Rather than being machined from steel, saving weight and expense.Ĭraftsman of course doesn't actually make anything, but is just the name They also make the lathe affordable, certainly at the time of It makes the lathe lighter - no small thing if you have to move a large On the other hand, the use of zamak serves two purposes. (verbal abuse on forums and such) and perhaps rightly so. The zamak parts on this lathe receive a lot of abuse,

So if you are turning a shaft and want to reduce the diameter by 0.10 inches, Note that the dials on the Atlas tell you tool motion. Serve me just fine if I didn't abuse the lathe. Were still quite serviceable, and if I treated them gently, would likely Professional gunsmith using one of these lathes.Īlso, I considered that the lathe I was looking at is at least 50 years oldĪnd still running so those Zamak gears, though not what one would wish for, Worrisome things that he once made a living as a I was also told by the same fellow that told me all of these Second was that the gears and many other parts were made out of a The worst lathes I should even consider buying. I was warned about several things even before I bought it.įirst, I was told that this Atlas lathe was among perhaps Is 8-14-51, and the date on the right spindle race is 5-10-51. Just for the record, the date stamped on my left spindle race Surface of the ways, right above the right lead screw bearing and support. My lathe is serial number 32068 (the number is stamped on the top This is a 12x36 inch lathe, meaning that the 'swing' is 6 inchesĪllowing 12 inch diameter objects to be turned, and the bed is 36 inches long.Īccording to dates scribed on the races, it was manufactured in 1951.

What I have is a Craftsman Model 101-07403 lathe that was (I got the lathe with 3 and 4 jaw chuck and a lot of tooling for $500) Made an offer that was accepted for the lathe Taiwanese lathes being sold by ENCO and others.īut I caught wind of a used machine for sale, Source said that I would be quite happy with any of the small (and I still consider this excellent advice). One good source advised me to buy a used Southbend Try my hand at other machining endeavors, and began shoppingįor a lathe. I had been learning how to use my mill and was eager to

At the end of May, 2011, I purchased my first (and only) lathe.

Clausing lathe parts