Atlas 10 vs Delta 10 - opinions?

I'm sure Zamak would weld similarly to "pot metal" because it is an aluminum-zinc alloy, but Zamak's components are accurately and purposefully measured (unlike "pot metal").

It is still formulated to be easy to cast at lower temps, and is still not made for industrial stresses and wear over decades, or significant abuse. But whoever uses their home shop machine enough to wear out their gears is certainly having enough fun, and doing enough work, to justify a few replacements over the years!! :)

I really don't know any home shop person who has ever had major issues besides a chipped tooth on a gear- and due to the hobby environment, I hear just as many folks breaking one's on South Bends too.

Bernie
 
It does seem like a cheap metal but if you consider how long it last it does not work to bad. It should be very cheap to make but the price of the gears does not reflect that anymore. I have run steel replacement gears against it and they run much more quiet. Ray
 
iron man said:
It does seem like a cheap metal but if you consider how long it last it does not work to bad. It should be very cheap to make but the price of the gears does not reflect that anymore. I have run steel replacement gears against it and they run much more quiet. Ray
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I bet they do! I prefer steel gears, but never had an issue with the Zamak myself.



Bernie
 
The Delta is the machine. A good friend has one. That's the 10" x 36" with variable speed drive and quick change gear box. Friend is a retired model maker and bought his machine in the 1960s new. It's a very nice machine. Look it up at http://www.lathes.co.uk/delta metal/index.html They say some nice things about the headstock and the overall quality of the Rockwell/Delta.

They were popular machines in metal shops in trade and high schools; you can tell the ones that came from schools because they usually have lots of chips in the ways where careless teenagers dropped the chuck. So long as everything works and the ways aren't too worn, you should be happy with that machine.

If you don't want it, I'll get my son at Liberty U to pick it up and stash it under his bunk in his dorm room until I find a reason to drive my pickup back there to visit him!
 
Working on trying to get the Delta 10". We'll see what happens.
 
Uh oh! A Sheldon 13 may have just entered the race. Just came up on CL. Needs work, some parts, and comes with nothing.

I think I've decided against the Atlases. I'm still looking hard at that Delta. I guess I'll start lurking on that forum. Thanks for the help, guys. It's great to be able to get info from people who know.:))
 
i would go for the heviest one you can move and want to use. from there i would look for condition, price, tooling and make, pretty much in that order. The delta is a nice machine with decent tooling (no collets though, think it takes 4C which arent cheap). If the sheldon has the same tooling, get it. much heavier machine is a more rigid and can take a bigger cut and make a bigger part. let us know, and pics (cause you know.. tool porn) or it didnt happen.
 
thenrie said:
Uh oh! A Sheldon 13 may have just entered the race. Just came up on CL. Needs work, some parts, and comes with nothing.

I think I've decided against the Atlases. I'm still looking hard at that Delta. I guess I'll start lurking on that forum. Thanks for the help, guys. It's great to be able to get info from people who know.:))
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I am a big fan of the Sheldon brand, but not a bare machine. For a bare machine the price better be real bloody cheap because that tooling is going to cost a bunch, possibly more than the cost of the Delta. You might think hard about that. Also, bigger is not always better. Remember, the bigger the machine gets the costlier the tooling it uses. Perhaps if the Sheldon is a gimme price I might think about it.
 
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