spindle diameters are slightly different, but they are in the same location.  Once you have it back together, bearing and spindle end float instructions are in most of the Operation & Parts manuals.

On the countershaft assembly, the main brackets (that bolt to the table) are slightly different (the bracket on most 618's is the third version but for some reason the on on the 101.07301 always remained at the second version).  The hanger assembly (carries the two pulleys) is the same.  How it mounts to the bracket is different.  On yours, it sticks up from the bracket.  On the later 618 it hangs down.

Everything else is the same except that on the 101.07301 the motor is generally shown as sticking out to the left of the headstock and on the 618 or 101.21400 it is behind the countershaft assembly..

If anyone with a 101.07301 wants to add to this, feel free.


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## mattthemuppet2

the main important difference I've found in the spindle between the two bearing types, other than the ones you've noted, is that on the 7301 you HAVE to remove the bull gear woodruff key before driving out the spindle. If you don't you'll gouge a trench in the bushing. There's enough space to wiggle things around and remove it once you've driven the spindle out enough to expose the key between the headstock and the bull gear. On the 618, you can technically remove the key, but there's a slot in the dust cover that allows you to drive out the spindle, bearing and front dust cover with the key in place. There's no easy way that I could see last night to put the key back in without it being on the spindle first.


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## wa5cab

Matt,

I never have seen dust covers off of a 6" but the ones on a late 12" have none.  A year or two ago, someone on the Yahoo list said that his 10" or 12" had slots in it that he thought might have been made by someone driving out the spindle without removing the Woodruff key.


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## mattthemuppet2

yup, both the inner dust covers have the slots, although you only need it on the main bearing (closest to the chuck). They're quite deliberately there, you can even see on the main bearing inner cover on mine where some eejit tried knocking the spindle out without lining the key up with the slot 

I'm guessing that the inner dust cover on the outboard bearing has the slot simply as a cost saving measure - both inner and outer covers for both bearings are identical and interchangeable.


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## wa5cab

OK.  That's good to know.  No one ever mentioned it before (other than the eejit marks on that one 10" or 12".  Thanks.


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## pgmrdan

I'm now attempting to take apart the back gear assembly.  I have the back gears and collars loose on the shaft.  Is there a trick to removing the back gear shaft?  Are the eccentrics pressed on?


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## pgmrdan

The back gear shaft looks so simple except for the eccentrics and ball bearing/detent.  Am I just missing something obvious?  All the set screws are loosened but the shaft won't come off the back gear assembly.  The M6 243 back gear part has to be replaced because the smaller gear was destroyed before I got the lathe.

How do I get this apart?


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## mattthemuppet2

yup, there's a roll pin in the handle of the back gear shaft. Only comes out one way and can't remember which, I figured it out by looking at which end was the thickest. Then you pull the handle off, catch the spring and ball that provides the detent positions, and pull the back gear shaft out from the left (non-handle) side. It's a bit of a fiddle getting it back on to be honest, but not impossible.

Have you seen Deans photographica site? He has a lot of useful info and pictures about tearing down a 7301. There are also other youtube vids that are very useful. They'll help you catch those little gotchas that can trip you up.


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## wa5cab

The parts manual describes the pin through the right eccentric and shaft as a "roll pin".  I never heard of one that was tapered.

On another but related subject, the parts manual does not show a roll pin in the left eccentric.  Nor any other way of securing it to the shaft.  Does it also have a roll pin in it?


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## pgmrdan

Standing in the operator's position on the right hand end of the back gear shaft is the little shiny lever that controls the cam.  I don't see a roll pin but there is a nub of metal on the rim of the metal and another spot for a set screw (which is missing).  I see part of the detent BB if I look for it.

Update:  I just went to Dean's photographica.  Is it truly a roll pin (the hollow piece with the slit down the length of the side) or could it be a solid pin?  I do see something that looks like a solid pin that may be in the right position.  I'll bet that's it.


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## mattthemuppet2

wa5cab said:


> The parts manual describes the pin through the right eccentric and shaft as a "roll pin".  I never heard of one that was tapered.
> 
> On another but related subject, the parts manual does not show a roll pin in the left eccentric.  Nor any other way of securing it to the shaft.  Does it also have a roll pin in it?



You're right, it's a roll pin and not a tapered pin, but it was definitely happier coming out one way than another on both the ones I've taken apart. Probably a consequence of being whaled on by a previous OP with a hammer and punch I'd guess.

From memory, the left eccentric is pinned in place, but a tight interference fit that would make removal a very committed process 



pgmrdan said:


> Standing in the operator's position on the right hand end of the back gear shaft is the little shiny lever that controls the cam.  I don't see a roll pin but there is a nub of metal on the rim of the metal and another spot for a set screw (which is missing).  I see part of the detent BB if I look for it.
> 
> Update:  I just went to Dean's photographica.  Is it truly a roll pin (the hollow piece with the slit down the length of the side) or could it be a solid pin?  I do see something that looks like a solid pin that may be in the right position.  I'll bet that's it.



It was probably originally a roll pin as Bob noted above, but who knows what's been stuck in there over the 60-70yrs since it was made! I'll bet that pin like thing is what you're after. I didn't have a pin punch that size so I think I used a fine thread cap head screw the right size and gently tapped it out. I know I know, not exactly the right tool for the job but it worked and I didn't damage anything


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## pgmrdan

I may have to use a small nail with the point ground off.  You gotta do what you gotta do.

I need to make a trip to Northern Tools or Harbor Freight really soon for some brass drifts and such.


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## wa5cab

Dan,  

Every shop should have a decent set of punches.  If you use a nail, you will probably either bugger up the hole or the end of the pin or bang your thumb when the nail folds up on you.  Technically, a roll-pin punch has a small teat on the end small enough to go into the hollow roll pin.  However, it is more important for installation than for removal.  If you have a Dremel tool and a holder to mount it on the compound, you can turn a regular pin punch into a roll-pin punch by thinning down the tip with a cutoff wheel.

