Here find many users' tips about setting up or repairing Atlas metal lathes. The repair and fitting of Atlas metal lathes is the primary subject of this file, but many practices discussed here might be useful for other brands also. The file here called "Atlas Parts General" has contact information for Clausing (Atlas bought Clausing and adopted their more prestigious name). Lots of parts, original or newly made, at better prices than anywhere else. Clausing personnel know a great deal about their old Atlas products and have the majority of spare parts still in stock. Some are original and some are more recently manufactured. And if not in stock (which is more likely in the case of some accessory products like collet closers), they can probably provide a copy of the specifications so you could make one. And in most cases, parts from Clausing are much cheaper than available elsewhere. It makes sense to support this company that so cares for its clients and ancient products -- it is a very rare company indeed. Also, there are discussions in the text file "Atlas Parts General" as to how some parts may be repaired or even made from scratch. There are some repair discussions about the nuts involved for threading, half-nuts or split-nuts (hyphen optional), in the text file on this site called "Thread Dial and Half Nuts". I hope that Atlas owners will learn to read as well as think outside the box. The perfect solution to your Atlas lathe's problem might be completely solved in another group devoted to Taig or Sherline or Myford or Logan or South Bend or 7 X 10...12...whatever Minilathes or ......., and v.v. For example, a very useful message on the Subject: Lathe Alignment Technique appeared in the mlathemodsx~xxyahoogroups.com on 31 Jan 2004. Great advice as to how to make your headstock and tailstock align. That message appears in this file now because it is applicable to any lathe brand. There are a (very) few hints here for problems with Sears' 109 (not Atlas). Those users will do well to join a 109 related group to seek and share ideas. If you got to this file directly from my HOME PAGE, return there by using your browser's back button. BUT if you came to this file as the result of a web search engine, see more than 70 additional files on my home page Machining and Metalworking at Home http://www.janellestudio.com/metal/ SAFETY WARNING BEWARE: DO NOT ASSUME that any subject matter or procedure or process is safe or correct or appropriate just because it was mentioned in a news/ user group or was included in these files or on this site or on any other web site or was published in a magazine or book or video. Working with metals and machinery and chemicals and electrical equipment is inherently dangerous. Wear safety devices and clothing as appropriate. Remove watches, rings, and jewellery -- and secure or remove loose clothing -- before operating any machine. Read, understand and follow the latest operating procedures and safety instructions provided by the manufacturer of your machine or tool or product. If you do not have those most recent official instructions, acquire a copy through the manufacturer before operating or using their product. Where the company no longer exists, use the appropriate news or user group to locate an official copy. Be careful -- original instructions may not meet current safety standards. Updated safety information and operating instructions may also be available through a local club, a local professional in the trade, a local business, or an appropriate government agency. In every case, use your common sense before beginning or taking the next step; and do not proceed if you have any questions or doubts about any procedure, or the safety of any procedure. Follow all laws and codes, and employ certified or licenced professionals as required by those laws or codes. Hazardous tasks beyond your competence or expertise should also be contracted to professionals. Let's be really careful out there. (c) Copyright 2003 - 2012 Machining and Metalworking at Home The form of the collected work in this text file (including editing, additions, and notes) is copyrighted and this file is not to be reproduced by any means, including electronic, without written permission except for strictly personal use. ======================================================================== From: Jon Elson <jmelson...> Date: Tue Jun 20, 2000 4:58pm Subject: Re: bed regrind "M K Campbell Jr." wrote: > I have a Craftsman 12x36 that the bed was in really bad > shape. The ways had worn badly and had many dings through > the whole length of the bed like they used it for an anvil > for years. If I adjusted the gibs for snug fit close to the > head stock, I could get only about 12" travel before > binding. I didn't think the lathe was worth regrinding (and > couldn't afford it either). I found a grinding shop, > Southwest Grinding in Ft Worth, TX, that does not have a > surface grinder but the guy told me he had done several flat > bed lathes on his Blanchard grinder. He put the lathe bed on > the grinder mag chuck upside down and topped the mounting > surfaces so they were parallel with the bed surface. Then > flipped it over and took a few thousandths off the top, just > enough to remove the groove worn by the carriage. It made a > great improvement. I had to mill a little off the front gib > to get it to take up the slack. > Cost of the grinding, $32.00. If I could figure a way to grind the > bottom of the rear way, it would be even better. I know this isn't > the best solution but it's still a lot better than it was. Wow, that's cheap! What I was thinking, about grinding the underside of the ways, was to build a little guide block that would ride on the top part of the bed. It would wrap around the bed way, and hold a grinder (Dremel, air die grinder, etc.) with an adjustable mount, so it could be brought up in tiny increments until it removes the low spot. This could be moved by hand to grind the bottom parallel to the top. Jon ------- From: gcontreras <latheworks...> Date: Tue Jun 20, 2000 6:53pm Subject: Re: bed regrind Some time ago, I too was faced with this "resurfacing" problem on my just bought Atlas 3990. I did the same thing; had the bed reground by an automotive repair shop (does big diesel engine repairs). The guy first setup several high T rests and surfaced the top of these. This would assure that the lathe bed would sit on a true surface. The bed was held on these T rests from the underside of the lathe bed (way) proper as it had little or not wear at all as the feet had been removed. The result was just about right. I then laped the bed with a home made 40" straight edge (2" x 5"). What you want is to have all the surfaces parallel and square to each other. When I first placed the carriage on the bed I could barely remove it as it seemed to have stuck it self to the bed surface! The bed was that flat. I have just completed the paint work and have taken my first cut after leveling. No problem at all! A straight cut, no strange markings (rings) and no binding across the entire bed. Well worth it Jim as my lathe a 0.5mm groove on the front shear running towards the headstock and I feel I'm better off... Cost? about $60.00. ------- From: Jon Elson <jmelson...> Date: Tue Jun 20, 2000 7:56pm Subject: Re: Re: bed regrind,bottom Pete & Sheri wrote: > I wonder how much wear actually occurs on the "bottom" surfaces. I had a > 10-54 years ago that had lots of wear on the top of the rails, but that > wear was from the carriage running back and forth. The wear on the rear > side would have been from the bed resisting the tool, I assume. But > I wonder if the forces on the underside of the bed would create enough > wear to worry about. Has anybody had a bed reground who knows what had > to be taken off of the "bottom" in order to true it up? Unless the gibs on the bottom were set VERY tight, or there was a lot of swarf getting under there (which is a possibility), there should be VERY little wear. But, when the top of the bed is reground, it is unlikely that the bottom edge is still totally parallel to the top. That's what matters. So, if the grinding ended up taking a little more off one end than the other, the vertical thickness of the ways will now have a 'taper' from one end to the other. That would make setting the bottom gib shims rather tricky, and leave it loose at one end. Strong tool infeed pressure will lift the back of the carriage if the bottom gibs are not fairly snug. This is a problem when parting-off, for instance, also with threading. Jon ------ From: Walter E Emery <wemery...> Date: Wed Jun 21, 2000 7:32pm Subject: Re: bed regrind Blanchard grinding is done with a large diameter ring stone with the part to be ground on a rotating magnetic table, usually with pretty coarse grit stones and flooding coolant. I had one in my shop for many years, but would never use it for lathe beds.