# Advice on a Craigslist Atlas 618



## SuperTroye

Hi All,
I am looking for a beginner lathe to learn on and make small parts for general purpose/around the house type stuff. This Atlas 618 is for sale on Craigslist and I was hoping to get some feedback on the ad.

It looks like it has the armature attachments. I called the owner and he said everything is original and he thinks it was bought in the 70's. It looks like there is a milling attachment and 4 jaw chuck included.

Is there a set of change gears that goes with this lathe?

I know it's difficult to assess the condition from pictures alone, but, any advice or questions you would ask would be helpful.

Thanks

https://richmond.craigslist.org/tls/6117542421.html


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## Al 1

Hello,   I would think there should be a set of change gears.  Check everything out really well. Take the Time and Do this.  I see that the steady rest may not be the original and that it has been brazed.  You may want to try and see if you can purchase for less.  The machine looks like it has been sitting un-used for a while, which means take it apart, clean, lube etc.   I would not purchase this machine because it does not have a gear box.  And I do not see change gears shown in the picture.   Never Pay Too Much.   Al.


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## RandyWilson

Definitely not something to jump on without more research. Keep looking around. I personally would be looking at that local SB 10K. Yeah, it's double the price, but likely cheaper and better in the long run. There is a 10" Atlas, a Southbend 9C, and a Rockwell w/gearbox on the norfolk CL right now. All more expensive until you consider the tooling included.

https://norfolk.craigslist.org/tls/6143583821.html

https://norfolk.craigslist.org/tls/6098640502.html


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## Superburban

It has the milling attachment, and the attachment for reconditioning motor armatures, and the jacobs armature chuck. Check prices on E-bay for those two attachments, and you will be surprised.

http://www.lathes.co.uk/atlas-6-inch-lathe-accessories/

Talk to him, he might have the gears, and colets for the milling attachment, and the 3 jaw, somewhere, just does not know what they go to.

https://www.ebay.com/p/?iid=222510101162&&&chn=ps

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atlas-Lathe...802055?hash=item33ce241047:g:-scAAOSwpkFY5nHN

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atlas-Press...603057?hash=item2cbc4b27f1:g:9RwAAOSw2gxY0y~X


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## bl00

If you're patient you can get a small Logan, South Bend, Clausing, Sheldon etc for the same price and they won't take up any more space than that one.  I had one of those and an equivalent Craftsman version and would not recommend it at that price. Here's a free Monarch in Gaithersburg:  https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/zip/6144886680.html


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## Charles Spencer

That thing is pretty well equipped.  It would be a great find for somebody interested in restoration.  In that case the price isn't really out of line or at least not that much.   As a tool, maybe, but as a project returned to cherry, not bad.

And I would ask them to look for the change gears.


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## wa5cab

Troye,

Yes, the full set count of standard gears that came with a 618 is 14, plus three on the Tumbler and one on the spindle.  It appears to have the standard factory default set installed.  So there should be 9 more.  Go to DOWNLOADS and get the 1950 dated 618 owners and parts manual.  The later ones are also there but the 1950 one is the cleanest scan and has had some corrections made that haven't been done to the later ones.

I see the drawbar and 1/2" milling cutter holder in the photos.  So I serious doubt that he has any collets.  The collet set that was available for the 618 was pretty limited.  And quite rare.  Although I am not fond of the ER style collets, for working holding on a 618, they are probably the best choice.

My opinion is that assuming he has the 9 change gears, it is worth on the east cost about $550, or $450 without.  The table I would value at about $10.00.  It's too flimsy and too large. It may be pretty heavy but it isn't stable.

If you were to follow some of the advice above and go for a 10", 11" or 12", (a) don't get anything shorter than 30" between centers and 36" is better.  But they will take up twice as much room as the 618. And with the same mix of accessories, expect to pay between 2X and 4X what he is asking.  But iIf you really need or want a 6", the 618 is probably the best one ever built..


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## SuperTroye

Ok thank you to all who have responded. He is willing to go to $650, but the change gears are still not found. Will report back. I may have to find something else. There is a Logan and a South Bend 10K also for sale, for $1500 and $2000 respectively. But, I wanted to start small and work my way up.


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## RandyWilson

Decide what you want to be doing, figure out what size it will take, then buy the correct tools the first time. You can machine small parts on a big lathe, but not the other way around.

