# Craftsman 6" 101.07301 tear down and rebuild thread (and some questions)



## mattthemuppet2

I'm now the new happy owner of a slightly grungy Craftsman 101.07301 (sleeve bearing) lathe. See here for the story: http://www.hobby-machinist.com/show...-HOME-Sears-101-07301-6x18-Lathe-Sandy-Oregon

Mechanically it appears to be in excellent shape so the main task is to strip it down, clean it and adjust it so that it's running well. While I'm in there I might as well repaint it as the paint is only partly present.

I don't have any pictures yet, but the 3 jaw chuck is off, the drill chuck is out and last night I successfully removed the spindle. Only very light (to the touch) scoring on the spindle and nothing major in the bearings other than a couple of dings where a previous owner was unaware of the woodruff keys in the spindle. Pulley bearings are in great shape and the thrust bearing seems ok. Started cleaning the grunge off the bull gear last night, but it's hard going.

Question - what chemicals are safe to work with on zamac and bronze? Steel stuff I throw into some NaOH and the gunk just falls off, but I wasn't sure about the pulleys. I have some purple power, which helps, but there's a lot of scrubbing and scraping needed. Is WD40 worth trying?

Things on the list this week:

finish cleaning the spindle and parts so I can put them to one side
take apart the motor and see if I can find the reason why it needs a spin to start
inventory the gears on the gear train to see what's there (and what feeds/ threads I can cut)

Longer list:
Take apart and clean the 3 jaw
Take apart and clean the drill chuck (a Jacobs 33 1/2 cap!)

This will most likely take me a lot of time as I don't have much spare time with preparing for classes, but it will be nice to chip away at it whenever I can.

Any recommendations for paint? I was thinking of a silver or grey Rustoleum hammered finish, I think you can get primer+paint in one can. Something simple but ideally effective and inexpensive  I'm not much of a "how a tool looks" kinda person, but it's a good way to stop it rusting!


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## wa5cab

Matt,

The motor starting problem will usually be one of three things:

Not correctly wired.
Starting capacitor either open or shorted.  
Centrifugal switch contacts not closing (stuck open) or contacts burned.

Craftsman is known to have originally used blue-gray, and some shades of blue and green.  But overall, the most common colors are dark machinery gray and machinery gray (which are my two preferences).  Hammertone finishes in general actually make me a little nauseous.  However, you're the one who will be using it.  Except that silver probably won't hold up well appearance-wise unless you spend a lot of time cleaning it.  I hate painting so I've always just used Rustoleum primer and enamel finish coat except on some radios where I have enamel custom mixed.

For cleaning, I use varsol in an automotive type parts cleaner (with pump) for small parts, a hold over from my Land Rover restoration days.  And electrolysis for steel or cast iron larger parts that I'm stripping to paint.  The residue is easier to get rid of than any of the chemicals.  All of the visible Zamak parts are chrome plated on my machine so they either just get wiped off or go into the parts cleaner.  There aren't any visible brass parts but if there were, I'd use Brasso.  

Robert D.


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## mattthemuppet2

thanks Robert. I've been doing a bunch of reading on wiring split phase motors so I think I have an idea of how they work  Enough at least to understand the drum switch. Even if it's wired right I would still like to replace the cords as they're old and dubious in places. When I get it apart I'll have a look at the centrifugal switch too (I don't believe it has a capacitor, there's no place I can see for it).

I've no strong preference for any particular colour or finish, I'd just heard that a hammered finish does a better job of covering up imperfections in the castings. Shame I had to give away the primer and paint I used on my bike frame as those worked really well and seem to be holding up to the abuse it gets too. I'll have to see what's available at HD or the local auto stores.

I think I'm going to give electrolysis a go for the larger stuff as I have a power supply that should work and some rebar scraps, just have to find the time to put it all together. Any steel or iron is ok, but no brass/bronze/zamac, right? That would rule out the headstock I guess as I don't want to remove the bronze bearings.

Got some of the spindle parts cleaned up last night and took apart/ regreased the thrust bearing which felt a bit dry and notchy. Pushed apart the drill chuck and leaving that in purple power to soak. Hopefully will clean and put that back together tonight. Just need to clean the spindle pulley and polish the spindle and that bit will be done. Probably do the back gear next.

Another question - if I take the headstock off to clean and paint the bed, how hard will it be to get it back into truth with respect to the bed?