Because small pin punches are apt to get bent sooner or later, I usually buy half a dozen at a time of the smallest sizes from McMaster.  Once you bend a pin punch the first time, if you straighten it it is about as likely as not to bend again the next time that you try to use it.  The best thing to do with them once they're bent is to cut off most of the pin and turn them into an install only roll-pin punch.


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## 'Topcraft

You can also make a nice center punch.


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## wa5cab

That's true.


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## pgmrdan

Making my own is my plan later.

Turns out the roll pin has solid ends.  That's why I thought it was part of the eccentric because the end I could see was solid.  Once it drove it out the whole assembly was easy to take apart and clean.  Thanks guys!

While I was on a roll I took the countershaft assembly apart and cleaned it too.

I know I'm sort of getting the cart before the horse but before I buy a bunch of replacement parts I want to assess the flatness of the bed.  If I need to have the bed reground about how much will that cost?  If I have it reground are there any other things I'll have to do such as moving down the carriage traverse rack?  If I have the bed reground can I replace other worn parts and have a lathe that's like new or am I dreaming?


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## pgmrdan

This morning I found 19331 on the tail stock end of the front way.  Is that the serial number?  Anyone know what year it would have been made if that's the serial number?


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## 'Topcraft

Having the bed reground/scraped, is a very expensive proposition. I'm not sure of the going rate, but you could probably  buy a much nicer lathe that's tighter for the price you would pay to have it ground. What I think I am going to do with mine is to tear it down, give it a good cleaning then get as much backlash out of everything as I can, and reassemble. When everything gets back where it belongs, I will indicate everything to see if I can live with the slop that's still there. My ultimate goal is to get a nice South Bend, but I hope the Atlas will work for me till then. 
     I guess it boils down to whatever type of work you want to do with it, and what you are willing to put up with in the way of tolerances. Personally, I need so much to get my shop to the point that I can do what I would like that I can't justify the cost of the grind. I need a small mill, (looking for an Atlas horizontal at a price that works for me), tooling for the lathe and mill, etc. etc. etc. The cash outlay is disturbing. So, it's mostly garage sales, and auctions for me.
     Not trying to talk you out of it tho, everyone has different needs. Check out the scraping threads, I saw the cost there, but can't remember offhand .


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## 'Topcraft

Wa5cab will be able to tell you when he comes on. He really knows his way around an Atlas. And yep, that is the serial number.


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## pgmrdan

Of course I'm hoping it's not worn enough to worry about but just in case I'd like to know what I'm in for.  I've heard regrinding the bed is expensive but on a 30" bed I'm hoping it's not too expensive if needed.

I'm becoming addicted to messing with this lathe.  I can't just walk past it.  I end up spending 20 minutes or more with it every time I get near it.  I'm having fun.


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## 'Topcraft

I share your addictiction. I really like mine, and probably never part with it.


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## 'Topcraft

Just found a post for 36" bed, he was quoted $800 for someone local to him, customer drop off, and pickup. figure about $1000. Then, you would have to do some work on the carriage bearing surface, and correct the wear. Pricey but it would really sweet when it was done.


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## pgmrdan

Ouch!  I was hoping it would be no more than $500.

For $1,000 it makes the new bed sold by Sears look reasonable at $1,400.


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## wa5cab

pgmrdan said:


> This morning I found 19331 on the tail stock end of the front way.  Is that the serial number?  Anyone know what year it would have been made if that's the serial number?


Dan,

Unfortunately, none of the Atlas 6" MK1 machines have any dates (from the factory) on them.  However, we have some anecdotal information of the type "bought new by Father in 19xx".  But no month.  So that adds a +/- 1 year uncertainty.  But using that information, yours would have been made/sold in 1946.  

There are eight surfaces or locations on a flat bed lathe that are subject to wear.  Front and rear of each way, bottom of front of front way and rear of rear way, and top of both front and rear or both ways.  Of these, there usually isn't much wear of the rear of the front way or the front of the rear way, the front of the front way or the top of the rear of the front way or top of the front of the rear way.  That leaves the top of the front of the front way, top of the rear of the rear way, and rear of the rear way.  So check those first.


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## pgmrdan

Thanks Robert D.

The indexing pin on my lathe is missing the actual pin that goes into the indexing holes on the bull gear.  The larger metal rod that goes through the head stock casting is there and moves back and for freely but has no pin to go into the holes.

Is it easy enough to create a pin for that?  Or should I just get a new one?


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## 'Topcraft

Depends on how much time and inclination you have. My plan is to fabricate anything that I can to save money, I would think that the pin would be no problem. You would need to be able to knurl the end so you could grip it. Personally I would acquire a tool, that I could make the part with. That would set you up for future projects. Or there is always this site, or eBay.


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## wa5cab

If the pin is still in place in the headstock but the 1/8" dia. teat is broken off, drift out the keeper pin and pull the remainder of the index pin out, taking care not to lose the ball and spring that are compressed below it.  Face off the end flat and drill it for a 1/8" rod.  Install the new nose piece with a drop of Stud Lock and let it cure a day before you install it.


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## pgmrdan

Thanks Robert D.  That's what I need to know.


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## pgmrdan

I've been wanting to say that I hope I'm not losing steam on this project.  Another week of scrubbing all this gunk off these parts may be all I can take before I have to take a break.

One thing that keeps me going is that after cleaning some parts I can I can see that there's a perfect paint job underneath though a bit oil stained.  mrpete222, a.k.a. tubalcain, says that if limited on time to inspect a used lathe then look at the paint.  If it's in good shape then the lathe probably hasn't been worn out or abused.  I hope he's right.  But in this case the paint was so caked with gunk that no rust could form and no paint wear could take place.  It's incredible to think that someone did useful work with this lathe without ever cleaning on it.

I'm beginning to wonder if I should have bought a used Unimat or a new Taig instead.  Nah!  I'll probably buy another Craftsman to fix up after I get done with this one.  How about a 109?


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## wa5cab

Nah.  Go for a 10" or a 12".