Two + years ago I had a need for a lathe for a specific item. I was living in a 1 car garage townhouse at the time, so was really space limited. I ended up buying a Seig (harbor freight) 7x12 because I could put it on the shelf when not in use. Now getting started is expensive. I ended up spending 2-3 times the cost of the lathe on startup stuff.  Then life happened and I now have a country house with a shop. And that Seig is just sitting; very little of the tools and bits can be transferred to the 14" I now use.


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## SuperTroye

RandyWilson said:


> Decide what you want to be doing, figure out what size it will take, then buy the correct tools the first time. You can machine small parts on a big lathe, but not the other way around.
> 
> Two + years ago I had a need for a lathe for a specific item. I was living in a 1 car garage townhouse at the time, so was really space limited. I ended up buying a Seig (harbor freight) 7x12 because I could put it on the shelf when not in use. Now getting started is expensive. I ended up spending 2-3 times the cost of the lathe on startup stuff.  Then life happened and I now have a country house with a shop. And that Seig is just sitting; very little of the tools and bits can be transferred to the 14" I now use.




This is great advice... regardless of whatever you're buying (boats, motorcycles, tools, been there done that). My budget and appetite is for a small lathe (directive from the boss). I was looking at the Grizzly mini lathe line, and just couldn't go with plastic gears. So, my work will be limited to go kart parts, gate hinges, small tools, etc.

In a couple of years if I need something bigger I will trade up.

Also, the buyer accepted a $550 offer. Picking up tonight.


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## RandyWilson

Well, a bigger lathe doesn't bite the inexperienced like a liter class bike or shifter kart. 

All that really matters is you're happy with your choice. At least with this one you have something that is re-sellable, either whole or parts, if you decide to move up.


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## Charles Spencer

Congratulations.  I like it.  If you ever decide to move to something larger and you've kept all the accessories you'll probably be able to get your money back.  Hell, I'd give it serious consideration as a hobby project.


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## tq60

Most of us did same...

Ww have budget and availability limitations so you buy what you can find and watch for the next one...

Ww had an Atlas or Craftsman 12 X 36 that we picked up that had assortment of tooling and picked up a similar sized Logan from just up the street well tooled and compatible with ours.

The next person showing up to look at Logan was not happy we beat him to the sale but followed us home and bought our old one for 50 less than we paid for the Logan and we kept most of the tooling...

Learn on this one and watch for the next one...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk


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## SuperTroye

Charles Spencer said:


> Congratulations.  I like it.  If you ever decide to move to something larger and you've kept all the accessories you'll probably be able to get your money back.  Hell, I'd give it serious consideration as a hobby project.



Awesome. Yeah I have my work cut out for me. Gonna clean it first and try to hunt down a set of used change gears. Also, is there much interest in the armature attachments? I will never use them and want to sell them and use some of the money to buy tooling. Its the attachment with the electric motor/grinder, and the Jacobs chuck. The original owner bought it specifically to do that.


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## markba633csi

Be careful cleaning it, there will be mica dust which may have a bit of asbestos too.  
Mark S.


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## Charles Spencer

I checked ebay and only found one Atlas armature attachment that had been sold.  It went for &75:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atlas-Craft...182153?hash=item3ae55d0689:g:BnQAAOSwBt5ZJfvj

Personally, I'd never use it.  But I don't think I'd sell it either.  I'd keep it to increase the resale value.

I also looked up completed change gear listings:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odk...ars.TRS0&_nkw=atlas+618+change+gears&_sacat=0


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## wa5cab

The armature mica undercutter uses miniature slitting saw blades that come in a set with different thickness blades.  They are mounted on an arbor vaguely similar to the one Dremel uses for its cut-off disks.  Besides the motor and arbor, and the vertical positioner for the motor, there are also two Jacobs chucks.  The headstock one is a Jacobs 75A.  For the 618, it should be on a 2MT drill chuck arbor.  The tailstock one is a Jacobs 100 and for a 618 should be on a 1MT arbor.  The 100 is a keyless chuck with brass jaws.  Not really usable for anything but as a center-rest chuck.  The 75A can be used in the headstock to hold small parts for turning.  However, do not use it to try to hold end mills or other milling cutters.  Hardened jaws against hardened cutter shanks don't hold reliably.  And the pulling action of an end mill will eventually pull the armor out of the headstock with possibly disastrous results.  A problem that I have unfortunately proved experimentally.  