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## francist

mattthemuppet said:


> I'm now the new happy owner of a slightly grungy Craftsman 101.07301 (sleeve bearing) lathe. See here for the story: http://www.hobby-machinist.com/show...-HOME-Sears-101-07301-6x18-Lathe-Sandy-Oregon
> 
> 
> 
> Question - what chemicals are safe to work with on zamac and bronze? Steel stuff I throw into some NaOH and the gunk just falls off, but I wasn't sure about the pulleys. I have some purple power, which helps, but there's a lot of scrubbing and scraping needed. Is WD40 worth trying?
> 
> Matt, I'd keep away from the sodium hydroxide on the pulleys or other zamak parts. My recollection is that lye and aluminum or aluminum alloys don't play nicely together.
> 
> -frank


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## John Hasler

francist said:


> mattthemuppet said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'm now the new happy owner of a slightly grungy Craftsman 101.07301 (sleeve bearing) lathe. See here for the story: http://www.hobby-machinist.com/show...-HOME-Sears-101-07301-6x18-Lathe-Sandy-Oregon
> 
> 
> 
> Question - what chemicals are safe to work with on zamac and bronze? Steel stuff I throw into some NaOH and the gunk just falls off, but I wasn't sure about the pulleys. I have some purple power, which helps, but there's a lot of scrubbing and scraping needed. Is WD40 worth trying?
> 
> Matt, I'd keep away from the sodium hydroxide on the pulleys or other zamak parts. My recollection is that lye and aluminum or aluminum alloys don't play nicely together.
> 
> -frank
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Zamak is zinc (mostly).  Don't use anything corrosive on it.
Click to expand...


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## Wierd Harold

I have a few 50+ year old Craftsman motors that have the capacitor in the mounting base. I love these old Craftsman 1/2 horse motors. I have one that has been in use for 60+ years, I am the third generation owner and user. The only thing it has needed is oil.
HWF


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## mattthemuppet2

Thanks John and Frank, I was wondering about that. The bull gear came out fine (that I can tell anyway), but there's no point risking it. I'll stick with mineral spirits/ paint thinners/ WD40 for now on. The only downside to starting the strip down is that it's much more fun than finishing the sharpening of my drill bits 

Thanks Harold, I'll find out when I dig in there. I have the same problem on my current lathe motor (without capacitor) so it would be neat to figure out what's going on and fix that one too!


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## wa5cab

Matt,

Replacing the cordage is a good idea.  If the motor isn't a capacitor start, then it's probably split phase or induction start-induction run or repulsion start-induction run.  Which is wired the same way as a capacitor start.  The only practical difference is that is won't have as much starting torque.  But that isn't an issue with a lathe.  The switch is the same.

The headstock should be a slight interference fit to the bed.  However, you can't be certain of that until it's too late.  What I would do before removing the headstock is to take something like a piece of 1" aluminum solid round about a foot long and take a very light cleanup cut on it.  Rotate the chuck until #1 jaw is at 12:00.  Mark the bar at the tip of the jaw..  Mount a dial indicator on the carriage and zero it at the headstock.  Mark the measurement location.  Crank the carriage down near the end of the bar and record the dial indicator reading.  Mark the measurement location.  Then remove the headstock and do whatever you need to do to it.  When you reinstall it, put the bar back in the 3-jaw in the same position and orientation as before, and turn the chuck #1 jaw to 12:00.  Zero at the headstock and you should get the same reading at the other end..



mattthemuppet said:


> thanks Robert. I've been doing a bunch of reading on wiring split phase motors so I think I have an idea of how they work  Enough at least to understand the drum switch. Even if it's wired right I would still like to replace the cords as they're old and dubious in places. When I get it apart I'll have a look at the centrifugal switch too (I don't believe it has a capacitor, there's no place I can see for it).
> 
> Another question - if I take the headstock off to clean and paint the bed, how hard will it be to get it back into truth with respect to the bed?


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## mattthemuppet2

Thanks Robert, I'm keen to dive in to the motor but I don't want to get ahead of myself! I should have asked about the headstock beforehand as I've already torn down the headstock, although to be truthful I would have had to do that anyway as it didn't have a belt on it (they're on their way). Would it work to use a ground rod and a DTI on the carriage to align the headstock after assembly?

Got the spindle assembly finished last night - everything spins very smoothly without wobble, especially the thrust bearing which was a bit improvement in feel





The drill chuck has been cleaned and polished, it just needs to be reassembled. I was too tired last night to want to risk screwing it up! Tool post has been cleaned and polished, and I took the back gear countershaft off this morning to leave it soaking in paint thinners while I'm at work. That stuff certainly does the job!


