Introduction - New Atlas Lathe Owner

Some other thoughts, I sorta think slow(er) these days.


1,2: It is definitely a 12 inch swing machine. The distance between centers is a close approximation for the other half of the size. As I stated, mine is a 12x36, for what that's worth. I think that for a while, the Craftsman line had 12, 24, and 36 inch between centers. The "10D-247" is a casting number. It would reference an Atlas part (original manufacturer) that may well fit a number of machines. The "101.07361" is a part number for Craftsman, in this case a complete machine. It will indicate a date range only in when Sears sold that particular machine. As I stated, mine is a 101.27440, a later model that dates to the early 50s. Craftsman lathes were built by Atlas with an extra 1" above the bed. They are otherwise virtually identical to the Atlas line.

3: I didn't see any serious vibration in the video. Such a judgement is highly personal. Having run it without the chuck, any vibration must come from a pulley out of balance. Or possibly the motor. . . A single phase machine doesn't run as smooth as a 3 phase does. I have retrofitted the original retrofit motor on mine. I used a 1/3 HP Baldor "Farm Duty" motor, simply because I like that motor. The original Craftsman motors (I have several) had a "flat pack" capacitor which is not a standard part. Finding a replacement is a hit or miss proposition, on a good day. The simplest solution is to replace the motor with known, available parts. "V belts" are your call. I would recommend machine belts as opposed to automotive belts. Though in the past, I have run a nylon stocking in an emergency. Back in the early 70s in the Arizona desert. Ya do what ya gotta do. . .

4: The 8" chuck is at the high end. I have a 4" and a 5" 3 jaw and a 5" 4 jaw scroll chuck, as well as the 8" 4 jaw independent. I also have, through an adapter, a 2-1/2" scroll chuck and a 3" 4 jaw independent. But they are specific to my work with small models. Not normally seen on serious machines. The thing to watch for is as the jaws extend beyond the chuck body they don't come in contact with the bed frame. Always rotate the machine one full turn by hand before powering it up. A 5" is a good, safe chuck for generic work.

5: 1/4" tooling is my norm. 0.025 depth of cut (DOC) is about the maximum my machine will handle. Larger tools are more rigid, but the Craftsman itself isn't that rigid. I also use a lot of 3/16 and 1/8 tooling. As well as many I have ground out of old drills for specific uses. As a startup, 1/4" tooling is fine. Although you can go larger, there really is no need. Same for smaller tools, you'll try to do something and the tool is too large. That's when you'll start grinding your own.

As an aside, carbide tooling is great for removing large amounts of metal in a hurry. But for finer finish work you may fine tool steel to be more useful. Learn to grind tool steel tools. It will save your bacon on occasion.

Edit: Afterthoughts:
The spindle pulleys have a couple of internal mating surfaces. There is one pulley, I don't recall which one, that has a setscrew that is actually an oil hole. Lube it well and replace the setscrew. Do not bottom the setscrew, just set it deep enough to close the hole. There is a "dog" that releases for running in back gears. It must be fully engaged or disengaged in use. And lastly there is another dog on the front, right, lower head stock that sets a 60 point hole circle for indexing. That dog must never be used when power is on the machine.

Lastly, it sounds like a burr or bad dirt, or a mismatch in the change gears. If there was a quick change box, I would say look there. I had to rebuild mine when I got it. Make sure the machine is out of gear.
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Thank you sir for your tips and insights

#3 - On the vibration, I guess I just "don't know what I don't know" I figured that was a decent amount of vibration, but it may not be for this machine.


I'll check out the pulleys

I was able to mess around with it some more this afternoon and get these results. First time I was able to make some chips.. so I'm happy. The power feed is handy...
 

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You are on your way. There is a program called "lathe gears" that has been shared on this site. It may help you with the gearing for your lathe. Do a search and you should find it.

Since your lathe has been sitting for awhile it would be wise to clean any junk off of the babbit bearings before using your lathe to prevent any damage to the bearings. Besides the places you oiled in your photo all of the gears and lead screws need lubrication also. The MOLO can help you out with that including the proper lubricants to use.
 
Some other thoughts, I sorta think slow(er) these days.

1,2: It is definitely a 12 inch swing machine. The distance between centers is a close approximation for the other half of the size. As I stated, mine is a 12x36, for what that's worth. I think that for a while, the Craftsman line had 12, 24, and 36 inch between centers.

There is one pulley, I don't recall which one, that has a setscrew that is actually an oil hole. Lube it well and replace the setscrew. Do not bottom the setscrew, just set it deep enough to close the hole.

