# My second Atlas lathe



## VSAncona (Oct 29, 2020)

I sold my Atlas Pick-o-Matic lathe about five years ago and since then, hardly a month has gone by where I don't regret it. A few weeks ago, I came across an early Atlas 10F with babbit bearings that was in decent condition and was within my budget. I'm happy to have an Atlas lathe back in my basement machine shop!

I made a video of it if you'd like to see:


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## wa5cab (Oct 29, 2020)

That was a nice video.  I added this lathe to the master copy of the database.  I update the two copies on this site ever month or two.  

I'm inclined to agree that the lathe was probably made in 1939.  

However, the revised headstock casting with the rectangular instead of oval motor switch plate probably appeared around mid-1942 judging from some catalogs that I have.  The 1942 Condensed catalog which I would guess was at the printers in mid to late 1941 shows the oval switch plate in every photo where you can see the plate.  Catalog L43, which is a complete catalog only on the lathe (there were other catalogs that year, such as C43, M43, S43, etc) has 2 or 3 photos that still show the oval switch plate but the majority show the new rectangular one.  As most catalogs were (and are) prepared the previous year, I am guessing that the rectangular switch plate first appeared in early 1942.  The first version of  Atlas Parts Bulletin 10TP-1 dated March 1942 shows the rectangular plate.  The plate part number is 41-13A and the headstock part number is 10A-2B (Timken) and 10D-2B (Babbit).  That tracks as the original 10" did not have a hole for a motor switch, then it did, with the oval switch plate, and then with the rectangular one.


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## VSAncona (Oct 29, 2020)

Thanks for the clarification on the oval plate, Robert. I have the 1940 catalog that shows an oval plate and the L43 catalog that shows the rectangular opening, but nothing in between. I did notice that Atlas continued to use the artwork of the 10F with the oval plate in their literature for quite some time after they had switched to the rectangular one. I guess they didn’t anticipate Atlas geeks like us would be discussing it 80 years later...


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## wa5cab (Nov 1, 2020)

That's probably true.  The general catalog photos tended to stay fairly current.  But other publications not so much.  The photos in the MOLO, for example, tended to lag by several years or even decades if the out of date feature shown had nothing to do with why the photo was in there.


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## KP1 (Sep 6, 2021)

New to forum. I thoroughly enjoyed your video. I have an Atlas 10D V42 that I restored (To my liking and ability). I also had a missing motor. I had a good motor from a Walker Turner drill press that worked perfectly and at least looks period correct. Unfortunately I have no change gears, steady rest, follow rest or any other attachments. I did get a spindle mount 5/8 drill chuck and a 4 jaw 6" chuck. Seeing your video took me back to when I was rebuilding my lathe, and for that I thank you.


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## wa5cab (Sep 8, 2021)

Minor corrections - Unless the machine was built up from miscellaneous  acquired parts, if the machine is a 10D, it is not a V42.  It would be a 1042.  Or if it is a V42, then it is a 10F.  The 10D has a 5/8" diameter lead screw and does not have power cross feed.  The 10F has a 3/4" diameter lead screw and does have power cross feed.


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## VSAncona (Sep 8, 2021)

KP1 said:


> New to forum. I thoroughly enjoyed your video. I have an Atlas 10D V42 that I restored (To my liking and ability). I also had a missing motor. I had a good motor from a Walker Turner drill press that worked perfectly and at least looks period correct. Unfortunately I have no change gears, steady rest, follow rest or any other attachments. I did get a spindle mount 5/8 drill chuck and a 4 jaw 6" chuck. Seeing your video took me back to when I was rebuilding my lathe, and for that I thank you.


Thank you for the kind words. I think Kingston-Conley made the motors for Atlas as well as Walker-Turner, so they look almost identical. I did manage to scrounge up an old Atlas motor that I think will work on this lathe if I ever get time to work on it.


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## wa5cab (Sep 11, 2021)

Sorry but can't be a 10D and a V42 at the same time.  V42 is a 10F with a 42" bed, babbit spindle bearings and a vertical countershaft and will have a 3/4" dia. lead screw and power cross-feed. 

10D will have a 5/8" dia. lead screw and will not have power cross feed.  May have the letter "V" stamped before the serial number.  Model number would be 1042 but none have been reported as stamped next to the serial number.  Might have a "D" stamped there.

Or it could have had a bed swap.  Do all of the change gears have 3/8" long hubs or 1/2"?  And are there two 96T gears or is 64T the largest one?


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## KP1 (Sep 14, 2021)

Thanks for the info. Its been a over ten years since I researched all that and rebuilt the lathe. I'm going to try to post a couple pictures. The lathe took a little damage when I was moving unfortunately.


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## Ultradog MN (Sep 14, 2021)

VSAncona said:


> I sold my Atlas Pick-o-Matic lathe about five years ago and since then, hardly a month has gone by where I don't regret it. A few weeks ago, I came across an early Atlas 10F with babbit bearings that was in decent condition and was within my budget. I'm happy to have an Atlas lathe back in my basement machine shop!
> 
> I made a video of it if you'd like to see:


It has been nearly a year since you posted it but still a nice post and the video was great.
Thank you. Sweet little machine. Congrats.


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## wa5cab (Sep 14, 2021)

KP1,

I guess that the damage you are referring to is the broken cross-feed crank and the missing crank handle in the traverse hand-wheel.

In any case, the machine in the photos is a 10F.


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## KP1 (Sep 14, 2021)

Yep that would about sum it up. Thank you for the info.


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