Atlas Craftsman Lathe Questions

The 12" Atlas/Craftsman lathe you have there is definitely the bench-mount, not the underdrive model. The underdrives had only two pulleys on the spindle shaft and both were the same diameter. (See the photo >here< on Tony's lathes.co.uk website.) The speed-change pulleys were mounted below the top of the cabinet. Your spindle has the four speed-change pulleys on it so it would have had the motor mounted behind on the countershaft assembly you noted above as absent. You will, indeed, need that assembly to run the lathe. As my Craftsman 12" is currently apart I can take photos of the countershaft assemby, should you need them.
 
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Of course, you don't need to use that exact countershaft unit, you could make your own. Or you could use one from another model lathe. Mephits is correct.
Atlas gets a bad rap on the pro machinists web sites but don't listen to those turkeys. It's a fine lathe for what it is. Just look at the prices they command.
Mark S.
ps a lot of those "pros" aren't really.
 
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I've got more pictures. I found the lead screw in a pile of steel to be junked, it has some surface rust but cleaned up with a wire brush, I put some light oil on it to keep it from rusting again. The bed is 54" long without anything on it. The plate on the end of the bed states it is model number 101.28910. There's a box I didn't take a picture of that has a few loose bolts, some wrenches, the chuck keys for the 3 and 4 jaw chucks, and a flat plate that can be bolted on where the chucks normally go. Sorry, I'm still not up on the terminology.

I've thrown in a picture of the Trucut with everything I've got for it.
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Looks like you have a pretty near complete lathe there, and for the most part the rust is not really very serious. The worst bit would seem to be the controls on the saddle. I would suggest carefully strip it down and try the electrolysis process for rust removal (describes elsewhere on this forum). Apparently it removes all rust without damaging the remaining metal. Most other parts look like they will clean up nicely. The two chucks appear to be in excellent condition, as does the quick change gear box, even the bed ways should clean up fairly well. A great project if that is what you are looking for. I'd say go for it.
 
I've found an old Atlas Craftsman lathe that my dad had for a lot of years that has a lot of rust and is missing a lot of things: motor and associated mounts, all the covers for the change gears and main belts, lead screw, and possibly other things/ I'm looking for opinions as to whether or not it's even worth trying to restore. I posted to another machinist forum before I even knew what kind of lathe it was, I didn't see any name and couldn't find the serial number plate, and apparently this type of lathe is banned there so I got no useful information out of them. I've uploaded a picture of the rust that's on the bed and the tailstock. Should I try to get this lathe into working order or look for a later model used lathe?

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That's one of the reasons this forum was created was to allow people with these machines post here and get the answers they need without getting ridiculed for asking. I saw your posting on the other forum and the idiot remarks made. Was totally uncalled for. That's why I'm over here and not there anymore. Please stay and enjoy playing with us here on H-M Forum. Ken
 
So I've got the headstock completely stripped, that was a challenge with the 30+year old grease gluing everything together, had to get out some gear pullers to remove both gears on the spindle shaft.

Now that it's all cleaned up, I need to lube it all before assembly. There are oilers for the bearings but from other searches and experience working on old cars, the bearings should be packed with grease. So do I just oil these bearings or pack them with grease and not oil them? Also, I had the saddle and cross slide apart a little bit, I don't understand how the pipe cleaner oilers are supposed to be situated. Any pointers on the pipe cleaners?
 
You need spindle oil SAE 20 Non detergent, not grease. It is an open system so the oil falls out. Oil the spindle on start up and add oil from time to time. Mine was missing the apron oilers so I just added oil through the holes. The oil should run down the small tube if it is still there, to the miter gear.
Pierre
 
Welcome to the site. Your lathe is and will be great for your needs , they're used as milling , slotting, even to make dials with graduations cut. It's amazing some of the work turned out by little atlas LATHES. Ck out Mr Pete on YouTube his favorite lathe. Take your time clean and repair as needed. Good luck with her, wish someone left me one like that.
 
I will pick up some spindle oil and continue with my restoration. I've been able to pick up most of the missing pieces; Tthe screw for one of the chuck's jaw is boogered up, another thread about that gave me a lot of different ideas on how to solve that problem. It's taking time to clean up but it's fun, I love taking apart equipment and seeing what makes it tick.

The woodruff key for the spindle bull gear is kind of a PITA, but I figured it out and with a slight application of oil, it shouldn't get stuck, should I need to remove it later.

As to the other forum, I don't really understand the "professional machines only" mentality.

Thanks for all the great information and I'll start taking pictures of the after steps.
 
So I've got the headstock completely stripped, that was a challenge with the 30+year old grease gluing everything together, had to get out some gear pullers to remove both gears on the spindle shaft.

Now that it's all cleaned up, I need to lube it all before assembly. There are oilers for the bearings but from other searches and experience working on old cars, the bearings should be packed with grease. So do I just oil these bearings or pack them with grease and not oil them? Also, I had the saddle and cross slide apart a little bit, I don't understand how the pipe cleaner oilers are supposed to be situated. Any pointers on the pipe cleaners?


pipe cleaner oilers work by siphon, the pipe cleaner should hang into a small cup or container of oil on the outside of the oil tube and also hang down into the tube a little longer than on the outside, you can vary the flow rate by adjusting the difference in the length. When the machine is not running lift them up so they stop dripping and when you start running the machine put a few drops of oil into the oil tube and set the pipe cleaners or wicks into the tubes and top up the small oil cup. It's a bit of trial and see to get the right amount of oil, but too much is better than not enough, just messy and a waste of oil.

I have seen wicks made from a couple of strands of wool lightly twisted with a thin piece of copper wire to hold its shape. just make sure the wire does not touch the running shaft.
 
pipe cleaner oilers work by siphon, the pipe cleaner should hang into a small cup or container of oil on the outside of the oil tube and also hang down into the tube a little longer than on the outside, you can vary the flow rate by adjusting the difference in the length. When the machine is not running lift them up so they stop dripping and when you start running the machine put a few drops of oil into the oil tube and set the pipe cleaners or wicks into the tubes and top up the small oil cup. It's a bit of trial and see to get the right amount of oil, but too much is better than not enough, just messy and a waste of oil.

I have seen wicks made from a couple of strands of wool lightly twisted with a thin piece of copper wire to hold its shape. just make sure the wire does not touch the running shaft.

So the pipe cleaner oiler on the apron should just be filled with a little bit of oil every time the lathe is used and it just siphons all the oil onto the lead screw? The manual shows like the pipe cleaner might go under the lead screw, but that doesn't sound correct, should it be positioned to have the end drip oil right onto the lead screw right next to the auto feed gear box?
 
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