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## wa5cab

Yes, But mark the ground rod as I suggested earlier before removing the headstock.



mattthemuppet said:


> Would it work to use a ground rod and a DTI on the carriage to align the headstock after assembly?


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## Smudgemo

Good deal Matt, and good for you, Jim.  I believe generosity comes around.  Matt sent me some lathe tools from a large lot he scored on ebay some months ago asking nothing for them in return.

Keep adding pictures Matt - I love these refurbish stories.  Sure looked like junk in the "before" photo in the other thread.  Lots of Atlas knowledge around here, and lots of parts available on ebay.  

-Ryan


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## mattthemuppet2

wa5cab said:


> Yes, But mark the ground rod as I suggested earlier before removing the headstock.



thanks Robert, I appreciate the advice!



Smudgemo said:


> Good deal Matt, and good for you, Jim. I believe generosity comes around. Matt sent me some lathe tools from a large lot he scored on ebay some months ago asking nothing for them in return.
> 
> Keep adding pictures Matt - I love these refurbish stories. Sure looked like junk in the "before" photo in the other thread. Lots of Atlas knowledge around here, and lots of parts available on ebay.
> 
> -Ryan



thanks Ryan, I like to think that, but it's good to help people out whether or not anything comes back 

The lathe is in surprisingly good condition underneath the grime. It either wasn't used heavily or it was kept well oiled and greased (or both, who knows). It's tatty for sure, but that's way easier to fix than mechanical stuff.

Had a very productive session last night.

Drill chuck before



and after



works very smoothly with no hitching. We'll see if there's any runout but for now it's looking good

Lantern tool post



Backgear/ countershaft thing



Gear train and banjo before




Gears and bolts after (paint thinners are very effective, thanks Robert!)



The tumbler bracket and banjo are in the spoodge so I'll fish them out today and clean them off. Fingers crossed I'll have enough time around writing my lectures and fitting my wife's b'day present (car stereo) to the car to nip out to HD for some paint.

I'm also going to try and set up an electrolysis tank so I can start on the chuck and other bits'n'pieces


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## Ulma Doctor

John Hasler said:


> francist said:
> 
> 
> 
> Zamak is zinc (mostly).  Don't use anything corrosive on it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Zamak is an alloy comprised of Zinc,aluminum,magnesium,& copper.
> there are 7 grades that i am aware of-
> there are also alloys of Zamak,(Zamak 2,& 7) that has a small percentage of Nickel.
> Zamak 3 doesn't have any copper in it's alloy.
Click to expand...


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## mattthemuppet2

got the reverse tumbler bracket and banjo undercoated and a 1st coat of topcoat (a lovely satin blue!), but no pics yet. Also tried my hand at electrolytic derusting which is awesome! Only used baking soda as that's all I had (added washing soda to the shopping list), but it still did a good job on the chuck. Waiting on the washing soda to give that a try and to do the tool holder.




bubbles! Using part of the anodising set up that I was given a while back, still need to give that a try


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## mattthemuppet2

Woohoo! Super success with the motor. Opened up the switch and, along with a large and very dead spider, was a loose wire (presumably for one end of the start winding). Connected it to the free post next to the end and the motor started right up and I could reverse direction after the motor had coasted to a stop! Motor sounded good too, so I'll take it apart for a clean and paint, then it's good to go.







I'll dig out a new 2 strand wire from my collection and see if I can find a 4 strand wire from somewhere to re-wire the switch and motor.

Chuck is still in the electrolysis tank, now joined by the toolholder that was on the lathe when I got it and the cross slide cover.

Another coat of paint and I'll be able to reassemble the reverse tumbler and banjo, which would be a neat little milestone!


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## mattthemuppet2

finished derusting and cleaning the chuck last night. Bit of a fiddle to get it apart, as the pinion gear has to be removed to drive out the backplate, but a few magnets and fiddles got that done. I'll finish tarting it up and put it back together tonight.

the two brackets had their last coat of paint this morning, so they'll get put back together tonight, which'll be neat.

waiting on a pulley puller from a friend to remove the pulley from the motor so I can take it apart and clean it.

lots to do!


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## SG51Buss

Hey, Matt.  Good work so far!

Here's a tidbit on the lantern tool post.
The thick concave washer that the rocker sets on may be slightly warped from decades of use.
If the bottom isn't perfectly flat, the post may demonstrate some flex.