The 9" did until it ceased production and up until late 1947 the 10" and 12" came in 4 bed lengths, 36", 42", 48" and 54", which correspond to distance between centers of 18", 24", 30" and 36". In late 1947/1948 the 36" and 48" beds ceased production.

The pulley with the set screw serving as an oil plug is the 4-step spindle cone pulley. It should be tightened snugly but not tightly enough to force its way down and against the spindle. The cone pulley must turn freely on the spindle whenever the direct drive pin is pulled out. According to the lubrication instructions in the MOLO, the screw should be removed and three or four squirts of SAE20 put down the hole either monthly or before each usage of back gear. There is a reminder about not over-tightening the oil plug in the Sticky Area above.
 
Hey yall, I figure it can't hurt to change out the V-belts... since they're truly aged and have been sitting around... it seems like this topic is hotly contested (specifically on the classic v-belt vs link), so I'm asking this question at great risk... Do yall have recommendation on some good quality belts? (type, manufacture, material)

On the above question is there a thread somewhere with this discussion topic that I can refer to?


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Also, I have a case of 20W-50 motor oil that is brand new and I won't be using. Would this be suitable for general lathe lubrication?

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And an update... I ordered a quick change AXA tool post. I'm stoked to get it in. My first project will be making a spindle square for my mill. Hoping to turn down a piece of steel for an interference fit into a chunk of aluminum.


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Edit: I was reading this article on V-Belts - https://www.powertransmission.com/articles/0617/Guide_to_V-Belt_Selection_and_Replacement/

And they stated "As another example, replacing an older, classical V-belt drive with a newer, narrow profile notched V-belt made with an ethylene elastomer and aramid fiber tensile cords can yield up to 3x greater load carrying capacity while reducing the weight and size of the drive, relieving stress on shafts, bearings and other components."

Thought that "sounded good"
 
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There was a thread that discussed the proper oils to use. Modern oil for cars is better than nothing but it doesn't meet the specs for the oil called for in the manuals. Same goes for chainsaw bar oil. While anything is better than nothing the proper modern oil is AW68 hydraulic oil. AW46 is also within spec. I couldn't find AW68 in anything less that 5 gallons. My local O'Riely's had AW46 by the gallon. So that is what I am using on both the ways and to lubricate everything. A gallon will last more than a lifetime.

Also don't use grease on the gears. Chips will stick to the grease.
 
Don't use motor oil to lube your lathe. Some motor oil additives will attack the brass/bronze. Some of the guys with lathes similar to yours will chime in, I'm sure. You can get the oils you need from a local oil jobber. If they don't carry them, they can order them. Usually ISO 32 or 46 for the bearings (think tractor hydraulic oil), and way oil for the slide ways. Way oil is fairly thick and sticky kind of like the old STP oil treatment,
 
Awesome very good to know on the motor oil... It looks like the previous owner/user used a pretty thick, gray, grease like substance on all the gears. I'm thinking it may be worth my time to take it apart and clean all that off. It's filthy.,..

Edit: Sounds like I need to get some Vactra No 2 coming my way to cover most of my components.
 
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It is always a good idea to give a lathe a thorough cleaning before use when it has been stored for awhile. I removed and cleaned everything I could on my lathe. Get it squeaky clean and then lube it up. And keep it properly lubricated. For example I thought that some of the gears on my lathe were pressed onto their shafts when in fact they were just stuck due to dried up grease.
 
Hey yall, I figure it can't hurt to change out the V-belts... since they're truly aged and have been sitting around... it seems like this topic is hotly contested (specifically on the classic v-belt vs link), so I'm asking this question at great risk... Do yall have recommendation on some good quality belts? (type, manufacture, material)

On the above question is there a thread somewhere with this discussion topic that I can refer to?


Edit: I was reading this article on V-Belts - https://www.powertransmission.com/articles/0617/Guide_to_V-Belt_Selection_and_Replacement/

And they stated "As another example, replacing an older, classical V-belt drive with a newer, narrow profile notched V-belt made with an ethylene elastomer and aramid fiber tensile cords can yield up to 3x greater load carrying capacity while reducing the weight and size of the drive, relieving stress on shafts, bearings and other components."

Thought that "sounded good"

Here'a recent thread on that subject:

The obvious advantage of link belts is that the spindle doesn't have to be taken apart to instal them, and assuming you can get
the correct size, I can't think of a reason not to use them.
 
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