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Early Atlas 10" Basic Versions Late Atlas 10" Basic Versions Atlas 6" Atlas 6" Mk. 2 Atlas 6" Accessories Atlas 9" Atlas 10" Atlas 10" & 12" Accessories Atlas 10" Gearbox details Atlas Home Atlas Factory Pick-O-Matic Threading Atlas Late Model 12" Halifax Clone Utility Lathes Catalog Covers Metalcraft Model Atlas Screw-Machine (capstan) A direct mechanical copy of the American Atlas 10-inch lathe the Sphere, like the other English "Halifax" and "Acorntools" clones, had several interesting changes to the specification and materials used in its construction: the cross slide was wider and on some of the changewheel-equipped models the casing of the leadscrew reversing gearbox was made in a hard black plastic, a material also used for the gear-case and headstock covers as well as the double-step pulley on the countershaft, the two matching 4-step pulleys on countershaft and headstock and, on some lathes, the carriage-traverse handwheel. The "Sphere" logo, that carried the description "British Made" was cast into the headstock foot - an easily-changed component and possibly along the lines of those little tags dangling from "leather" wallets proclaiming "Real Leather" - the tag might be but the wallet certainly is not. The standard handbook for the Atlas 10-inch lathes covers the Sphere model in every detail.. |
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Like the Halifax, the Sphere had an appreciably broader cross slide than the Atlas version with the wider section of the dovetail being 2.96" across (Atlas about 2.15") and the narrower 2.66" (Atlas 1.83"). The full width of the Halifax/Sphere cross-slide casting was 4.21" |
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On some versions of the changewheel-equipped Sphere even the casing of the leadscrew reversing gearbox was made in a hard black plastic, a material also used for the gear-case and headstock covers as well as the double-step pulley on the countershaft and the two matching 4-step pulleys on countershaft and headstock. The "Sphere" logo was cast into the headstock foot - an easily-changed component. |
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Not all Sphere lathes had the leadscrew reversing gearbox casing in plastic, the one on this model is in metal, yet still different to the original Atlas design. |
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An engineering-grade plastic was used for the changewheel and headstock covers as well as the double-step pulley on the countershaft and the two matching 4-step pulleys on countershaft and headstock. |
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The inner changewheel guard cover was well ribbed on the inside and fastened to the end face of the headstock by three screws. The countershaft was an integral unit, built onto the back of the bed and headstock. |
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Early Atlas 10" Basic Versions Late Atlas 10" Basic Versions Atlas 6" Utility Lathes Catalog Covers |
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