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## pgmrdan

Very similar to mine with nearly all of the parts having the same part number: http://www.vintagemachinery.org/pubs/51/3440.pdf

This will help a lot when reassembling.

My motivation is now renewed.


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## pgmrdan

I just checked my ways with a 24" precision straight edge and feeler gauges measuring the low points which were very near the middle.  This lathe was used to turn armatures and shave commutators on generators and starters for old Fords which I think would explain why the low points are not right in from of the headstock.

1. Near edge of near way: .003" (tight so perhaps less)
2. Far edge of near way: .002"
3. Near edge of far way: .002"
4. Far edge of far way: .002"

I hope this means I have and old lathe that is worth fixing up and using.  What do you think: good, bad, average?


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## wa5cab

Probably not worth worrying about unless you are trying to work to four or five places.  A couple of years ago, I ran some figures to put hard numbers on the diameter errors caused by an error in tailstock height.  Assuming no error in tailstock height, then the same figures apply to differential bed wear.  The height error that I used was 0.010" (five times your reported 0.002").  With the cutter exactly on center at the headstock end of the workpiece, and in the bed wear case the tailstock vertical error zero, if the workpiece diameter is 2 inches, the diameter error near the center would be 0.0001".  The diameter error varies approximately inversely as the square of the diameter.  And approximately linearly with the height error.  So with 0.002" height error, the diameter error for nominal 2" diameter would be 0.00002.  If the diameter were reduced to 1/4", the diameter error would be approximately 0.00128".  But that would only be true if the work piece were long enough to put the tailstock past the worn area.  Or in the worn area.  Neither of which is very likely.

There is also another possibility - that the 0.002" isn't wear but is bed sag.  Put the 24" straight edge back on the bed.  Put the 0.002" feeler gauge back under the straight edge and move it left and right, noting how far you can easily move it.  That will give you an idea of the extent of the main wear, if it is wear.  Put an 0.001" feeler gauge under the middle of the straight edge and move it right and left.  If it makes contact near the 6" and 18" points, you can mostly or partially correct for that when you mount and level the bed.


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## pgmrdan

Thanks for the explanation!


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## pgmrdan

Ouch!  M6 241 and M6 243 together are going to cost me $445.92 from Clausing + shipping.

Where do you guys go for replacement parts, ebay?  Or do you bite the bullet and order from Clausing?


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## mattthemuppet2

show us a picture of the damage on the ones you have. We might be able to offer advice on how to fix them, depending on which bits are damaged.


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## pgmrdan

I don't have a picture handy but the bull gear and the gear it matches up to have many if not most of their teeth broken off.


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## wa5cab

pgmrdan said:


> Ouch!  M6 241 and M6 243 together are going to cost me $445.92 from Clausing + shipping.
> 
> Where do you guys go for replacement parts, ebay?  Or do you bite the bullet and order from Clausing?



There are a few parts that you wouldn't want to buy used.  Half nuts (don't buy brass ones, either), cross feed and compound feed nuts, gibs unless Clausing only has plastic ones, belts and any brass bushings.

That being said, parts sources would be (and not necessarily in this order):

This list.
Yahoo Atlas_Craftsman and (for 6") Yahoo_618 Groups
eBay
Clausing
Local or online machine tool or drive components vendors
Fully equipped Ace Hardware or equivalent (not Home Depot/Loewes/etc.) mostly for odd things like square head bolts and springs and steel balls


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## pgmrdan

As always, thanks Robert D.!


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## wa5cab

I left off Sears Parts Direct.  If both they and Clausing say that they have a part, Clausing will generally be cheaper.  Also, unless you are buying some used parts from an eBay seller and the shipping would eat up the difference, don't buy new parts on eBay without checking Clausing for price.  Most new parts come from Clausing except AFAIK felt wipers and of course belts.


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## pgmrdan

If I don't quickly replace the two parts I referred to earlier then I lose the 55 rpm to 463 rpm range provided by back gear drive but I still have the 380 rpm to 3050 rpm range provided by direct drive.  Smaller lathes work on small diameter stock and need higher speeds.  How badly will I miss the back gear rpm range?

For the ~$450 could I switch the lathe over to a DC motor and controller?  I assume if I did I could leave out the countershaft assembly.  Any examples of this type of conversion that you guys have done?


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## mattthemuppet2

you know, I bet you could fix that back gear - a 2-56 tap, some 2-56 set screws and a dremel with a cut off disk would work. drill and tap a couple of holes per tooth that needs fixing, loctite in set screws, grind with dremel to mesh with bull gear. It won't be super pretty, but I've seen it on other machines and it works fine. You're still welcome to my spare bull gear, which is in decent enough shape - hard to tell though if you don't post up pics.

I've added a treadmill DC motor to my 618 for little money and you'd still want the back gears. The back gears don't just slow the spindle down, they allow you to run the motor at a speed where it makes power and torque (i've heard that back gears "amplify" torque, but I'm not sure if that's correct). So while you may be able to run a DC down to 100rpm or so direct drive, using the countershaft, you won't be able to turn large or hard objects as the motor will stall or the belt will slip.


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## pgmrdan

Brace yourself!


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## mattthemuppet2

ooh, that makes me cringe! Looks like someone engaged backgear with the lathe running or didn't release the bull gear pin. I wonder if you can buy the right tooth/ pitch gear, bore it out and turn down the back gear, so you can press it on. Might just be easier to buy one off eBay however.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atlas-6-618...bly-M6-243X-/331681033447?hash=item4d39baece7


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## wa5cab

Your back gears are history.  Your best bet is to pick up a used set off eBay.

If you never need to thread anything, you can probably live without the slow speeds.  If you do, you can't.  Except for very fine pitch threads, you will want to set the spindle RPM based more on your reaction time than much else.  Especially with relatively coarse pitches.  You don't want the carriage moving very fast, or you will run the cutter into something.

