Atlas/Craftsman Serial Numbers and Bearing Dates (if applicable) For Database Entries

Thank you Robert. That is good information.
 
Hello,
This is my first post so I figured I should put my Lathe on the list. I just got this not long ago from a friend that had only used it as a wood lathe for about 40 years. Atlas H42 10F SN#025068
 
Thanks. That puts it made around mid 1941 best guess. Unfortunately, the babbit bearings have no dates on them.
 
Here is a tidbit of information, for whatever it is worth.

I disassembled and cleaned my 3-jaw scroll chuck today. I purchased the lathe from a neighbor 20 years ago and the chuck was included. The chuck may have come with the lathe when the lathe was new. Stamped on the rear surface of the chuck is "Atlas BB-435" and "12-51".
 
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That is relatively consistent with the serial number.
 
I have just acquired an Atlas lathe and milling machine in the last couple of months and am in the process of rebuilding them right now.
The lathe is a 612 with a 24 inch bed. serial number stamped in the bed is M295, no model plate on it. The milling machine is a model MF serial number 001699. Don't have any history on them but other than being extremely dirty when I got them both are in prettygood shape and will be operable with new bearings and a belt or two. With such low serial numbers I am expecting that they are both quite old as in 40s? Didn't get them from the same place so no history between them. Interesting thing is that I ordered new bearings for the lathe then when I pulled the ones from the mill they are the same! Pretty convienient that with the same MT2 taper lots of tooling will work in both.
Rodney
 
westsailpat said:
Hey Rodney , does your 618 lathe have bushings or roller bearings in the head stock ?
Also I think you will enjoy this .
http://www.lathes.co.uk/craftsman6inchmk1/
Click to expand...
Hi westsailpat,
My machine is the Atlas 612 and has roller bearings. (haven't built anything with it yet but turned down some bolts to see how it works). The site you sent the link for has a lot of great info. I'm hoping to find the aproximate build dates for these machines so I know when to celebrate thier 100th birthday!
 
Pat,

Even though it is a 6x18, it is never correct to refer to the 101.07301 as a 618. 618 is an Atlas model number - only. In the 1930's Atlas sometimes used the lathe size figures to generate their lathe model number (they also made a 918 for example). The two 6" lathes sold under the Atlas badge in the early years were 618 (which is a 6x18) and 612 (which is a 6x12).

Rodney,

Atlas started making the 6" (both 612 and 618) in 1937. The 618 remained in production until 1972, when it was replaced by the 3950. The last catalog that the 612 appears in is the 1941 General Catalog. They apparently did not print a catalog in 1942. And the 612 is missing from L43 (the 1943 catalog on lathes) and all subsequent catalogs. So I have tentatively set the production life of the 612 as 1937 to 1942.

In the Atlas database, we have 54 618's listed, of which we have serial numbers for 45. We have absolutely zero 612's. Until now. The bed lengths on the 10" and 12" don't appear to have affected serial number assignments (next machine off the line got the next serial number). So probably the length of the 6" didn't either. Unfortunately, the spindle bearings from the 6" don't ever appear to have been dated as the 9", 10" and 12" were up through about 1957. So dating the 6" is an iffy proposition. However, 618 serial number 004073 in the database has a note from the current owner saying that his Grandfather purchased it new from Atlas in 1941. So probably your 612 was made in 1937.

On your mill, according to the serial number, it is actually an MFA. Check and confirm that the spindle pulley has three steps instead of four. As far as I can tell from the catalogs, Atlas didn't start calling the 12-speed machines M1A, MFA and MHA until they came out with the 8-speed M1B, MFB and MHB. Based on the catalogs, I have the production years for the MFA as 1942 to 1944. The first MFA serial number is supposedly 001345 so yours was probably made in 1942.
 
wa5cab said:
Pat,

Even though it is a 6x18, it is never correct to refer to the 101.07301 as a 618. 618 is an Atlas model number - only. In the 1930's Atlas sometimes used the lathe size figures to generate their lathe model number (they also made a 918 for example). The two 6" lathes sold under the Atlas badge in the early years were 618 (which is a 6x18) and 612 (which is a 6x12).

Rodney,

Atlas started making the 6" (both 612 and 618) in 1937. The 618 remained in production until 1972, when it was replaced by the 3950. The last catalog that the 612 appears in is the 1941 General Catalog. They apparently did not print a catalog in 1942. And the 612 is missing from L43 (the 1943 catalog on lathes) and all subsequent catalogs. So I have tentatively set the production life of the 612 as 1937 to 1942.

In the Atlas database, we have 54 618's listed, of which we have serial numbers for 45. We have absolutely zero 612's. Until now. The bed lengths on the 10" and 12" don't appear to have affected serial number assignments (next machine off the line got the next serial number). So probably the length of the 6" didn't either. Unfortunately, the spindle bearings from the 6" don't ever appear to have been dated as the 9", 10" and 12" were up through about 1957. So dating the 6" is an iffy proposition. However, 618 serial number 004073 in the database has a note from the current owner saying that his Grandfather purchased it new from Atlas in 1941. So probably your 612 was made in 1937.

On your mill, according to the serial number, it is actually an MFA. Check and confirm that the spindle pulley has three steps instead of four. As far as I can tell from the catalogs, Atlas didn't start calling the 12-speed machines M1A, MFA and MHA until they came out with the 8-speed M1B, MFB and MHB. Based on the catalogs, I have the production years for the MFA as 1942 to 1944. The first MFA serial number is supposedly 001345 so yours was probably made in 1942.
Click to expand...

Hi Robert,
Thanks for all the information, this is fantastic to be able to get some history on these things!!
My milling machine has the 3 step pulley.
Rodney
 
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