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

[RMTool]

Thanks. Your serial number and dates are consistent with several others with similar dates. So late 1946 is probable.

You are only about the third one to report or show a photo with a "3" engraved.

Is there a letter "S" engraved following the serial number digits? What about any prefix letters?

Sorry for the poor pictures, but hopefully you can see that both the cups and cones are all engraved with 5/30/46 and 3.

There is not a prefix or suffix after the serial number.

Thanks for the help in dating this lathe

 

[RMTool]

I have also restored a 6" 101.07301 craftsman lathe. It has the bronze bushing headstock, so no luck in having any dates engraved on them. It is a very nice little lathe. It would be really cool if both lathes were manufactured in the same year!

 

[wa5cab]

OK. No "S" agrees with the database. Atlas apparently ceased putting them on the Craftsman lathes after the serial number in 1945.

Your photos are fine. You should see some that we get.

Dating any of the 6" (Atlas did not engrave dates on the 6" Timken bearings, either), like dating any of the babbit bearing 9" or 10" or 12", or the late 12", is difficult. About the only possibility is someone who knows when the lathe was bought. We do have a couple of that sort of case with the 101.07301. So post the serial number.

 

[RMTool]

OK. No "S" agrees with the database. Atlas apparently ceased putting them on the Craftsman lathes after the serial number in 1945.

Your photos are fine. You should see some that we get.

Dating any of the 6" (Atlas did not engrave dates on the 6" Timken bearings, either), like dating any of the babbit bearing 9" or 10" or 12", or the late 12", is difficult. About the only possibility is someone who knows when the lathe was bought. We do have a couple of that sort of case with the 101.07301. So post the serial number.

Serial number for the 6"is 25024. Thanks for looking into this for me!

 

[wa5cab]

OK. Based on several assumptions including constant production rate, and accepting the owner's statement that his father bought his machine (s/n 022072) in mid 1947, I get 22 June 1950. However, you can take 1950 as being the earliest possible year and figure it was actually made one or two years later. The reason is the practical one that if sales hadn't fallen off after WW-II and apparently drasticaly in the early to mid 50's, Sears wouldn't have stopped production in mid 1957 and switched over to selling their version of the 618.

 

[RMTool]

OK. Based on several assumptions including constant production rate, and accepting the owner's statement that his father bought his machine (s/n 022072) in mid 1947, I get 22 June 1950. However, you can take 1950 as being the earliest possible year and figure it was actually made one or two years later. The reason is the practical one that if sales hadn't fallen off after WW-II and apparently drasticaly in the early to mid 50's, Sears wouldn't have stopped production in mid 1957 and switched over to selling their version of the 618.

That's great information! Thank You for taking the time to research this for me!

 

[NCpatrol]

I meant to comment yesterday about the standard gear set and the reversing. A complete gear set for 10" or 12" from the 10F and 101.07403 on was 15. Plus 3 more if it has a tumbler. If you look at photos 3, 4 and 6 just below the spindle gear, you will see the two tumbler gears and the hex head of the shoulder bolts that attach them to the tumbler. Below them if you know what you are looking for, you can see the stud gear. The lathe in the MI photos is a babbit bearing 12". From the belt cover, most likely a 101.07383. To the left of the belt cover in some of the photos you can see the forked bracket that the belt tension rod (missing) sits in. I think that the belt tension rod has been moved to the right end of the countershaft. The knob and rod in that location is too long to be the back gear engagement lever.

On a 10F without factory QCGB the stud gear is driven by the spindle gear instead of by the tumbler gears. On a 10D and earlier, there is no stud gear and you would need the 10-1273 Template in order to drill the hole for the stud. But on a 10", I think you're correct in saying that the lead screw direction is still controlled by the FWD-REV gear box.

I was hoping to pull out all the pieces of the QCGB last weekend and start to piece it together...but that never happened!