I'm not a fan of variable speed DC motors on lathes.  People always assume that because they can slow them down to a crawl, they will work fine at a crawl.  But they don't.  Available torque is lower, and they will overheat.  If you really want to go variable speed, use a 3-phase motor and a VFD.  Don't run the motor faster than about 120% or slower than about 40% of it's nominal rated speed.  And it will neither explode nor overheat.  If you still have the back gears, you might be able to get away with a single step motor pulley and large countershaft pulley.  Although I haven't run the numbers to confirm that.


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## mattthemuppet2

wa5cab said:


> I'm not a fan of variable speed DC motors on lathes.  People always assume that because they can slow them down to a crawl, they will work fine at a crawl.  But they don't.  Available torque is lower, and they will overheat.



that's why you keep the countershaft and the back gears


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## wa5cab

Exactly.


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## pgmrdan

The part should be here Saturday.  Now I'll look for the bull gear.  If you happen to see a good one around please let me know.

This forum (you guys) is (are) great.  Thanks guys!


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## pgmrdan

I just found this one by the same seller.  What do you think?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atlas-6-Lat...e-Back-Gear-/331681037348?hash=item4d39bafc24


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## pgmrdan

Never mind.  That part should be here Saturday too.


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## pgmrdan

Of course I have more questions now. 

If the gears were stripped by putting the lathe in back gear while it was running can I assume that wouldn't damage the spindle?

If the chunks knocked out of the compound rest (shown in the last picture) were caused by the chuck jaws then I'm assuming the chuck and spindle may possibly have been damaged.  That right?

If the chunks were knocked out by an armature or some other work I guess I can't assume any other damage one way or the other.  I'll have to check the chuck and spindle for being true either way.

I guess I'll put the replacement parts on and get the lathe running to see how she works and go from there.


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## mattthemuppet2

I'd imagine it'll be just fine. The crash into the compound probably didn't do the chuck any favours but the spindle should be fine - just think about the hammering the lathe gets on interrupted cuts. Not quite the same obviously and testing will tell, but I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

if you want some inspiration, I'll be posting up some pics of a 7301 I've just finished refurbishing. Jim Dawson gave it to me at the beginning of the year after one of his clients threw it out - it's quite astonishing the difference between then and now. Just have to finish mounting a newly made handle to the cross slide and it's ready to be crated up and shipped to my cousin-in-law in Virginia


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## pgmrdan

Looking forward to seeing the pictures.  Inspiration is good.

Did you look at the bull gear I posted the link to?  Any comments?  Looks good to me but what do I know?


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## mattthemuppet2

as far as I can tell from the pic that's the right one


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## pgmrdan

I'm sure it's the right one but I was wondering more about condition.  Sorry I didn't make that clear.

It looks like the corner of one tooth is either dirty or chipped but if it's chipped I don't think it will make any difference ... or will it?


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## Round in circles

Half nuts,
 I purchased all new half nuts when I re-did the gib screws with capped Allen screws  ..was disappointed to find that all the half nuts had the shoulder ground away and that my socket spanner had a rounded out lead in , same with the ring spanner ( aka Wrench ) .

In the end I ground the champher off the socket and the lead in on the ring spanner as well .  To try and get a better fit on the half nut but the rounded shoulder on the half nuts still gave problems  because the actual milled part of the slide where the threaded hole is made  was not quite in far enough to clear the rest of the casings on several screws , maybe if I'd had a real thin hollow box spanner it would have been OK .

I solved it by purchasing all new precision full nuts and then putting them on threaded rod . Held the rod in a collet & turned off the rounded shoulders on both side ..result half nuts with a real clean sharp form and enough meat for me to use my ground down socket & spanner to tighten them. In fact the nuts are a tad thicker than half nuts because I  made the capped screws a tad longer .

 Occasionally the compound gib screw nearest the handle  clashed with the tailstock ..so  I ground out the offending bit on the tail stock , as there is no way I'll ever go back to having gib screws that need a screwdriver to adjust them .
 I do believe that you can get high tensile hollow NF Allen machine screws but I haven't / can't find any in Great Britain just yet ..


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## mattthemuppet2

David, that's some confusing terminology you're using there. Half nuts on a lathe are the 2 opposing threaded nuts in the carriage that engage the leadscrew for threading/ power feed. The ones you're talking about are the thin jam nuts on the gib screws, right? You can make both of those yourself really easily from standard screws and nuts.


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## 'Topcraft

I always thought that was a split nut? As a machine repair guy, a half nut is a nut that is cut down for clearance to another part of the machine. usually it is cut down to half the original size which requires a thinner wrench than normal hence the term "half nut". I would also say that there is a half nut on a gib screw as they are thinner than usual. I agree terminology is important, but it can be different across the trades. As a maintenance man, the device with a handle-ratchet-chain for pulling things is called a "come along". When I was a Telco lineman it was called a" jack". The first time I was told to get a "Jack, strap, and come along" I was confused, and the older guys had a laugh out of it. To them, a " jack"
was the thing with the chain, a "strap" is a lifting(or pulling) continuous nylon belt, and a "come along" is a clamp that attaches to a wire cable. So, i guess it changes with the industry.


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## wa5cab

In most industries, and in most catalogs, the thin pattern nuts are called "jam nuts".  Until this thread, I couldn't have name any that didn't.  And most vendors call the two-piece nut that couples the carriage to the lead screw "half nuts".  However, some do call them split nuts and I would guess that most people who have seen more than one or two lathes would recognize both terms.

Some cops may have something that they call a "comealong".  But at least in the South, the term usually means a self-contained lever and ratchet operated small winch.  I have also heard this called a "coffin horse".


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## pgmrdan

Some accessories included with my lathe purchase.


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## pgmrdan

In my picture above with the centers and taper adapters can you tell me what the item is at the bottom?


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## wa5cab

I can only guess that It's an arbor out of some machine, maybe for a face mill.  It has a flat for a set screw so probably not a chucking arbor.


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## pgmrdan

Is there a consensus as to which type of belts are the best to use on these lathes?


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## wa5cab

No, not really.  There are two schools of thought or if you prefer, opposing camps.  One group swears by link belts.  The other by V-belts.  I won't try to state figures pertaining to the relative size of the two camps as no one has ever run a survey with enough responses to be meaningful.  I've given my personal opinion often enough elsewhere, but won't repeat it here.


