SETTING UP THE ATLAS 618 LATHE  

I know that this isn’t your favourite kind of work which makes it even more special that you are making this video. I for one am really enjoying it and I’m looking forward to the next instalment. Thank you Mr. Pete. Mike

You sure don't let any grass grow under your feet. Please don't second guess yourself so much. It's all interesting. All good stuff for anyone who tunes in to see your updates. "The same company than makes the enemas" cracked me up!

My first ever lathe, a 618, was purchased from our project manager at nasa in 1980. I paid $75 for it and was told it was covered in rust. I brought it home and, to my surprise, found out it was covered in a thick layer of cosmoline with steel shavings and saw dust. Perfectly preserved. Thanks, Mr Pete!

This lathe in my opinion would be the absolute best gift a professional CNC programmer / operator could ever receive to learn the proper set up and operations of a manual machine. Talking to many of them, they admit they have no idea of how to do it. Not at all taking away from their knowledge of CNC, just sometimes it's best to start with the very basics. Easy as 1 2 3, the manual machine, the book and Mr. Pete's video lessons. Now there's your dinner. As best said by, we all know who! Great series, thank you.

I picked up this same machine about 6 months ago at a clean out sale problem is im a retired carpenter...so your videos on this are Gold... There's more to this trade and so much even to the basics...so please don't spare even the small details... Thank You for lessons so far...🖖

Thanks Mr. Pete! I love this kind of stuff! I can almost smell the old grease and oil…very nostalgic from my childhood 70 years ago!

I received this video in my RU-vid recommended videos today without having need to search for the moniker Tubalcain. Enjoyed the video, please keep releasing them

Good morning Mr. Pete, just the type of video that made you what you are today.

There is a UK website about lathes that gives some good detail about the Atlas/Craftsman 618 - I am not connected with it in any way, but search UK lathes... According to this source, the 8 tpi spindle threading was standard until 1958, after which 10 tpi was used. The needle roller bearing was introduced in the 1940s. In researching my machine (Craftsman version) I have found no info on serial numbers. They are good machines, it's easy to find room for one and they are fun to use. Happy to see this one come back to life.

Great start on cleaning up the lathe!

A most instructive guide for anyone trying to restore an old Atlas. I really appreciate your moving ahead with this project. Since you are a teacher, you continue to perform in that capacity Well done, Lyle!

What a great find. You’ll have it ready in no time. Another great instructional video from Tubalcain.

Good morning. Thanks Mr Pete.

This was my first lathe and I still use it. I got it as a pile of parts about 15 years ago. Just before that, I found Mr. Pete's videos. He taught me everything I know about machining. I've added a 16x8 Southbend and a Sheldon 12" shaper. I use them all the time. Thank you, Mr. Pete, for teaching us so much.

Great video Mr Pete. I like seeing videos like this and other people like them too. Thank you

Keep them coming Mr P, you know it's worth it.

I actually enjoy this work. The results are rewarding. Looking forward to the finished product.

Ah memories. This reminds me of some old motors I've had to put in press through the years.

Love this type of content. Thank you Mr Pete.

My Atlas 618 is a 1" 10 tpi. Nice job on the cleanup! Love to see more 618 content.

Good morning Lyle, Excellent video. I restored my 12” Craftsman and to clean up the #3 Morse taper headstock spindle, I used a copper 10ga shotgun brush and one section of the cleaning rod mounted in my drill. Kerosene and WD40 worked well. The #2 tailstock morse taper uses the 12ga. As for the lead screw, I used a section of 3/4” pvc , capped on the end, and filled it with kerosene to soak, standing vertical. I will look through the collection of literature I have and see if I can date the 1x8” spindle. Isn’t it funny how we have to modify stuff (pulley) and then we created more problems to resolve. It never seems to end. The good thing is that it keeps our brain working to come up with new solutions. Thanks for making my Saturday. Jim

Reminds me of an old Craftsman lathe. Came with a manual that could make a six year old a seasoned machinist. Cute little lathe that would be great for a gunsmith. Kinda small for a machine shop.

Mr. Pete, I thoroughly enjoyed this video. Thank you.

Just a few words to make the algorithm send your videos to more people.

Wonderful video, Mr. Pete please disassemble all and clean. Show us your skills to bring this beauty back to life.

So good to watch this rehab unfold. I'm looking forward to future installments. I hope someone has a set of changewheels they can donate. People are so generous ❤

It’s just fun to watch you work, and the running commentary is great! Thanks, Mr. Pete!

