Atlas lathe change gear question

I have an Atlas 10F lathe. It has manual gear change, not quick change. Sometimes I don't want the threading gears operating and sometimes I do. If you have one of these lathes, you know that the whole gear train runs unless you remove the gear that transmits rotation from the headstock gear to the rest of the gear train. This model has no forward-off-reverse lever up there like the quick change models do. That function is taken on by the gearbox down by left end of the leadscrew. That's okay from an operational standpoint, but I hate to hear all those "Zamak" gears going around uselessly. I even bought a gear changer from a 12" lathe to try to retrofit, but there isn't room. It appears that the extra height of the 12" lathe's headstock provides space for that device. Has anyone already addressed this problem successfully? So far, I can't figure a way to take that first gear out of the "circuit" without having to lower the banjo, first. If you don't have an answer, I will have to put my own brain to work on it and that will tax these aging brain cells a LOT!

Please don't flame me for having this lathe in the first place. I have learned pretty well how to work within its limitations. (Don't use carbide tooling for accurate cuts).

Pete Stanaitis

Reply to
spaco
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I have a 10F and have no answer on the banjo, but the noise from the gears can be held to a minimum if you oil the bushings regularly and put molybdenum grease on the gear teeth. Without going out to look, wouldn't it be easier to just to take out one of the idler gears?

Reply to
Gary Brady

I do oil regularly. It's not the noise; it's knowing that all those extra parts are going around uselessly that bothers me. I could take out the first gear on the banjo, but that still leaves the gear driven by the headstock running.

Pete Stanaitis

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Gary Brady wrote:

Reply to
spaco

I'm not familiar with the 10F. I have a 12" that doesn't have a quick change gearbox and I very much want one but can't afford it right now. Mine does have the forward, neutral, reverse lever though but it's a tumbler type, not the type that is inline with the leadscrew.

Have you seen the reverse tumbler mod that many people do to their Chinese

9x20 lathes? It might give you some ideas for doing something similar to yours:

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Or you may be able to buy the reverse lever like mine uses on eBay and adapt it to yours.

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Best Regards, Keith Marshall snipped-for-privacy@progressivelogic.com

"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"

Reply to
Keith Marshall

It is easy. There is a little handle that allows you to raise and lower the whole gear bracket and lock it where you want it. I always lowered the gears when I wasn't using either threading or power feeds.

It only takes a second to do this. But, it WILL get your hands dirty. Oh, well.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Elson

I certainly don't mind getting my hands dirty. That's not the issue at all. The location of the jam nut is hard to get to and I need 3 hands to hold the banjo in place, locate the paper shims and snug everything up. I just look with jealousy at the folks who have that neat little lever up there.

If you have a faster way, please share it with me.

Pete Stanaitis

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J> spaco wrote:

Reply to
spaco

Hi, I was reading that you have purchased a quick gear change box for a

12" Atlas lathe and it won't fit your 10", I have a 12" and I am looking for a quick change gear box. Would you consider selling me the one you have that won't fit your 10" lathe.

Mark Mindel

Reply to
m2mindel

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