The mica undercutter sets are not common.  And eBay today only lets you look back two months.  So it isn't too surprising that only one showed up.  $75 is pretty cheap for the complete set.


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## SuperTroye

wa5cab said:


> The armature mica undercutter uses miniature slitting saw blades that come in a set with different thickness blades.  They are mounted on an arbor vaguely similar to the one Dremel uses for its cut-off disks.  Besides the motor and arbor, and the vertical positioner for the motor, there are also two Jacobs chucks.  The headstock one is a Jacobs 75A.  For the 618, it should be on a 2MT drill chuck arbor.  The tailstock one is a Jacobs 100 and for a 618 should be on a 1MT arbor.  The 100 is a keyless chuck with brass jaws.  Not really usable for anything but as a center-rest chuck.  The 75A can be used in the headstock to hold small parts for turning.  However, do not use it to try to hold end mills or other milling cutters.  Hardened jaws against hardened cutter shanks don't hold reliably.  And the pulling action of an end mill will eventually pull the armor out of the headstock with possibly disastrous results.  A problem that I have unfortunately proved experimentally.
> 
> The mica undercutter sets are not common.  And eBay today only lets you look back two months.  So it isn't too surprising that only one showed up.  $75 is pretty cheap for the complete set.




Wow! Thank you for that wealth of information. Confirmed, the mount looks like a dremel:







And the chuck is identified as so:






At this point, this thing is covered in grease and grime and is due for full teardown and clean. I can't seem to pull the chuck out in the tailstock. My guess is it hasn't been removed in 20 years. What is the best way to get it off? Would PB Blaster help?






Thanks for all the replies guys... this whole thing is new to me


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## Superburban

IIRC, that tail stock is like many, where you can turn it all the way in, and it will push the chuck out.


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## tq60

The armature set was a kit sold for automotive shop use.

Back in the day the small shops would have small lathe for reworking commutator on generators as that was a high wear item and the wear was copper smearing and grooving.

One would clean up the commutator but the copper wound need to be cut between the parts. 

We have the headstock chuck that came with the lathe we sold above and it was handy for holding tiny things.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk


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## wa5cab

I guess that most of us probably assumed that you knew that the tailstock was self-ejecting, and had tried that and it was still stuck.  If not, as Supersuburban indicated above, turn the handwheel on the tailstock CCW to retract the ram.  The end of the arbor on the chuck should hit the end of the ram feed screw somewhere between 1/2" and 0" on the ram and be ejected.


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## SuperTroye

Can someone help me assess the value of the armature kit? I have both chucks and the mica undercutter assembly. I'm gonna list on eBay and was thinking of $200 for the whole thing. I'll never use and could use the proceeds to buy the parts that I need (3 jaw chuck, change gears, etc). Is there a demand for such a kit?


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## Silverbullet

SuperTroye said:


> Ok thank you to all who have responded. He is willing to go to $650, but the change gears are still not found. Will report back. I may have to find something else. There is a Logan and a South Bend 10K also for sale, for $1500 and $2000 respectively. But, I wanted to start small and work my way up.


Don't worry about going bigger, you won't be unhappy.


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## wa5cab

Troye,

I'm glad to see that you cleaned the components.  They look quite nice.  But I notice that there is no line cord with line switch on the motor.  If you haven't already attached at least a temporary cord and test run the motor for a few minute, I would definitely do that before listing the set.

As to demand, no, there isn't much.  But that's not to say that if you run it for a while, someone who wants one won't come along.  As to asking price (assuming that the motor runs), $200 is as good a place to start as any.  I wouldn't go any higher but I would run it as 30 days GTC (Good Til Canceled).  If it doesn't sell after a few weeks, you can always add the Best Offer option.  And to keep out the riff raff, use the option to set a minimum of maybe $100.  Any offer below that will get an automatic reject.


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## Superburban

Before you go hunting down a 3 jaw, check the TPI of your spindle. Don't remember if it was with the original 618's, or the MKII's, but somewhere the thread changed from 1" 8 TPI, to 1" 10 TPI, or the other way.


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## dlane

Does nobody turn armatures any more?


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## RandyWilson

dlane said:


> Dose nobody turn armatures any more




Not many.  I would hazard that more than 90% of the mom-n-pop automotive starter rebuilders have gone out of business. The few that remain already have the needed equipment. It will be a lot like the vast array of Model A parts I was tasked with selling. Ebay may well be full of parts with high asking prices, but no one is buying. The generation that has interest in those is fading away, and certainly not looking to start building a new car from pieces.


