# Rebuilding/Refurbishing an Atlas Motor



## louosten (Dec 5, 2014)

Hello to All;

I am in the process of refurbishing an old Atlas 1/2 hp motor for a 10F lathe. It came off an Atlas band saw and was full of sawdust and old oil/grease. I can't get the case apart after removing the 4 steel rods holding the case together. Has anyone done this before, and will I damage the motor by disassembling it? It was tested beforehand and did run, although it was slow starting...I suspected that the starting capacitor would need replacing. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Lou O.


----------



## wa5cab (Dec 5, 2014)

Lou,

This usually works.  You will need two 3/8" blade width screwdrivers, a 1" putty knife and a small (1# or so) shop hammer.  If necessary, debur the output shaft so that it doesn't hang in or damage the bearing.  

First, remove the line cord if still attached.  Then, with a felt tip marker that makes visible marks on both the case and the bearing housings (invisible marks won't help), mark across each joint in a couple of places about 90 deg. apart so that you don't have to remember or figure out how it goes back together.  Use one mark each place on the shaft end and two on the other.  Rig up a stand out of scrap wood that will stand the motor up with the output shaft (assuming it's a single shaft) pointed up.  Grind a 45 deg. bevel on the end of the putty knife blade, debur it, and  use it with the hammer to split the bearing housing from the motor  case.  Then use the two screwdrivers in the gap thus exposed to lever the  housing free and take it on off over the end of the shaft.  You should now be able to pull the armature out of the motor.  Make ID two marks across the switch end of the armature shaft with the felt marker.  

Turn the motor over on the bench, so that the open end is down.  If there is any wiring (terminal boards, etc.) attached to the remaining  bearing housing, free it if you can so that it doesn't come up with the housing.  Repeat the bearing housing removal procedure with putty knife and screwdrivers.  Once free, lift the housing carefully to see what's still attached to it (probably the centrifugal switch, but it might be attached to the case) and if there is anything, disconnect it.  

This should have the motor split into four major pieces.

Robert D.


----------



## pmansfield (Dec 7, 2014)

Yesterday I just finished the rebuild of the 1/2HP unit that came with my 1950ish QC lathe.  To get the unit seperated I used a large flat blade screwdriver placed on the lip of the front of the housing and hit it around the circumference with a dead blow.  Once it is sperated enough I put a wedge in the gap and pried the front off (gently) with two flat blade screw drivers, just insert in the gap and twist the flat blade.  Once the front is off the rotor will likely come with it.  At that point you can tap the rotor out of the front of the housing.  The rear bearing is likely still in the back of the housing, which I left on.  To remove you need to hit it out with a pin inserted through a hole in the back.  My motor already had a threaded hole for that very purpose.  I replaced the bearings and start capacitor, cleaned up the start switch in the rear, replaced all of the wiring and put it all back together.  The bearings I used were Nachi Sealed bearings, there is a guy on ebay that had them for several dollars each.  Unit now fires right up and runs like a champ!  Good luck!


----------



## fgduncan (Dec 7, 2014)

Deburring the shaft(s) can be a bear if the motor doesn't run.  You have the luck to have a running motor, so deburring is a piece of cake.  Just start the motor and use a file to gently smooth the tops of the burrs off. When things seem pretty good, switch to some 120 grit sanding cloth, or a piece of 120 grit sandpaper looped around the shaft. Just hold the ends and LIGHTLY let it run up and down the shaft until it is uniformly smooth.  When there are no "shadows" next to the edges of where the burrs used to be, you're done. Don't use the sandpaper any more than you need to or the shaft will be undersized. Take apart as indicated above. When I had to take a motor apart, I used a small chisel to make a permanent mark on the motor casing.  I did this because when I painted it, a permanent marker would have been covered up. I used brake cleaner to get all of the dried grease and gunk off of the starter.


----------



## Andre (Dec 8, 2014)

Every old motor I've taken apart and cleaned has been stuck shut. I found a lump of coal in a motor once, it was a Century centrifugal switch motor. Most likely a furnace blower motor, as that would explain the coal.


----------



## louosten (Jan 6, 2015)

Thanks to all that posted instructions/advise on Atlas motor disassembly. It took me a while to get back to this project, but fortunately I was able to successfully get this motor apart.

By carefully prying, the case began to open up:




Continued work caused sawdust to fall out everywhere:



The crack continues to widen:




The bearing is finally freed from the case end:




By tapping on the shaft end, the other bearing is freed The rotor is removed; note rubber mallet used in this operation:




Better view of end bearing and centrifugal switch for motor start winding:




Testing Mallory 341 MFD capacitor yields good results:




Starting problem was most likely dirty contacts on centrifugal switch:




Both bearings will be replaced; the start capacitor checked out good, so I will re-use this part. Once re-assembled and painted, I'll post a final pic of a  completed, running motor.

Lou O.


