Help identifying Atlas lathe

[oakhound]

Hi folks. I'm not a machinist - more like a fan of old machines. I bought an Atlas lathe this weekend at an estate sale in Berkeley, CA, and I'm looking for information about it. It was in the back yard shop of a man with who clearly knew what he was doing; it was full of machines. In reading this forum and others I've learned a lot about Atlas lathes, but I'm not certain exactly which model this is since it has no metal tag. It looks like a 6 inch sway, but I'm not certain how to read the distance between centers; it looks like maybe 13 inches. The number stamped on the bed near the tail end is "M 516".

It also came with extra gears, cutting tools, chucks, etc., and a 1/4 hp Robbins and Myers motor. There was also a folder of literature included but it turns out none of it was for Atlas. It's all for Shopsmith, mostly from the 1950s.

I've attached images, but they're probably compressed. You can find higher res versions here (a Google photos album): https://photos.app.goo.gl/8mPcPnNT8snVU8xG7 . (I hope it's allowed to post link; if not, I can remove the link).

Any help you can provide on the model # and rough year of production of the lathe would be great to know. My grandfather was a machinist in Buffalo, NY during World War 2. It would be fun if this was a model he might have been familiar with. Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[TonimusMaximus]

That's an Atlas 618. I'm currently restoring the Craftsman badged version.
I'd link to info, but I think I'm too new and the forum considers all my links as spam. Google "atlas craftsman 618 info" and the first link has a bunch of good info.

 

[oakhound]

Thanks, Tonimus. Is the 18" measured from the head end chuck to the end of the rails? That's about 18". The total length of the rails is 24". Do you know what the "M 516" stamped on the rail indicates?

 

[chippermat]

A 612 maybe? 12 inches between centers?

Would you post the casting numbers from the two countershaft brackets please?

 

[oakhound]

I'm not certain what a countershaft bracket is (!), but here are all of the numbers cast onto it that I could find:

1. "M6-20" cast into the underside of what's probably the countershaft bracket.
2. "M 6-1" cast on the inside bottom of one of the rails.
3. "M 6-28" cast onto the inside of the door on the left of the lathe.
4. "M 6-58" cast onto the gear shifter handle.
5. "M 6-150" cast onto the underside of one of the legs.
6. "M 6-95" cast into the piece that the left door connects to.
7. EDIT: "M 6-22" is cast on the inside of the top cover, and there's a "3" below that.

Edit: also, the total length is 29", including the door casing on the left and the handwheel on the right (not counting the missing lever handle that attached to the handwheel).

Thanks.

 

[chippermat]

These here. Thanks much.

 

[oakhound]

These here. Thanks much.View attachment 290768

Thanks for the helpful illustration. The larger piece (where your left line connects) is marked "M 620" and the smaller piece is "M 621".

 

[WCraig]

That is an Atlas 612. It can turn a maximum 6" diameter workpiece. There is 12 inches of space between the headstock spindle (chuck removed) and the tailstock ram (again, chuck removed). I've got the 618 model which is largely the same except for another 6 inches of bed length. Another difference is the countershaft which is the assembly hanging out the back between the motor and the headstock. I believe yours is the variant where the countershaft bracket bolts onto the bed. On mine, the countershaft is bolted to the table independently of the bed.

Looks like you got a good supply of change gears and some tooling. Can you tell if the lathe has a lot of wear? For example does the carriage move with the same amount of force from one end to the other or is it looser near the headstock? Same with the cross slide. Looser in the middle and tighter near each end? Some wear is normal and inevitable. The more wear, however, the less precision.

Welcome to the club!

Craig

 

[chippermat]

Great, thanks. That's an interesting countershaft setup, I hope the experts will explain its origin.

Yes, very nice find I think. Could probably find a bed for an 18" lathe and swap it out.

 

[oakhound]

That is an Atlas 612. It can turn a maximum 6" diameter workpiece. There is 12 inches of space between the headstock spindle (chuck removed) and the tailstock ram (again, chuck removed). I've got the 618 model which is largely the same except for another 6 inches of bed length. Another difference is the countershaft which is the assembly hanging out the back between the motor and the headstock. I believe yours is the variant where the countershaft bracket bolts onto the bed. On mine, the countershaft is bolted to the table independently of the bed.

Looks like you got a good supply of change gears and some tooling. Can you tell if the lathe has a lot of wear? For example does the carriage move with the same amount of force from one end to the other or is it looser near the headstock? Same with the cross slide. Looser in the middle and tighter near each end? Some wear is normal and inevitable. The more wear, however, the less precision.

Welcome to the club!

Craig

Thanks! That's great information. The carriage moves smoothly and uniformly across its range. I also turned the other other wheels and the top and bottom wheels are smooth across the range; the middle one, with the oil reservoir beneath it, is stiff across its range.

Do you know what the "M 516" indicates? I've read that these are serial numbers, but I'm not sure what that means. Was each unit numbered, serially, or was this this some type of model #? Thanks again.

Edit: I'm also curious if anyone knows who the market was at the time for these smaller lathes. Who was buying these?