I recently purchased a 9" South Bend Lathe (see attached). On the ways where the serial number is located I found something unusual. The serial number appears as "DPC 96 OBER 151793". The number would indicate that the lather was manufactured in 1944 I believe. I don't have a clue what the DPC 96 OBER is supposed to signify. I contacted South Bend directly and they said they didn't have any idea what it meant either. I'm hoping somebody here might be able to enlighten me. Since this was a lathe manufactured during WWII, is it an indication that it was used for defense purposes?
Maui
Maui