Beginner machinist with an atlas lathe

[mn250r]

Hello,
I recently got a craftsman atlas lathe with a ton of tools from my neighbor. I do quite a bit of welding and small fabrication. I'm looking to learn how to run it.
I see mrpete222 has a set of videos for the atlas lathe to rent for 100.00. Would this be recommended? Thx!
Model. 101 07403

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[WarrenP]

Pretty much anything from mrpete222 is good. Very good teacher and fun to listen to. You can look at his channel and see most things you want to do already on you tube though. I havent boughten any of his courses but im sure they would be good.

 

[MontanaLon]

Mr. Pete has some very good videos. There are other videos out there that cover things as well, some good, some not so good. I have watched a crap ton of different videos about all sorts of machining. Some of the makers of those videos are really good and some sound like they are talking with a mouth full of marbles. But that doesn't necessarily mean they don't have good information to pass along so don't dismiss them out of hand just because the video quality is bad.

 

[martik777]

MIT has a good video series: Part 1:

 

[thomas s]

Welcome, We have a member on the forum wa5cab Robert. That knows Atlas lathes maybe he will see this and chime in.

 

[markba633csi]

I'd save the 100$, hang out here, spend the money you saved on extra tooling and raw materials
Mark

 

[markba633csi]

We can advise you just as well as some overpriced video, plus you get a never ending supply of quips, jokes and clever ripostes

 

[Tom1948]

The best advice I got was to get some raw stock and just jump in. As mentioned there are some good video's out there with the basic's.

 

[homebrewed]

Don't neglect to learn the basic rules of safely operating your machine! Messing up there can be a life-altering experience, and not in a good way. As Joe Martin (of Sherline fame) wrote in his book, tools that are capable of cutting metal are equally good at cutting meat.

That said, machining can be a fun and satisfying way of spending your time and $. I just jumped in and am still learning. Yes, some scrap has resulted but those were the challenge to do better next time. Have fun with your new-to-you toy!

 

[ThinWoodsman]

Harold Hall's book "Lathework: A Complete Course" is a great way to get started. It's a series of projects, increasing in complexity, and after the first few you'll feel comfortable using your lathe. You can always find youtube videos to demonstrate specific techniques, or the use of your model of lathe, so there's no need to rent.