Sears (Atlas) vs Montgomery Wards (Logan) - Competitive Pricing

FWIW early in the thrd , the comment was made suggesting V ways more accurate than flat ways ...i do not THINK that is accurate ...early shapers were almost ALLw/ box ways ...in the past few years some mills have used box ways & touting THIS as superior PRECISION.....

flat /box ways require double gibbs , & w/ modern manufacturiing , V ways may be easier & cheaper to construct.?????? (two surfaces to grind ( or earlier , 2 to scrape ) rather than 3-4 + double gibbs ..

.Atlas /sears advertised specs were to a thou. for the LATHE ....CERTAINLY ADEQUATE FOR HOME SHOP OR LIGHT INDUSTRY AT THE TIME ...... even today when near all in industry goes to th e grinder for finishing ..

when considering purchase , one shud think carefully abt resale due to the widespread atlas /crftsmn predjudice , much of it unwarranted......BUT some things ARE AGGRAVATING ..cast iron & bronze can be REPAIRED ...broken zamak castings are another story to restore to factory specs...& the cheap supply of factory replacements is for all practical purposes non existant ..they were REALLY cheap at one time ... way more so than SB /Logan .......so when breakage of zamak occurs , almost ALWAYS from operator error ( zamak is much tougher than pot metal ), one cannnot get out the torch / bronze rod & repair ...& that IS a real PIA ..
.i have a a pre civil war shaper in use in my shop ...over the years , bronze bushes & brazed replacememt of broken parts ( again operator error ) have kept it fully functional ....same w/ an 1893 millers falls power hack saw....no need for $200 precision ball/roller bearings........or inflated priced ebay parts

best wishes

doc
 
From wiki:

Zamak (formerly trademarked as ZAMAK[1] and also known as Zamac) is a family of alloys with a base metal of zinc and alloying elements of aluminium, magnesium, and copper.
Zamak alloys are part of the zinc aluminium alloy family; they are distinguished from the other ZA alloys because of their constant 4% aluminium composition.[2]
The name zamak is an acronym of the German names for the metals of which the alloys are composed: Zink (zinc), Aluminium, Magnesium and Kupfer (copper).[2] The New Jersey Zinc Company developed zamak alloys in 1929. While zinc alloys are popularly referred to as pot metal or white metal, zamak is held to higher industrial standards.
The most common zamak alloy is zamak 3, but zamak 2, zamak 5 and zamak 7 are still commercially used.[2] These alloys are most commonly die cast.[2] Zamak alloys (particularly #3 and #5) are frequently used in the spin casting industry.
A large problem with early zinc die casting materials was zinc pest, owing to impurities in the alloys.[3] Zamak avoided this by the use of 99.99% pure zinc metal, produced by New Jersey Zinc's use of a refluxer as part of the smelting process.
Zamak can be electroplated, wet painted, and chromate conversion coated well.[4]


Brian
 
Taking the earlier advice, I downloaded a few Wards catalogs (I made a donation in January). The first year that a metal lathe appears is 1941. It is a 10x24 change gear model and was available with either split or ball type spindle bearings and the same size spindle as the Atlas 10" and Craftsman 12". The equivalent Atlas models would have been the H-42 and the TH-42. Came equipped with substantially the same accessories as the Atlas models (two 2MT dead centers, 3MT to 2MT adapter, tool post, etc.). All are less motor. The only specification differences worth mentioning are V-bed versus flat, flat pulleys versus V, 12 Speed (41-1270 rpm) versus 16 (28-2072 rpm) and shipping weight of 320 versus 271 pounds. 1941 list prices were:

H-42 $119.00
TH-42 $136.00
701 $117.50
700 $147.50

There is no mention in either the 1941 or the 1943 catalogs of either Power-Kraft or Logan and the catalog photographs don't show any badge on the headstock (however, we know that catalog photos were often heavily retouched). I can only assume that the lathe was made for Wards by Logan due to its similarity to the one shown in the 1949 catalog.

The 1943 prices were"

H-42 $145.00
TH-42 $166.00
701 N/A
700 $172.50

Sometime between 1943 and 1949 Wards (Logan) changed the model and catalog numbers. The two machines look very similar. An optional 48-speed QCGB was added. After 1941 Atlas quit putting prices in their catalogs (at least the ones I have - the prices in the L43 catalog quoted above were carefully handwritten by a PO) so I will have to use the prices in the Sears catalogs for the equivalent Craftsman models. Sears didn't list the QCGB until 1951 so I'll only quote the Change Gear model prices. In 1949, Wards also listed a Logan 9x18 for $169.50 but there is really nothing on the Atlas side to compare it to.

101.07403-2075 $210.00
2130 $237.50

The next and final match that I have between Wards and Sears catalogs is 1956, the next to last year of production of the Atlas 3/8" bed lathes. Wards that year still offered the 9x18 @ $262.50 and had added a Logan 11" with QCGB only. The bench model 11x24 cost $685.00 and weighed (crated) 505 pounds. The Power-Kraft 10x24 was still the same model as in 1949.

101.07403-2075 $286.00
QCGB 54-speed $91.00
2130 $354.95
QCGB 46-speed $103.50

I can't explain the large price jump on the Power-Kraft 2130 between 1949 and 1956 compared to the Craftsman. The two machines look the same as far as I can tell. There was also a 10x31 version available of the later 2130 Power-Kraft (catalog # 2136)but Atlas (and Sears) dropped the 30" bed 101.07403 around 1948 so I didn't list it.

Also, although I have no proof that Logan did or didn't sell the 700 and 2130 under the Logan badge, we know that Atlas didn't sell what Sears was selling until 1958 and later. Clearly, the 10" Power-Kraft's and the 11" Logan's aren't the same machines with different badges. But the Atlas 10" and Craftsman 12" shared a lot of parts so maybe Logan did sell something that was more or less the same as the Power-Kraft plus several that weren't.

Robert D.
 
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