New To Me Atlas 3996 12 X 36 Lathe

TLW,

I thought that I had a drawing of the direct drive pin but can't find it. But in any case, it is solid one piece. The visible end has a groove machined around it to help in pulling it out for back gear. Hidden inside the gear is a flat on one side. There is a hole drilled in the gear between two teeth that crosses the pin hole and goes on into the gear. Down in this hole is a spring with a ball nosed pin on top of it. That's all that there should be to it. When you get up to 30 posts, you will have access to downloads. You will find there in the Atlas category the owner's manual, including exploded view parts on the 3996. If you will PM me your email address, I will send you the latest version of the manual as a PDF.
 
wa5cab said:
TLW,

I thought that I had a drawing of the direct drive pin but can't find it. But in any case, it is solid one piece. The visible end has a groove machined around it to help in pulling it out for back gear. Hidden inside the gear is a flat on one side. There is a hole drilled in the gear between two teeth that crosses the pin hole and goes on into the gear. Down in this hole is a spring with a ball nosed pin on top of it. That's all that there should be to it. When you get up to 30 posts, you will have access to downloads. You will find there in the Atlas category the owner's manual, including exploded view parts on the 3996. If you will PM me your email address, I will send you the latest version of the manual as a PDF.
Click to expand...

Robert,
Thanks for the quick reply. So far I have managed to peek down between the bull gear and drive pulley with a bright light and tweezers. There may be something amiss with my 3996. What I can see is, the direct drive pin is as you say but when I get way down there, there is a small ball bearing that the drive pin pushes on not a ball ended pin with a spring.
I guess I have no choice but to pull the spindle apart and see whats going on in there...As long as I have it apart I might as well throw on a new set of belts and get the dates off of the bearings (I'm trying to look on the bright side).
I found a copy of the "Atlas 12 - inch Pedestal Lathe Model 3996 Operating Instructions and Parts List" some place on the internet. In the parts blow-up it shows just the pin as part number 10-256 no small ball bearing, spring or ball ended pin???

Tim
 
I have the same lathe that I'm rebuilding. I actually just purchased a brand new lathe bed for it from Clausing. It should be here next week!

Anyways regarding the direct drive locking pin. You shouldnt have much trouble finding a engagement point for it. I would recommend disengaging the back gear first though so you can freely rotated the drive hub while holding the chuck stationary. You should feel a spot where the pin drops in. Its possible that the pin is just froze up or that its sheered and the other end is still stuck in the hub. You can loosen the set screws on the drive gears and bump the hub over enough to see down in between the drive hub and headstock gears with a flash light if need be. I have extensive pictures of my Atlas torn apart. I will upload some to photobucket and use an image tag so you can see what I'm talking about.... I dont think I have enough post for a direct upload.
 
One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!...That's how I feel right about now. I figured out the problem with the direct drive. As I suspected there was a problem with the bull gear.
Broken Bull Gear.jpg Broken Bull Gear 2.jpg Broken Bull Gear 3.jpg
What I could see from the "top" looked to me like a ball bearing when in reality it was the ball end of the ball ended pin that Robert mentioned. Here is the interesting part.....Just as I finished taking the spindle apart and discovering the problem, my friend called me and asked if I wanted to take a ride to look at a 12" table model he was considering. He made the deal on a sweet (in pristine condition) 12 inch bench top model and wouldn't you know it but the guy also just happened to have an extra bull gear with virtually no use on it except wood turning. My buddy bought the lathe and the seller threw in the extra bull geat.....Life is sweet!
My baby is back together and almost ready for work...I still need to change her over from 220 to 120 volts.
Life is good!
KF9XE
 
Man you have some seriously good luck! lol. I would have been buying one on ebay for sure.
 
Nitmare67 said:
Man you have some seriously good luck! lol. I would have been buying one on ebay for sure.
Click to expand...

Nitemare,
Before you buy anything on ebay give me a call I have found a guy that has it all....litterally this guy sells to resellers. You might want to cut out a few middlemen and save a few (lot) of $$$. I will PM you with my contact info.
KF9XE....Tim
 
Tim,

It may be a moot point now, but the pin and spring are to the left of the gear on the standard parts drawing, #15 and #16.
 
Robert,
I reviewed the parts blow up and sure enough, item 15 and 16! Thanks for pointing them out.
Tim
 
This piece was included with the lathe. I thought it was a carriage stop but now I'm not so sure. Can anyone identify this part?
Part.jpg
 
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