When a notification drops for a new upload, your videos are always something to look forward to at the end of the day. Thanks Mr Pete 🤙

Nice video. It's fascinating how relatively simple it is to break these machines down for a makeover. Thanks for the quick primer on addressing ways with some mild surface rust and grime. I'm always hesitant when doing anything to them.

Thanks Mr. Pete Keep up the great job, you'll have a real jewel when finished.....

I thought I knew most of the things about machining. But Mr. Pete still shows me something I didn't know. Thank you

Thanks Lyle, spending quality time with a machine is rewarding. Have a good weekend. I’m spending it on my wood lathe making more ink pens.

Thanks for the video keep on keeping on.

Great idea for a series. Thank you as always and have a great weekend!

Good morning. thanks for the videos. Have a great day!

What a great little machine! Can’t wait to see it making chips

Thanks for the video Mr. Pete. Looks like you are off to a great start cleaning up the lathe. Can't wait to see the rest of this series.

I enjoy this type of video a lot. Saving a machine like this is worth the effort and I Will be following this project to its conclusion. Great job!

Safety Inspector from the fire dept, came in and tagged everything Craftsman. Not allowed to run until reinspected. I got to work with the stainless scrap and the tig. Covered the bandsaw blade with a bolted on follower. The lathe cover had a maximum limit of half an inch holes to prevent fingers from getting in the belts. I have heard of people reaching under the table without looking. I heard a guy lose some digits, and OSHA asked him what happened. So he said that he reached under just like this... I guess he gave them a very graphic demonstration of the dangers of unguarded moving blades. I used to stand in front of seven feet tall old bandsaws Barely raised the guard enough to get the pieces under. I know where the lines are. I don't have to expose a foot of blade to cut accurately. Besides, the blade has less deflection my way.

You forgot about your nut holder tool, the one featured in a video a few years back. Made in the US by a gentleman who sells them on eBay. I bought one on your recommendation, and it's invaluable in exactly this situation.

thank you for this video series. I have the plain bearing craftsman version. I may try to position the drive motor under the bed in a box like structure of 2 x 6's. and somehow have the 4 speed pullies down there as well. Not sure if the head drive belt can go vertical down on these small beds. Those Mt reamers would be a great find for such resto's. I hope you paint it up so it looks new. I think the Atlas mill had a 1 x 10 tpi spindle so maybe that's why they made the lathe the same so you could swap chucks etc. I always enjoy your video efforts.

That would be a perfect lathe in my woodworking shop. But I'll stick to wood but am interested in seeing you completed this series.

Very interesting video - thank you for sharing. According to the internet experts all Atlas 618 metal lathes came form Atlas with a 1"- 10 TPI spindle thread and none left the factory with a 1" - 8 TPI spindle which may or may not be true. It is possible that the lathe you have had the original spindle damaged and replaced at some point with a used one off of a used Craftsman lathe and the person also purchased the chucks at the same time - again just speculation but might explain why your lathe has no face plate - not sure. Some Craftsman badged Atlas metal lathes apparently came with a 1"- 8 TPI spindle at the request of Craftsman for some reason according to some of the forums. Some speculate the reason for the 1" - 8 TPI spindle choice was that it would allow the use of an older lathe chuck (designed for a metal or wood lathe) which someone might already posses having a 1" - 8 TPI saving the need to purchase a new chuck with a 1"- 10 TPI. From an engineering point of view 1" - 10 TPI is a good choice to offer a true running chuck when mounted but definitely not a common thread in North America where 1" - 8 -TPI is a 1" UNC thread. 1" hex nuts could be readily accessed so an owner who had already purchased the metal lathe could create a backing plate or face plate for a non threaded chuck whereas 1" - 10 hex nuts are a British thread not easily found in North America - again just speculation but might be logical from a marketing / sales point of view since a backing plate could be made using the lathe to cut 1" - 10 threads. The model number on the 6" Craftsman lathe I have is 101.21400 and the SN is 004543 and I remember going with my mom about 1962 - 1963 to pick it up at the local Sears store as it was crated and I had to help lift the crate to set it in the back seat. Looking at the lathe it looks identical to the one you have other than it is badged as a Sears, Roebuck and Company USA and Simpson Sears Limited Canada machine and the spindle thread on it is definitely 1" - bore 10 TPI. I believe the motor pulley you have is not the original either as it would have had a 5/8" bore (according to your information sheets) and be made out of zamac material (the one you have looks like it was made out of aluminum.. The one that came with the lathe I have was 5/8" bore but the material where the set screw threads are was not very good and the threads stripped out - not much extra material to rethread for a larger set screw so I ended up making a new motor pulley out of steel for mine. Hope this helps and does not add to the confusion.