This is a video from the PO where he's showing the DC drive and also gets in to the box a little. He didn't have it completed when he sold it and I'm still not sure how it's driven off the spindle, but supposedly all the gearing was done so I should have everything I need to make it work.

 

[wa5cab]

... and I'm still not sure how it's driven off the spindle, ...

As best I can figure, the Stud Gear Extension Shaft shown in the upper left corner of the MI blueprint on page 111 has a 32T gear pressed onto the large end, and this 32T gear would be driven by the 32T spindle gear on any 10". On the 12", it would be driven by the 32T tumbler gear, although I suspect that you would have to acquire the older single 32T gear if the lathe that you were converting was a later 12" one with a 32T/16T compound gear originally in that location.

 

[Atlasman1980]

I hadn't previously noticed it probably because looking back I see that almost all age related questions the past year have been for 12". In the combined machine database (408 entries to date) there are only 74 10" entries, a third of which show no serial numbers. And there is a large jump or blank range in the 10" serial numbers. They meander up to a little over 8000 and then skip to over 17000. Plus we only have three supposed bearing dates, one of which does not track with the other two. Meaning that it is about 13000 smaller than one with almost the same date.

Anyway, anyone with a 10" who doesn't remember for sure entering your machine into the old Yahoo database or giving it to me recently, please send me the model number (which includes bed length), serial number (including any prefix or suffix letters), type (10F, 10D, etc.), and if it has Timken bearings, the bearing dates if you know them. If no bearing dates, then anything that would give the original purchase date (no guesses, please).

Thanks, Robert D.

I hadn't previously noticed it probably because looking back I see that almost all age related questions the past year have been for 12". In the combined machine database (408 entries to date) there are only 74 10" entries, a third of which show no serial numbers. And there is a large jump or blank range in the 10" serial numbers. They meander up to a little over 8000 and then skip to over 17000. Plus we only have three supposed bearing dates, one of which does not track with the other two. Meaning that it is about 13000 smaller than one with almost the same date.

Anyway, anyone with a 10" who doesn't remember for sure entering your machine into the old Yahoo database or giving it to me recently, please send me the model number (which includes bed length), serial number (including any prefix or suffix letters), type (10F, 10D, etc.), and if it has Timken bearings, the bearing dates if you know them. If no bearing dates, then anything that would give the original purchase date (no guesses, please).

Thanks, Robert D.

Hello Robert,
Im a new member and would like to give you the spec's from my lathe. I have a 10" Atlas TH48 with a pick-o-matic gearbox, the serial number is 054983. Also, the dates that were on the bearings are 6/19/44 & 10/24/44. If there is anything I'm missing please let me know.
Thanks James A.

 

[wa5cab]

Thanks. The bearing dates are consistent with the serial number. And probably with it having the Pick-o-matic. The one parts manual that we have a copy or that includes the Pick-o-matic is Lathe Bulletin 10L-1A dated January 1946. So there must have been a 10L-1 in 1945 (which if it is illustrated will be the first illustrated one known). It would be interesting to know whether or not it included the Pick-o-matic when purchased or whether that was added. If you acquired a parts manual with the lathe, give me the date and number.

Five questions, and some optionals:

1) Do you recall which bearing had which date?
2) Do you recall anything else being engraved on either bearing? Such as the numeral 3?
3) Is the serial number on the right end of the front way or on the nameplate?
4) Is the nameplate on the rear or on the right end of the bed?
5) Is there anything else stamped on the bed near the serial number or engraved or stamped on the nameplate? Such as the letter P for Pick-o-matic?

The database has places for:

Where/From whom/When/How much paid?
Accessories acquired with it.
Accessories added later
Comments on general condition as acquired.
Current general condition and what you've done to it.
Any other comments you wish to make,

All of these are optional.

I used to get out to San Antonio several times a year when my wife's parents were alive. Have you had any trouble out of Harvey? We've been lucky. Except for the test run Friday afternoon, I haven't had to run the generator. And so far no water in the house.