It's extremely hard, probably shouldn't try to flatten it.
I've successfully resurfaced the bottom using a disc sander, takes a while.

For raw exposed steel, like the lantern parts, I like to use Brownell's Oxpho-blue.

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=1072


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## mattthemuppet2

thanks Steve! I appreciate the tips too, I'll have to look into the Oxpho-blue as it sounds like it would be useful for a lot of other steel parts. I haven't checked the flatness of the washer, I'll do that this weekend. I'm planning to make a simple post style QCTP in the near future, but this will work just fine in the meantime.

I notice that you have the exact same lathe! I'll be picking your brains in the future, that's for sure.

Achieved a little landmark last night - finished painting and reassembling some parts!

Before




After






I wasn't 100% sure about the colour, but I rather like it! I think it will look great when it's finished and help brighten up the garage 

Didn't get time to finish the chuck or do any other painting last night as I finished work late and I was bushed. Should get to that this weekend and hopefully start on the motor too.


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## mattthemuppet2

Quick Q - on the reverse tumbler there are 3 different size gears. The lower 16/32 double and then two above that which are engaged by the spindle depending on position. On mine one is 24t (left, looking that the end of the spindle) and the other is 20t. They fit like they're meant to be there and that's how they were when I got the lathe. But wouldn't that change the feed per revolution in reverse? In other words, there's a slight step down in leadscrew revolutions due there being a 20>24>32t reduction instead of 24>32t. Just curious, especially for doing threading away from the spindle, say for an internal thread from a shoulder.


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## Smudgemo

I can't say why they are different, but the parts list in the manual lists them as 20 and 24, so it looks correct.  You may find the manual on this website or the Yahoo group for Atlas lathes.  Robert has been very diligently uploading all sorts of Atlas documentation.  M6-59 Reverse Tumbler Gear 20 Teeth, M6-60 Reverse Tumbler Gear - 24 teeth.

-Ryan


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## mattthemuppet2

thanks Ryan, much appreciated!


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## SG51Buss

Ah, the infamous 'idle gear' mystery.

Between the driving gear and the driven gear you can have any number and sizes of idle gears.  The actual ratio is defined by the driving/driven gears only.

If you imagine a 40 tooth driving, and a 40 tooth driven (end of a chain), and a 40 tooth idle, then for each tooth of the driving that passes, one tooth of the driven passes.

Now imagine a 100 tooth idler instead of the 40 tooth idler. It remains that for each tooth of the driving that passes, one tooth of the driven passes.  The tooth count of the idler(s) is irrevelant.

On your lathe, the driving gear is, of course, the spindle gear.
The driven gear is the first gear in the chain that uses a mated step-up or step-down gear (or the final leadscrew gear), and its mated gear becomes the driving gear for the next chain.

If you had no step/up or step-down mated-gearing, just idlers between the spindle gear and leadscrew gear, then the ratio would be just (spindle gear) / (leadscrew gear).

Edit:  However, having an odd number or even number of idler gears controls direction, forward or reverse...

Fun stuff, huh?


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## wa5cab

Matt,

One of the thing hard to get your mind around (because it seems intuitively wrong) is that if you have a train (three or more) of simple spur gears, the only two that matter are the first and last.  Take three gears with different tooth counts at random.  Calculate the ratio between the first and the third.  Then calculate the ratio from first to second, then from second to third.  If you didn't get the same answer, you did the calculation wrong.  Or think about this simpler case.  Both the spindle gear and the larger end of the compound gear on the tumbler are 32T.  The speed up ratio between the 32T spindle gear and the 20T gear is greater than between the 32T and the 24T.  So, when engaged, the 20T spins faster than the 24T.  But the ratios between the 20T and 24T gears and the second 32T gear are the reciprocal of the first ratios.  So the slowdown is greater for the 20T than the 24T and the second 32T turns at exactly the same speed as the first one.

The exception to this rule is a compound gear (two gears on a common axle, like the 16T/32T on the tumbler), with one end of the gear driven and the other end driving.  If you drive another 32T gear with the 32T end of the compound gear, it will turn at the same speed as the first two 32T gears.  But if you turn it with the 16T gear, it will turn half as fast.

Some of the Atlas tumblers have two of the same size gears and some have two different gears.  This is simply because of the relative locations of the two tumbler idler gear axles and the tumbler pivot point and the tumbler angle or position at Neutral.  Sort of a cut-to-fit arrangement.  Apparently, when they built the late 12" headstock, they were able to locate the tumbler pivot point in the proper location to need two of the same size idler gears.


