Atlas / Craftsman 12'' Metal Lathe Restoration [1937]

Red Beard Ops

Red Beard Ops

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Hey guys, I felt like this post would make sense as it's own thread. I wanted to thank everyone here for helping me out with the identification and tear down of this piece of vintage machinery. It's awesome to find a community so passionate about these pieces of history. According to @wa5cab this lathe was manufactured in 1937, so it's really cool to get it back in service!

My Original Introduction and Questions Thread - https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/introduction-new-atlas-lathe-owner.86760/

My Full Restoration:


I still have a few things to iron out with this machine. Specifically the "smooth-ness" of the power feed gears (I think I have some slop somewhere), the shimming of the back gears (so they're not as tight to accurate), and the fabrication of a sleeve on the counter shaft / swing arm pulley section so that the collar doesn't impact my back gear cover when disengaging the belt tension.

Anyways, thanks again for all the help!
JKeeton-RBO
 
It takes a lot more effort to strip and repaint a vintage machine as opposed to only mechanical restoration but when completed, it really creates the impression that it is well cared for and appreciated, and that the same level of effort was put into set up and dialing it in. -Nice job.

Best,
Kelly
 
Great video and nice save on the gear case!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
vtcnc said:
Great video and nice save on the gear case!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Thank you, sir! We'll see how that holds up... If I have to do it again, I'll likely cut the time in half with learnings. It fought me the whole time! :dunno:
 
The simplest solution and most likely the cheapest would be one of the two spindle chucks that Jacobs made. They look like a typical drill chuck except that the back has female 1-1/2"-8 threads. There were two made, one that covered if memory serves 0-5/8" diameter and one that went up to 3/4" but didn't quite go to zero.

They also had one for the 618 and one for the 101.07301.
 
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One word of warning about the 2MT and 3MT collets is that so long as you are wanting to hold parts or material that comes in diameter increments of 1/16", like milling cutter shanks, they would be cost competitive with the spindle chucks. But they are only available in 1/16" increments and do not give continuous coverage between increments. The 3AT and 3C sets in 1/64" increments just barely do. The only ones that I know of that have any overlap are the ER collets. So if you expect to do a lot of work that requires full coverage, go with the ER type and a threaded type collet holder/chuck, not one with a 2MT or 3MT arbor.
 
wa5cab said:
The simplest solution and most likely the cheapest would be one of the two spindle chucks that Jacobs made. They look like a typical drill chuck except that the back has female 1-1/2"-8 threads. There were two made, one that covered if memory serves 0-5/8" diameter and one that went up to 3/4" but didn't quite go to zero.

They also had one for the 618 and one for the 101.07301.
Click to expand...

Very cool! So to be clear. Are you suggesting a drill chuck with a #3 MT or a Jacobs Chuck without the shank that I will chuck up in my current 4 jaw?



The real question is:
How much chuck could a lathe chuck, chuck, if a lathe chuck could chuck small diameter stock?
 
Neither one. I was suggesting either of the two Jacobs Spindle Chucks. They each screw directly onto the spindle threads and you wouldn't have the 3-jaw chuck jaws whirling around to worry about and would be closest to the end of the spindle, so no additive runout. And you wouldn't need a drawbar to be sure that the MT arbor wouldn't come loose and ruin the part that you're working on.
 
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