Because no amount of paint will make it other than a South Bend[.]
-Sometimes the only machine a person can find locally is a South Bend.
Sometimes the only machine a person can
afford is a South Bend.
Sometimes the person only has
room for a machine the size of a South Bend.
Sometimes it's a choice between old American iron or new imported.
Sometimes a person will choose a machine with good parts availability, lots of documentation, and a thriving group of owners to help him with repairs and replacements.
Sometimes a man is long retired and just wants to tinker in his garage, and a South bend just happens to be one of the first ones he found.
There was a time I'd have helped hide a body for an SB- because sometimes
any lathe is better than
no lathe. The first lathe I owned was an import, because
I couldn't even find a South Bend.
Yes, I'm aware this is
Practical Machinist and not "Hobby" Machinist. But guess what, despite the efforts of people like you, there's still a lot of hobbyists in here.
And the question, regardless of the OP's machine, can apply to most other machines as well- and there's nearly always an active thread on here somewhere of somebody rebuilding a mill, lathe, die filer, planer, shaper or kumquat-squeezer.
Your reply was boorish at best, and uncalled for. I, for one, would appreciate it if you kept such thoughts to yourself in the future.
Doc.