Atlas QC42 Lathe - Buy??

[wachuko]

If what you really want is a project lathe, have a look at the South Bend: you'll have a much better
machine in the end though you might not want to sell it when your done.

That one is a good 4-hour drive away... Have not bother to call the seller... And they are asking 1200.00 for it. So even if I negotiate down, it will be closer to 1K. Too much hassle trying to pass that with the Finance department at home . I know is a better lathe, but I do not like how it looks... stupid, I know, as it is a better lathe...

Here is one for comparison in my neighborhood to maybe help with bargaining

10 inch Atlas Craftsman lathe 42 inch bed in working condition. for Sale in San Diego, CA - OfferUp

Used (normal wear), Come check it out. . Make an offer!;

offerup.com

Thanks. If the seller is not willing to accept 500.00 I will just walk away with no regrets... If he does accept, oh boy... I am going to have to drive straight to Ocala and hide it there somewhere... If I get home (Orlando) with it, there is going to be a lot of explaining to do, lol...

And who am I kidding... if I get the Atlas, there is no selling anything... I will end up with three lathes...

 

[wachuko]

He has an offer for 750.00

Moving on... thank you all.

 

[Janderso]

I would lean toward the project South Bend.
Remember, this is early to mid 40's. The spindle bearings are cast iron.
If they ever ran low on oil the lathe is junk.
Look at the spindle taper, there will be wear in the soft ways for sure.
The apron has felts for lubrication. Plenty of videos on how to inspect for wear and how to replace the felts.
A lot of guys/gals turn out some accurate parts on these old South Bend lathes.

 

[wa5cab]

As you have gone this far, and as the machine is relatively close by, go ahead and go look at the machine and see what the wear status is of the bed. If the bed has significant wear near the headstock, then assume that the bed would have to be replaced. And so probably will several other things. If not, then it is your decision.

Also, lack of various accessories can be a plus but can't be counted as a negative because they did not originally come as part of the machine, regardless of make. However, broken cranks or hand-wheels, tailstock ram locks (if actually missing, which you don't yet know) etc. that were all originally a part of the basic machine can be.

And BTW, I know that a few people here insist upon calling the tailstock ram a quill, but it is not. A quill rotates and can be extended under power and is a part of most vertical mills. and drill presses, but not of any single-purpose engine lathes that I can think of.

 

[wa5cab]

Correction to another post - at least for the past century, lathe spindle bearings have been made from or as four types. Babbit, Brass or bronze, ball or tapered roller. Never cast iron. The Atlas QC42 has tapered roller spindle bearings. Generally considered to be the best of the four.

 

[wachuko]

As you have gone this far, and as the machine is relatively close by, go ahead and go look at the machine and see what the wear status is of the bed. If the bed has significant wear near the headstock, then assume that the bed would have to be replaced. And so probably will several other things. If not, then it is your decision.

Also, lack of various accessories can be a plus but can't be counted as a negative because they did not originally come as part of the machine, regardless of make. However, broken cranks or hand-wheels, tailstock ram locks (if actually missing, which you don't yet know) etc. that were all originally a part of the basic machine can be.

And BTW, I know that a few people here insist upon calling the tailstock ram a quill, but it is not. A quill rotates and can be extended under power and is a part of most vertical mills. and drill presses, but not of any single-purpose engine lathes that I can think of.

It is over… he has a higher offer than what I can give him… but thank you for your comments

 

[ChazzC]

Just a postscript to this old thread. There is a QC42 for sale c.lose by , asking $1,000 including two chucks, face plate and a bunch of other items. Photos look OK, so I did some research.

The QC42 is a 10F with a QC gearbox, so it is a 10 x 42 and has power cross-feed. Per a UK Atlas page (Lathes.Co.UK) the gearbox & handles are zinc alloy castings, so are prone to breaking, but cast iron replacements may still be available from Clausing.

If I had $2,000 I’d probably go check it out. Why $2,000? I’d need to replace all of my SEIG 7x stuff.

