Holy Grail Discovered: Pristine Atlas Craftsman 12" Swing Lathe

[@markthomas5316]

I came across your video today in Oct. of 2024 so I am a bit late to the party. I found this exact lathe outside of Montrose Colorado on Craig's list that was listed for several months so I finally gave the guy a call. He was set on his price but I needed a lathe for some gunsmithing projects I had for barrel work and this one came with a 3 & 4 jaw chucks, a lot of Mics, cutters and some steel. I paid $1,600. for all of it. I brought it home and stripped it down to pieces I could get down in my basement. After giving it a quick needed cleaning I put it back together. I could see it needed the 2 belts you talk about, a new belt on the motor and replaced the split nuts with brass ones, I bought some new cutters and was in business. It worked great for the barrels. I hadn't seen the exact model until today, so I am glad I found your Video. Thanks for the info on it and I plan on keeping this one especially after seeing the video.😃👍👍

[@LoydPrecisionMakers]

@markthomas5316 That's great on both accounts. I'm glad you were able to find my video and the sane model as mine. I'd had a few folks reach out and traded pics with some on the Atlas/Craftsman lathe Facebook page, and it seems our aren't as common as I would have thought. I heard these were wonderful for gunsmith work, and I've come to know of more than a couple smith's who use these in their shops. How ever do you manage to crown or chamber with such a small spindle bore? I found good info about the lathe on lathes.co.uk/#gsc.tab=0 Congrats on your find. I've slowly gotten into my restoration. Hopefully, I will have some new videos up here soon.

[@herbholmberg4474]

I have had the bench version of that machine for 30+ years. The best improvement to my machine i ever made was switching from the old style lantern toolpost and rocker type toolholders to a QCTP. Get the AXA size, it is the best fit for your machine. My second big tip is NEVER EVER use a pressure type knurling tool on an Atlas. Those machines are not heavy enough to stand up to the punishment a pressure knurler will impose on the brass nut on the compound screw. If you want to put a lot of wear on the compound screw nut, a pressure knurler will do that in a hurry! It you do want to apply a knurled finish to projects you are working on, invest in a scissor type knurl. Congratulations on your purchase. Dont deceive yourself into thinking the Atlas is a heavy machine, it is not. It is a good hobbyist machine that you can do tons of good work on. That said, you would be well served to not push the machine beyond it's limitations. I love Atlas lathes, but there are multiple well known weaknesses in the brand, regardless the size or configuration. My point is an Atlas/Craftsman lathe cannot equal a South Bend, Logan, or heavier more industrial brands will though sized roughly the same, and in fact could share much of the same tooling. Watch Tubalcain's channel and so many others to learn so much more you may not know about your new lathe too. Again, congratulations on your new machine. I hope you get as much enjoyment from yours as i have mine. BTW: YOU CANNOT OVER OIL IT!

[@LoydPrecisionMakers]

Thank you so much for the advice and taking the time to watch my video. That is great advice to heed. I had no idea about the knurling tool. Now that you explained it that makes a lot of sense. I do want to got to a quick change tool post eventually. I started with a benchtop Sherline lathe and always wanted one for that machine. I wish Atlas had a larger spindle bore. There are always some kind of trade off. Thanks for the tip on oiling. Is there a particular weight or type you recommend?

[@mftmachining]

Congrats on that catch. One in a lifetime find. You will treat her well. Regards.

[@LoydPrecisionMakers]

Thanks I really excited about it and getting it running like it is brand new. I'm surprised at how resistant to solvents old oil has been. I saw you've been doing some restorations yourself. Recomend any solvents?

[@mftmachining]

@@LoydPrecisionMakers You´re right, i´ve done hundreds of restos in the last 40 years. Mostly i use petrol ether. Sometimes i mix up a bit of standard gasoline in there and let it soak. For brushing, i use a hard brush. Means you cut of the bristles till theres 1/4 inch left. That works fine for me. Sometimes it takes several passes with different solvents. There´s no perfect recipe.

[@LoydPrecisionMakers]

@mftmachining Thanks. I didn't know about the stiff brush trick. I'll have to try it. I haven't used petrol in the past for safety reasons. Unfortunately, with the zamak gears containing copper, zinc, and magnesium, alot of parts can't be used with a strong acid wash. I may have to resort to petrol after all.

[@pauldevey8628]

Congrats. I have a Candian made Standard Modern 9X25 lathe. A wonderful and minty lathe.

[@LoydPrecisionMakers]

Thanks I am really happy and gratefully I was able to come across it. I wasn't familiar with Standard Modern before. They seem like a nice line of machines and still around! How do you like it, any experience talking to the company? I tried contacting Clausing for Atlas parts. No luck, but they did give me a blueprint pdf. All the older parts are just "discontinued".

[@sdrc92126]

nice

[@LoydPrecisionMakers]

Thanks it was a very fortunate find.

[@XPFTP]

picked one up for free 2 years ago . the kid who owned it. i say kid in his 20s. iam in my 50s hahah .... crashed the head. messedup the gearbox. 2 of the elft side gears. unable to find them for fair price. besides that. a good cleaning and manti so on . he didnt take care of it. but she is comming around . have a 3 and 4 jaw with it. no plate for the 4 jaw tho. tool post grinder from dumore. milling post also. i cant complain for free ..

[@LoydPrecisionMakers]

LOL age is context after all. That's too bad he crashed it. I hope I never do. I can understand learning and making mistakes, but neglect is a whole another thing. As the old saying goes never look a gift horse in the mouth. I have seen some people begin to use 3d printed gears. might be worth giving those a try if they aren't too expensive.