Atlas/craftsman Or Pm 1022 V

J

jdsc

Registered
Registered
Joined
Jun 4, 2015
Messages
42
Hi,
Thanks for looking. I posted this over on the PM forum and thought I would post it here to get another perspective.

A while back, I started thinking about a small lathe for the garage. I've used them in the past but it's been a few years.

At first I was considering the 8 x16 variable speed Grizzly G0768. It seemed like a nice little lathe, but after some consideration and comments from others on the forum, I started looking at the 9 x 19. Still too small, so like many others I moved on to the 10 x 22 / 30 series and narrowed it down to the Grizzly 602. Of course common sense said it would be nice to have a variable speed, so now I'm looking at the Grizzly 752 or the PM 1022 V. FWIW, I talked with Matt at PM about the PM 1022 V, and he indicated that he might not order any more simply because the PM 1030V is so close in price, and is a more versatile machine with its 30" center distance.

I was ready to pull the trigger this week, when I saw a Craigslist posting for an Atlas/Craftsman 12 x 36. I hadn't really considered these before, but went and took a look at one locally and was very, very impressed. (Unfortunately, the one I looked at was on it's last legs and it's best days were behind it.) It seems like a decent choice for a home shop. I noticed many of the members swear by them, not at them, and parts are still available, both from the factory and of course Ebay and Craigslist......

I even went and took a look at an older Grizzly 13 x 37, belt drive, gap bed which was very well priced but also very well used. In reality, I think that would be too big, too heavy, and it runs on 220. Now, I have 220 in my shop, so no problem, but it is pretty big, doesn't have the factory stand, and looks to be more of a project than I want to take on right now, and I really don't need something that big.

So, I'm back to the choice between the PM 1030 V and a nice, Atlas/Craftsman 12x36 Commercial with the 1/2" ways. My budget would be about the same for both assuming the 12x36 comes with a decent amount of tooling.

The pluses of the PM are, it's new with warranty. Has a larger spindle bore and MT taper, 1" vs 3/4". Variable speed. V shaped ways vs flat. 21 imperial and some number of metric threading capability.

The pluses of the Atlas/Craftsman are: American made. Quality product. It has a very decent speed range albeit, via belt drive and change. Good reputation. Parts availability, etc. And, it is much more capable as far as thread cutting choices, though I'm not sure about it's metric capability. I assume change gears for that are available, but perhaps those of you on this forum could fill me in on what's possible.

So, the real question, assuming I can find a really decent Atlas/Craftsman 12x36 Commercial lathe at a decent price, which would you choose? Thanks in advance for your input, comments, and advice.

Jim
 
I don't post much, mostly lurk and by no means am I a machinist but I have used one of the Craftsman Commercials your talking about for the last couple years, as long as you don't expect South Bend rigidity and it's just for hobby use they are fine little lathes. Sure I would like to have a little bigger and sturdier lathe but this one does all I need it to, there's good deals to be had on them because of some of the stigma that goes with them, I got mine in pristine condition, 3 chucks, a milling attachment and two plastic totes full of tooling for $700. Just my .02.
 
I also have an Atlas 3996 (12x36) since new. I'm fortunate enough to have bought most of the available accessories for it when I bought the lathe because in recent years when I decided to try to acquire the ones that I didn't buy, I found that the ones that I was looking for weren't plentiful and weren't cheap when I did find them. I wouldn't trade it for a new Chinese one and expect it to outlive me.

On the subject of spindle bore, 1" versus 3/4" doesn't buy you much. The last two jobs that I had to use the steady rest on because the stock was larger than 3/4" dia. it was also larger than 1". Regardless of what you have, sooner or later something will come along that's too large to do the easy way. For example, I found that I could bore 10" Land Rover brake drums but not 11". And I had both in my "fleet". :) And I can't get all choked up over V-belts versus gears. They each have their pluses and minuses. Over the years, I've come to the conclusion that a 12x36 is about the ideal compromise size for a small or home shop. Most of the time when I needed to do something too large, it was REALLY too large.
 
Thanks for the input and observations. Sounds like good recommendations all around. Your comment on bore size is very valid. What is too big is usually too big for anything you might have. And, if you have a steady rest, you can probably use that to help with the project. Well, unless either of you is willing to sell your 12 x 36, I'll keep looking. And, as always, thanks again for the comments.
Jim
 
jdsc said:
So, the real question, assuming I can find a really decent Atlas/Craftsman 12x36 Commercial lathe at a decent price, which would you choose? Thanks in advance for your input, comments, and advice.
Click to expand...

This will be the biggest issue, finding an old lathe that's in good shape, It can be done, but you need to be prepared to wait a while.

If your going to wait to find a good old lathe, I'd recommend getting a Clausing, they are beefier, and don't seem to have the nostalgia mark up that Southbend & Atlas seem to have.
 
The Clausings are good machines and also have Timken spindle beariings (which the other choices mostly don't) and also have some OEM support. But fewer were built so one in good condition will likely be harder to find. Same with all of the accessories. However, you could certainly look for both and buy whichever one turns up first.
 
Unless you're buying a used lathe from someone you really trust (that also knows the lathe inside and out) and know the history of it, for the same money I'd go with a PM1030 every time. You'll have a warranty, great support and no nasty surprises. Plus, after a short amount of set up and tweaking, you should be in action right away rather than spending what can take quite an extraordinary amount of time fixing things. Now, if you can get a used lathe with the same amount of tooling/ capabilities for half that of a new one, then that changes everything.

Case in point, the 618 that I bought off a colleague - great price, lots of tooling, still finding whoopsies that previous owners planted. Took me a long time to figure out why I could never get the 3 jaw (a very nice Bison) to run true - whoever bought it got a backplate with ever so slightly wrong bolt circle diameter. Had to buy 3 bolts and drill new holes, now it's running 1-2thou which is a huge improvement, but something I would be unlikely to have to deal with on a new lathe.
 
Dan,

Here you go......American Pacemaker 14x54 http://tulsa.craigslist.org/tls/5255681039.html $2500

The write up on the lathe in Lathes.co.uk is amazing and makes for a great read.

It really puts my search in perspective. Good luck and have fun.

And, Matt, great perspective. That is the dilema I am trying to deal with. New Asian, few problems, or used and who knows what, but American quality.

I guess I'll sit tight and be patient. Thanks again for the comments.
 
Unfortunately, if you buy Chinese, the odds of a nasty surprise tend to be inversely proportional to what you paid for it, but never zero. No one has ever reported remembering their father or grandfather saying that he bought an Atlas lathe and it was a lemon. The only Chinese vendors that I've ever bought things from that I've never had a problem with are either in Taiwan or in Hong Kong.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top