Atlas 618 lathe?

[kvom]

This lathe is currently listed on eBay with a $600 reserve, and the owner will deliver it for $30. I'm wondering what people think about this as a "beginner" lathe. I am starting a lathe machining course next week, so this might be good for homework (as well as my TB2 flywheels).

Since it doesn't have a QCGB, I have sent a message to the owner asking if he has the change gears.

URL is http://cgi.ebay.com/ATLAS-CRAFTSMAN-LATHE-6-AMAZING-CONDITION_W0QQitemZ220251768633QQihZ012QQcategoryZ97230QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[shred]

I've got one very like it. It's a good little lathe. I used it to do all the lathe work on my Elmers Tall Vertical which is around here someplace. They seem to go for ~$500 around here with gears, good tooling in good shape and less without. That one is advertised as 'like new', which may be worth more especially if you don't plan to use it much

They are somewhat comparable to the Chinese 7x lathes-- a little larger and will do work a fair bit longer than the Chinese 7x lathes, but not swing quite as much (6" vs 7"). Speed changes are via belt, but it does have a real backgear. Without change wheels, you're looking at some $ to get a full set-- price those before buying-- the comments say there aren't any but what comes with it. For $600+, though you're heading for Chinese 9x20 territory, and I'd say the 9x is probably overall a better lathe and has a better support/parts network today.

There's Atlas_Craftsman and Atlas618lathe yahoo groups that are pretty active.

 

[cfellows]

That's good little lathe, pretty well tooled. The spindle has a pretty small through hole and the spindle thread is 1 x 10 which is not a standard thread. However, it already has a faceplate, 4 jaw, and 3 jaw chucks which should get you through most projects.

The back gear and belt drive lets you increase the spindle torque on slower speed turning which is a big advantage. I think it would make a good starter lathe, much more capacity than a Taig or Sherline.

Chuck