this is my craftsman - atlas 6" lathe i have made many automotive pieces and parts for my 1939 plymouth and 1962 dodge lancer , it does every thing well for me. the 1962 lancer is for sale.
When I was looking for a lathe and still hoping on finding an affordable used one, I looked at one similar to that. Price was reasonable, but it would have taken a 4WD forklift with a suspension to get it out of where it was. Plus it was in the boonies, so the delivery/rental/pick-up charges of a suitable forklift was more than the cost of the lathe... And before you turn up your nose at an import lathe, talk to actual owners. I did; a local voc-tech school used them and the instructor said they worked fine and stood up to the abuse they got from the students. As did the machinists at the local AFB who had both and said for the money they were a great value. If you're worried about parts, check out Grizzly. They carry parts for everything they sell.
I’ve got three lathes, small Atlas, 12 inch Clausing with matching mill, and a 19 inch LeBlond with an 84 inch bed. Used to make a living at machine work..... many moons ago. A lot of good info on this thread. Also never wear rings while operating and machinery. Bones
Well guys I truly appreciate all the advice and I did buy the one I was talking about. I pick it up next week after I make room in my shop for it. Thanks again for all the help. Keep posting pics of your lathes and any advice as I find it very interesting.
That South Bend book is what the DVD I mentioned was based on- I have both, and recommend getting both. The DVD has the advantage of a picture is worth a thousand words
Here is the size I recommend. I bought one of these ubiquitous 12x36 Chinese lathes from a trade school that was dumping a dozen or so of them. These are reasonably priced and you find them all over the place and have a lot of desirable features. Got mine for a couple $hundred as I recall. Being a school unit it had suffered some abuse so I had to do several repairs - broken gears, worn bushings, that kind of stuff. Once I got it repaired it has served me well. I really enjoy using it and for the part time hobbyist, is a great value. This design had been around forever and I believe the maker is Acra tools. Jet, Grizzly, Harbor Freight, and a bunch of others have sold them over the years. Mine is an Acra brand but I bought all my spare parts from Harbor Freight. All interchangeable. I don't think HF sells them any longer and they are possibly becoming obsolete? Here are a few folks who still show this model for sale. I recognize it by the two gear shift levers on the lower left had corner. Grizzly https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-12-x-36-gear-head-cam-lock-spindle-lathe/g4003 King Canada https://www.kingcanada.com/en/produ...lathes/kc-1236ml-12-x-36-gearhead-metal-lathe Penn Tool https://www.penntoolco.com/birmingh...-bed-precision-engine-bench-lathe-ycl-1236gh/ Jet They appear to have the next generation of the basic Acra lathe. Lots of similarities to mine, the biggest change is the knob gear shifts instead of my manual shift levers. https://www.jettools.com/us/en/p/gh...the-in-jet-metalworking-turning-lathes/321236
I've been using this old dog. Haven't spun anything other than aluminum on it though... my skills are beginner level.
Almost identical to the HF one I bought. There has been detail differences over the years, and the price has tripled! The only real change I see is mine has a gap bed so I can swing a couple more inches than 12" if I use the faceplate and the item isn't 'tall'. The one thing that really sucked was the included 'cabinet' stand, it's made for short people and killed my back. I built a new cabinet/base that raised it up about 5", made all the difference.... HF ditched all their bigger metalworking stuff because they didn't want to deal with the repair parts issues. And I see Grizzly has bought up the South Bend name...
Atlas TH 42 10” X 24” I just bought after looking at many new and used options the past few months - The guy I bought it from hardly used it. It came with a lot of tools and drawbar with collet set all for 700.00. I can't imagine my shop without it now.
I have a neat little toy that I need to rig up a motor on- Google results are scarce. A "Rockford Hand Miller"
Mine has the gap bed too. I'm thinking the used market is the place to look for one of these. So many of them got sold.
@MeanGene427 , those are great photos, I love that big stuff, and machine marvels. I have about a 4' 4 jaw chuck here just for entertainment, would make a nice table or rolling can crusher...anyone need it ?
That’s one of those things you can use as yard art, and if someone walks off with, well, let’s just say you wouldn’t want to confront them!
We had auto 14 ft LaBlond Regal in our machine shop . The shop made many valve stems , pump shafts . When Duke decided it was cheaper to buy new , instead of rebuilding , the equipment and closed the shop , I saw the Millrights take two fork lifts raise the lathe up about 6 ft high and tip it to the pavement breaking it into pieces . My question was, “why?” My Boss told me “ we don’t pay you to be smart , just for a weak mind and strong back ! “
Rule number XX: Keep the ways lubricated. Rule Number XXI: After you turn that bushing or pin DO NOT use sandpaper, emery cloth, or any other abrasive to polish the piece in the lathe. The abrasive will get on the ways and wear them.
And never stick your finger into a small hole with sandpaper to polish the inside. If it grabs, it'll twist your finger off right now.
Have three for use in auto restoration and street rod shop. Atlas 6", Monarch 16" with flat belts. and a Reed-Prentiss with a six foot bed and 14" swing. Each is set up for different jobs so saves on set up time. Still looking for a Rockwell with infinite speed control and maybe a gap bed machine.
First thing I was taught by my neighbor that owns the local speed shop about mills n lathes- resist the temptation to blow it off with air, it will drive chips n dust into the works- use a soft brush, and pull the chips away from the works
The Jalopy Journal