Thanks mr Pete! Really enjoyed viedi!

Love the content. And it is great that you are giving that little machine some love! 🙂

You don't give worthless explanations Mr Pete. I really wish I could have had you teach me in your class.

Love this stuff and always learn something new. Thanks Mate.

I second Mike Barton's comments. The work is really no fun, but also, quite necessary. If we want good results the we have to have good equipment. Keep up the good work and when it's finished you'll appreciate more than if it came that way. KOKO!

That lathe looks great. Nice work sir.

I really love these types of videos! Thank you Mr Pete❤

Ohh, you said it. I use it and wonder if people understand it. On the morrow. I also use yester... Very much like the single edge blade holders, they do great work. Neat series! Watching with interest! That lathe would be great for any small work! In design stages for an obscure puller to be made with the '28 SB 9C here. If we let our minds go idle, we're sunk. You just might keep us going/thinking! Impetus is today's word. Thank you sir! No re needed. : - )

Hi Lyle, Great video. So nice to get the description, even though it’s not your favorite thing to do. Lots of us guys out here like this sort of content. The straight razor defusing was slick. I’ve added it to my bag of tricks. Also great tip with the dial indicator. Looking forward to the next installment. I ran into a strange issue recently. My craftsman 12x36” lathe had decent ways. To protect them I put shop towels over them. Not the red shop towels but cotton terry cloth ones. After a time I moved the lath and discovered the Terry cloth picked up moisture from humidity and rusted me ways. Boy was I pissed. It pas surface rust, but needed to be dealt with. Note to self, no rags on machined surfaces, only oil. It cleaned up with 440 and a stone very much like you showed. Thanks for the great video, Best Regards, John

Consider: A Baltic Birch tabletop for rigidity. Long Version: The wooden top and shelf were missing on my Atlas TH54. Fortunately, it came with original legs. I bought a sheet of 3/4 inch Baltic birch, cut it in half, and glued/screwed the half's together with Titebond. After drying I removed the screws then sanded and finished the wood with multiple coats of Behlen Rockhard Tabletop Urethane Varnish Gloss. The varnish is pretty awesome.

Thank you Mr Pete always a great way to start my weekend. You always inspire me to get in front of my atlas and Bridgeport great content

Mr. Pete, you can install 5/16-18 rivet nuts in the sheet metal and make your adjustments from the topside only.

Glad you decided to go deep on this. Look forward to the next one.

Dear Lyle , always enjoy this....I have the same lathe I need to get running, Cheers from Orlando, Paul

This is a nice series, I just picked up a Craftsman version of this. It needs much of the same care. I will try and keep up with you.

The Jetstar looks like it wants to go outside and play😄 Thanks for the video.

Very nice, I like these restoration projects. I wonder could you mount the new motor overhead using like an idler pully to clear the gear cover?

Like I said in a previous post, I would love to see this used for a beginner project. My Dad gave me this lathe, and I want to fix it. I am trying to source various parts. I did go to Little Machine Shop and bought a quick change tool post for it.

Very much appreciated Pete. Very good for you to share this. I thank you very much..

I had a six inch lathe that was sold by Sears that had a square ish head stock and it had a one inch spindle threaded ten tpi. I think Atlas also manufactured that lathe so it surprises me that there is a difference in the threads. That is the first lathe I owned and the first that I cut single point threads with.

You finally held up a cover from the Chicago Tool Division. They made paper folding machines and paper cutters. I still have a 19 in Hand cutter. They loved this color paint and style of covers. Much of this eras machines were made for Military contracts. Pensacola being a Navy town saw a lot and I mean a lot of surplus. This stuff is made well and much of it is still in use today either here or in Mexico or points south. Several years ago Coke a cola sold its entire bottling plant to a bottler in Mexico. At least this stuff is not in a junk yard.

Throughly enjoyed this one Mr Pete !! John

Good morning Mr. Pete If you take the head stock apart the bearing has the day etched in them , it was on mine , thanks for the Saturday morning video

Great video, looking forward to the rest of videos.

Great job. Thank you 😊

That’s a huge motor , for such a small belt grinder .

