618 sight unseen.

[matthewsx]

Just make contact lenses....

 

[brino]

Welcome to the group Keith!

-brino

 

[Cheeseheadkeith]

Thanks Brino and matthewsx
I’ll keep you all posted on my progress with it or if I offload it

 

[mattthemuppet2]

you'll also probably need a new spindle pulley too as that one looks like it's a one piece with what would normally be the bull gear, plus it doesn't have the gear at the end of the spindle pulley to drive the back gear. You'll also need to buy or make a collar that stops the spindle pulley from moving back and forth on the spindle. The gears themselves go for around $100 or so a set too, unless you have a 3D printer to print them with.

They're nice little lathes, don't get me wrong (I have one), but if I had an SB9 and this I'd be selling the neutered 618 and putting that money into the SB9. I'm sure you'd be able to get your money back.

 

[TakeDeadAim]

Thanks Brino and matthewsx
I’ll keep you all posted on my progress with it or if I offload it

Welcome to the group. Honestly I dont think its worth the time, money or the hunt. When your all done, even if you find it all, you still have an Atlas 618 which is a light weight, under powered low RPM machine. I'm not trying to burst your bubble but you have had one and didn't keep it for a reason. Id go through all that work and expense if I was going to end up with a great condition Hardinge toolroom lathe but not a lot else. There are a lot of good machines out there. Check Milwaukee Craigslist there are a few options there right now.

 

[whitmore]

I recently bought an atlas 618 sight unseen.
I’ve had a 618 before so I knew about what I was getting into
For $225 I got a functioning lathe on atlas 10” leg castings. An extra bed And an extra carriage

What I did not know until my brother brought it across the pond ( Lake Michigan) is that it was stripped of all power feed and threading capabilities.
No lead screw. No reverse tumbler. No backgear assembly. And to top it off the bull gear had the teeth machined off.

Technology to the rescue! The lead screw can be worked effectively without a geared connection nowadays:
<

>
It's a work in progress, but a very interesting work to someone in your circumstances.

 

[Downunder Bob]

Very interesting, I have no need for it as I have a full Norton style gearbox on my lathe, but I can see that many people would find this a very useful device. I hope it goes well Your idea of making and selling a kit with pc board I think could prove popular, good luck.

 

[mattthemuppet2]

in defense of 618s, they are light for sure but they're pretty robust for their size and can turn out good work within their limits. I sometimes run mine up to 2500rpm for really small stuff, so it's pretty handy for small work too. Definitely no SB9, but I would have to find a pretty nice SB9/10, Logan or similar to want to replace it.

That said the OPs one will pretty much require rebuilding to be fully functional and it's just not worth the money. Even if the lathe was free I would think carefully about it.

 

[TonimusMaximus]

If you do decide to part it out, I really need a compound to finish my rescue...

 

[ericc]

When I bought my lathe, which was pretty much a basket case, the old man who sold it to me had a really thrashed Atlas in his garage. I asked him how he could treat a lathe like that. He told me that he primarily uses it for polishing, sometimes as a welding positioner, and occasionally to cut off hardened pins with an angle grinder . He said it was better than scrapping it, and also better than abusing his main lathe. Come to think of it, that was a good idea.