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## pgmrdan

V-belt it is!  Thanks.


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## pgmrdan

Do the pulleys that come with this lathe use 3Lxx width v-belts?  I know the lengths will be determined by my set up.


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## wa5cab

Dan,

The 6" MK2 uses 2L belts.  The 6" MK1 (612, 618, 101.07301 and 101.21400) use 3L belts.  The 10" and 12" use 4L belts, except that the late 12" cabinet models also use two Multiple-Belt A-series belts.

The 618 and 101.21400 have a drill template that shows exactly where the M6-20B Countershaft Bracket mounting holes should be drilled relative to the rear left leg mounting bolt hole.  I've never seen one showing the L9-20A Countershaft Bracket that at least according to all 101.07301 parts lists shipped with that model.  There are at least two versions of what are supposed to be an Owners Manuals for the 101.07301floating around the Internet that have pages added for lubrication, bed leveling, gear clearance and bracket mounting.  All four pages were probably actually produced for the 101.21400.  The gear clearance and bed leveling ones are applicable as the beds and gears are the same and it doesn't matter that the leveling one uses a drawing of the later machine.  The lubrication one is mostly applicable although it shows the later countershaft assembly.  The bracket installation one probably isn't actually applicable as there are considerable differences between the two brackets and I have no way of knowing whether the nominal design running location of the countershaft spindle and the motor armature was the same for both models.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to determine the belt numbers for the 101.07301 but given the differences between the two brackets and where the hanger sits, I can't see how the mounting holes could possibly be in the same location.


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## pgmrdan

My countershaft has seen better days ... much better.  Both bearings are badly scored and the pulley shaft has been so badly scored it is noticeably narrowed.  The lever shaft is just worn out.

I've never done anything like this before so tell me, how hard is it to replace the bearings in the countershaft?  Is Clausing the source for these?

Both shafts also need to be replaced.  Clausing again or are they simple enough to fabricate?


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## 'Topcraft

I have similar problems. The inside of the pulley will probably be oversize if it spun on the shaft. If I can't find parts, I was thinking of making a slightly larger shaft, and reaming everything to fit. I don't see any real problems in making new shafts if you have the time. I think that anything from Clausing is going to be pricey. Just be careful when taking the pulley's off, that Zamak stuff doesn't have the strength of regular cast iron. You may want to wait for better advise, as I don't claim to be an expert.


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## pgmrdan

The pulley with 4 sheaves (?) must not have been tightened down properly and the set screws made lots of small grooves in the shaft.  That's where the shaft is worn down considerably.  The two ends of that shaft go through the bearing/bushings.  Not sure what scored up those bushings but they also look dry.

I'm wondering if those bushings are standard Oilite bushings and can be purchased just about anywhere instead of just through Clausing.  Anyone know?

If I can get them out maybe I can measure them and match them up with some Oilite bushings.


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## wa5cab

Unfortunately, as far as I have found, we have no copies of original drawings for any 6" parts.  But the countershaft spindle bushings are undoubtedly commercial parts, probably Oilite.  I would call Clausing (armed with the part numbers) and check whether they have the spindle and bushings.  If they do, either buy them or don't.  If they don't have them, ask for a copy of the drawings.  The bushing drawing should have the Oilite part number on it.  You should be able to buy the bushings and buy a piece of steel shaft material that all you have to do to is cut to length and slightly bevel the ends.  However, I would suggest milling slight flats for the pulley set screws to seat on.

The bushings are pressed in.  To remove, you need a receiver with an ID slightly larger than the bushing OD and a length slightly longer than the bushing.  And you need a shouldered pusher just slightly (maybe 0.010") smaller in diameter than the bushing and a little longer.  On one end, turn down about 1/4" of the length to about 0.005" smaller than the bushing ID.  Then use a press to remove the bushings.

I would suggest after installing the new bushings that it would be a good idea to drill a 1/8" diameter hole through the hanger and one side of the bushing.  Locate it so that it is accessible from the front of the machine.  Use the same oil can as has the special tip for the spring-loaded ball type oilers.  Otherwise, most of the oil you squirt on the shaft and bushing is just going to sling off.  I don't know why Atlas didn't make some provision for this.  Maybe they believed the Oilite advertising.  

If the 2-step countershaft pulley bore is in fact worn, I would recommend having it bushed and bored to fit the original spindle diameter.  Then run a tap drill and 1/4"-20 tap through through the existing threaded hole and through the bushing.  If you up the spindle diameter, you'll have to deal with the larger bushings required which will mean boring the 4-step pulley, hanger casting, and collars.

Addenda:  According to the parts manuals, all of the countershaft parts except for the bracket casting and hanger casting are the same as on the 618.


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## mattthemuppet2

I made a new countershaft for mine out of some 1/2in steel rod I had lying around, grinding flats for the various set screws. It didn't completely fix the problem as the bushings are still worn, but it helped a bit. I also drilled through the bushings from the oil holes and stuck some bits of felt in the oil holes. Going by the oil that comes out the ends, it's definitely getting to the bushings 

I do have a plan at some point to make a new countershaft hanger (mine was broken and poorly fixed) to incorporate roller or ball bearings, although that's many moons away!


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## pgmrdan

Another problem I have is that the motor pulley is bored for larger than 1/2" (5/8" maybe?  I haven't measured yet.).  So to go to my 1/3 rd hp motor from the old Delco 1/4 th hp I need a pulley with a smaller bore.  Did they make another original motor pulley bored out to 1/2"?  I may have to buy a new 1/3 rd hp motor with a matching larger sized shaft.

I'm glad I have another lathe (and I have a mill) to use while I'm working on this one.


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## wa5cab

Dan,

Apparently, up until the mid 1930's, the standard motor shaft diameter for FHP motors was 1/2".  So the motor pulleys for the early Atlas machines have 1/2" bores to fit 1/2" motor shafts.  The standard began to change to 5/8" and so did the pulleys.  In the 40's and 50's the Atlas lathes were shipped with 5/8" bore pulleys and with a 5/8" to 1/2" reducing bushing.  You can still I think buy the bushings (usually steel) at most hardware stores.