 

[Aaron_W]

Just a postscript to this old thread. There is a QC42 for sale cloise by , asking $1,000 including two chucks, face plate and a bunch of other items. Photos look OK, so I did some research:

The QC42 is a 10D with a QC gearbox, so it is a 10 x 42 and has power cross-feed. Per a UK Atlas page (Lathes.Co.UK) the gearbox & handles are zinc alloy castings, so are prone to breaking, but cast iron replacements may still be available from Clausing.

If I had $2,000 I’d probably go check it out. Why $2,000? I’d need to replace all of my SEIG 7x stuff.

A lot of these older lathes gave a pretty useless bed length measurement instead of the now more common between centers distance. I say pretty useless because bed length isn't the overall length of the lathe which would at least give you some idea of the foot print.

Anyway I think the 42" bed was 24" between centers, a 10x24" lathe will still be a fairly substantial upgrade in capability over even one of the larger 7x16" lathes. I'd think a lot of your tooling would transfer between the lathes, the 10" uses the same MT3 / MT2 tapers in the head stock / tail stock. If you have a QC tool post AXA is generally preferred on a 10" lathe but an OXA will usually work as well.

If you have needed tooling that wont interchange you could always continue to use it on the 7". My Sherline is far better tooled than my larger lathes so as long as a part is small, I maintain a lot of capability without going nuts tooling the larger lathes. Alternately you can sell the 7" to help fund more tooling for a bigger lathe.

$1000 is a pretty decent price for a 10" Atlas with QCGB assuming it is in decent shape.

 

[Provincial]

I have had an Atlas QC42 for almost 40 years. It has been a very useful machine, and I have used (abused?) it doing things that could barely could fit in it. I put a 3/4 HP motor on it, and have had no problems with it handling the power.

This lathe uses the same apron feed gears, spindle/reversing/change gears, leadscrew size/thread, and half-nut system as all the later Atlas models, so the only difference would be in the QC gearbox. I have never had a problem with my gearbox.

I have one of the last Atlas 12x36 lathes made, and other than the heavier (1/2" thick vs. 3/8") ways, the QC42 is comparable. It is a good "starter" lathe, and I have kept mine even though I have outgrown it. I find that I can use it for second operations, and keep a 4" Buck Adjust-Tru 6-jaw chuck installed so I can dial in the runout if necessary. It earns its keep!

 

[ChazzC]

A lot of these older lathes gave a pretty useless bed length measurement instead of the now more common between centers distance. I say pretty useless because bed length isn't the overall length of the lathe which would at least give you some idea of the foot print.

Anyway I think the 42" bed was 24" between centers, a 10x24" lathe will still be a fairly substantial upgrade in capability over even one of the larger 7x16" lathes. I'd think a lot of your tooling would transfer between the lathes, the 10" uses the same MT3 / MT2 tapers in the head stock / tail stock. If you have a QC tool post AXA is generally preferred on a 10" lathe but an OXA will usually work as well.

If you have needed tooling that wont interchange you could always continue to use it on the 7". My Sherline is far better tooled than my larger lathes so as long as a part is small, I maintain a lot of capability without going nuts tooling the larger lathes. Alternately you can sell the 7" to help fund more tooling for a bigger lathe.

$1000 is a pretty decent price for a 10" Atlas with QCGB assuming it is in decent shape.

I agree up to a point: since this one still has the rocker-style toolpost, I'd need to make a base for QCTP anyway, so making a taller one wouldn't be an issue, and all of my cutting tools and any MT2/3-mounted tooling would be OK. However, collet chucks (including my Eccentric Engineering Flexi-Chuck, which would need an MT3 mandrel from OZ) would need modification or replacement, I'd want to add a back splash, probably want to install real DRO's on carriage & cross-slide and revise the DRO I currently have on the 7 x 16 carriage to suit the tailstock. While I was at it, replace the AC motor and pulls with a brushless DC (since the Atlas has a backer, don't need to worry about low-end torque). An interested, worthwhile project, but I'd also need someplace to put it while making the changes, and if you check out my recent thread about my shop (My Little Shop) on the HSM Forum, you'll see why this is an issue.