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## mattthemuppet2

Thanks guys, that does make sense but I'll have to ponder on it to properly understand  math is an anathema for some reason - I can do developmental genetics but simple math ties me in knots!

Got a bit more done today but no pics yet as I'm on my tablet. Chuck is done, couple of bits painted and the motor needs another coat of paint before it gets put back together.

Quick Q - I found some 4 core sprinkler wire at HD today to go between the drum switch and the motor, but it's only 18g solid core. Is that thick enough? It's about 0.3mm thinner in the core than the existing perished wire, but that was the thickest they had. Opinions?


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## wa5cab

No.  Not unless you have a 1/4 HP motor.  #18 AWG is only rated at 3 amps continuous or maybe 4 amps intermittent.  Tables that say otherwise should be deep sixed.  For a 1/2 HP you need #16 or #14.  For 3/4 HP #14 or #12.  And I wouldn't use solid core wire, anyway.  If you don't have a decent electrical supply house in your town, I think that you can buy wire in lengths as short as 10' from McMaster.  300 V rated is adequate.  And Type SJOOW outer jacket.


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## mattthemuppet2

Hmm, I think it's a 1/4hp motor from memory but I can't check until I finish painting it 

I'll check around locally to see what I can find, there has to be some kind of electrical supply around here. Ace hardware didn't have anything suitable. Why not solid core? Does stranded give a better connection with crimp on connectors and post terminals?


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## wa5cab

Yes, stranded wire does generally make a more secure joint with crimp fittings.  And as it spreads out when you tighten a screw down on it, a marginally better connection there.  But the main reason is that unless it is in conduit or running along a surface to which it is attached frequently, it is or may be subject to getting moved around, bent or flexed repeatably.  Which will eventually work harden it and it may crack.  However, if the switch wiring is inside the headstock or cabinet and tied down at a few points, the #18-4 solid would probably be OK if it were large enough.  Find the motor nameplate and see what the rated full load amps is.


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## David S

I also checked your Ace and to my surprise they don't seem to carry three conduct appliance cord.  Depending on what length you can go and buy an inexpensive power bar or cord set like for an air conditioner which are usually 16 or 14 awg.  Cut the female end off and use the rest of the cord to attach to your lathe motor.


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## David S

If you just need flexible, multstrand cable 16 awg or similar and you can't find it from Ace, just get a couple of inexpensive extension cords.. or one long one and cut up the cable as required.

I agree with Robert, always best to have flexible multi strand cable.  We can buy extension cords quite cheaply at our buck store.


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## mattthemuppet2

Good points Robert, I hadn't thought about work hardening. 10ft of 16-4 from McMaster is $12+postage, so that's always an option if I can't find anything locally. Any point going heavier? I'll take the tape off the motor plate tomorrow once I've put on the last coat of paint.

Thanks David, I got a nice replacement power cord from HD with a plug on the end which will go to the drum switch.


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## wa5cab

Matt,

It depends upon the motor.  But I doubt it.  If it has a 1940's vintage original motor, it's probably a 1/3 HP.


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## mattthemuppet2

hi Robert, I pulled the tape off the motor plate and it says 1/4hp/ 4.8A/ 110V, so 16AWG is in order. I'll try and scoot out from work tomorrow to get some. Nearly finished painting the motor shells, just had a bit of problem with the cold and the paint crinkling up, so I need to recoat the center section tomorrow (got a lecture to write tonight)


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## mattthemuppet2

View media item 94523


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## mattthemuppet2

got some 16-4 from a local electrical supplies shop this afternoon, really friendly guy there helped me pick out the most suitable. The new wire is quite a bit chunkier! I'll be putting the motor back together in a bit after the kids go to bed.

finished the chuck and the drum switch too. The chuck feels pretty tight, so we'll see how it checks out once everything's back together. I made a bolt in plate for the bottom of the drum switch so I could fit appropriately sized grommets for strain relief and to cut down on the size of spider that can get in there.
View media item 94522View media item 94523View media item 94525View media item 94526


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## mattthemuppet2

sorry, getting the hang of the new forum functions!


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## JimDawson

Wow, that is really cleaning up nice!!


