New atlas lathe new hobbyist

[ptross]

I strongly suggest you get a manual for this machine. downloads are available at vintagemachinery.org
You can also find factory dwgs of many parts, probably some you will need to make in order to get the lathe fully functioning.
There is also an Atlas IO group https://groups.io/g/atlas-craftsman
many members have the same lathe as you and can answer questions from first hand experience

as others have said, there are fragile parts on this machine. Perfectly good if used correctly but prone to breakage with misuse. A little reading in advance may pay off in the end.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

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

Clean it thoroughly and get things working properly, then you can begin evaluating it.

This video dies a good job of going through checking all the different functions and how to measure for wear and what that will affect.

Don't get all spun up if its not perfect, my 13x36 Clausing is worn pretty bad and I can make good parts if I keep my end up.

 

[cooper1203]

hi all sorry for the dead silence i work nights as a hgv driver and been very busy with nights out etc. I have spent some time cleaning and looking at the lathe and found on the headstock it says 10D followed by 4 numbers yet on the end of the bed it says tv42 so who knows. It seems to the the pull button on the apron for the power cross feed however that doesnt move (at the moment).

The not so good news is the compound slide t-slot is broken out on one corner the gibs are there so far but all the lock nuts are missing bar 1 and some of the locking screws are missing too. Does anyone know the appropriate sizes to get replacements please
many thanks

 

[koenbro]

Can you post photos of the lathe, the carriage, the headstock etc?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[ptross]

Does anyone know the appropriate sizes to get replacements please

may be time to invest in an imperial thread gage and calipers. then you can identify the thread pitch and diameter from existing parts on your machine. I suspect you will use them again before the machine is fully operational.

 

[cooper1203]

@ ptross im going to a model engineering show Saturday week was going to buy things like that there. Where i live unless you get them on the internet you cant get decent quality tooling.

@ koenbro i will try later on

 

[RickKr]

I strongly suggest you get a manual for this machine. downloads are available at vintagemachinery.org
You can also find factory dwgs of many parts, probably some you will need to make in order to get the lathe fully functioning.
There is also an Atlas IO group https://groups.io/g/atlas-craftsman
many members have the same lathe as you and can answer questions from first hand experience

as others have said, there are fragile parts on this machine. Perfectly good if used correctly but prone to breakage with misuse. A little reading in advance may pay off in the end.

I concur with recommendations here. In addition to getting a manual for the lathe, once you figure out exactly what you have, I also recommend getting the book "How To Run A Lathe". It is based on South Bend Lathes, but is an excellent beginner's guide. Scanned digital version is available on Vintage Machinery but you may also want to locate a paper copy.

There is an Atlas/Craftsman specific subforum on this site, but I recommend that you also join the Groups.IO group that ptross provided the link for above. Lost of active and helpful folks there.

 

[cooper1203]

Pics as requested

 

[SouthernChap]

@ ptross im going to a model engineering show Saturday week was going to buy things like that there. Where i live unless you get them on the internet you cant get decent quality tooling.

@ koenbro i will try later on

If it's the Midlands Model Engineering Exhibition then some of the companies, I mention below will be there

My thread and radius gauges are mostly oldish Moore and Wright that I got off eBay; got SAE, Metric, Whitworth and BA thread gauges and metric and imperial radius gauges.

As for calipers, I'd recommend treating yourself to some 150 mm Mitutoyo dial calipers. They're not wildly expensive but make sure you buy from a legit store as there are a lot of Mitutoyo counterfeits; mostly the digital calipers but I can't believe the fakers couldn't knock up a dial calipers or two. Digital Micrometers Limited are reputable (obviously they sell analogue metrology, as well as digital micrometers, like the dial calipers I'm recommending).

Pretty much any of the cheap digital calipers will chew through batteries and the calipers will be dead whenever you go to use them.

The genuine Mitutoyo digital calipers make their batteries last ages (well mine does) but I have a preference for dial calipers.

For general tooling we do have Tracey Tools, Chronos, RDG, ArcEuroTrade and Warco for the hobbyist, and then there's MSC Direct, Cromwell, Cutwel and Zoro.

Also, Little Machine Shop do ship to the UK, as do Shars. Accusize sells a limited selection on Amazon.co.uk.

We're not as well served in the UK as our US cousins but it's not awful.

 

[cooper1203]

@ Southernchap Thats the one. I was waiting to see what was at the show to see if it was better to get new Mitutoyo or second hand moore and wright / starrett from someone like home and workshop. Same with dial gauge and micrometer.

cromwells used to have a store near me but its long gone i did have a contact that worked for delphi that could get his hands on them but he has since left there and moved on to pastures new