# Atlas?



## deadfrednc (Aug 4, 2014)

Hey guys, I'm new to this so please bare with me. I bought a lathe from a friend of mine and the only thing I'm sure of is it's an atlas and that the bed has a plate on the end that says th42 I believe. I'll try to post pics of it soon but I guess before I really start using it or buying tooling for it I really need to learn more about my machine what it is and how to properly operate it. I've looked online for different things but I'm not sure what to look for so I've come up short on useful information. If pictures of anything particular is needed let me know and I'll try to get them up asap. Thanks in advance for any help.


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## Smudgemo (Aug 4, 2014)

So if you're saying you've got this lathe and no experience, I guess I'd suggest Tubalcain and Tom Griffin on youtube, and Harold Hall for books.  Do try to get some in-person instruction because most any metal lathe will hurt you badly if you do something wrong.  Wear safety glasses, don't wear sleeves or gloves, etc.  

Post pictures.  There's a large Atlas following that will be happy to offer help.

-Ryan


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## Ulma Doctor (Aug 4, 2014)

another source of help is Atlas' Manual of Lathe Operation.

it has a lot of information regarding your lathe.
i owned a 1953ish TH42, it was my first lathe.  10" swing x 42" long bed (36" between centers)
they are nice machines, you'll have a lot of fun learning and making things.


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## Charles Spencer (Aug 4, 2014)

You can look up information on this lathe by searching for TH42, TH54 (longer bed), and Atlas 10F.

This might be a good start:

http://www.vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=3454

Charles

PS I second the suggestion on TubalCain's videos on youtube.  He also has an Atlas similar to yours but under the Craftsman name.


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## master53yoda (Aug 5, 2014)

This site has the atlas lathe maunual, you can look at the manual but only print it one page as needed    I have used this site a number of times;

http://www.scribd.com/doc/34415359/Manual-of-Lathe-Operations-and-Machinists-Tables-Atlas-Press-Co


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## wa5cab (Aug 5, 2014)

deadfred (please sign all posts),

TH42 means Timken tapered roller bearings on the spindle (the other choice at the time was babbit), Horizontal countershaft, and 42" long bed.  A 42" bed will have approximately 24" distance between centers (one in the spindle and one in the tailstock with the tailstock at the right end of the bed).  Another common descriptor is 10X24, which means 10" swing (the largest diameter that can be mounted and clear the bed, not the carriage) and 24" between centers.

It is an Atlas F-Series 10" (the final version) made from about 1938 until 1957.  If you'll post or PM me the serial number I'll give you at least a rough idea of when yours was built.  It is also a Change Gear machine, meaning that to change the rate of advance of the carriage per spindle revolution, you must manually change the gears on the left end of the headstock (large casting on the left end of the bed which carries the spindle).

You can download a PDF of the parts manual from our Downloads section, along with several other publications.  As has already been said, the other publication that you need to get is the Atlas Manual of Lathe Operation and Machinists Tables (MOLO for short).  Scans of the MOLO are not permitted here (or on Yahoo) because it is still in print.  You can buy a new copy today from Clausing (about $35.00).  However, between 1937 and 1988, Atlas printed 33 editions.  Out of those 33, there are 9 distinct versions.  The best version to match your machine would be either the 2nd (but you also need the Atlas (not the Craftsman) Threading Supplement) or the 4th, which has the supplement bound in.  They turn up pretty frequently on eBay.  There is usually one or two running there priced over $100, the sellers being misinformed and thinking that because it was Copyright 1937 it's worth big bucks.  It isn't.  Typical prices are $35 and down.  However, 99% of the sellers don't know that there were several versions all saying "Copyright 1937", of which only the 1st version is actually rare.  Download the file "MOLO History.pdf" for details on how to ID the one that you need.

Robert D.

- - - Updated - - -

UNKN,

Do you know which Edition the one available on SCRIBD is?

Robert D.



master53yoda said:


> This site has the atlas lathe maunual, you can look at the manual but only print it one page as needed    I have used this site a number of times;


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## deadfrednc (Aug 5, 2014)

Wow that's great, thank you guys I'll be looking into all these videos and books. I'll get pics up this afternoon.

Richard M.


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## master53yoda (Aug 5, 2014)

it shows the timkin bearings, would the original have had the timkin bearing yet

Art B


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## wa5cab (Aug 10, 2014)

Art,

If I understand your question, yes.  If the nameplate says that the model is TH42, then it originally came with Timken bearings.  At the time, (pre-1948 approximately), you could still get babbit bearings, in which case the nameplate would have just had H42 for a model number.

Robert D.


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## JHP (Aug 10, 2014)

"Do try to get some in-person instruction because most any metal lathe will hurt you badly if you do something wrong.  Wear safety glasses, don't wear sleeves or gloves, etc."
...AND-ALWAYS TAKE THE WRENCH OUT OF THE CHUCK!!!!!


 	 		 			:nono:


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## deadfrednc (Aug 10, 2014)

Here's those pics I said I'd take another thing I'm wondering is the live tailstock center I have was really tight I greased it but it was still tight so I toke it apart to clean it and pack it with new grease. I guess my question is how free should it spin and what type of lubricant should I use.


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## wa5cab (Aug 14, 2014)

Use any good wheel bearing grease on the tapered roller bearing and on what looks in your photo a ball bearing.  The center should turn freely with only a slight but noticable drag.  I'd guess that adjustment was by shims, probably between the roller bearing cone and the shoulder it is pressed against.

Robert D.


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## Round in circles (Aug 26, 2014)

There is no need to  adjust a taper roller bearing on your live centre  such as is shown in the picture as it will automatically take up the slack when you turn the head stock hand wheel . Use a light oil mixed in some general bearing grease you'd use to repack a vehicle wheel bearing in the grease nipple.


The live centre should barely have any drag on it when correctly set up and lubricated .


 What you will need to do is keep checking the "  un powered still  work piece with the lathe turned off  and reset the hand wheel for the work piece heats up due to the friction and shearing when you are turning  off metal .
This will cause the worked piece to expand,  aluminium and copper are the biggest rogues for this . The expanding metal puts a lot of pressure on not only the live centre bearing but also on the lathe head sock bearing. n

:nono: Not so long ago I had forgotten to adjust my dead tail stock centre , the expansion became so much that it stopped the lathe as the expansion put so much pressure / braking force on the centre & the lathe head stock bearings . 


Because of this expansion of metal problem I've taken to slipping the hot / warm aluminium work pieces into a plastic bucket of cold water to cool them down , then dry them off and check my measurements whilst they are stone cold. 

 Now,  if you had a pumped coolant system the expansion problem would be much reduced ... 

:rofl: I'm dreaming of making one from  a cheap small garden pond pump and a simple plunger spindle  by pass " T " valve I have out in my garage


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## iron man (Aug 26, 2014)

Some good info here for you I would agree with one of the other post find someone you know that can kind of help you along and point you in the right direction so you dont hurt yourself or the machine you will have a lot of fun then. Ray


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