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## mattthemuppet2

Thanks Jim! It's a jewel in the rough that's for sure. Wait until you see the motor


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## mattthemuppet2

it spins! Finally got the motor put back together and wired up last night. Worked a beaut, really quiet and smooth. The pulley might need to be bored and sleeved as it has a bit of wobble in it, but we'll see how much of an issue that is first, plenty of other things to do 






next up is the tailstock, then apron, then leadscrew, headstock and bed. Just not tonight


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## mattthemuppet2

not a huge amount of progress as work is taking up all my time and I have a job interview to prepare for next week. But, as a way of keeping my sanity, I've been doing little bits'n'pieces every hour or so of work. Got my new power supply set up and it's the bomb - way more effective electrolysis than before. Tail stock and steady rest have been derusted/ degunked down to bare metal and primed, most of the hardware has been cleaned up and I'll start with the top coats tomorrow when it warms up a bit - pics to come! It's funny, I originally promised myself that I'd only clean and oil this lathe as I have little spare time (and lots of things I want to do with this!) but I'm really enjoying the whole caboodle.

Jim - I found out why that ring was welded/ brazed onto the steady. One of the finger slots had a crack running the length of one side at the bottom (dropped perhaps?) so although the steady wasn't cracked all the way through, presumably whoever fixed it brazed the crack and added the ring for good measure.


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## Ulma Doctor

Looking good Matt!!!


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## mattthemuppet2

thanks Mike, slow but steady! Another coat or two and the tail stock and steady will be ready to be reassembled. I might be able to get that done before I head off to Utah, but most likely it'll be after I come back.


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## mattthemuppet2

no pictures as my camera died, but the tail stock and steady are painted and back together. Feels good to get another couple of assemblies done up and ready to go. next up is the carriage..


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## mattthemuppet2

figured out why my camera isn't working, so I've taken a few pics. Almost finished painting the carriage and bits, so that'll be going back together hopefully by the end of the week as teaching starts next week and I won't have much spare time.

thread dial


tailstock



steady rest


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## wa5cab

Nice paint job.


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## mattthemuppet2

thanks! Painting takes such a long time. Still, in for a penny in for a pound as they say..


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## JimDawson

Looking good Matt.  Looks a lot different than when it left here.  Looking forward to seeing some chips


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## mattthemuppet2

thanks Jim, I just wish I'd taken more before pictures - I was in too much of a rush to tear things down! There's not a lot of wear for such an old lathe either. I can't wait to make chips too


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## mattthemuppet2

my prophecy was right - I finished the night before semester started up again and it's taken me 10 days to post the pics!
Gear cover:


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## mattthemuppet2

and the carriage - I had temporarily mislaid the threading dial so it's not attached in these pics, but I (or rather my mum) did find it


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## JimDawson

Matt, that is looking beautiful!  Much different than when you picked it up.  There actually was a lathe under all that rust and crud.


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## wa5cab

Nice way wipers, too.


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## mattthemuppet2

thanks Jim and Robert, I can't take any credit for the way wipers though - they came with the lathe, which I was quite surprised by. Just the bed, headstock and countershaft to do and it'll be done. I need to make a larger electrolysis bath for the bed and leadscrew, so that will be a little while. I am very curious about what the bed will look like once all the crud is cleaned off!

Quick Q Robert - how is the halfnut handle supposed to be held on - on this one there's no retaining screw, so the handle just pulls off. Not a big deal, but I was thinking of adding a set screw to make it more secure while still be easily removable.


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## wa5cab

Matt,

The early 10" and 12" and at least according to the drawings in the parts manuals all of the 6" had the square end of the scroll (cam) shaft peened to hold the lever on.  The later 10" and 12" had a lever that was cast with the square hole not quite going all the way through.  The lever was then drilled through and the hole countersunk.  On the later scroll (cam), the square part on the end was shorter, and was drilled and tapped for the flat head machine screw that holds the lever on.  What I would do is to face off the square end of the shaft so that when you slide the lever on, the end of the shaft is maybe .005" to ,010" below the outer face of the lever.  Then drill and tap it and use a binding head screw and flat washer to hold the lever on.  Or you could partially countersink the end of the shaft before tapping, countersink the washer, and use a flat head screw.  The latter would probably look better.


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## francist

Very nice Matt, great looking machine so far. I really like the blue too.

-frank


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## mattthemuppet2

thanks Robert, I like those "screw in the end of the shaft" ideas, way better than peening but still removable and less ghetto than my set screw idea  I'll have a rummage around in my odd screw collection and see if I have anything that would stay in character.

