New to me Atlas TH42

sorry guys. its the original toggle switch...think i'm going to do flexible conduit it into a t-conduit box. i have it wired up and working roughly now...i just wanted to see what the original hardware looked like :)
 
Atlas didn't sell lathes with motors installed, or for that matter even included, unless you bought a motor from them at the same time that you ordered the lathe. So technically there is no original wiring. As best I can determine, when you un-crated your new 10F, what you found was a 2-wire pigtail connected to the headstock mounted switch at one end and connected to nothing at the other. After installing the motor mechanically, you opened up the junction box on the motor, added a (in those days most likely 2-wire) line cord, spliced the black line cord lead to the black switch lead, and connected the white switch lead and the white line cord lead to their appropriate terminals. Then you replaced the cover over the junction box. And if you were at least half smart, you test ran the motor before installing the motor belt. Today, you would also connect the two green wires to a grounded screw or screws. And if you are at least half smart, you wrap a short length of black tape or black shrink tubing around the white switch lead to signify that it might be hot.

The flexible conduit is a good idea. It will keep the switch lead from getting oil soaked.
 
wa5cab said:
Atlas didn't sell lathes with motors installed, or for that matter even included, unless you bought a motor from them at the same time that you ordered the lathe. So technically there is no original wiring. As best I can determine, when you un-crated your new 10F, what you found was a 2-wire pigtail connected to the headstock mounted switch at one end and connected to nothing at the other. After installing the motor mechanically, you opened up the junction box on the motor, added a (in those days most likely 2-wire) line cord, spliced the black line cord lead to the black switch lead, and connected the white switch lead and the white line cord lead to their appropriate terminals. Then you replaced the cover over the junction box. And if you were at least half smart, you test ran the motor before installing the motor belt. Today, you would also connect the two green wires to a grounded screw or screws. And if you are at least half smart, you wrap a short length of black tape or black shrink tubing around the white switch lead to signify that it might be hot.

The flexible conduit is a good idea. It will keep the switch lead from getting oil soaked.
Click to expand...
wow.
you are virual fountain of information
thank you so much as usual.
i was thinking of soldering all wire connections and then double heat shrinking them.
I could just wire nut connections then wrap them in electrical tape

So not really being unused before,
none of the gears are greased.
is there a recomnended grease for the change gears etc.
i bought way oil.
what oil should go into the Git ports?
I want to keep this machine as pristine as i can.

i will of course google this.
but you seem to be the zen master of vintage machinery...so i value your opinion.

again thank you so much for all of your info.
 
Wire nuts, if in good condition and if properly installed (twist the two or more wires together before installing the wire nuts) are adequate. You do not need to apply black tape over them. Soldering the wires together is not recommended because of what will happen should you ever need to disconnect the wires (the motor wiring is stranded and you will have a mess on your hands should you later try to disconnect them).

Up until the late 50's, Atlas recommended SAE 10 ND for all locations except the gears. Around 1960, they changed that recommendation to SAE 20 ND retroactive (ND means Non-Detergent). So for all points other than the ways, that is what should be used. Note that ISO 46 and ISO 68 both fall within the viscosity range of SAE 20 so either one of them is OK. I have, when I couldn't locate any SAE 20 used Mobile Heavy Medium Circulating Oil ISO 68. The one exception to this is that I think that way oil works better on the ways and wasn't perhaps readily available back then. So I and I think most of us use that on the oilers on the carriage saddle and on the bottom of the tailstock.

The reasons for using non-detergent oil are that most of the detergents don't do anything beneficial on the lathe, they tend to cost more, and at least one of the additives is hydroscopic (it absorbs moisture from the atmosphere) and a lathe or mill hopefully never gets hot enough to boil it off as happens in an IC engine.

On the open gears except those in the carriage where it is not practical to use grease, some people use chainsaw bar lubricant. The rest of us use a grease that doesn't easily melt and sling off. The grease that the factory recommended was graphite bearing and apparently had a rather high melting point but the company that made it was bought by the French company Total who very quickly discontinued the grease. I have always used Lubriplate 105. Although next time that I do a thorough cleanup I am going to try a high temperature grease that I found.
 
thanx again sir...got it up and running perfectly ..had some southbend way oil...

heres my junction box :) laht_connector.jpg
 
It certainly looks nice. Have you leveled the bed? Actually, it doesn't have to be level, but both ways must be in the same plane. And the cheapest and easiest way to achieve that without great expense is with a level
 
wa5cab said:
It certainly looks nice. Have you leveled the bed? Actually, it doesn't have to be level, but both ways must be in the same plane. And the cheapest and easiest way to achieve that without great expense is with a level
Click to expand...
first i have to put levelling feet on my mobile tool cart. :) i have a starrett machinists level...time to learn how to do that now :) thanx again
 
OK. The usual SOP is to level the bench or stand to the accuracy of a good carpenter's level. And then level the bed with a precision level.
 
My lathe is mounted to a similar bench. It was wiggly-wobbly on the original casters. I removed them and installed steel C channel with hockey puck leveling feet. That made the cabinet rock solid. The lathe was then impossible to move, so I added deployable castors. They are working out well.

IMG_2752.jpgIMG_2753.jpg
 
ahh i love that.
im going to leave the original wheels on...
i was thinking of just making kind of like a machinist jack for all 4 corners.
did you make the levelling feet with hockey pucks
 
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