Hi Maine machinist. I also love my Atlas 7 inch shaper. Its details are very different from your shaper. Design of the ram, power cross feed mechanism, table casting. door casting to the internal mechanism, the entire right side of the main casting, etc. Lots of factories made 7 inch shapers under their own name and I believe many British companies made close copies especially of Atlas products. Most were probably more durable than the Atlas because of the many zemac castings. It might be fun, and another story, for you to fine out who really made your shaper. There are just to many major casting differences for it to be a temporary production expedience for, especially WW2 production.
Hi Jeremy, I'm also looking to replace my spindle bearings but I'm wanting to purchase them before pulling the headstock apart. Your lathe looks to be the same model as mine, Model 3986. Can you please post the bearing numbers.
Hi Maine machinist.
I also love my Atlas 7 inch shaper. Its details are very different from your shaper. Design of the ram, power cross feed mechanism, table casting. door casting to the internal mechanism, the entire right side of the main casting, etc. Lots of factories made 7 inch shapers under their own name and I believe many British companies made close copies
especially of Atlas products.
Most were probably more durable than the Atlas because of the many zemac castings.
It might be fun, and another story, for you to fine out who really made your shaper. There are just to many major casting differences for it to be a temporary production expedience for, especially WW2 production.
The bearings look like wheel bearings, so people treat them like wheel bearings...without bearing seals and dust caps.
They probably packed with grease because the bearing was rough and they were too cheap to buy new ones. Same as my job.
I have the same lathe. Mine also has grease zerks where you have put in Goetz oilers.
This seems to be somewhat of a fairly common problem
Although as mentioned sometimes what appear to be grease zerks - common on older Bridgeports - are actually made for pump style oilers.
Hi Jeremy, I'm also looking to replace my spindle bearings but I'm wanting to purchase them before pulling the headstock apart. Your lathe looks to be the same model as mine, Model 3986. Can you please post the bearing numbers.
All Timken Parts: 16150, 14125A, 14276B, 16284B. Hope that helps!
Prior to replacing the bearings, how much runout were you seeing?
In what way? Spindle runout itself?
Where do you get your headstock bearing from?
Timken bearings. You can source them just about anywhere.