Getting Started 05/17 Version.

Alright so here's the deal , went down talked to the guy for like 45 mins was going over the machine .. his dad bought it some 60 odd years ago and he has no use for it .. he uses a smaller sherline for his projects , its oiled well the ways seem very smooth and it's got a little pile of bits and bobs to go with it ... I told him 300 and he said he wanted to wait to see if someone would offer more ... he says if someone doesn't offer more than 400 it's mine , also in the way of motors he said I could have a couple motors he has lying around one with a belt pulley on it already .. it comes with a tool arbor two separate Jacobs chucks one for head stock and one for tail stock .. some boring bars ( no holder) he mocked up the counter shaft and showed me how it would work it seems like what you said earlier @wa5cab it appeared that a motor would mount basically behind the center of the lathe bed or maybe a little closer to the head stock but either way ... it also has the old atlas "how to lathe" book .... so idk what do you guys think ? I'm prepared to wait but I also don't want to be stupid and let something once in a blue moon get away...

Also @westsailpat that's rediculous .. I can't stand when people mention eBay in ads ... that's like when people list out how much they spent on brakes and rotors and tires on a car they're selling ... that guys really needs to split that stuff up
 
TL,

If you can get it for $300 or $350, I think that it would be a good deal. If the motor he was referring to has a single-step pulley on it, go ahead and take it (if you get the lathe) but the correct motor pulley is a 2-Step M6-428. Like the 2-step M6-427 on the outside of the countershaft.
 
The spinde has 3 step pulley plus backgear so 6 speeds. If you mount the two step pulley on the motor you will get at least 3 more speeds which can be useful. The manual may state the max speed in back gear.

I use back gear for parting and threading.

Check the diameter and keyway on the two step pulley to see if it matches the motor you take home.

Many motors can be wired to run clockwise or anticlockwise. If the motor can only run in one direction, ensure it is the desired direction for the mounting support.

It is not unusual to see a 60 year old lathe still running. I wonder how many machines which contain electronics will be running 10 years from now, never mind 60.
 
It was a single step but , I'm going to be going into the workshop soonish to check out my drill press to post pics and I have a couple pulleys I'll send some pics of those and see what you guys think ,

Yeah that's why I like these old machines ... they weren't designed with an expiration date like today's stuff is , it all comes down to business model ...
 
I would like to get this lathe .. it just cracked me up a little because we finally started to get to talking about money and he's like ... ya know I really want this to go to someone who is going to use it and not someone who is going to let it sit and collect dust ... I'm in my head like .... "he's standing right here in front of you and your turning him down !!!" Haha oh well... just goes back to that original thread I started on about succession of machines with aging machinists
 
Actually, of all of the metal lathes that Atlas built, only the 918 Utility Lathe has a 3-step spindle pulley. All 6", 10" and 12" machines had 4-step spindle pulleys and with back gears a total of 16 speeds.

All single phase Capacitor Start AC motors can be wired to run in either direction. Some may require partial disassembly of the motor in order to reverse them.
 
@wa5cab and @Dave Paine with that said , even though the lathe wasn't designed to run with a motor with more steps , if I had a pulley set up with say 3 steps .. would that be too much for a little 618 ? Or would that simply make it more versatile ?

Also so everyone knows ... seeing this machine in person , this IS the size I want for right now no smaller but not a whole lot bigger just due to space requirements but like I said .. this is it as far as size of lathe for now so I'm excited !!
 
TL.

If you have or can locate the 2-step motor and countershaft pulleys, that, with the back gears, gives you 16 speeds. That should suffice. If you later find a good reason to have more, you can go to a VFD and 3-phase motor (they do make those in 1/2 HP).
 
IMG_3259.JPG IMG_3268.JPG Here's some pics of the pulleys I have available to me with or without the atlas lathe
 
The 3 step pulley gives you more potential speed options. The shaft on the motor with the single pulley looks short.

Do they both run quiet? Any vibration of play in one vs the other?

The one with the 3 step pulley has a cradle style mount. Not sure exact name, but may have less vibration due to this mount.

Any nameplate data including the Frame ID?
 
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