New user about to buy Atlas 618

[rockbaron1]

Good morning, I am supposed to look at an atlas 618 lathe for sale locally tomorrow night. The seller is asking $650 and it does appear to come with all the change gears and a fair amount of other stuff. I thought I would go check out this particular lathe because I acquired a craftsman 101.07301 for free quite a few years ago but it was missing many pieces and I never got around to doing anything with it. I'm aware that these 2 lathes are very similar but not identical. The seller of the atlas 618 states that it does not include the motor. I also cannot spot the counter shaft assembly in any of the pictures. I have access to a large variety of motors through work but will the craftsman counter shaft assembly work with the atlas lathe? The base looks different between the 2 but the pulleys appear the be the same. Here are the pictures from the for sale listing, any other information the experts on this forum might be able to gather through the pictures would be greatly appreciated. I have been metal working and fabricating for many years, i'm pretty much a complete newbie to machining.



Here is one picture of the craftsman 101 I already have

 

[RJSakowski]

I have an Atlas/Craftsman 6x18 101.21400 and AFAIK, most of the Atlas parts are the same. The pictured lathe doesn't appear to have the countershaft. There also appear to be a fair number of unrelated parts. .The fourth photo shows a lot of rust not visible in other photos and I would question how that rust was addressed. It has a replacement three jaw and the second three jaw on the bench isn't the OEM chuck. I didn't see a four jaw chuck. I would check for obvious wear and/or abuse. I would want to see it running.

The $650 price seems high to me. Especially for an "as is" purchase. It would depend on exactly what is included.

 

[rockbaron1]

Thanks for your input. I was thinking a lot of the parts looked unrelated. I'm not afraid of a little restoration and repair, I was really hoping between the craftsman 101 I have and the atlas 618 pictured I could build one good machine. As for the price, it seems most of the smaller lathes in my area are in the 1-2K range wether they include extras or not, I've been keeping my eye out for a while. It actually seems like the bigger machines sell for a lot less, I simply don't have the space in my home shop for a large machine though, and being that Im just getting started I wanted to avoid the cost of large tooling. Maybe once I've established some machining skills ill be able to justify a little more space for a larger lathe. I plan to use the lathe mostly to make custom sized bushing for various one off projects

 

[LF_WS]

I have a Craftsman 101.07301. Its head stock differs from comparable Atlas-badged machines in that:
1) the 101.07301 has bronze sleeve bearings vs. Timken roller bearings in the Atlas, and
2) the 101.07301 spindle threads are 1"-8TPI vs. 1"-10TPI on the Atlas, so face plates etc. from the two machines won't be interchangeable.

As I understand it, the Craftsman 101.21400 (successor to 101.07301 after about 1959) had the same bearings and spindle threads as the Atlas 608.

Is that a milling attachment in Photos 1 and 4? If so, that's a plus. I suspect (but don't know for a fact) that you can make the Craftsman counter shaft assembly work with the Atlas lathe. I know from discussions here and elsewhere that the style of the counter shaft support castings changed over time, but suspect that they were functionally very similar.

Good luck,

Larry F.

 

[rockbaron1]

Yes I noticed what looks like the milling attachment lying on top of the machine. As far as I can see in the pictures, no steady rest though, I think ill be able to make or modify something to work if I ever decide I need one. I was really curious about what might be in the various wooden boxes? Measuring equipment maybe? Guess ill find out tomorrow night.

 

[Aaron_W]

Like RJ I also have a Craftsman 101.21400 and as I understand it these later Craftsman lathes were essentially identical to the Atlas 618. The older 101.07301 had a few changes but I believe they are limited to the head stock, different bearings, different spindle thread (1"-8 vs 1"-10). I would expect most other parts and any tooling you have for the Craftsman would work on the Atlas, other than things that screw onto the spindle.

I can't say for sure that the countershaft is the same as the 618, but even if it is a little different I would be surprised if it would take more than very minor tweaking to make it work with the Atlas.

As far as price, that can vary pretty widely by area. To me $650 is high for what is shown, but not wildly out of line. Those milling attachments alone can sell for $200-300.

I paid $650 for my Craftsman, but it was complete and included a lot of original tooling. It was also kind of out in the boonies and during Covid which may have worked to my benefit. Prices do vary greatly by location, so what I paid a couple years ago on the other side of the country may not be at all representative of prices your area.

 

[markba633csi]

I'd much rather have other things than the milling attachment. And a decent belt threaded thru the headstock.
No 4-jaw chuck
Motor and countershaft missing
Compound crank missing

Some good parts there I'm sure but certainly not ready to run

 

[Aaron_W]

I'd much rather have other things than the milling attachment. And a decent belt threaded thru the headstock.
No 4-jaw chuck
Motor and countershaft missing
Compound crank missing

Yeah, I'm just pointing out the milling attachment because deducting that, then the price of the lathe is more like $450, which I don't think out of line with what I've seen other decent shape but incomplete 6x18s selling for. When I was shopping for mine a couple years back, $200-300 was about the cheapest I saw them go for, and those were all in pretty sad shape.

Interesting that you don't like link belts, I thought everybody wanted them these days.

Missing the tail stock spindle lock as well, but looks like he has one on his Craftsman.

 

[markba633csi]

The link belts are controversial. Personally I would not use them here. I feel that the zamak step pulleys were made for
V-belts and that's what should be used
The reason the links get used so often is it's easier than pulling the spindle- it's really not a big job though

 

[rockbaron1]

Another lathe popped up in my area last night. I don't think its a craftsman or atlas, Theres no information in the listing. Its a bigger lathe for less money, but it seems like im going to have spend more on it to get it going. Im still leaning towards the atlas. I work as a shop steward for a hvac company, I have access to hundreds of motors, sheaves and belts for free, the fact that the atlas has no motor is not really a big deal for me, I already have one picked out. The craftsman 101 I have was actually found in the attic of our shop while doing a clean out. Probably from when the building was a Pontiac dealer. Our building was originally the first car dealer in Monmouth county NJ.