----------



## Round in circles (Jan 6, 2015)

I'd also renew the power cable there looks to be a weak bit / kink close to the motor housing . ( As in the second picture from the top )

One thing's for sure ..... if you don't renew it it's sods law that that is where the fault lies  :lmao:


----------



## Jamiethesquid (Jan 7, 2015)

I am thinking about doing this to the old GE motor that I have slated to use for my 6" 101.21400 Craftsman / Atlas  I noticed the other day that it is a 2 speed motor that could be wired to run at a lower speed and lower HP.  It is a smooth running motor that came on a 1x42" belt sander that I bought at a yard sale for 10 bucks, to my un calibrated eye it appears to be running at 1750 but it could be running at the lower speed of 850 and 1/40 HP.


----------



## louosten (Jan 28, 2015)

Well, it's time to finish up this project. I had to work on it part time so it took a little while to complete all the self-imposed tasks, since there wasn't a manual....

I got the old bearings off using a gear puller. It helps to heat them up a bit; I held the rotor over a kerosene stove to get the bearings hot to the touch.



I looked up the bearings and got two Nachi replacement bearings...both are different; the motor shaft end has the larger bearing.




To get the bearings on, I heated them both up (250 degrees F)  in Wifey's oven (she was gone for the weekend).




I didn't have a shop press, so I devised another way to get the bearings on without destroying them. I got a block of wood and drilled to receiving holes for the shaft ends.




Since the small end of the shaft  didn't extend past the width of the bearing, I decided to put the larger bearing on first, then turn the rotor over and put the second one on. Once the bearings were heated up, I put a washer between them and a pipe/tubing sleeve; the end of the pipe and washer were covered with duct tape for cushioning.





Once everything was in place, 




I tapped the bearings home with light blows from a nostalgic hammer...




After the bearings were on, I painted all the parts.




The housing ends looked pretty good unpainted,




 but I thought the 'wrinkle effect' might keep the bearings cooler with the increased surface area, so I repainted them.




Before reassembly, I checked the capacitor wiring...one side was loose and had to be re-soldered.




Reassembly goes easier by stacking components together in the vertical plane,




It also helps to have some wood blocks to raise the housing for the motor shaft.




Then the rotor goes in...




At this point some wiring connections need to be re-made with the capacitor and centrifugal contactor. Once this is done, I put the other housing end on and tapped it home. The connecting rods then go in and get tightened. Once this is done, the motor is largely complete







And now it's ready for the 'smoke test'...




The finished motor started and ran 'like a sewin' machine'....but backwards. Switching the two capacitor leads reversed the start direction. Now that this part of my lathe rebuild is complete, installation will have to wait until the rest of the machine is ready for power. Hope you enjoyed the adventure!

Lou O.


----------



## mattthemuppet2 (Jan 30, 2015)

thanks for a great walk through! I'm going to have to do this with a couple of lathe motors that don't start without a pull, so this has given me some great ideas of where to look.


----------



## VSAncona (Jan 30, 2015)

Nice job on the motor. It looks great.


----------



## thomas s (Jan 30, 2015)

Well done  and great pictures. thomas 

 	 		 			:thumbzup3: 		

s


----------



## C-Bag (Feb 18, 2017)

I know this is an old thread, but I just wanted to give Lou a deep thanks for posting this whole thread on rebuilding the old Atlas motor. It totally saved my bacon as I have a very old Atlas 7b shaper with a 1/2hp motor that looked almost exactly like yours. The main difference being it has bearing oilers front and back.

I got it out of a barn sale and it's very apparent it's sat for many years perhaps decades. When I tried to start the motor it just hummed. When I turned it over it was very stiff and after putting some spindle oil in it freed right up and would start. But not strongly. After reading your whole thread I got to suspecting the mangled wiring and the start cap. When I checked it close the guts literally fell apart in my hands. But nowhere was there any markings on it as to how many mfd. But luckily you mentioned what size your was. I ordered one and it works like a champ now. Thank you so much because nobody I talked to could tell the size cap this motor took.


----------



## louosten (Feb 20, 2017)

Thanks for the kind words, and nice to know that the thread helped out!


----------



## markba633csi (Feb 21, 2017)

Nice careful job, that's what it takes. Good for another 50 years. 
Mark S.


----------



## C-Bag (Feb 21, 2017)

I can't begin to tell you how dead in the water I would have been without that tidbit of info. It didn't say on the data plate what size the cap needed to be. And every supplier I talked to said they didn't have any info on that old of a motor and all they could say was " yeah, and those old motors are very finiky about the size of the start cap". 

Ever looked through start cap specs? It is waaaaay beyond me. Most anybody would say is why am I still trying to get an old motor like that going? A little oil and a $15 cap and it's good to go. I'll bet if I'd tried to replace the motor it would have been a bit of a headache adapting it and I just couldn't at least try and save this old motor. It truly is ancient as it's got oiler caps and the wiring inside the motor is cloth(possibly asbestos, but in perfect condition) and just hums and starts like champ now. Well worth the effort, thanks to Lou.


