| Author | Message | ||
     Snowdave |
Well, I finally did it.....I bought a lathe! I think I got a pretty good deal. An old Atlas/Craftsman 10x30 lathe in excellent condition for $200. Some proper sleaves for my bar end mirrors are first on the list. The machine shop is progressing nicely; lathe, chop saw, mig welder, drill press, 20T press, but there are two things missing - a big enough garage and my own parts business! Any comments/experience with this lathe out there? | ||
| Oldog |
Dave do you have any other machining experience? some thoughts ( not knowing what you have done or know ) 1. NO loose clothes or gloves, 2. Eye protection full face shield is better 3. Before you let go of the chuck wrench remove it from the chuck, place it on the rack or in its holder, (lotta folks get hurt with this one)think about taking the time to make a tooling rack close to hand 4. If you don't have one a copy of Machinery's Hand Book I have the 20th ed newer ones may not cover some subjects quite as well, try a used book store, If you need info there are several shop owners here I will look up any thing that I can for you 5. LEVEL the machine carefuly the slightest twist in the bed will cause wear and problems 6. clean and lube it before its first use clean the lead screw as well using a piece of twine, (don't wrap it on your hands) 7. don't clean the machine with compressed air 8. ONE of the Most important things I learned in school Stop and think Before you do some thing and Dude I soooo envy you. way cool I hope that this helps........ | ||
| Jackbequick |
Here is some good info: http://www.lathes.co.uk/atlas/ The Atlas was also sold as a Sears Craftsman model, those came with a book called the "Manual of Lathe Operations and Machinists Tables". It is a great book for the learning machinist and has all the info you need for maintaining and using the machine. You may be able to find that book through http://www.atlas-press.com/service.htm. A 12x36 Atlas was the backbone of my home gunsmithing business for about 20 years. Its hard to live without a lathe after you have had one around. Jack | ||
| Bomber |
Dave -- congrats on the old nail -- this stuff is sooooo much fun -- btw, gear as old as your lathe is likely to have some wear on it -- for making stuff like your bar-end parts, it's likely not an issue, but it's gonna be a pain to exactly reproduce parts with very tight tolerances (but you already know that, so I'll hush up now) -- like the may sez, be careful, and have fun! | ||
| Snowdave |
Thanks for all the advice. I have worked in manufacturing for years and have a good amount of CNC programming experience, but also a good start on running a manual machine. That was one of the best parts of my Engineering degree at University of Colorado-Denver, we had to use mills, saws, lathes, etc to manufacture a small steam engine. Probably the coolest thing I ever did in school.....er, I mean in class. I've been in management long enough now that I will have to dust off all my old stuff, including the machinist handbook. BTW, I also got the manual of lathe operations with the lathe. It is very cool that you can still buy all the documentation and even parts online. Where I am extremely lacking is in the care and maintenance of a machine tool. I have run them before, but never had to worry about oiling, adjusting, etc. It looks like the book is a good start and there is even a CD I can buy online that includes all the original Atlas posters for things like maintenance, speeds & feeds, etc. Thanks again, Dave | ||
| Buellzebub |
good information Oldog! machine tools can be evil if they're not respected |