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## pgmrdan

I'm glad you said something.  That reminded me that I might already have one of those so I checked and I have 2.  They're the split bushings so a set screw can still reach the flat.  I found them with my 3 adjustable width pulleys.


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## pgmrdan

Robert D.,

Just an FYI that my roll pin punches just arrived.  I'm glad you talked about them.  I can see why they're better than the flat ended punches for roll pins.

Thanks again!


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## wa5cab

Good show (on both counts).


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## pgmrdan

One more task accomplished: I removed the bushings from the counter shaft.  Took me a few minutes to find something the right size to push them out but they came right out.  OD is 5/8", ID is 1/2", and length is 1 1/8".  It should be easy to find replacements and press them in.  Looks to me like an Oilite AA-632-10 should work.

The bushing size reminded me of something else.  I will re-purpose the old bushings as 1/2" to 5/8" motor shaft adapters.  They're just the right size for the 1/2" motor shaft and 5/8" bore on the motor pulley.  The commercially made adapters I have left a LOT to be desired.  Very sloppy fitting.  I'll put a hole in a bushing for the set screw to hit the flat on the motor shaft and it will be great.

Now I want to fabricate a replacement pulley shaft for the counter shaft.  I need a 1/2" diameter piece of steel but I'm not sure what type of steel would make a decent shaft.  It probably doesn't much matter but I will have to file/mill 2 flats on it.  What's a good type of steel to use?

And the same question for the 5/8" diameter shaft in the counter shaft that has the lever on it.  Same type of steel would work for both I guess.

Suggestions?


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## wa5cab

Dan,

If the countershaft spindle bearings are worn enough to warrant replacement, I wouldn't use one of them to make a pulley bore substitute.  Just buy three of the new ones.  Or better yet, buy two of the sintered bronze ones and one in plain brass.  And I would agree on the Oilite AA-632-10 for the spindle.

For the spindle and rocker shaft, something like 4130 or Stressproof should work OK.


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## pgmrdan

Sorry Robert but I may not have said that clearly enough.  The old bushing wouldn't be a pulley bore substitute.  The motor pulley fits on the shaft of the motor and turns with it.  The old bushing would just fill the gap between the 1/2" motor shaft and the 5/8" bore.  There is not bronze bushing in this pulley.  It doesn't spin freely on the motor shaft.

I hope that is clearer.


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## wa5cab

I understand that.  But my point was that if the countershaft spindle bushing is significantly worn, it would be a sloppy fit on the motor shaft.  If all of the wear is on one side (as it might be), you would at least want to drill the hole for the set screw through the worn part.  Else the pulley will have runout of twice the wear (assuming no runout before bushing it).  Given that the bushings aren't going to cost much, I would play it safe and go with a new one.  It may be a light press fit which won't hurt anything so long as the modified pulley is a slip fit onto the shaft.


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## pgmrdan

Gotcha!  Now I understand.  Good point.


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## Round in circles

mattthemuppet said:


> David, that's some confusing terminology you're using there. Half nuts on a lathe are the 2 opposing threaded nuts in the carriage that engage the leadscrew for threading/ power feed. The ones you're talking about are the thin jam nuts on the gib screws, right? You can make both of those yourself really easily from standard screws and nuts.



Matt , I've been off line for a few days and am catching up .
Over on this side of the pond ( UK ) those gib screw locking nuts are sold as " half nuts " , as in half the thickness of a standard nuts , it was also used as a standard term in my engineering apprenticeship days some 50 years ago .

I've come to understand that the split  clamps that close on the Acme type screw of the carriage drive  are also sometimes called split nuts , split clamp nuts and half nuts by some in the USA & elsewhere in the world .  In my Atlas MOLO they are indeed called half nuts .
 There is no reference to the gib screws thin locking nuts at all that I can easily find .

 We'll just have to put it down to our two United Nations being separated by a common language


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## Round in circles

pgmrdan said:


> In my picture above with the centers and taper adapters can you tell me what the item is at the bottom?



I have a similar threaded at one end shouldered parallel  bar in the stuff that came with my lathe .. What I  did eventually find out several months after taking possession of the lathe is that the thread is the same as the middle sized Jacobs drill  chuck shaft ...does that help ?

The shaft on mine  is about four inches long , minus the flat at the end .
I think it is there so that one can quickly set up a small three jaw chuck in the main head stock chuck , most likely for using a small twist drill  or centre point to drill into a part being pushed up to the head stock  by a crotch pad device held in the tail stock.


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## pgmrdan

Thanks David!  I'll give that a try.


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## pgmrdan

You guys may laugh because you've been replacing bushings since you were 3 years old.  I just finished pressing in the bushings that were delivered this morning.  Even though it was my first time I believe I actually looked like I knew what I was doing.  Satisfaction abounds!

The measurements I took were on the money too.  The bushings fit flush on each end and slid into the holes with enough resistance so that I know they're staying in place.

I could have used another arm or two.  I'm going to have to bolt down that little arbor press.


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## pgmrdan

I actually found a 1' x 1/2" piece of 1045 TG&P on ebay at a bit of a high price but not too bad.  The best part is that the shipping isn't as outrageous as the big metal suppliers.  I can live with the price of this piece.

Unfortunately it won't be here until a week from tomorrow but I have plenty of work to do on cleaning the tailstock and carriage assembly.  I need to get 2 new belts and I'll be ready to rock-and-roll!  (as long as I don't find any more broken parts)

Can you tell I'm having fun?


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## pgmrdan

Where can I buy chucks for this lathe?  Will any chuck, as long as the diameter isn't too large, that is threaded 1" x 8tpi work on this lathe?  I think it only has about 6 threads on the spindle nose.


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## JimDawson

Yup it should as long as it will register properly on the unthreaded portion of the spindle!  Or a plain back chuck with a 1-8 back plate.


