1980s Jet 1236PS, a step up from an Atlas 12x36?

calstar

calstar

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I have an Atlas 12x36, this came up about 100 miles from me and wondering what your collective thinking is on this deal, here's pics:

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It was the sellers father in law who as a retired machinist bought this for home use(probably not the original owner). The seller does not know anything about lathes, it in his mom's garage and she wants it gone. Condition in the pics looks pretty good but hard to tell, accessories and tooling are a question but everything on the bench is included. Correct me if I'm mistaken but I believe this Taiwan made early 80s(?) Jet has hardened ways and is substantially heavier than the Atlas, and has a !.5" spindle(almost 2x the Atlas). Any weirdness associated with this era/model of Jet? Not sure what the PS means, I googled it but didn't find anything specific regarding it. They're only asking $500 for it, so I almost feel obligated to take a look, probably only a 4hr round trip drive so no not bad. I was the first one to respond early this AM, when he responded to my email(phone call) he said he knows I will be driving a bit so he's holding it for me for "first chance" tomorrow morning when he is showing it. He also stated he has had a lot of responses after my early call.

What of you think?

thanks, Brian
 
I would jump on it. Hope you haven't missed it already!:thinking: That is alot more lathe then the atlas. And I oen an atlas. Hopefuly your on your way to get it.
 
Very similar to one of ours at work. We have a late 80's Jet PBD 1336 and I love it. I have a lot of time on it and it has been a great lathe over the years despite the abuse that it takes from my co-workers. Holds great tolerances and is a smooth running lathe. I prefer to use this lathe compared to our larger Enco when given the opportunity.

Mike.
 
Dude, for $500 you can't lose.

It looks like the bigger brother to another early import lathe I was researching. I never did buy that lathe, but the problems associated with it were the cross feed used a brass gear that was easy to break and the threaded backplate for the chuck was a strange size. In other words, nothing that is a big deal.

If it's working well, it should be a nice upgrade from the Atlas.
 
calstar said:
I have an Atlas 12x36, this came up about 100 miles from me and wondering what your collective thinking is on this deal, here's pics:
What of you think?

thanks, Brian
Click to expand...

You have a 12x36 too? I had no idea, brother. That said, I'm planning to upgrade to something bigger and get your interest in this one. Here's my $.02 assuming nobody says this thing is junk (and I suspect nobody will):

$.01 Buy it for $500 because you can easily sell it for more if you don't like it (unless maybe if something is broken.)
$.01 (b) Buy it because $500 is pretty cheap to see which you like more. Do let me know how much you get for the Atlas, how much tooling you sold and its overall condition so I can plan accordingly should I sell mine.

Santa Barbara - who'd have known that place is a used tool mecca?

-Ryan
 
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I made the same upgrade to the 11" version of that lathe a few months ago. It was a great upgrade for me. The quick change gears, larger spindle diamater and increased size and rigidity are all a plus. From what I read, The fact that it is an 80s taiwan machine is also a plus, and mine seems well build. Mine was a single phase 100v-220v machine which is also a plus for a home use machine.

i would grab that lathe pronto, unless I saw something really wrong with it.

it seems to have a lot if tooling which is also a plus.

here is how I lifted mine. The grizzly manual for a similar lathe shows this as the proper way to lift it but they use a plate with an eye through the webbing, I just wrapped my Strapp thought the webbing. I balanced the load with the carrage and added one shot bag on the front right corner to balance the weight of the motor on the back.

chris

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calstar said:
I have an Atlas 12x36, this came up about 100 miles from me and wondering what your collective thinking is on this deal, here's pics:

What of you think?

thanks, Brian
Click to expand...


if you don't go and get it i will, it's only a 5 hr trip...

i have a cousin a Shenwai,
excellent lathes very high quality, i'd get another for that price in a second!!!!
 
My first DECENT lathe was a 10 x 24" belt drive Jet. I wist I still had it,though I now have a Hardinge HLVH and a 16" x 40" Taiwan made Grizzly made in 1986.

The Jet was WORLDS better than my first lathe,a 12 x 36" Sears Atlas. I had to baby that lathe along all the time,and it took many times longer to make a part on than the Jet.

If that lathe was near me,I'd buy it since it is a belt drive. Belt drive lathes like my Jet gave a smoother finish than a gear head. but,all the reasonably heavy lathes these days are gear head.

I would like to have the Jet again,because it would cut a much greater range of threads than the Hardinge will,when I need it,and still want the smoother finishes from the belt drive. The HLVH only cuts from 11 to 56 threads(I think!). Anything beyond that requires the purchase of very expensive extra gears which are mounted outside of the end of the QC box,and by pass it entirely.

Of course,the Hardinge is the nicest lathe I have ever used,and is very fast and convenient,and gives most excellent finishes with its variable speed belt drive,and its built in collet system(which I use a lot more than I use the chucks it will also take.

I can't recall what the thread range of my Jet was,but I think it was 4 to 112 threads,with NO bothersome gear train changes that many more recently made lathes seem to have(I think they are poorly engineered in that respect).

The wear on the bed should be minimal since it is hardened. Check for backlash in the leadscrew half nuts,crossfeed and compound dials as well. You can't get parts for it any more,but you can make most of the parts you might need with the lathe itself,provided the leadscrew isn't horribly worn,which is not likely since the lathe was in a home shop,not a factory. The price is very reasonable.

The only reason I ever sold my Jet was I needed the money to buy the larger lathe,and a Bridgeport type mill at the same time. It was a great lathe that I'd be happy to get back any day over the current crop of Chinese lathes with gear heads. Gear heads are easier to change speeds on,but I got such nice finishes with the belt drive,I loved it. Change the belts to the red link belts after cleaning the pulleys,to keep from getting black on your fingers.

I have used gear head lathes that will produce perfectly smooth finishes,but they are of the ultra high priced variety,like Dean Smith and Grace.
 
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