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## wa5cab

SuperBurban,

The Atlas 612, 618, 3950, 10100 and 10200 all had 1"-10 spindle threads throughout their production.  As did the Craftsman 101.21400 and 101.21200.  The only Atlas built 6" machines that didn't are the Craftsman 101.07300 built only in 1938, which had 3/4"-16, and the 101.07301 built from 1939 through 1957, which had 1"-8.  The Internet disinformation saying that the early 618's had 1"-8 threads is false.


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## tinnerjohn

Although I have no idea what its worth, I would be interested in the armature attachment if I can afford it. I could have used one a couple months ago when I was working on a starter. Let me know if you decide to sell it.  If you already listed it, let me know what its under. I just checked E-Bay and didn't find one. Thanks, John


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## Superburban

Removed post, I see my mistake now.


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## wa5cab

To flesh out what I wrote about the Sears versions of the Atlas 6" Mk1, the actual 618 was made from 1937 to 1972 with Timken bearings and 1"-10 spindle nose.  The reference several places on the Internet about the early 618's having 1"-8 spindle nose threads is simply wrong.  The 618 never and anything but 1"-10.  And there was no change to the 618 spindle in 1958.

The confusion is between the early Atlas 618's and the Craftsman 101.07301, caused in part by people erroneously calling it a 618.  For whatever reason but no doubt because someone at Sears insisted, the 101.07301 alone had the 1"-8 spindle threads.  It was made from 1939 through mid-1957 (not 1958).  The differences between it and the Atlas 618 are (or were originally) only in the headstock, bed and legs.  It had Oilite sleeve spindle bearings.  So the rest of the spindle was also different.  And it had a ball thrust bearing similar to that used in the Atlas 9" and in the 10" models supplied with babbit bearings.  The headstock casting, cover, spindle gear spacer and spindle pulley bushings are also different.  The bed was different (because it had to mount a different headstock).  And the legs were different (because Sears wanted them different).  The remainder of the headstock and all other parts on the machine were when the lathe came out the same as on the 618.  

I haven't yet pinned down the year, but possibly as early as 1940 Atlas made the 3rd and final change to the countershaft assembly on the 618 (the first version attached to the headstock instead of to the bench or stand and was only made for a couple of years),  It changed from having a short bracket with the countershaft hanger sticking up to a taller curved bracket with the hanger hanging down from its pivot point on the bracket (quite similar to the one used on all of the 10F's).  For whatever reason, the same change was never made to the 101.07301 (although they are often found today with the later countershaft, at least in part because an owner somewhere over the years acquired the lathe without a countershaft and bought the later version either because he wanted to or because it was more plentiful.

Atlas ceased production of the 101.07301 in mid 1957 and replaced it with the 101.21400.  The 101.21400 is identical to the Atlas 618 except for having Craftsman badges.  So it is at least approximately correct to say that there *are* two versions of the Craftsman Mk1 - the 101.07301 and the 101.21400.  And the earlier model *was* the one that had 1"-8 spindle nose threads.  But it is totally incorrect to call it a 618.


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## Superburban

Yes, that is where my confusion came from, I thought the 618, and craftsman were the same thing. Both of my Mk1's, are craftsman's. When I wrote to clausing many years ago, they gave me all the information that was labeled as Atlas 618's.

here is what Clausing sent me, indicating the 101.07301 was made late 30' to late 40's. and my MK2, was around the 60's. I always thought the MK2, came out in the mid 70's.



> George,
> Copies of the information requested attached - regret can not tell you the manufacture dates as the serial number records were not kept - *the 07301 would've been in the late 1930's to mid late 1940's* and the 3950 likely 1960's.
> Regret we do not have a published price list at this time - if you advise items required we will be happy to check and advise.
> Best regards,
> 
> Jolene (Jo) Olds
> Customer Service Manager
> 
> 1819 N Pitcher St
> Kalamazoo, MI 49007


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## wa5cab

George, 

From late 1957 on, the Craftsman model *was* a 618.  But Jo had the dates off a little.  I have scans (courtesy of a place once called Rose Antique Tools) of all of the Craftsman Power Tools catalogs from 1931 through 1972/73 and originals from then through 1982 (the year after Atlas lathe production ceased).  The 101.07301 was as I wrote earlier (all years are Catalog Year), 1939 through 1957 (early).  The 101.21400 (which as I said is a 618 with Craftsman nameplates) first appeared in the Fall 1957 Big Book.  And last appeared in the 1972/3 Power Tools Catalog.  It was replaced in late '72 by the 101.21200, which was an Atlas 3950 (6" Mk2) with Craftsman nameplates.  The 101.21200 appears in the 1973/74 through 1976/77 catalogs.  And not in the 1977/78. 

