Does anyone have measurements for the Atlas made craftsman 6" lathe bed/ways? I have most of the pieces and a LOT of scrap metal, I figured I might be able to make one.
I've heard to stock ones are a little light so they have drawback.
Anyways default thickness width of the 2 sides, etc. would be great.
If you have all the parts, you should be able to figure out what you need.
Ways are 4.625" wide, with 1.615" gap in center. Thickness is .4375" at ledges. Front ledge is .250" deep, rear ledge is .425".
Yeah, the stock ones are a little light. So is the headstock, the carriage, the compound, the tailstock, the spindle, the gear train and the countershaft. Replace those and you'll have a much more rigid machine.
Unless you just WANT to make one, find a used bed. Or, if you only have MOST of the pieces, find a complete lathe. Building a machine from parts is not the way to go - it takes a long time and it's expensive.
John Martin
Well someones giving me a tailstock but I don't have it till they get back from vacation.
The ebay pictures I've seen shows a larger gap at the headstock end but I can figure that one out, just wondering about the rest of the gap, which you reference below.
I'll buy a good lathe but as a project I think it will be interesting. I'm more interested in the engineering/design side of lathes than using them.
Directly under the headstock the inside of the ways are notched for some reason.
I'm with you. I have more fun resurrecting an abandoned relic than buying a new one. I am currently rebuilding a 618 that was under a tarp in someone's yard, rusting away. I'm about halfway to having a nice little lathe. This will be the third small Sears lathe I've rebuilt, the other two are on top of the bookshelf in the den.
Are you on the Atlas 618 Yahoo group? They have the manual and other files for downloading, plus lots of good contributors.
Rex B Fort Worth
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