- Joined
- Jul 2, 2022
- Messages
- 78
Right you are. You have discovered one of the challenges in modeling this lathe. The 618 was in production for so long that it had many minor variations in design and configuration such as the one you have pointed out. The 6" lathes in their initial form, sometimes called Mk 1, first appear in catalogs from 1937 and the Mk 2 didn't show up until 1974(?) or so. As far as I know, the last Parts and Instruction manual for the first generation model is 1976, so that is perhaps somewhere between 38 and 40 years that it was available for purchase.
As far as M6-59 and M6-60, they were not present on my lathe, which gives a clue as to how old my lathe is. By looking through the factory drawings I got from Clausing and the Parts and Instruction manuals from various years, I was able to figure out approximately when my lathe was made.
Here are some excerpts from the 1945 parts and Instructions manual:
In 1945 the lathes used the same 20- and 24-tooth gears for the tumbler and the change gear bracket assembly. My lathe is like that. By 1950 this was no longer true. By using clues like that I have been able to determine that my lathe was built after 1945 and before 1950, so 1946 to 1949. My best guess is 1947.
As far as M6-59 and M6-60, they were not present on my lathe, which gives a clue as to how old my lathe is. By looking through the factory drawings I got from Clausing and the Parts and Instruction manuals from various years, I was able to figure out approximately when my lathe was made.
Here are some excerpts from the 1945 parts and Instructions manual:
In 1945 the lathes used the same 20- and 24-tooth gears for the tumbler and the change gear bracket assembly. My lathe is like that. By 1950 this was no longer true. By using clues like that I have been able to determine that my lathe was built after 1945 and before 1950, so 1946 to 1949. My best guess is 1947.