I am interested in purchasing a metal lathe for my workshop. There is an Atlas 42" tabletop lathe coming up at an auction and would like to find out how this machine rates as a gunsmithing lathe. I do not know much more about the lathe other than it comes with various accessories. Phoned the auction place and all they could tell me was that I can view it the day before the auction. A while back I was at a machine tool place that has new and used lathes, and when I mentioned Atlas, the guy seemed to feel that they were not a very sturdy lathe. I would appreciate any opinions on this lathe.

Thanks, Hart

In 1972 my gunsmithing hobby had progressed to the point that I needed a lathe. I bought An Atlas 12 inch swing, 36 inches between centers, 42 inch bed. It was under several coats of paint and grease. I got it home, stripped it to the bare frame, stripped all the paint and grease and paint off of it and replaced some parts, worn and missing. The headstock bearings had 1941 stamped on them. When I got it all back together and turned on the switch I was running a lathe for the first time in my life.

I bought some manuals on Atlas lathes and machine shop practices and went to work. I dont't know how many rifle and handgun barrels I machined in that lathe but it has been quite a few.

One time a machinist told me that Atlas lathes were pieces of junk, that they had pot metal gears, flat ways and were not rigid and way too light. I replied that Atlas made extremely good lathes. Why would you say that he asked. Because they made a lathe that I could afford and they were much better than my other choice (no lathe at all)! If not for Atlas I would never have learned machine work and advanced my gunsmithing skills. Yes you have to work a little more slowly and learn it's limitations but a good machinist can still turn out first class barrel fitting and machine work with it and learn a great deal with them.

I now have a Clausing 5900 series lathe that I do most of my work with, however I still have that Atlas and it gets used every week for small parts and such.

One last thought, if you are considering doing production work or full time gunsmithing with a lot of barrel work, you might want to consider a heavier machine with V ways. But if you are wanting to do a few barrels a year and can afford to lean toward the slow and methodical side then the Atlas will do well.

A used Lathe is a risky investment. If you look carefully, many have been seriously abused! However, they may still work for your purposes and will be an invaluable learning tool. How much more can you hurt it? I suggest you read the article on buying a clunker at www.Merimac.com as well as look at his prices. This guy knows what he is doing and charges accordingly! He even offered me 2 K for my Southbend.!
I bought a 3 1/2 ft Heavy 10 Southbend for $400 5 years ago at auction and by the time I had it running right I had invested $2K in it. It's fine for small parts and gives me a warm nostalgic feeling, but isn't a Lathe I'd use for serious Gunsmithing. Now I use a Jet 13X40 gear drive ( which also Isn't great) but it delivers the accuracy and precision I demand). For the money, I'd buy a good chinese Lathe New and sell it as soon as I had serious problems with it.- depending on who you buy from Jet/Grizzly/Enco etc. you can get the same machine for 2K-5K.-Rob

Check out the Birminham 14x40 at www.emachinetool.com. I've been looking at a lot of lathes lately, and I think a new cheaper lathe with fresh ways beats an older good lathe with worn ways. By the way, that site at Merrimac is a good one. It reminded me of a problem my really old lathe has, which is worn ways. If I tighten the carriage, it won't travel all the way to the end, so I have to loosen it up. Not good for accuracy!

Thanks for the replies guys. Rob and savageshooter, I cannot get your links to work.
I am not looking for a production machine and may do a few chambering jobs. Using the picture from the auction place and doing a bit of research I finaly figured that the machine is an Atlas 12". I still don't know if the reference to 42" is the bed length or between centers length. I am going to view the machine tomorrow and see what condition the machine is in and what acessories come with it. If the bid does not go too high I may buy it. I would rather get a quality used machine with a larger spindle bore, but they are seldom seen for sale in my area. If this opportunity does not pan out I will probably go for an import.

Hart.

After reading the Mermac advice on a clunker, I got to thinking: Can a smith thread, chamber, and face a barrel with a lathe having more than average wear on the ways?

I mean, you are not going to have the carriage moving the length of the bed during a chamber job... This would only occur when turning a barrel, right?

How precise does a lathe have to be for general gunsmithing???

Sorry 'bout that useless link. The correct link is http://www.emachinetool.com/index.cfm That'll work much better!

[This message has been edited by savageshooter (edited 02-22-2002).]
For some reason, when you click on this link, it adds a period at the end. Just click on it, then when the "page not found comes up, delete the period at the end of the URL and hit enter. It should take you there.

[This message has been edited by savageshooter (edited 02-22-2002).]