Is There A Sleeve Bearing Atlas 6" (Not Craftsman)?

[wa5cab]

Re: Is There A Sleeve Bearing Atlas 6" (Not Craftsman)?

Yeah, you're right. Guess I was thinking about the babbitt bearing cap screws.

Robert

Never seen a hex head bolt there. Always a slotted machine screw

 

[VSAncona]

I've never seen one, not in person nor in any of the Atlas catalogs that I have. I would think that if Atlas had offered a 6" lathe with sleeve bearings that they would have given it a different model number to distinguish it from the Timken bearing lathes, as they did with the 10" lathes. Otherwise, it would have been a nightmare trying to supply parts to customers who needed to purchase replacement bearings, spindles, etc.. Come to think of it, none of the parts diagrams I've seen for the 618 have ever made mention of anything other than Timken bearings either.

Having said that, Atlas seemed to offer a multitude of configurations for their lathes, so nothing would surprise me.

I agree that it's a little confusing when people refer to their "Craftsman 618" lathe. But I just shrug that off as a newbie's lack of familiarity with the Atlas line. If you just stumbled across your first lathe, it can be pretty confusing trying to figure out what model it is, since they all look very similar at first glance.

 

[wa5cab]

Yes. And their model numbers weren't always consistent. For example, the 918 is a 9x18 with 36" bed and what came to be known as a horizontal countershaft. The 936 is a 9x18 with (the same) 36" bed and with what they called a Compound Drive. With the 10", the digits always AFAIK referred to bed length. 1036, 1042, 1048 & 1054. With suffix letters that more than anything else indicated what features were NOT present. Then they dropped the "10" and went to letters. But I won't go into that as I've already drifted my own thread enough.

Robert D.

 

[David S]

David S,

I'm 99-44/100% sure that there has never been any indication that Atlas ever built any 6" machines with babbitt bearings. Only Timken tapered roller and split bronze sleeve.

AR1911,

I know. If it is an Atlas built 6" and it has a slot head screw showing in front of the spindle bearing oiler, it has sleeve bearings. But when you are going only on the written word (no photos) and some people call any 6x18 ever made by any manufacturer a 618, there is no way to tell what they actually have without asking further questions before you try to answer their questions. It might even have ball bearings.

But be that as it may, the only thing I was asking was whether anyone has any actual proof that Atlas ever sold a sleeve bearing lathe with the original nameplate showing the model number as "618" and not "101.07300" or "101.07301".

Robert D.

Hi Robert here could be some of my confusion. When I purchased the lathe from the original owner he gave me an Atlas manual of Lathe operation. He purchased it in 1949. Mine is a true Atlas 618 serial 015294. The main things that I have referenced are the threading set up with the manual change gears. That section says "Threading Information.. Atlas six - inch lathes. I have refered to the manual for the operation of the backgear and the special oiling set screw for the spindle pulley set.

The section under care etc and spindle bearings says "the bearing shown above are made of special high-speed copper hard babbit - precision line boring equipment ........", Next section then says "Lathes with timken bearings".

As I look closer thru the manual it appears that there are pictures in other sections of lathes which I don't recognize as being my 618. So perhaps part of the manual is generic and doesn't apply to my 618.

Sorry for any confusion.

David

 

[wa5cab]

David S,

When the PO (in this case also the OO) bought your 618, it came with the MoLO (Manual of Lathe Operations) and an Owners Manual with Parts List. The Owner's Manuals were specific to one size (swing) and one or a few models. The MoLO is or was intended to be generic or universal. It was first published in 1937 and was revised or at least reprinted almost every year from then up through 1957. From there through 1981 the intervals varied from one to three years. The final revision was in 1988 which is still "in print". The revisions, after some errors in the threading tables were corrected, seem to have mostly been to change the photos and text to cover the current models. I have a sampling of editions from 1937 to 1988 and haven't seen any actual photos of any of the 6" models, or of the Craftsman 12" for that matter, in any of the editions that I have. Most if not all photos before 1960 seem to be of 10" models. After that, they begin to change to the later 1/2" way 12". And the writeups about things like bearings changed over the years. Up until 1945, both the 10" and 12" models were available with either babbitt or Timken bearings. Sometime between 1949 and 1955 (which edition I have), the section on babbitt bearings was removed.

So the short answer is that most of the MoLO is generic. But for any specific reference to the machine you actually have, you're better off with an edition published not too many years after your lathe was made. Many of the tables, however, remained the same. from beginning to end of production. And the section on accessories changed little over the years. So even the 1988 edition is useful with a 1938 lathe.

Robert D.