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## mattthemuppet2

ebay is your best bet, I've been keeping an eye out for 1x8 4 jaws for my cousin and they pop up from time to time. They usually go for $50-100 depending on condition and I would personally spend more money to get a newer/ better condition 3 jaw than on a 4 jaw. You can also buy plain back chucks and a back plate to suit - usually $70-80 for a chinese chuck (the 3in 3 jaw I got for my old lathe was surprisingly good) and then $25-30 for the backplate.


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## pgmrdan

For any lathe I must have a 3-jaw scroll chuck and an independent 4-jaw chuck.  The 3-jaw that came with my lathe may be toast depending how it became stuck.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  And truing the jaws may do wonders for it if they're off and if they're soft enough.  I hesitate to use a grinder on a lathe so hard jaws that are out of true may have to stay that way.

I'll watch ebay and check some other sites.  Thanks!

BTW, do they make independent 3-jaw chucks?


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## wa5cab

If you buy a chuck with 1"-8 threads, be sure to confirm that about the first 1-1.2 threads have been counter bored so that the chuck will screw onto the spindle until it touches the flange instead of being stopped by the threads.  Someone within the past year had a serious runout problem with a 3-jaw because it wasn't counter bored.  You should just be able to see where the bored out thread was because the major diameter of the female thread is a few thou larger than the counter bore diameter.


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## mattthemuppet2

what's up with your 3 jaw? If it looks crappy and doesn't move freely it's probably just full of old grease and chips. Carefully take it apart, clean it and put it back together, then put the money you saved into a good 4 jaw 

Also, no independent 3 jaws that I've seen (although that doesn't mean that much!) - I can imagine that they would be a nightmare to dial in. I have seen hybrid 4 jaw scroll/ independent chucks which looked interesting and you can get scrolling 4 jaw chucks too


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## wa5cab

pgmrdan said:


> BTW, do they make independent 3-jaw chucks?



Yes.  And for many more $$$ they also make 3-jaw that are both.  There are several independents and a couple of combinations on eBay at the moment, although most are fairly large.  In general these would be considered special purpose chucks, not for general use.  You could use one, for example, for production of eccentric shafts.  Once set up, you would only loosen one jaw (and always the same one) to remove a finished part and mount the next one.  Can't do that with a 4-jaw.


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## wa5cab

pgmrdan said:


> I hesitate to use a grinder on a lathe


There is nothing wrong with doing grinding on a lathe.  You just have to take the necessary precautions.


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## pgmrdan

Was the 3-jaw Craftsman scroll chuck that came with the lathe be a hand-tighten type?  Mine does have a ring on it that looks like it's made for a tommy bar but I thought chucks that used tommy bars used 2 of them to tighten and loosen.

Anyone know the Craftsman model number of an independent 4-jaw chuck that would have been made for (or at least work well on) the 101.07301?


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## pgmrdan

Will one of these work?
*Craftsman 111.21380 PAT.1977658 1" x 8tpi*


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## wa5cab

Assuming that the circle increments are 1/4" on the radius (and not 1/2" - there is nothing for size reference), that's a 4" so it should work fine.


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## francist

That chuck is virtually identical to one I bought to use on my 618 and it works great. Pat # is the same just the model is slightly different at 111.21460, possibly because I have the 1 x 10 spindle. 

-frank


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## pgmrdan

Yep, it's a 4".

Matt,

You asked about the 3-jaw chuck that came with the lathe.  I checked it some more yesterday.  I put a 1/2" dia. piece of TG&P in it and tightened it up.  I could wiggle the rod quite a bit.  I think they refer to the problem with the chuck as bell mouth.  I'll have to true up the jaws before I can trust that chuck but it works smoothly and seems pretty solid so I think it's worth trying to fix.

If I can fix the 3-jaw scroll chuck then I'll have it, an independent 4-jaw (when it arrives), and a faceplate.  That should be good.


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## pgmrdan

I received my Craftsman independent 4-jaw chuck last night.  Not nearly as heavy as the one I bought from Little Machine Shop for my 7" x 12" mini-lathe (Matt you were correct sir.  Not very robust but it should handle what I need).

The one I just received had some dried brown grease on it and some barely moist reddish packing grease.  No visible signs of wear.  I think it was in the original box with the key in 2 parts for packing.  It has some cardboard fibers on it but absolutely no swarf.  I think it's NOS.  Unless it has some sort of manufacturing defect it should be in perfect condition.  The pictures I posted don't do it justice.  The dried grease makes it look dirty but it will clean up fine.

So now I have the Craftsman 3-jaw scroll chuck that needs some work, the Craftsman independent 4-jaw chuck I just received, an Atlas face plate, some centers, and some dogs.


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## pgmrdan

Speaking of centers, when I bought my lathe a variety of centers and sleeves were included.  Some fit and some don't.  I don't see any markings on the centers.  Is the headstock a #2 Morse taper and the tailstock a #1 Morse taper?


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## wa5cab

On an Atlas built 6", yes.


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## pgmrdan

I hope I'm not boring you guys as I keep track of things here and ask newbie questions.

Today I cleaned the tail stock and reassembled it.  It's working very smoothly now.  Nice!

I have to disassemble the carriage assembly, clean it, and reassemble it.  I also need to finish the counter shaft.  Then I can begin mounting everything to the workbench.  I have a 3 day weekend coming up and for 2 of those days I'll be the only human here.  I'll have to tend to the chickens, dogs, and cats but I should get the carriage assembly completed and maybe get some work done on the counter shaft.

Can't wait to get everything mounted to the workbench.  Then I'll have some adjusting to do but I'm thinking this is a very good lathe that looked horrible when I bought it and just needed a good cleaning, a few parts replaced, and some TLC.

I've learned that is the nice thing about these.  Parts may not be dirt cheap but nearly everything is replaceable.  Do some of you guys restore (not sure that's the right term) these things all the time?  I can see becoming addicted.


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## middle.road

pgmrdan said:


> I hope I'm not boring you guys as I keep track of things here and ask newbie questions.
> ..............


