I have a chance to pick up what appears to be a pretty good old Atlas 618 lathe with a bunch of tooling, for a very reasonable price! Also included would be a mill/drill with tooling and metal cutting band saw.
I am not rich, but really want/need a lathe for small work. I know these will cut SAE threads, but I am not sure if I could cut metric with it or not? Would this be enough lathe for light work with copper/brass and aluminum?
I need opinions as soon as possible, so I can commit.
Absolutely yes!! Lucky dog! 
Ask him if there is any runout. Also ask him if it will take a bigger chuck. Find out what the size limits are for stock.
What is the paltry price you are paying for these lovely items? If you don’t mind sharing…
$300 for mill/lathe/bandsaw and tooling for all three! And 2 hours each way to get them. One of the other pics showed the 4 jaw, steady rest and milling attachment for the lathe and a full set of tail stock collets and closer.
It would be hard to go wrong at that price. I wouldn’t ask about run out…. I would make a deal that he holds the items until I got there… and then I would check the backlash for myself. There will be some. The thing about a lathe is, when you are doing critical work… like threading…. the movement that really counts is all in one feed direction for each axis. Thus, a little backlash isn’t a total game killer.
Make sure the change gears are present. You will need those to cut various thread pitches. If you can find a book by chance on that old Atlas, it would help…they are out there. Keep in mind that parts for that lathe are near non existent. If in decent shape, it will do a lot of work. That’s an oldie. Check it close.
EDIT: … yes, that old lathe is plenty stout for flashlight work. It will be limited on stock size but stout it is.
TL
Problem is that I don’t know how to check it and I don’t have a friend to check it. Have never owned one, only used a few good ones on rifle barrels.
Checking a lathe for backlash is fairly easy.
For the slide…
For the drive screw… it is the same process… but you may /may not have a scale… use a ruler or calipers. This backlash, unless it is REALLY bad is not too critical.
I would sure want to run the lathe under power if possible. That way, you can listen to the spindle bearings. Those old Atlas were built like tanks so there is a good chance it will be ok to work with.
I am going to PM you my phone number… if you need to call, feel free. TL
The easiest way for a beginner to give it a go over might be to use a dial indicator with a magnetic base. It’s hard to feel things out without knowing what it should feel like. If you don’t have an indicator you’ll need one soon anyway.
I would rest it against the back of the cross slide and try to push and pull to check for play. The same could be done with the compound slide and the carriage (as texaslumens said a little play in the feedscrew shouldn’t be a deal breaker). Then use it to check runout on the chuck and as long as it runs quiet for that price take her home.
The mill/drill… Personally I would be looking to leave there or resell it though depending what you want from it you may find it useful. Something that size is really no more than a positionable drill press.
It all sounds like a bargain. Follow what TL has said.
I’m not getting him to check mine though.
With the nice work you do, you certainly know how to get all the machine can put out!!! Those old lathes will run forever.
TL
BUY THIS. Most Atlas lathe parts are still available, and it’s eminently rebuildable if it needs it. I’m not sure that it can do metric but at this price you better get it. Atlas were the dominant mid-range US-made lathe in their heyday and even served decently in small production shops. Most are still in use today or are sitting lonely in the back of no-longer-used shops. If everything is tight and not abused it’s easily worth 5X the asking price!
Look closely for cracked castings and forgings; those are usually deal-breakers. Be sure all parts are there (ask if you don’t know). Move everything movable and feel for looseness or binding. Replacing the half-nuts can be fiddly but the rest is pretty straight-forward, No comments on the drill press, but I’m jealous as all heck about the lathe!
Phil
You can cut metric thread’s, you just need the correct change over gears. Loads of information on Google.
couple of thing to keep in mind about checking an old lathe…
1) what one guy calls “clapped out junk” is what another guy calls “hey! good little machine! last forever!”
2) the “lash” and “play” you are checking for? can be generally ADJUSTED OUT. I know i bought a small one brand new, and after adustment? tight and neat wonderful lash specs… let it GO for a while not keeping the gibs and such right? clapped out chinese junk you would say…
my advice? if the stuff is supposed to be “running” condition? chuck up a piece of round stock aluminum? and make some light cuts on it, then take a cheap digital measuring device to the cut cylinder… best indication of what it can do…
honestly, what a “real lathe guy” calls crap?? is what another guy will use that lathe for YEARS to make a lot of cool stuff with, and you cant tell it wasnt made on a “new” lathe…
honestly, my neighbor made some NICE pieces on his ancient lathe i gave him years back… you would have thought the thing was ready for the scrap heap…
i think its like a lot of other stuff… a PRO can pick up a couple of chicken feathers and paint you the “mona lisa” out of blood and mud, and it “looks great”… give another guy whose not an accomplished artist all the BEST paints and brushes and canvas he wants? cant paint an apple let alone a mona lisa.