----------



## markba633csi (Feb 21, 2017)

The motor is every bit as vintage and worth restoring as the rest of the machine, so it's certainly worth the effort. And new motors are not exactly cheap, either.
They really don't make 'em like they used to.
Mark S.
ps I don't think you have asbestos wire. 
pss I disagree with your shop; there is usually some leeway on the start cap value.  Smaller MFD values take longer to start with less torque. Larger values give quick starting but draw more start current, which is harder on the centrifugal switch.  The voltage rating should be the same or higher than the original


----------



## C-Bag (Feb 22, 2017)

I have to admit I'm not a restorer, I'm a user. While I deeply appreciate machinery and tooling, I appreciate them for form and function over esthetics. I've got a job to do and love it when the right tool comes along. This old Atlas shaper was more of a rescue than a conscious purchase. It was all there including the vise, tool holder and most of the guards(missing only the motor belt guard which was obviously broken off in some kind of mishap which I couldn't see when I first saw it) and was too cheap to pass up. 

It was filthy from decades of sitting but was also obvious that whoever used it originally kept it oiled. So it was that film that is oil and dust that is actually a great preservative of good machinery. And it was not stored outside thank goodness. It just has needed a really deep cleaning with kerosene, wire brushes and hand cleaner. I get the feeling over its long history it's been through many hands and some who didn't know what they were doing as far as how to use it or adjust it. It has been either crashed and broken the ratchet box or an adjuster came loose and crashed the box, as it's been repaired. There's been other forensic signs of past abuse possibly in transport. I seldom buy new machinery so every new to me machine is a revelation. 

Thanks to Lou and his careful documentation not only was I able to observe what I'd be getting into if I needed to go into the guts of the motor, it also helped me ascertain if it was worth it. Not every old machine or component is worth the time and energy. But I could see this was and I'll trade some elbow grease and swapping out a component (the start cap) for the possible mess of adapting something new not to mention the expense. 

I'm glad I found this post as it's also turned into a goldmine of info on the shaper archived on the site and made me become a member.

P.S. Look up cloth wiring, I was floored to find out it's impossible to know whether it's asbestos or not as it was widely used. I was just trying to help date the machine possibly through the fact it was cloth insulation and stumbled on to it. As with like anything like this as long as it's OK, not falling apart and I don't need to mess with it, I'm good to go.


----------



## markba633csi (Feb 22, 2017)

My definition of restoration is pretty broad- even a "tune-up" could qualify I guess.  You did a more thorough job than many would have.  
I've seen asbestos covered wire but only on heater appliances, oven ignitors and toasters.  On motors I've only seen cotton covered rubber, but I suppose some motors might have it.  For modern high temp wires they switched to fiberglass but it's best not to breathe that either.
Mark S.


----------



## wa5cab (Feb 22, 2017)

There really isn't any good reason for anyone to have used asbestos insulated wire in a motor.  One that got hot enough to need it would be on it's way to scrap anyway.


----------



## VSAncona (Feb 22, 2017)

The original motor on my shaper also has a cloth-wrapped cord. The shaper was purchased new just after WWII, according to the owner I bought it from.


----------



## C-Bag (Feb 22, 2017)

Thanks Vince, that helps with my impression too. I ran through the thread on serial #'s on Atlas and it didn't surprise me that it's hard to nail down any date info. Just the fact this motor has oil caps was making me think late 40's early 50's. And it seems like the original motor. It was just idle curiosity more than anything.


----------



## C-Bag (Feb 22, 2017)

wa5cab said:


> There really isn't any good reason for anyone to have used asbestos insulated wire in a motor.  One that got hot enough to need it would be on it's way to scrap anyway.



While I agree with your sentiment, in truth asbestos was used for all kinds of weird things. House wiring insulation, popcorn ceilings, texture paint, sanding filler, roofing shingles, spray on insulation just to name a few. We take it for granted now but before the health risks were known docs used to say smoking was good for your health too.


----------



## VSAncona (Feb 22, 2017)

My shaper is serial number 8911. The parts list/manual that came with it is dated July 1944, so it's safe to assume it was built after that date. The man I purchased it from said his father bought it new after WWII to start some kind of manufacturing business that never really took off. He said he was just a boy when his dad bought it.


----------



## C-Bag (Feb 22, 2017)

Mine says 012199


----------



## wa5cab (Feb 24, 2017)

We have almost no shapers in the database.  How about writing them up in the Serial Number thread at the top of the forum.


----------



## butterknife (Jun 28, 2020)

Lou!

Thanks so much for this write up with pics!
I am also a new user, thanks to this post.

I found a killer, nearly unused Atlas 64 DP with a motor that looks showroom new.  It's a model 2720, and looks nearly identical to yours.

It runs, but because I tore the DP apart to clean and regrease, I figured I'd check the motor too.  I assume the machine sat in a closet for 75 years because all the grease had dried up into a glue, gumming up the works.

I decided to replace the skf brand bearings, but I'm wondering why i can't find exact replacements.  I see you choose zze type bearings, which I assume is dual metal shielded... Not sure what the E means in name.

So on my motor, i see 6301 rsz and 6203 rsz. 
Is there a reason you chose the replacements you did? I can't find much info on this motor to know specifics and recommendations.  I assume rsz means 1 side rubber shielded, 1 side metal?  But that type rsz doesn't seem to exist anymore. 

 Figured I'd ask someone who's been there before.

Thanks again for the great thread


----------