The 3950 and 101.21200 had a ball bearing spindle and cast iron headstock.  In early production, except for the bed and legs, the rest of it was the same as the 618 except no countershaft.  And the bed had a different part number because the headstock mounting hole pattern was different on the Mk2.  Sometime in 1977, the 3950 was replaced by the 10100 (with Timken bearings).  And still with cast iron headstock.  There is no evidence that Sears ever sold the 10100.  So all Craftsman Mk2's should have ball bearings.

One other thing on the Lathes UK site that is a little misleading is that there is an implication in one place that the first Mk2's had Zamak headstocks.  This is not correct.  Only the last few hundred had Zamak.


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## tinnerjohn

SuperTroye & I just struck a deal on the armature set. I printed the instructions from the Vintage Machinery website. None of my starters or generators are safe now. I remember watching an old guy (he was probably  50 or so, I'm 60 now) when I was 17 turn the generator armature for my 49 Ford F1. He wiped off everything he touched before and after using and turned it in what was probably a South Bend 9 or 10. My dream is now coming true. Any suggestions where to start looking for saws? I paid a little more than I really hoped, but I know the money is going for a good cause, and the tool will have a good home. I may even make a box to store the parts in! Thank you SuperTroye!


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## Superburban

E-mail clausing. They have been responsive to my e-mails. If they don't have the saws, maybe they could give you the specs. I think you mainly need the inside diameter (which you could get when you recieve the cutter),  and the thickness.

info@clausingsc.com

New Posts
I was also looking, and thinking. Glad it is going to a good home. Looking forward to the pictures.

Many years ago, I had a small hand saw for cutting the armatures, Took awhile, but still did the job.


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## SuperTroye

Hi All and thanks TinnerJohn... didn't know you were here. Have fun with the armature set. I love that these old tools are still very much needed!


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## wa5cab

The slitting saws for the armature undercutter are relatively expensive, probably because they are quite small and there isn't as much demand as there once was.  I have an NOS set.  If Clausing doesn't still have them and can't supply the dimensions. let me know.


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## SuperTroye

I've taken everything apart, degreased and getting ready for paint. Can someone tell me how to remove the carriage rack?




It looks like there are 2 locating pins that either need to be punched out, or come out with the rack.






The manual from Atlas doesn't appear to show anything about these pins.





I don't want to resort to prying it. But, I would be grateful if someone can help guide me to remove it.

Thanks!


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## SuperTroye

Ok I did a google search and saw someone on YouTube gently tap in a razor blade behind the rack to act as a wedge and got it out. All is well. On to painting soon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## dlane

I taped my rack and painted around it , didn't want to change its position at all


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## wa5cab

Another possibility, if you don't have a single-edge blade to expend, is to use a bench grinder to sharpen the end of a typical 1" wide putty knife.  If you use this, after the grinder, lay a flat file down flat on the back side of the blade and push it away from the handle two or three times to remove the burr.  Advantage of the putty knife is that it is less likely to break off while trying to get it back out.  And after lifting both ends, you can tap a second putty knife sideways into the gap as a shim and do the operation again to double the gap.  After that, you should be able to get a pry bar into the gap to pull it on off.  Pull it a little at a time at each end so as not to bend the taper pins.  And when you are ready to reinstall, it should go back into exactly the same place.


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## SuperTroye

wa5cab said:


> Another possibility, if you don't have a single-edge blade to expend, is to use a bench grinder to sharpen the end of a typical 1" wide putty knife.  If you use this, after the grinder, lay a flat file down flat on the back side of the blade and push it away from the handle two or three times to remove the burr.  Advantage of the putty knife is that it is less likely to break off while trying to get it back out.  And after lifting both ends, you can tap a second putty knife sideways into the gap as a shim and do the operation again to double the gap.  After that, you should be able to get a pry bar into the gap to pull it on off.  Pull it a little at a time at each end so as not to bend the taper pins.  And when you are ready to reinstall, it should go back into exactly the same place.



wa5cab... I am grateful and humbled by your knowledge and willingness to make sure it gets passed on. Thank you for taking the time to explain and help!