From the catalogs on the Vintage Machinery website, the Atlas 6" lathes have always had a 1"x10 TPI spindle. The Sears version was the oddball with the 1"x8 TPI spindle for some time, perhaps depending on the headstock (sleeve or Timkin) bearings. The serial number database was lost, but it appears this lathe is a very late (newest) version from the late sixties to early seventies.

The best way to use Evaporust or other non acid rust removers is to put them into a heated ultrasonic. I’ve found that putting the settings at the max of 30 minutes, 100% of the rust is removed. If, on a badly rusted surface, there’s still some left just put it back for another 15 to 30 minutes and that’s it. I hate having to wait an entire day for these things, only to find I need another 12 hours to a day more. This way I can actually finish something in one session. By the way, we really do enjoy all of what you do, even if it takes longer.

Thanks for sharing Mr. Pete!

Very interesting video Mr Pete. Thank you

I have just been on the Lathes & Co website. They show your lathe with that 8 tpi nose as being listed from 1941 with the same listing catalogue till 1948 due to WWII.

My 1948. Atlas 618. Reads 8 x 1 inch which is what my lathe is spindle is bushings not bearings. Bought it. 1958. Still us ing it. Made different tool holders many yrs ago

Love ❤️ Mr. Pete America 🇺🇸 thanks for another great video. How interesting how many home lathes were a "thing" from 40s thru 70s, why not now?

Wow ! So much better that the little mini lathes they produce today. I have a hard time believing they don't make good stuff like this anymore.

this lathe is going look like a cared for and useable tool, great video . And knowing you do not like this work, I am sure you'll enjoy the end product. Thanks Mr Pete.

Mr. Pete, just wanted to let you know that for the first time in quite a while this video showed up in my notifications and I didn't have to search for it. Perhaps the shadow ban has been revoked.I have the same lathe in similar condition so your work is a great guide for my eventual restoration. I purchased some gear cutters, 24 DP if memory serves me, to make a set of gears that replace missing and damaged gears for my lathe. I plan to use aluminum, 6061 probably and hope it will be a good substitute for the original Zamac gears.

That's a nice lathe. It's gong to be very nice, when it's be cleaned up and put back into use.

So happy this one is up!

This is what I had hoped you would do. Don't make it showroom polished, but get it to a point where someone could get it, and use it right away. If they want to "restore" to perfection later, let them do it. Personally, I would have loved something like this. It isn't pretty, but it works, and could be used for years as is. Personally, the patina of age is a plus in my book, more so given that it may be older than you originally suspected. Great work as always.

Great job, Mr. Pete. Fleet, the same company that makes the enemas. You are hilarious!

Thanks for the video! the pulley reworking would have been a great video to watch

Thank you , love it

thanks for sharing mrpete ! cheers ben

It's looking pretty good

Always informative and interesting.

Motor placement came out great. I don't like the location of the switch, reaching over the spindle to turn on/off. Refurb coming along nicely. Thank you for sharing.

Another interesting and educational video. I'm cleaning up a Logan I bought months ago.

Es un torno precioso, buen trabajo, espero ver el resultado final y algunos proyectos

I'm enjoying this series.

Cleaning and de-rusting is always a pain in the azz. But sometimes it's the only way to get a reasonable usable machine that makes monetary sense. I'm restoring a Bridgeport a little bit every time I walk past and I get a few minutes to scrub the rust. My first lathe was a 1936 atlas. It worked and served me well to learn but was quite clapped out on the ways. You kept a screwdriver on the bed for the gibs. No quick-change gear box (never again). That atlas book was and excellent book in my humble opinion!

Lyle - Another good video this morning. You suffer from the same disease I do - 'I'm doing the minimum cleanup this time.....' - then next thing you know it is all in pieces. But done right in the end. Keep it up and enjoy!

This lathe brings back a lot of memories as this was the first lathe I ran in Jr. High. I made a small little cannon with. BTW, I am getting back at RU-vid a bit. I have been spending a lot of time trying to catch up on your videos and marking them. That should mess up their stats and shadow banning. Great way to figure out the feed rate. Southbend book is not very good agreed.

Enjoyed the video. Thanks for sharing,

Thanks Mr Pete

Just popped up 18 minutes old not into politics of RU-vid but o don’t have problems stave strong love your videos

Geez Pete....Set em in there nice and gentle like! No need to drop em in there and add to the dents and dings!!!

If machine shops are like print shops there is always a couple junker machines for parts out back. So you see things like the long set screws and those other odd ball parts.