New atlas lathe new hobbyist

[cooper1203]

Good evening all,
Yesterday i bought myself an atlas tv42 lathe as i want to try my hand at eventually (once i have learnt how to use the thing) making hot air engines and other things as i also have a classic car but i digress.

A few possibly very silly questions

1) the lathe is a little cruddy with old oil and grease i was going to clean it but unsure what to use as everything i can think of needs to be rinsed off.
2) I am unsure what a lot of the levers do as they don't seem to be the same as other lathes i have seen on youtube. (1 will be in the same place and shape but the others wont etc)
3) if i do go ahead and clean the lathe how do i go about removing the carriage and head stock. Also if i do this am i setting myself up for a headache with reassembly
4) how far down should the carriage go down the bed towards the tail stock end.

Thats probably enough silly questions for now
Many thanks

 

[Pevehouse]

Good evening all,
Yesterday i bought myself an atlas tv42 lathe as i want to try my hand at eventually (once i have learnt how to use the thing) making hot air engines and other things as i also have a classic car but i digress.

A few possibly very silly questions

1) the lathe is a little cruddy with old oil and grease i was going to clean it but unsure what to use as everything i can think of needs to be rinsed off.
2) I am unsure what a lot of the levers do as they don't seem to be the same as other lathes i have seen on youtube. (1 will be in the same place and shape but the others wont etc)
3) if i do go ahead and clean the lathe how do i go about removing the carriage and head stock. Also if i do this am i setting myself up for a headache with reassembly
4) how far down should the carriage go down the bed towards the tail stock end.

Thats probably enough silly questions for now
Many thanks

Congrats on the new lathe. I’m sure some of the guys will come along that owns these type of lathes and can steer you in the right direction. Just wanted to say welcome and congratulations on your new lathe

 

[markba633csi]

If the carriage stops partway down towards the tailstock the lathe bed is worn- most are, somewhat.
You can still make parts on them but they won't cut accurately in some cases
Most parts can be found on Ebay but prices have soared recently

I like to use white gas (naphtha) to clean greasy parts, it's not too stinky and evaporates slower than acetone
but a little faster than paint thinner

 

[cooper1203]

If the carriage stops partway down towards the tailstock the lathe bed is worn- most are, somewhat.
You can still make parts on them but they won't cut accurately in some cases
Most parts can be found on Ebay but prices have soared recently

I like to use white gas to clean greasy parts, it's not too stinky and evaporates slower than acetone
but a little faster than paint thinner

this is where my ignorance comes in. When we were moving it the carriage was sliding about (up and down) The previous owner put the carriage lock on but it still moved a little so im kinda hoping that its all just gummed up. i know the carriage advance doesnt ride on the lead screw however it does seem to stop about where the leadscrew is gummed up

 

[markba633csi]

You'll need to clean the ways, make sure the half nuts are disengaged, and then with the carriage near the headstock, tighten the carriage lock
screw just enough (finger tight) to give a slight drag then crank the carriage toward the tailstock end. That should give a good idea how much wear there is.

 

[Nutfarmer]

Be careful of the zmack parts. They can break easily. The support at the end of the lead screw is common to break. If the carriage is tight or binds up don’t try to force it with the hand wheel. The cast zinc parts in the carriage are easily broken.

 

[Aaron_W]

I like to use WD40 to help break up old grease, it is safe for it to sit and chew on the dirt and grease for some time. It is kerosene based so similar to Marks naphtha. I'll also use Simple Green and then Dawn dish soap mixed with hot water as things get cleaner. Once things are about as clean as I can get them I'll wipe it down with hot water and paper towels to clean off any lingering cleaning products, dry it well and then oil it up to prevent rust.

Mr Pete on youtube has a lot of videos related to Atlas / Craftsman lathes which might be of some use to you. He also has several "how to run a lathe" video courses for sale, including one based on running an Atlas / Craftsman lathe.

Atlas made lathes for Sears under the Craftsman name for several decades so information you see relating to Craftsman lathes may carry over to your lathe as well.

Mr Pete Atlas Craftsman video search

His most recent plug for his video classes (Fall 2024)

 

[cooper1203]

wow thanks for the replies!! please excuse the 1 post answer to everyone

@ Pevehouse Thanks sorry i didnt reply last night but i was at work and missed your reply on my phone

@ Markba That is one of the strange things about this lathe someone has put a spring on what i think is the handle so the handle is held in the "up" position

@ Nutfarmer Thanks for the warning it is something i will have to watch as i am a little ham fisted.

@ Aaron_w Thanks for the tip about wd40 i didnt realise they did a de-greaser but when i googled wd40 to see if i could get a bigger container than the supermarket spray can up it came! Mr Pete is excellent i have spent hours while waiting to be loaded watching his videos. I am going to email him about the course and get the postage price as i am in England.

many thanks

 

[cooper1203]

ok next silly question please

can i take the apron off with the crossslide/ sadle in the middle of the bed or do i need to get it down the tailstock end

 

[markba633csi]

Not sure if you can do that- the leadscrew might hang you up- you can always run the whole carriage down to the right and off the ways
after removing the leadscrew support (and tailstock, obviously)- be careful not to force anything and best to have a helper

The spring sounds like a PO kluge to make up for a broken detent mechanism