Frank - thanks, it's coming along really nicely and I love the colour too. It'll certainly brighten up the workshop too  Unfortunately I don't think it's going to be all that durable as it scratches really easily and it's relatively soft, but I can cross that path if and when it becomes an issue.


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## wa5cab

I think that the screw used in the late 10" and 12" half-nut lever is an oval head flat head, AKA a rack and panel screw.  I have them in #8-32 and #10-32 but only in a length that you would probably have to cut off.  However, the late levers with the countersunk hole are dome shaped on the casting.  In your case, a standard flat head would probably look better.

For the record, I no longer comment on the 10 million colors that people have repainted poor Atlas lathes.  All of mine will remain the original colors, which at this printing is Chinese OD, Shopsmith Green, Onan Green, and Atlas gray.


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## mattthemuppet2

thanks Robert, fingers crossed I'll find some time at the weekend 

As for colour, as far as I can tell this lathe was blue to begin with as it was that colour underneath the tags that I've removed and in other funky places that no repainter would have touched. So, like the colour or not, lack of originality shouldn't be the source of its criticism


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## wa5cab

On the tenderness of the paint, it may be like the Signal Corps Green Wrinkle paint that I used to sell.  Other than very small parts that would slip into a ZipLok baggy, I learned not to even pack for shipping any item for at least a week after painting.  The hardness improves significantly after about a month. And after 6 months it was pretty good.


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## mattthemuppet2

that's good to know, thanks Robert. The likelihood of me using this much before the summer is pretty minimal, so hopefully it will have hardened most of the way to whatever hardness it'll have by then!


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## mattthemuppet2

teaching's finished for the summer so I now have free time! Got the feet zapped and painted, now the bed is in the spooge tank (pic is before adding spooge mix). Didn't quite fit as well as I'd hoped, but it's bubbling so time will tell.


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## The Liberal Arts Garage

Wondered about those two gears---- I imagine it is a conveni
ence in distances or angles...........BLJHB.


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## mattthemuppet2

which gears BLHJB?


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## mattthemuppet2

getting close..








and, in somewhat crazy news, I just bought an Atlas 618  I was talking a few months ago to a colleague at work about the awesome lathe I'd just been given and he asked me what model. Told him it was a 6" Craftsman to which he replies "oh, I've got an Atlas 618 that I'm selling". Turns out the guy he was going to sell it to had to back out after getting the evil eye from his wife when he turned up with a motorcycle sidecar, so my colleague offered it to me. Really well tooled, with a Bison 3 jaw (inside AND outside jaws!), Craftsman 4 jaw which I'll be replacing as it's pretty tired, toolpost, boring bar holder, drill chuck and steady, couple of live centers and, most importantly of all, a full set of change gears! All for $250!

The plan is to keep the motor from the lathe Jim gave me (the Atlas has a washing machine motor), swap the carriage and tailstock as the ones from Jim's lathe are less worn then give the newly blue lathe with all the tooling that I don't need to my cousin. He's wanted a lathe for a long time but can't justify the $$ with a 1yr old. I figured for $250 for the lathe was the tooling I needed plus a free 618 lathe 

Only downside is I now have _another_ lathe to strip, clean and paint! Nice problem to have though...


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## mattthemuppet2

alright, it may not appear as if much has happened but I recently got a burst of enthusiasm to finish off this lathe. I'm waiting for time to be home in daylight before taking pics, but here are a few teasers






I need to make a couple of set screws for the compound slide gib, mount it to a base and then build a crate for it. Pictures to come!


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## markba633csi

Those gears behave like idlers, they don't change the ratio.  It's the first and last gear in the train that determines the ratio, the spindle gear being the first.  This also applies to compound gears (two gears stacked together on the banjo) for example: if a 2:1 ratio is called for you can use a 20 and 40 tooth or 32 and 64 tooth, as long as it physically fits in/0n the banjo.  
Mark S.


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## mattthemuppet2

thanks Mark, I sort of understand that but enough people have told me the same to take it for gospel 

also - - - - - IT'S FINISHED!!

check it out  Almost finished building the crate too, so I might be able to get it sent by the end of the week










tooling package for Joe, from various spares and the like. There's also a 4 jaw from Ulma Doctor that'll get him started - it's currently bolted to the end of the crate. Even cooler - 2 of those lathe bits are his dad's (RexAAA no less!) from when he was in the Air Force!
	

		
			
		

		
	




dismantled, more pics of crate to follow..
	

		
			
		

		
	




Jim - looks a bit different from when you gave me, right?!


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## pgmrdan

Nice job Matt!