a LOT of people buy older stuff like this, because their machinist buddies said to get “good old heavy american iron!” and the stuff sits or never gets adusted properly… you’d be surprised…
for the PRICE and now that i am into the stuff and recognize the machinery?? heck, for 300 bucks for everything? its hard to go wrong, even if something DOES completely not work, you have great parts to sell for more than you paid.
my money says “it all works” once you learn how to adust and use it… MOST machines arent perferct and make beautiful work… they are like a “former racehorse” that is “lame in 3 legs”… they sure RUN and JUMP fine for a “lame animal”, dont they? lol…
=
PS - i have a “7x10” tabletop lathe… i can spin 3 maybe 3.5 inches, beforfe i am running into the toolpost. If you have a “8x16” or whatever model? you can probably “spin” 4 solid inches of round stock before running out of space…
the “needs” of the “real, working, machine shop lathe operator” and the needs of the “home machinist, wants to make flashlights” are vastly different…
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[quote=sedstar]
couple of thing to keep in mind about checking an old lathe…
1) what one guy calls “clapped out junk” is what another guy calls “hey! good little machine! last forever!”
2) the “lash” and “play” you are checking for? can be generally ADJUSTED OUT. I know i bought a small one brand new, and after adustment? tight and neat wonderful lash specs… let it GO for a while not keeping the gibs and such right? clapped out chinese junk you would say…
my advice? if the stuff is supposed to be “running” condition? chuck up a piece of round stock aluminum? and make some light cuts on it, then take a cheap digital measuring device to the cut cylinder… best indication of what it can do…
honestly, what a “real lathe guy” calls crap?? is what another guy will use that lathe for YEARS to make a lot of cool stuff with, and you cant tell it wasnt made on a “new” lathe…
honestly, my neighbor made some NICE pieces on his ancient lathe i gave him years back… you would have thought the thing was ready for the scrap heap…
i think its like a lot of other stuff… a PRO can pick up a couple of chicken feathers and paint you the “mona lisa” out of blood and mud, and it “looks great”… give another guy whose not an accomplished artist all the BEST paints and brushes and canvas he wants? cant paint an apple let alone a mona lisa.
a LOT of people buy older stuff like this, because their machinist buddies said to get “good old heavy american iron!” and the stuff sits or never gets adusted properly… you’d be surprised…
for the PRICE and now that i am into the stuff and recognize the machinery?? heck, for 300 bucks for everything? its hard to go wrong, even if something DOES completely not work, you have great parts to sell for more than you paid.
my money says “it all works” once you learn how to adust and use it… MOST machines arent perferct and make beautiful work… they are like a “former racehorse” that is “lame in 3 legs”… they sure RUN and JUMP fine for a “lame animal”, dont they? lol…
=
PS - i have a “7x10” tabletop lathe… i can spin 3 maybe 3.5 inches, beforfe i am running into the toolpost. If you have a “8x16” or whatever model? you can probably “spin” 4 solid inches of round stock before running out of space…
the “needs” of the “real, working, machine shop lathe operator” and the needs of the “home machinist, wants to make flashlights” are vastly different…
\/quote]
In all honestly a greater truth could not be told here. Very well put sir.
[quote=Turningbluechips]
Yep, very well put indeed.
Just a suggestion, I’d sheetrock the wall behind the Lathe. You don’t want hot metal filings hitting that insulation paper especially after it get’s a coating of lubricating oil.
Nice Lathe BTW.
Don’t have it yet. That is the pic they sent me. Wish I did!
I hope the deal goes through! Then you will get to watch your wallet get even thinner as you decide you need a quick-change toolpost, and good calipers, and tooling and even more tooling and inserts,
I just use my fathers’ old lathe when I pop over there from time to time. I’ve bought way more tooling for that beast than he has 
~D
holy crap! You didn't tell me about the band saw. I've been meaning to ask and hope you grabbed it all regardless. Can mod/fix whatever isn't working if necessary
im procuring a 5c collet chuck, lathe adaptor and 5c collet set next week, after all of the tooling that I've already bought. It's awesome to have but man it's painful at times hahaha
for $300 I’d be in the car right now, that’s a screaming deal. Good deal for a bare 618 alone, let alone with tooling, double let alone for 2 other machines. Other than looking it over to check for obvious cracks or missing teeth, I wouldn’t do anything other than turn it on and perhaps do a test cut on a piece of alu. Anything more than that and at that price will just p!ss the seller off.
I have a 618 and I rebuilt a Craftsman bronze bearing version. They’re stout little lathes and you can do a lot on them. Biggest piece I’ve turned is a 7in treadmill motor flywheel, which just cleared the ways. I’ve turned CI, steel (inc. O1 tool steel), alu, brass and plastic on mine. I’ve also cut metric threads (0.5mm and 1.5mm pitch) using the change gears and keeping the half nuts shut the whole time. You’ll be very happy with all of those, if you can get there quick enough to buy them!