Advice on a Craigslist Atlas 618

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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

 

[SuperTroye]

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.

 

[markba633csi]

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

 

[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

 

[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.

 

[SuperTroye]

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

 

[Superburban]

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

 

[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