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## mattthemuppet2

thanks Dan! I hope it can provide some inspiration for your own 7301


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## pgmrdan

You bet it does!


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## JimDawson

WOW!   That is a nice looking lathe.  Looks really different from when I pulled it out of the scrap pile.  I think I made a very good choice of who to gift it to.  Nice Job Matt!


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## mattthemuppet2

thanks Jim! It's hard to believe isn't it? There was a really solid lathe under all that grime and rust. I couldn't think of a better home to pass it on to in my cousin(in law) and his young son - his wife is a mechanical engineer too, so I'm sure she'll be fighting them for time on it. To think as well that this would be the lathe I would have been thrilled to keep if I hadn't found a 618 from a friend at a price I could (by selling my old lathe!) afford. Joe and I will always be grateful for your generosity Jim!


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## wa5cab

Very nice looking job that you did on it.


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## mattthemuppet2

Thanks Robert!

finished up the crate last night and got a 3PL (Fastenal) quote to ship it to Virginia of $175, which I thought was pretty reasonable, so fingers crossed it'll get sent off on Saturday. It's going to be interesting getting it into the car, it easily weighs 150lb with the motor and crate!


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## mattthemuppet2

It has arrived! No pics of smiling cousin-in-law, but it arrived with narry a scratch on it!


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## utterstan

that's a really cool cousin.


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## LF_WS

wa5cab said:


> Matt,
> 
> The early 10" and 12" and at least according to the drawings in the parts manuals all of the 6" had the square end of the scroll (cam) shaft peened to hold the lever on.  The later 10" and 12" had a lever that was cast with the square hole not quite going all the way through.  The lever was then drilled through and the hole countersunk.  On the later scroll (cam), the square part on the end was shorter, and was drilled and tapped for the flat head machine screw that holds the lever on.  What I would do is to face off the square end of the shaft so that when you slide the lever on, the end of the shaft is maybe .005" to ,010" below the outer face of the lever.  Then drill and tap it and use a binding head screw and flat washer to hold the lever on.  Or you could partially countersink the end of the shaft before tapping, countersink the washer, and use a flat head screw.  The latter would probably look better.



(My first post)
Matt - Very nice restoration; an inspiration as I just acquired one of these lathes, and am starting from scratch down the same road you traveled...

Robert D. - Thanks for the detailed description of the means by which cam lever is attached and alternate approaches to reattaching - this is exactly the information I was looking for. I hit this point in disassembly of my lathe, and was rather befuddled to find the shaft simply peened to hold the lever. I guessed it might be a PO's jury rigged solution.  Now to discover a way to "unpeen" it w/o breaking anything. Thanks again.


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## wa5cab

I've never owned one of the early machines so have never actually encountered a scroll with a peened shaft.  I don't know of an elegant method to use for removing it.  Perhaps someone who had to do it could report how they did it, and how well it worked.


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## LF_WS

wa5cab said:


> I've never owned one of the early machines so have never actually encountered a scroll with a peened shaft.  I don't know of an elegant method to use for removing it.  Perhaps someone who had to do it could report how they did it, and how well it worked.



Thanks for the suggestion. I haven't started prying / pulling / grinding yet, so WOULD love to hear from anyone who's done this successfully.  I may need a new split nut cam - looks like the little spring-loaded ball has worn a grove in the side, but need to get lever off and remove it to confirm.

Here are a couple photos of the peened end of the shaft:




(I'm unclear about protocol here - is it acceptable to add inquiries like this to an existing thread that addresses the same topic? Any advice is appreciated...)

Larry


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## wa5cab

Larry,

For specific questions, generally yes.  Especially if you feel that some specific post in the thread will, if quoted, help explain a problem you are having and want to ask a question about a detail (the only way in Zenforo to quote a post from one thread into another thread is by manual copy and paste).  But if you plan for example to detail your own restoration as you go through it, then it's better to start a new thread.


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## David S

Hi Larry,

I have an atlas 618.  I bought if from a person who had ordered a number of replacement parts, and those include the long auto feed parts.

My lever is indeed peened over like your picture.  If you look at the new parts, the square shaft is slightly proud of the lever when it is installed and there is a bit of a counter bore in the lever around the square hole so that the square piece can be peened into the counter bore.

You should be able to take a rotary tool and just carefully remove the swagging to remove the lever.  After that drill, tap and hold on with a capscrew as stated.






David


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## LF_WS

David - Thanks much for the reply  and photos - will do!
Larry


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