My Craftsman (made by Atlas) 6' metal lathe has been in need of a new feed (lead) screw for several years as it has a badly worn section for about 2 inches where most of the turning / power carriage feed use has been done over the years since my dad bought the lathe new back in about 1962. Have replaced the half nuts a few times over the years but after measuring the diameter of the worn area reached the conclusion that unless the feed screw is replaced the nuts are always going to have a problem being driven over that section anymore. I had priced the lead screw a few times over the years and had always passed on ordering a new one because of the price when the exchange rate on the Canadian dollar was factored in but after hand feeding the carriage the last few times I used the lathe I decided to bit the bullet and get a price on a new screw and if I could afford it order a new one if it was even still available.
The 618 was made by the Atlas Lathe company, and rebadged and sold by Sears as the Craftsman 101-series lathe from roughly 1930 to the 1980's, in various versions. Details about the history can be found at Tony's UK Lathe web page. An enormous trove of material focussing on the 618 exists at janellestudio.com. I am going to attempt to summarize.
Free Atlas 6 Inch Lathe Manual
Lathe-manuals Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t15n2ts62 Ppi 600 Scanner Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1.6.3. Atlas-N° 6, 12, 618-manual.pdf download. Atlas Lathe Operations Manual 3no7qmy7j3ld. 6' Backgeared Screwcutting LAT E SPECIFICATIONS CAPACITY Swing Over Bed 6' Swing Over Carriage. 3Vz' Capacity between Centers 18' Threading Range 8 to 96 Standard, Right or Left Hand - Metric,.5 to 3 mm. Standard Collet Capacity 9-/32' (see page 14) Overall Dimensions. 33Vz' x 27' x 12' high SPEEDS AND FEEDS. Machinery for Home and Industrial Machine Shops - Blue Ridge. Manual Applies To CRRFTSMRN MODEL NUMBERS 101.28900 101.28910 CONTENTS Lathes 10 10 10 12 12 13 INSTALLATION Mounting Lathe on Floor Stand Mounting Lathe on Leveling LUBRICATION Lubrication Chart. Engage back gears. Shift belts to low speed position - see chart.
Been getting parts for the lathe from Clausing Service Centre since the early 1990's as they offer a lot of the parts for the old Atlas lathes so I emailed a request for a quote for the lead screw, a pair of half nuts and the guide plate for the half nuts this morning. Got back in after cutting grass for about 3 hours this afternoon and checked my email and there was a quote from Clausing sitting in my inbox about 45 minutes after I emailed them this morning before I headed out to the shop - they always seem to have great customer service. Opened the quote (as I was firmly seated in my chair) prepared for the bad news as I had purchased the half nut pair back in 2017 and back then they were 50.08 U.S. and the last time I priced the lead screw it was just shy of $300.00 U.S. if memory serves me correctly. Much to my surprise the items were still available (and in stock) and the half nuts were now only $27.86 U.S.and the new lead screw was $155.86 U.S. so I got on the phone ASAP and ordered them (before they changed the price or I changed my mind). Casually mentioned to the gentleman that the nuts appeared to be about half the price they were 3 years ago and he said that they had recently realigned and changed a lot of the pricing and that the majority of the repair parts prices had dropped significantly. I asked if they still carried much in accessories and he said while they no longer offered any cataloging of the accessories some of the items were still available and if I was interested I could just email them to see if the items were still available and get a price on them. Attached is an old brochure that shows accessories for both the 6' and 12' lathe that were offered by them back in 1990 in case someone wonders what accessories might still be available.
Thought I would do a post on it as some other Craftsman / Atlas Metal Lathe owners may be in need of parts but may be hesitating because of the pricing they got a few years ago. Might be a good time to get an updated price quote as the parts may have gone down as I found out today.
Attached Files
Atlas 6 Inch Lathe Manual
- Atlas Lathe Accessories 6 & 12 inch - Clausing Service Center 1990.pdf3.06MB79 downloads