Have an Atlas MFB frame - what’s it worth?

[cellarshop]

Went to a shop that was closing, and picked up a wide range of things. He had a couple Atlas mill and shaper parts, so I bought them solely to resell. Bettter than melting them down.
Frame is pristine. Absolutely bare - nothing on it. I checked around, and really can’t find any that have sold. Anyone have an idea of what it would be worth?
Thanks!
- Paul

 

[JPMacG]

Look in the sold listings on ebay. The base, housing, head, and knee castings each typically sell for between $50 and $100. I think these parts are common for all Atlas horizontal mill models except maybe the MHC, which has levers instead of cranks. Atlas shaper parts seem to sell for higher prices than mill parts.

 

[wa5cab]

I'm trying to picture what you have. If you were to remove every removable part, what you would be left with would be M1-3 Base, M1-1 or M1-1A Housing and M1-2 or M1-2A Head. Is that what you have? And what color is it? Dark Machinery Gray, Machinery Gray, or something else? All models use the M1-3 Base. The basic and A models use the M1-2 Head and M1-1 Housing. The B and C models use the M1-2A Head and M1-1A Housing.

Look inside of the head or housing. You should find the part numbers cast in so should be able to tell whether the Housing and Head are Basic or A model.

 

[cellarshop]

wa5cab -
Thanks, you asked a great question. I have the M1-3 Base, and the M1-1A housing. I do not have the head. The Atlas plaque identified it as an MF-B machine (although there SEEM to be MFC parts with it???). Serial number is 6719 (if I haven't forgotten on my trip from the garage). Paint color is definitely dark machinery gray. Completely unmolested - in pristine condition.

JPMacG -
Thanks, I'll see if I can find a buyer or two!!!

It also had a couple other pieces laying inside it:

• a complete Z-axis shaft assembly (M1-70 etc.) - everything except the wheel;
• the MH-43 rack;
• and the complete M1-43X lift screw assembly, including housing.

I hunted EVERYWHERE - nothing else - must have parted it out? No idea what happened to everything else...
- Paul

 

[wa5cab]

OK. The differences between the "B" and "C" are the parts associated with the added front arbor support, missing the top guard, and a few other minor details. Otherwise, they are the same. Atlas Mill Bulletin MMB-5, currently at REV9, covers all 12 models (M1 through MHC) and is available as a PDF in Downloads. Although there are other differences in detail, the main difference between the basic, A, and B models is the number of spindle speeds (16, 12 and 8).