Er, that would be an emphatic - *NO! *Keep the updates coming.


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## pgmrdan

I cleaned up the new-to-me independent 4-jaw chuck.  The little chunks of dried out grease came off nicely.  The only thing that is close to unsightly is the grease staining on the metal.  Maybe some polishing would get rid of that but why bother?  

The 3-jaw scroll chuck that came with the lathe is a craftsman 383 22970.  I guess the problem with it is bell mouth.  After reading a bit about it and wondering why it only has places to use one tommy bar I found that you are supposed to engage the back gear and then use the tommy bar.  At least one person commented that they had broken off some teeth in the back gear arrangement due to this chuck.  I thought about boring out the jaws to rid it of bell mouth but then again why bother?  

Anyone else had this problem with this chuck breaking off teeth while tightening/loosening while the lathe is in back gear?  Is there a better way than to use back gear?  I may just buy another 3-jaw scroll chuck.


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## mattthemuppet2

I've never heard of locking the back gear to tighten the chuck - the turning of the chuck key is in a totally different plane to spindle rotation anyway. I wonder if they were talking about loosening the chuck to get it off the spindle. I sometimes lock the back gears to get the chuck off, but never with enough force to hurt the gears. If the chuck is that stuck on, you need to use other means to get it off or you will damage something.

I'd say grind the jaws. Shouldn't take too long and then you can assess the rest of the chuck. Wouldn't hurt to take it to pieces and clean it out too, so you can see what the scroll looks like.


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## pgmrdan

There are chucks that use keys, chucks that use 2 tommy bars, and then there's this one.  It uses 1 tommy bar.  A tommy bar is just a round metal rod.  Locking the back gear takes the place of the second tommy bar so that you only need 1 tommy bar.

See the edge of this chuck.  The two pieces each have round holes around the rim.  You put 1 tommy bar in a hole on one piece and another tommy bar in a hole on the other piece.  Then you move the tommy bars in opposite directions.  One way tightens the chuck and the other way loosens the chuck.


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## mattthemuppet2

oh right, I completely spaced about that. Only one tommy bar would be pretty weird. Still, you shouldn't need to use so much force to tighten the chuck that you'll strip gears.


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## pgmrdan

On my lathe the bull gear and the gear that drives it were stripped of lots of teeth when I got it.  The chuck was also stuck on the spindle.

Hmmm.  I wonder.  But I'll never really know.


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## mattthemuppet2

good point, I forgot about that. Could well be those gears were stripped from trying to get the chuck off - it's pretty common. If it's that stuck, some kind of impact wrench is needed as those gears aren't _that_ strong.


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## pgmrdan

Yep.  I wedged a piece of wood between the casting and a stripped gear, chucked up a hex piece of aluminum in the jaws, and let the impact wrench hammer away at it.  Took a little while but the chuck did free up from the spindle.


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## pgmrdan

Almost 3 1/2 years?!?!?!  I knew I burned myself out when working on this lathe but I didn't know it had been this long.  I started working on it again a couple of weeks ago and finished assembling it yesterday.

I made a new pulley shaft for the countershaft.  Fun using the mill and square 5C collet block to put flats on it at 90* and the other flat in the middle.

I'm wondering if the other shaft with the handle was modified.  I can't seem to get the motor, countershaft, and lathe set up right so that the handle will apply/release tension the way it should.  The previous owner may have turned the tensioner shaft around in the countershaft.  Other than getting that sorted out and putting in an indexing pin she's done.

I'm hoping to be making chips with it next weekend.


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## pgmrdan

I haven't been around here for a while so this is probably really old news but just in case I thought I'd mention that Taig is selling 3-jaw and 4-jaw scroll chucks for $20 each.  They have 1" x 8 tpi threads and fit my Craftsman.  They are the 1050 ATLA and 1060 ATLA.


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## pgmrdan

Can someone provide the dimensions of the index pin for this lathe?  And a photo would be great too.


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## wa5cab

We have in Downloads a non-factory drawing of 10-42A (for 9", 10" and 12") that I did several years ago.  But we don't have anything on M6-75 for the 6".  If someone with any 6" Atlas lathe will take the corresponding dimensions off of it, I'll do one on the latter.  Or you could call Clausing and ask whether they still have any M6-75 in stock.  If they don't, they will probably email you a copy of the drawing.

Note that it's a mystery as to why they didn't call the 6" index pin M6-42.


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## francist

-frank


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## wa5cab

Thanks.


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## pgmrdan

Excellent!!!  Thanks Frank!

It's the little 0.094" diameter pin I need to replace.  I guess it just needs to be long enough to stick out 1/8".  That should be all I need.

I think (hope) that's the only part of my lathe that's missing.


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## wa5cab

Dan,

The 0.094" stub is not a separate part.  The taper pin is too close to the end of the 0.313 diameter to expect a separate pin to stay  in place.  If the stub is broken off, you need to make a new M6-75, not just the stub.


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## T Bredehoft

pgmrdan said:


> I'm having fun.



That's what it's all about. My better half can't understand why I want to "work" so much. It's more fun than TV by a long chalk.


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## pgmrdan

Robert,

It looked like the groove pin is holding the 0.094" pin in place.  I can remove the groove pin.  What does it do?


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## pgmrdan

T Bredehoft said:


> That's what it's all about. My better half can't understand why I want to "work" so much. It's more fun than TV by a long chalk.



I'll watch a couple of minutes of TV here and there.  I have two British shows I watch each week on PBS.  About 10 minutes of the 'NEWS' (???) once or twice a week is all I can take.  I spend more time in the basement workshop with a smile on my face these days than ever before.


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## wa5cab

The purpose of at least the external portion of the tapered groove pin is to prevent pulling the index pin completely out and eventually getting lost.

If the taper pin is in fact retaining the 0.094" dia. pin, then if you can get the remains of the 0.094" dia. pin out, you could replace it.  But Frank gave the groove pin size as 1/8" and they do not have much taper.  The slightly larger 10-42A used in the 10" and 12" is one machined piece plus a 1/8" dia. roll pin.


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