I should probably start another restore thread, but I've made progress with the clean up. I cleaned the bed: de-greased, de-rusted with electrolysis, stripped remaining paint and de-rusted again with electrolysis. Here she is in all her glory (with a thumbs up from the wife).







I started painting a few pieces with Krylon Machinery Gray rattle can:









I've already de-greased the gears, but want to get them cleaner. I soaked these in laquer thinner overnight and did nothing to lift and dissolve the stains.







Question: is CLR (Calcium, Lime, & Rust Remover) safe for cleaning ZAMAK gears? Has anyone ever tried it? I believe that it is bad for aluminum, but because of the mix of metals it may be ok?

Any advice on cleaning these gears would be appreciated.


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## wa5cab

I don't have any idea on the CLR question.  But if the gears are clean, I wouldn't worry about the stains.  Removing them certainly won't make the machine run any better.  However, bead blasting would probably be the most effective.  If you do that, be sure to plug the bores and don't let the bead stream touch the teeth or bore.

I hope that you removed the screw, spring, detent ball and direct drive pin before you soaked the bull gear.


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## SuperTroye

wa5cab said:


> I don't have any idea on the CLR question.  But if the gears are clean, I wouldn't worry about the stains.  Removing them certainly won't make the machine run any better.  However, bead blasting would probably be the most effective.  If you do that, be sure to plug the bores and don't let the bead stream touch the teeth or bore.
> 
> I hope that you removed the screw, spring, detent ball and direct drive pin before you soaked the bull gear.




Sorry for the lag, I removed everything before soaking. Now I am confused about putting it back together. For the bullwheel, what is the order of reassembly?

Insert pin, insert ball, insert spring, then screw?


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## wa5cab

Go to DOWNLOADS and from the A/C Lathe Manuals Category download REV 4 of the 1950 6" parts manual.  Then go to the [URL='http://www.hobby-machinist.com/resources/categories/a-c-lathe-repairs-technical-bulletins.516/']A/C Lathe Repairs & Technical Bulletins Category and download REV 2 of the 6" back gears and spindle bulletin, REV 2.  The latter tells you how to take it apart.  Reverse the procedures to reassemble.  DON'T FORGET THE BELT.
[/URL]
If you removed the inner dust shields, reinstall them first.  Put the notch in the front one at 12:00 o'clock (approximately).  The front outer shield should have come off with the spindle, driven by the front bearing cone.  It can be put in at any time after the spindle is back in the headstock.


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## SuperTroye

Many thanks Robert, this has solved my problems.

Now I think I have another. I'm putting the carriage back together and noticed there is an oil hole that looks like it's used to lubricate the cross slide screw.




However, the bearing looks like its turned 180 degrees from where the hole needs to be for the oil to reach the screw. Can anyone confirm this is how you are supposed to oil the carriage slide screw?




If so, and I need to rotate the bearing 180 degrees , how do I do this? It looks like a press fit, and it looks like its gonna be a challenge to do this.


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## Superburban

Drop some oil in the hole, and see how long it takes to get inside. I have seen some bearings with a groove on the outside, so that it sorta controls how fast the oil drips down. I can't imagine Atlas going that far.

Instead of trying to line up the hole, I would just drill a new ho;e. What size is the question.


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## SuperTroye

Superburban said:


> Drop some oil in the hole, and see how long it takes to get inside. I have seen some bearings with a groove on the outside, so that it sorta controls how fast the oil drips down. I can't imagine Atlas going that far.
> 
> Instead of trying to line up the hole, I would just drill a new ho;e. What size is the question.



It's a great suggestion, I'll try it. It's just been freshly painted and probably won't be until next week until I'm ready for that test.

Your other suggestion is a good one. The hole looks a little smaller than 1/8". I'll wait to see if the oil hole actually produces anything before I drill a hole.


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## wa5cab

The bearing is threaded and screws into the carriage, same as on the 10" and both 12" families.  If you look carefully, you may find a second oil hole in line with the first.  There is adequate thread clearance for SAE20 to flow down to the holes and in to the screw.  I know that on my 12", after about four squirts, oil will be visible between the dial and bearing face.  You do not need to drill any more holes.


