Today's $75 Yard Sale Score - Atlas 618 Lathe Restoration [Archive]

honda250sx

05-01-2011, 10:56 PM

Driving back home today after a morning of errands and there was a little old man tacking up some yard sale signs on the the corner. I made my way to the house in question and hopped out to have a look. I don't normally stop, but I figured, eh, its Sunday, don't have a thing going on, why not. There on the table sits a coffee can of morse taper drills and hand ground cutter blanks for a lathe. Which weren't ground by a run of a mill hobbyist. These were carefully done with rake and radius all neatly. As a machinist and CNC field engineer I took kindly to the handy work. I asked the little old man if this was his handy work and he replied "Yes sir"...Mind you I'm 25, he was pushing a solid 80 and I'm Sir!? I complemented him on his craftsmanship and asked him if he had the lathe that he used them on. Much to my shigrin he said "Yes Sir". It's forsale, I just couldnt lift it from the bench top. He takes me in and there she sat. Hadn't run her in 15 yrs he said. I asked what he needed to have for her and he said I paid $75 dollars when it was new. It was alot of money back then. I am not going to ask a single cent less or more for it. I assured him that was WAY MORE than fair enough. I assured him that it would go to a wonderful home where it would be dissasembled, refinished and put back into a life of use by another tradesman. He had a hell of a hand shake for a 79 yr old buck. He was thrilled to see she was going to be brought back to life.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i151/brauerpower/Atlas%20618%20Lathe%20Restoration/IMG_0381.jpg

Features Timken Roller Bearing spindle.
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i151/brauerpower/Atlas%20618%20Lathe%20Restoration/IMG_0392.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i151/brauerpower/Atlas%20618%20Lathe%20Restoration/IMG_0383.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i151/brauerpower/Atlas%20618%20Lathe%20Restoration/IMG_0389.jpg

RARE set of Commutator Chucks from Jacobs. These were used to hold motor windings.
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i151/brauerpower/Atlas%20618%20Lathe%20Restoration/IMG_0395.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i151/brauerpower/Atlas%20618%20Lathe%20Restoration/IMG_0386.jpg

Original 1/2 horse 1725 RPM DC motor.
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i151/brauerpower/Atlas%20618%20Lathe%20Restoration/IMG_0388.jpg

honda250sx

05-02-2011, 10:02 AM

Thats when they were made well, later they became a Sears plastic jobber.

Nice score Jeff, I bet he had all the gears and goodies for it too; I see the faceplate. NICE!!

Steve - He couldnt place the chuck or anything else with it. It wasn't hooked up and it looks like someone could have taken some items from it. I have been BUSY on ebay lol. I have a NOS 4" 3 jaw chuck coming, Milling attachment, collet closer and collets, Quick change toolpost coming from A2Z one of my Haas customers that make them, I got a set of gears coming and alot of other things, haha.