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## SuperTroye

Ok, on to the last (I hope) issue in reassembly. I put the headstock completely back together and started turning a test piece. After a pass, the spindle became insanely loose. So, I tightened the collar at the other end and it seemed ok. But, there were like 3-4 threads visible after tightening. 

So, I took apart the headstock to troubleshoot the problem. I noticed the bearing is not completely seated against the flange/stop (not sure what to call it). 




I remember it looked like this when I disassembled it initially a month ago. I'm not sure if this happened when I was tapping the spindle out and the bearing was held tightly in the headstock? 

Anyways, what is the best way to press the bearing against the stop? I have a shop press, various soft hammers and other means. Just want to do it the right way. As always, any advice is much, much appreciated. Thanks!


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## wa5cab

First, when speaking or writing about a normal tapered roller bearing, you should use the terms Cup and Cone unless you are speaking or writing about the two together.

The inner race of the cone should be pressed solidly up against the shoulder of the register flange BEFORE you start the installation of the spindle into the headstock.  When you drive the spindle out of the headstock, the large cone brings the right dust cover out with it.  It is possible that that's what moved the large cone away from the shoulder.  But if when you put it back together your first time, the threaded collar ended up in about the same place as it was when you took it apart your first time, it wasn't put together right the last time before you bought it.  

I don't know the diameters involved but step 1 is to get someone to machine an installer from a piece of heavy wall mechanical tubing with an ID at the end that's going to be pushing against the cone inner race of 0.010" to 0.030" larger than the ID of the large cone.  Length over all should be 1" to 2" longer than from the cone inner race to the end of the spindle with the cone against the shoulder.  And make a shouldered disk same OD as the tubing and slip fit in the ID at the pushing end to use to push against.  

Put your spindle nose thread protector on the spindle nose and take spindle and installer to someone with a 25 ton or larger hydraulic press and get them to push the bearing against the shoulder.

Then put the thing back together following the instructions in the 6" headstock Technical Bulletin in Dowhloads.


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## SuperTroye

wa5cab said:


> First, when speaking or writing about a normal tapered roller bearing, you should use the terms Cup and Cone unless you are speaking or writing about the two together.
> 
> The inner race of the cone should be pressed solidly up against the shoulder of the register flange BEFORE you start the installation of the spindle into the headstock.  When you drive the spindle out of the headstock, the large cone brings the right dust cover out with it.  It is possible that that's what moved the large cone away from the shoulder.  But if when you put it back together your first time, the threaded collar ended up in about the same place as it was when you took it apart your first time, it wasn't put together right the last time before you bought it.
> 
> I don't know the diameters involved but step 1 is to get someone to machine an installer from a piece of heavy wall mechanical tubing with an ID at the end that's going to be pushing against the cone inner race of 0.010" to 0.030" larger than the ID of the large cone.  Length over all should be 1" to 2" longer than from the cone inner race to the end of the spindle with the cone against the shoulder.  And make a shouldered disk same OD as the tubing and slip fit in the ID at the pushing end to use to push against.
> 
> Put your spindle nose thread protector on the spindle nose and take spindle and installer to someone with a 25 ton or larger hydraulic press and get them to push the bearing against the shoulder.
> 
> Then put the thing back together following the instructions in the 6" headstock Technical Bulletin in Dowhloads.



Thank you very much... you have been the single best resource on this subject. I'm grateful.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## SuperTroye

Ok after reading your suggestion, I had some pipe that fit the bill. It was supported on both ends and took very little pressure from the press to move it back to the shoulder (I was using my finger to increase the ram on my shop press). Anyways, all is well and put back together and running smoothly. I was surprised it too so little pressure. I don't know if that's a bad thing, but it works.


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## wa5cab

OK.  That sounds all OK  The large spindle bearing cone is supposed to be a light press fit on the spindle.  I was afraid that it was tighter than that.


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## mmcmdl

Nice thread Troye . I'm picking up an identical lathe to your's this weekend . It's fully tooled also . I'm following your progress . Dave .


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## NCpatrol

Heh...I know that machine.  It was for sale in Farmville or Powhatan or somewhere in that area.   I had talked to the seller when it was listed and if he hadn't been out of town that weekend I was driving up to Richmond and back, it probably would have ended up in my garage!   That was a sweet deal you got!


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